Fisher Collection.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Two big announcements in the bike world this week could result in some interesting new bikes showing up on the streets of Portland.
The first is from the biggest bike brand in the world, Trek. Trek announced Tuesday that they will shelve the Gary Fisher brand as a standalone line and from now on Gary’s bikes will be offered in the form of The Gary Fisher Collection, which will be be sold as part of the Trek line. I took a peak at the new Fisher bikes online yesterday and noticed one that looked particularly interesting for Portland: the Transport+.
From its looks, this bike reminds me of the Yuba Mundo I tested two years ago. Besides having flat bars and a racing-style saddle (both of which are better suited to riding fast), it looks to be a capable hauler. And the Big Deal with this bike is that it comes stock with electric assist (a non e version is also available). Portland is home to one of the best Trek Dealers on the planet, Bike Gallery, and given their commitment to cargo bikes in the past, I fully expect these to be on their showroom floors soon (I’ll update with pricing and availability when I hear back from them).
The other new line of bikes that I could imagine catching on in Portland are from Puma Bikes (yes, Puma, as in the shoes). Designed by Copenhagen-based Biomega and using licensed technology, the Puma bikes are notable for their distinct design, aesthetics, and the marketing muscle behind them. From the look and feel of their website and their brand legacy, Puma stands a chance of reaching city-dwellers (and those who aspire to be one) that traditional bike companies simply can’t.
Puma Bikes and Biomega have a full line of bikes for men and women. Here’s the Nevis women’s bike (MSRP: $750):
And the Pico, a mini-bike with a big front basket, would seem to fit right in here in Portland (and yes, other color schemes are available):
It will be interesting to see if either of these bikes catches on. What do you think?
The pico would be much better if it were folding, otherwise you just end up with really poor gear ratios because of the small wheels.
How much space does this save over a conventional sized bike?
And nothing like trying to find the off sized tires and tubes.
The Gary Fisher one is a nice-looking bike, but those Puma ones are hideous.
RE: the “racing style saddle”. It’s easy to change out, and many dealers will swap saddles for little or no cost as long as it’s done before the bike is taken out of the shop.
Can’t tell for sure from the picture, but it might be possible to raise the bar and bring it back a little to suit riders who prefer a more upright position. To my eye it doesn’t look all that bad.
It’s good that the electric assist comes standard. I’d hate to think of loading that cargo box and trying to get up a hill! Is there any info on how far it will go on a single charge?
This is news…interesting as it will bring a lot more access to urban bikes that Portland already has to many other parts of the country with a lot less choices.
I am impressed…though I wonder if Trek has influenced Gary’s final designs too much through last minute brand specing (what the English used to call brand engineering)…like why spec a utility bike with front fender but not a rear? (Your butt may be dry but your gear or chain will be gunked up soon.) And why spec flat forks (not a nice curved french fork) and all mountain bike style bars (vs. dutch bars)?
Seems like Gary’s tastes in bikes and knowledge of comfortable urbane bike design got cut in WI or Taiwan?
I like the bike Gary is shown next to in the shop on the web site. But I could not find it for sale in his collection. Was it an Aherne bike? 😉
And why not any internal hubs or dynamos for lighting?
the transport+ disappoints on originality, looking almost eerily like a mashup of kona ute and yuba mundo. was expecting more than a feeble me-too after 2008 teaser prototype photos: http://urbanvelo.org/gary-fisher-el-ranchero-long-bike/ . note that the prototype appeared to be serious about carrying passengers, while this thing, like the ute, seems to have suffered from a legal team, perhaps composed of people who move their kids in cars.
hint: family hauling is the main thing people want to do with bikes like this; either you design a solution or leave people to hack half-solutions. which is more responsible?
particularly questionable is how and why the cargo area is centered rear of the rear axle, and that the battery pack is both high and rear. recipe for sketchy handling! why is the top of the cargo platform about 6″ above the top of rear wheel?
like the ute, too, it has a steep-ish seat angle, making it difficult to put a stabilizing foot down at stops without leaning the (heavily loaded? high COG?) bike.
finally: hub motors tend to be the suck for heavily loaded climbing. see http://www.ecospeed.com/emddet.html and http://clevercycles.com/2005/07/31/motors-and-bicycles/ for why.
does gary fisher not look like vance longwell? just saying.
Most (but not quite all) Trek and Fisher bikes are made in SE Asia. Gary Fisher isn’t about sustainability–he’s about cheap Asian labor.
I’d also invite readers to take a moment and educate themselves about where their bicycles *really* come from:
http://allanti.com/articles/where-was-my-bike-made-pg328.htm
Read closely, and you might be surprised at what “Made in USA” really means.
Interesting… the Trek announcement could also mean that longtime Fisher dealer River City Bicycles will either become a Trek dealer (unlikely) or will let go of the Fisher brand (more likely).
From the article in BRAIN:
“While all Trek retailers will now have access to the Gary Fisher Collection, retailers that were Fisher-only will either be offered the entire Trek line or asked to part ways if they are too near to established Trek dealers.”
Excellent points Todd. The load up high and behind the rear axle is starting at a disadvantage. Kickstand placement is also far forward. Mix of mechanical disc and vbrakes is interesting too.
Biomega makes some bitchen bikes but these aren’t any of them. Ugly as a theft deterrent?
Possibly more interesting on the manufacturing front is CaneCreek’s adjustable angle headset:
http://www.canecreek.com/angleset.
Neato.
ecohuman:
Yeah, “made in the USA” should be more accurately labeled “Final assembly in USA of foreign manufactured parts”. I work for a manufacturing company who actually makes things here in Portland, which is pretty cool.
My old Schwinn (30 years old, maybe) says made in Taiwan.
My Felt also says that it was designed in California but manufactured in Taiwan, I believe.
This eye’s beholder thinks those Puma bikes are a hoot! Love ’em.
#1, The upper photo shows the Pico as foldable. The lower photo doesn’t. Weird. Regardless, small wheels make for good city bikes, especially for apartment dwellers. Love the rack.
I’d still rather have a Proletariat from Stop Cycles
WOW!!
I am really excited about the transport+. I was never interested in e-bikes until I played with my wife’s new Giant pedal-assist. It makes you feel like YOU are pushing the bike forward with super-human strength.
todd,
I think hub motors are fine when they are designed for low-speed and high torque. Giants are, as European law doesn’t allow them to assist above 15MPH anyway.
Carry kids up a hill with literally no sweat? That’s gonna be a popular bike.
Besides having flat bars and a racing-style saddle (both of which are better suited to riding fast), it looks to be a capable hauler.
Cargo bikes and riding fast are not mutually exclusive 🙂
@ Todd (#4)
The bike Gary is standing next to is a Trek Belleville.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/urban/eco_design/belleville/
So, if you care where your bike was made and under what conditions, try to ignore two things–fashion and, for sporting bikes, extreme light weight. There are a significant number of European, Taiwanese (their wages and labor conditions are first-world, I’ve been there) and US made utility bikes. There are numerous small US sporting bike builders who sell their excellent frames (example; Roland Della Santa, he is only good enough to have been a “ghost builder” for Greg LeMond) for a significant amount of money, but less than a lot of bikes which are, essentially, Chinese plastic crap.
Shop carefully if you care about this stuff!
re eerie mashup: http://i49.tinypic.com/2cy41o4.png
Another long bike that you probably can’t attach kid seats… way to go in the user research!
Pico can be folded. You have options of this. Check it out on their site. http://www.puma-bikes.com
Great stuff for the city biker!
Pico can be folded as well as the Disko. You have options. Check it out on their site at http://www.puma-bikes.com
VERY COOL!!!
arent the new treks just a copy of the specialized globe line?