So it's a hell of a lot cooler and more powerful than a scooter, moped or Segway—but the 1300 watt lithium ion-powered motor will only take you between 18 and 31 miles on a one hour charge (depending on weight). 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. You don't need a parking spot and you can ride it in the same areas as a traditional bicycle. Of course, that kind of flexibility won't come cheap. Expect to pay €5877 ($8742) for the Grace E-Bike when it ships in January. [Grace via DVICE]

The bike broke the record on September 1, averaging 150.059mph, and reaching a top speed of 161mph. The most amazing thing is that this is not a prototype, but an actual production model. It's the same as the first 300 bikes that will be available in 2010. In fact, you can get one of the first 50, which are already available for custom order.

It only has a 150 miles range, but still, color me absolutely wowiezowiebbergasted. [Fast Company]

Weighing in at 42 pounds (still way heavy compared to most bikes, let alone peak gear) and charging in 3.5 hours, Sanyo's CY-SPK227 electric bike (the first carbon fiber model in the world) achieves 62 miles of assisted motor range through an integrated lithium ion battery and dynamo-based recharging that kicks in whenever you cruise downhill or brake.

Of course, all of this fancy blacknerness comes at a price: $6,700 when it hits Japan October 1st. For that much, we might prefer to indulge in a full-out electric motorcycle. But if Batman chooses to chase down the Riddler on this thing just so he has a change at shacking up with Poison Ivy and her posse of Greenpeace sidewalk solicitors, so be it. [Sanyo via CrunchGear]

The Price: $3200, Yes you read that right, $3200 bucks.

The Verdict: Let me first explain that this bike is not a motor driven bicycle, it is merely electric motor-assisted. That means there's still pedaling involved, but the electric motor will actually help you, so the pedaling is actually easier in most riding situations.

The electronics behind the Tailwinds power is an electric motor located in the front hub and a removable Toshiba SCiB 5Ah 24V battery that mounts inside the rear rack. The whole electric system is actually pretty cool and well thought out. The battery pack just slides in and out of the rear rack which makes removing it for charging very simple, and the battery only takes about 30 minutes to complete a full charge. You get somewhere in the range of 25 to 30 miles per charge, but that all depends on the type of riding and the terrain.

The bike can be ridden in either that motor-assisted mode I explained earlier or in conventional bike mode—toggled between by using the PowerDial on the left handlebar. That PowerDial can also switch between power modes: downhill, flat or uphill, each changing the way the motor assists.

Aside from the electronics, the Tailwind is a full featured commuter bike. It's got bells and whistles like an 8 speed Shimano rear hub, Nexus twist shifter, fenders, lights, integrated rear wheel lock, an actual bell bell, brakes, rear rack and of course a kickstand (but no whistle). With all the added crap like fenders and lights combined with the electric motor and battery the bike ends up weighing more than 50 pounds, which compared to a road bike can feel like a ton.

When it comes to actually riding this thing, I have to say it's somewhat interesting. When starting out on the bike and the motor-assist is enabled the bike initially feels like a normal bicycle. Then all of a sudden as your pedaling cadence starts the electric motor kicks on, you can feel it pushing the bike forward making it easier to pedal. As soon as the bike reaches the current gear's top speed or your pedaling ceases, the electric motor stops assisting and saves battery life. For the most part riding around town up and down easy hills is great. As soon as you begin pedaling harder on a hill the electric motor will pitch in and the hill becomes much easier to climb. It's not doing all the work for you but I would imagine the motor-assist would at the very least save you from breaking a sweat.

Don't expect to be climbing huge hills with this bike that you couldn't already do on a normal bike. I attempted to hit a decent-sized SF hill thinking the electric motor would at least help out with my pedaling; I was dead wrong. As soon as I left the saddle and began putting my weight into pedaling the electric motor just shut off, the battery drained instantly and I was left lugging a 50 pound bicycle up a hill. Not fun.

With a $3200 price tag it's hard to justify buying this bike. Yeah, it's got a pretty sophisticated electric motor system which does indeed help when commuting around town for work or school. But for $3200 it seems more logical to buy a cheap Vespa or motor-scooter that actually features a full time motor with no pedaling needed.

The Mission One was designed in part by Yves Behar of OLPC fame. Featuring a lithium ion battery that recharges in two hours before supplying 150 miles worth of power, the liquid cooled engine doesn't even need an exhaust or gas tank since there's no internal combustion. And a single-speed transmission eliminates shifting. From the aluminum, honeycomb body that flows in a single line to the convex front meant to suck the rider's chest in for speed, the Mission One is really a remarkable looking machine, even if we have no idea how designing OLPC laptops equates into the kind of wind carving design that a bike at 150mph needs to have. You can pre-order your Mission One now on Missions site. [Mission Motors and fuseproject]

We suppose there's a case to be made for getting exercise at home, when you can wear lousy clothes and sweat all over them, then using the electric power to get you to work in your nice clothes. But what's the point of riding a bike to work then? Why not just pedal normally and convert your pedaling energy into forward movement instead of losing part of that energy when you're charging the battery, then losing part of it again when that gets converted to powering your bike?

In any case, it's an electric bike that you power by pedaling. Surprised? [Behance]

The OB1's allure is twofold; the novel, compact electric drivetrain doesn't necessarily steal the show from the rest of the finely equipped bike. The motor, which drives the rear wheel from the bottom bracket (the pedal axis) is crammed into the compact, fully-suspended frame with the batteries, leaving the rest of the bike to be outfitted with high-end carbon fiber mountain bike components.

Optibike has also strapped a GPS unit and performance monitor to the bike, which has a purported pedal-free run time of two hours. The $13,000 price may make the OB1 unsuitable for anyone who isn't some kind of independently wealthy recession-dodging eco-playboy, but Optibike is banking on about 24 of those people existing—that's exactly how many they're planning to make this year. [Stylecrave via Engadget]

Apparently it's quite tricky to get a bike to balance, since steering and such requires a degree of off-balance maneuvering...but the team at Keio University in Yokohama has managed it and their prototype easily manages 2.5 meters per second.

They're working on making it able to deal with uneven road surfaces, and ultimately they want a zero-speed stable bike, since "Many bicycle falling accidents happen when elderly people stop a bicycle in a crosswalk, and so on." Great. Though, I'm going to suggest a lower-tech and greener approach: A third wheel. [Physorg]

Never mind its lame-ass looks, it gets good mileage on a charge—if you're commuting round-trip distance is 62 miles or less, you're in luck, because this unsightly cycle can go that far. It says here that you can even attach a solar charger to the thing, probably making it even more obnoxious-looking but more practical at the same time. Drop 15 bucks for the plans, go to a junkyard and get some parts, and you're in business. [Atomic Zombie, via Gizmo Watch]

Let's get this straight: In its stock form, this is not exactly a racing bike—its top speed using just its nickel hydride batteries powering its 750-watt electric motor is only 20 mph, and it weighs about the same as an anvil, a hefty 58 pounds without your butt gracing its seat. But it's efficient, working like a hybrid car with its flywheel that charges up the battery when you apply the bike's brakes. We're also hearing you can hop up the thing with some aftermarket modifications, goosing its top speed up to 46 mph. No word on how long the batteries will last at that hasty clip.

Now the bad news: You'll drop $7,500 for the Electrobike Pi, and extra batteries, each good for 200 charge cycles, are $750. To be available at Design Within Reach studios in the United States, there will be just 500 of these electric bikes sold. Could be the first batch of many. Sure beats a Segway. [LA Times, via Born Rich]

The motor is powered by a lithium-ion battery, which is rechargeable. On high-power turbo mode, one charge will keep you freewheeling for up to 31 miles. There are two modes: standard and economy, which gives you up to 56 miles of aided biking before you're on your own again.

The iZip has also got a 27-speed Shimano drive-train and RockShox forks but, as yet, no price tag. [Gizmag]