They say that anything running on electricity will be the future. Of course you isolated beings, we are talking about automobiles. Since many of us are becoming health conscious day by day, the concept of electric bicycles too is being floated around. In fact, it has become a booming business, with multiple local as well as international players jumping in. Lightest, which is an Italian brand, has joined the bandwagon. Lightest doesn’t sell e-bikes but offers a retro fitment option. One can convert their regular geared bike to an e-bike. Yes, it is possible.
The Lightest e-bike kit can be ordered from Indiegogo.com. So, if you ask if the customer has to fit the kit themselves, then its a NO. Lightest has its personnel around to help. Yes, the company has assistance centres plus additional ones are joining because of this campaign. While it is well known that the kits are coming in from Italy, they will be shipped only in September this year. So those worrying about coronavirus need not bother. The kits will be sent in sanitised and given the very limited lifespan of the virus outside the host body, it is highly unlikely that there will be an issue.
Lightest e-bike kit can be fitted on any cycle and the system weighs just 4kg. Power delivery depends on the customer’s requirement – 250W to 1,000W. The maximum torque is 90Nm. There is true torque sensing function as well as a claimed top speed of 50kmph. Bikee Bike, the company promoting Lightest, has also added an anti-theft feature. Depending on one’s requirement, there is also a new Heart Assist Control function. This one sets the heartbeat rate and accordingly provides motor assistance.
While all of this seems really cool, the only deterrent might be the price. At Rs 41,128 or 499 Euros, the kit isn’t affordable for many by a good measure. At this price, one can buy a readymade e-bike from the market and perhaps have a better warranty system too in place.
