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Rivian's TM-B electric bike

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190 points hasheddan | 3 comments | 22 Oct 25 18:00 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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JanSolo ◴[22 Oct 25 19:06 UTC] No.45673696[source]▶
Great! Another bunch of micromobility products that nobody asked for. And the price! I can buy 6 very decent Chinese ebikes of various formats for the $4500 this thing will cost. I'm sure it will be more advanced and nicely designed, but it's just way too expensive. Bicycles are a mass-market item. Price is the primary decider. If you want to be successful, you have to be cheaper than the competition. Who is this for?
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1. nharada ◴[22 Oct 25 20:11 UTC] No.45674538[source]▶
> Price is the primary decider

That's not even true for normal bicycles. Serious cyclists can spend massive amounts of cash on their rides.

Aside from that, if you're using this as a vehicle you want more than just the cheapest thing out there. Reliability and serviceability are important when not having the bike means you can't get to work or your kid's school.

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2. jeffbee ◴[22 Oct 25 21:44 UTC] No.45675555[source]▶
By massive amounts, of course you meant "dramatically less than any car", right?

Most serious bicyclists I know, some with wonderful bikes, still spent less on their bikes than the typical American spends getting the air conditioned seats option in their F-150.

3. dghlsakjg ◴[22 Oct 25 22:22 UTC] No.45675909[source]▶
> Reliability and serviceability are important when not having the bike means you can't get to work or your kid's school.

True, but this bike is completely non-standard so sort of blows that. There isn't even a direct connection between the pedals and the wheels. If the electrical bits stop responding you don't even have a bike, you have a really awkward velocipede. Every other e-bike that I have ridden or seen is still a bike when there is no power.