Motorized

We get a lot of people coming in the shop looking for parts, help, or assembly with an after-market motor for their bike. My opinion, just pedal; if you want to go faster get a moped/motorcycle/car. The multitude of people asking for parts for their mini-bike are wholly misguided I think. A few weeks ago we had some old dude asking our opinion on his idea of hammering (or cutting!) a flat spot in his down tube in order to fit some type of motor in his frame. I’m not a fan of this kind of silliness at all. 

But here is something that just crossed my desk that might be equally silly, but admittedly, somewhat appreciated in its irony. A motor—of sorts—for your bicycle by Vert Designs. Basically just a laser-cut steel profile image of a motor, mounting to what looks like the bottle cage bosses of your bike. The irony being that a cyclist gets around town speedily enough without a engine. Perhaps this is just design for design’s sake, nothing actually meant for production or “use,” i.e. this bike engine is just a fun joke. 

(Image courtesy of Vert Design)

From their website:

Can’t afford that custom Ducati they are selling at ‘Deus ex machina’? Strap one of these on and you will get better range per tank and just as many girls (possibly). Laser cut from 1.2 mm stainless steel the engine mountings fit a range of frame sizes and will get you a better time through the city than most of the heavier, noisier models on the market.

As far as promoting bicycles, I don’t think the image of a motor is necessary. Simply getting out and riding a bike is promotion enough in my mind; focus attention on making cycling for transportation easier. Marketing some accessory under the guise of “bicycle promotion” seems a little feeble and perhaps just an attempt to profit from the sudden popularity of bicycles. I see a lot of products available nowadays that seem to be more than just jumping on the bandwagon; unless the laser-cut engine idea is just for fun, I fear it too may be making that jump as well.

From a design standpoint it looks well made, except for a couple points. The “choke lever” or “exhaust” close to the seat tube look like a pant-leg disaster waiting to happen. Not something I’d like to get my cuff caught on while riding my fixed gear through an intersection. And as is sometimes their major focus, from a fashion standpoint, I can’t really see the fixie scene adopting it too readily. 

On any other type of bike, mounting such an aesthetic accessory wouldn’t seem practical either really. Many people would want their water bottle cages mounted. And forget about shouldering your bike, lifting it anywhere would seem inhibited with such a “motor” installed.

Eh, what can I say, I’m a bit more of a function over form kind of guy.

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