Tesla Acceleration In A Bicycle

on February 25, 2015 at 11:15 am

I left my heart in San Francisco.

It was a sunny Sunday when I left San Jose for a trip to San Francisco. Although I was very familiar driving through The City so many times, but today, I was thrown back to when I was a backpack traveler and that spirit led me through the trip. I was going to ride through San Francisco.

And here — everyone’s favorite city — is a compact city of steep rolling hills surrounded on three sides by water. San Francisco is well-known for its fog, Victorian architecture, cable cars and beautiful vistas. The often mistaken quote “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco” isn’t from Mark Twain, but it’s a pretty accurate statement of San Francisco’s weather.

But first, I need to arrive at Langton Street to pick up my companion for today, the Faraday Porteur electric bicycle.

Faraday Bicycles is a new company dedicated to revolutionary bicycle innovation and design. Great design makes all the difference. At Faraday Bicycles, design is much more than just an appearance — it’s about the entire rider experience. Despite its extraordinary capabilities — it’s electric! — the Faraday Porteur is a high-quality bicycle with high-end materials and an elegantly vintage look. A perfect companion for you to wander around The City!

Inspired by the classic European delivery bikes of the 1940’s and 50’s and updated with state-of-the-art components and construction techniques, it’s impossible to tell it’s electric until you ride it — and then it’s impossible to imagine riding anything else.

I set the bike at Normal E-Assist (pedal-assist) mode then pedaled. The bike quietly moved forward amazingly. It made me recall my childhood when my dad pushed my back while I was on my bicycle. I stopped pedaling in order to enjoy the fresh winds before changing to Boost (full pedal-assist) Mode. This time, the Faraday Porteur bicycle accelerated fascinatedly, which reminded me of when I test drove a Tesla Model S. Adam Vollmer, Founder and CEO of Faraday Bicycle, told me that “it lets you work as much, or as little, as you want. Want to get there without breaking a sweat? No problem. Want to break a sweat and break your record time? You can do that too. Faraday goes where you go, no matter what your mood or destination you’re in the mood for.”

I took on a steep street to see how high I could go with this buddy. Let’s go buddy, we’re almost there! San Francisco’s steep streets aren’t even easy for people driving manual-transmission cars. And don’t even think about making it with your regular bicycle. But here I am, on top of the steep Kansas Street, looking over The City. From this view, I saw the Golden Gate, the Bay Bridge, as well as many skyscrapers of San Francisco. Yes, I biked up to the top of the hill!

I set the pedal-assist mode off and ride the Faraday Porteur down the hill. The reliable brakes of its allow me to set it free and enjoy the wind. My soul was free, and my breath was taken away. How far did I go? And how high did I just conquer?

My trusty riding companion has a steel frame and twenty-six inch wheels with mechanical disc brakes. The steel frame does an incredible job of sucking up road vibrations and bumps, while the smaller wheels with slick tires accelerate quickly. The eight-speed shifting provides ample gearing — “just” enough to climb practically any hill in San Francisco. The motor is cleverly loaded somewhere in the frame–go ahead, try to guess where! It’s a very smart design.

With a simple twist of your left wrist, you can choose whether to keep the motor off, run it in normal e-assist mode, or up the power to boost mode. It takes 2 hours to fully charge the bike with a laptop adaptor-like charger.

And did I tell you yet, the bike weighs only 39 lbs, light and maneuverable enough in any apartment.

I returned the Faraday Porteur when the sun was about to set. Thank you Faraday Porteur, you treated me so well today! What about you? Are you ready for a test drive? Click here and grab a ride right away.

30-days return and 12-month financing are available too. Click here to reach out Ms. Alyse of the Faraday Porteur.

More interestingly, the company gives out special deals for TechDrive Fans: 50% off for a long day test ride ($20/day test ride instead of $35) — Just mention about the article when you speak to Alyse.