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Grace Electric Bike Is Part Motorcycle, Part Race Car and Part Fighter Jet
Schwinn Tailwind Electric Bicycle Lightning Review

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nutbastard
11/18/09

In reply to Grace Electric Bike Is Part Motorcycle, Part Race Car and Part Fighter Jet
"That's not enough to make it a serious mode of transportation, but if you live in an urban area it might make some sense."

riiight, putting around on a $9k bike in an urban area sounds like a really great idea...
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MeesterBell
11/18/09

In reply to Grace Electric Bike Is Part Motorcycle, Part Race Car and Part Fighter Jet
Too expensive. Why bother to make such a bike? May as well carve it out of solid gold and put it in a museum. #grace
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nexusheli
11/18/09

@MeesterBell: Apparently you haven't shopped for a quality bike lately. The company I work for imports and distributes fine Italian bicycles. We currently offer a model retailing at over $14,499, which can be upgraded to hit nearly $20k.

And no, it has no motor.
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nutbastard
11/18/09

@nexusheli:

i can't believe there are d-bags out there spending that much money on a friggin bicycle.

is it better than my $80 bicycle? i have no doubt. but unless it's 200 times better, why pay 200 times more?
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nexusheli
11/18/09

@nutbastard: While many of them might be d-bags, there are a few that actually have legitimate reasons for buying them. Some people are collectors, and this particular bike is certainly collectible (about 10 were brought into the US). Some are captains of industry and have to have something befitting of their status, and are capable of riding in a capacity to boot.

You're right though, it's not 200x better, but neither is a Ferrari vs an Accord, or a high-end gaming PC vs a cheap Dell. People tend not to 'need' these things, but we're a consumer society and without people buying $10,000 bicycles, I'd probably be waiting tables along with a number of my industry colleagues and entrepreneurs who've started bike shops in the last 5 years...
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fuchikoma
11/19/09

@nexusheli: That's nice... but I bought a "quality" bicycle in that I have yet to meet someone with an equal or better one for $1500.

I had $8000, but I used it to buy a brand new Kawasaki Ninja 500R, plates, insurance, and a full suit of riding gear.

I can well understand paying more for a well made bike, but I'm not paying over $3000 for a bicycle unless I have corporate sponsors for racing bikes professionally...
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Edited by fuchikoma at 11/19/09 5:40 PM fuchikoma was starred fuchikoma was unstarred

nexusheli
11/20/09

@fuchikoma: There's indeed a threshold for sanity when it comes to bicycles. Really for me, even working in the industry and having access to these bikes at a reduced price, I still find it hard to justify spending more than just a couple grand on one. And the one I did manage to invest nearly $2500 into was custom made by hand to my measurements, painted by hand, and has a dedication on it to me.

I understand a motorcycle is a bit more practical, but not as healthy or green. But it's just like all of us as gadget lovers, many of these things are impractical, or there are more practical ways of doing things yet we have a desire, need, want or love for these things.

I didn't need a Nikon D90, a D40, or even a Canon G10 or similar would have done just fine, but I was no less grateful when I received that D90 as a 30th b-day present...
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fuchikoma
11/20/09

@nexusheli: I can totally understand that, and I'm not saying you should just get a motorbike instead - just that it becomes hard to justify that much on a bicycle when you could get so much for the same money (but wow, if I could get a good custom bike for $2500 I would have for sure!) It's like the argument of "why buy a $250,000 car when you could have... a house?" I don't know how many you sell in the $8-9k range, but I kind of agree with MeesterBell's sentiment that for that much it may as well be a museum piece, unless the frame lasts through a century of hard offroad use, and no parts ever require maintenance.

The biggest issue for me is that people will steal a $500 bike if they can - even if the value of an $8000 one (or a $14,500 one!) isn't obvious by looking at it, you'd pretty much have to carry it around with you anywhere you stopped to make sure you didn't lose something as valuable as a motor vehicle. Where I live there are often no viable places to anchor the frame to anything, so you kind of have to lock the wheel and frame together and hope no one notices it and walks off with it - or walk several blocks from where you parked it.

So I'd never spend that much on a bike myself - but like your cameras, if I just happened to end up with one, you bet I'd enjoy it!
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hacku
11/17/09

In reply to Grace Electric Bike Is Part Motorcycle, Part Race Car and Part Fighter Jet
$9k for a bicycle? No thanks... you can get a nice used motorcycle for that price that will do 150mph... #grace
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fuchikoma
11/19/09

@hacku: You can get an entry-level sportbike that will do 200kph brand new for that too. Actually, a few grand less, and even a grand or two less than that in the USA.

...but of course you buy a bicycle because you want a bicycle... but if I had one that expensive I'd have to disassemble it and stuff it into a hard case then carry it with me everywhere I went, because leaving it outside would be insane.
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Edited by fuchikoma at 11/19/09 5:46 PM fuchikoma was starred fuchikoma was unstarred

dingus
11/17/09

In reply to Grace Electric Bike Is Part Motorcycle, Part Race Car and Part Fighter Jet
Heeeey... Is that young Henry Winkler under all that hair? Can this bike jump sharks?
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Edited by dingus at 11/17/09 11:19 PM dingus was starred dingus was unstarred

RPMurphy
11/18/09

@dingus: Judging by the long hair and curvy chest, I would say it's a girl. But maybe that's just me.
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dingus promoted this comment Edited by RPMurphy at 11/18/09 12:12 AM RPMurphy was starred RPMurphy was unstarred

dingus
11/18/09

@RPMurphy: I'm concerned about the prominent brow and cleft chin. All I'm saying is that's the Fonz plus a wig and some baloons. #grace
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Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
04/09/09

In reply to Schwinn Tailwind Electric Bicycle Lightning Review
For that much you can get a nice used Vespa.
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Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
04/09/09

In reply to Schwinn Tailwind Electric Bicycle Lightning Review
For that much you could buy a damn segway and look a little less like Pee Wee Herman.
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Eauboy
04/09/09

In reply to Schwinn Tailwind Electric Bicycle Lightning Review
Actually
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Monty
04/09/09

@Eauboy: Very

Pet Shop Boys fan, eh?
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GitEmSteveDave_HatesFriday
04/09/09

In reply to Schwinn Tailwind Electric Bicycle Lightning Review
Can you use this to deliver pizza's?
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Monty
04/09/09

In reply to Schwinn Tailwind Electric Bicycle Lightning Review
I look at this in the same way that I look at Windows Vista -- it is a nice piece of technology that will move us toward a truly useful product, but there is no way in hell I would ever actually buy it. That said, there are those that would think this is a quality product worth the price. Thank the gods that Vista and the Tailwind exist to warn me to not get too close to these individuals.
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Jestermeister
04/09/09

In reply to Schwinn Tailwind Electric Bicycle Lightning Review
Wait a second...Lance Armstrong's bikes always have a long silver box thing over the back wheel like this...O...M...G...
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AqueousBeef
04/09/09

@jestermeister: That's a fridge to keep the roids at optimal temperature! xD
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fanboy.took.my.star
04/09/09

In reply to Schwinn Tailwind Electric Bicycle Lightning Review
ill wait till my 3200$ can buy me a tata nano...
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AqueousBeef
04/09/09

@urbanturban666: Or about 8 fixed gear commuters.
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