Although some electric bicycles try to make things simple, other electric bicycles revel in their electronic characteristics and pack as many high-tech features as possible. Single-speed Urtopia is definitely one of the latter, which has just landed on the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform.
First of all, no, this is not a typo-Urtopia designed in Hong Kong is designed for urban use, so its name is a combination of the words "city" and "utopia".
One of its most eye-catching features is its full carbon fiber frame, including forks, handlebars and seatposts. Just as more and more bicycles try to make strong visual statements, their frame does not have a seat tube-the serrations of the upper tube are formed into a seat stay.
In addition to being made of carbon fiber, its flat handlebars are further differentiated by integrated LED headlights (inclined to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers); a fingerprint scanner that unlocks the drive of the bicycle when touched by its registered owner System; the left control device used to activate the turn indicator (projected onto the road); and the LCD display on the pole.
The display shows all common content, such as current speed and battery level. However, it also has two wind-eliminating microphones that allow users to access Urtopia's many functions through voice control.
The seatpost not only includes a tail light/brake light/turn indicator module, but also a rear millimeter-wave radar unit. Like the existing Garmin Varia radar system, the device will warn the rider when it detects a vehicle approaching from behind—in this case, the warning takes the form of a vibrating handlebar.
The 250-watt rear hub motor enhances the rider’s pedaling power. The motor is powered by a removable 360-watt-hour LG lithium-ion battery. It is said that a 2.5-hour charge can travel 30 to 80 miles (48 to 129 kilometers), depending on factors such as terrain and which one of the five levels of electric assistance is selected. The maximum motor assist speed of the American/Canadian bike can reach 20 mph (32 km/h), and the European model can reach 16 mph (25 km/h).
If someone tries to steal Urtopia unattended, the built-in gyroscope will detect the movement, sound an alert and send an alert to the rider's smartphone. If the bicycle is stolen anyway, its whereabouts can be tracked through the on-board GPS chip.
Some of its other features include internal cable routing; hydraulic disc brakes; Gates carbon belt drive system; and 700 x 35c puncture-resistant tires. Despite all the "stuffs" added, it is reported that the entire item weighs only 30 pounds (13.6 kg).
If you are interested in getting your own Urtopia, the promised price of Indiegogo's North American model is $1,999. Assuming it reaches production, the retail price of this version will be $3,999.
You can see the bike in action in the video below.