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Rivian's TM-B electric bike

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188 points hasheddan | 6 comments | 22 Oct 25 18:00 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source | bottom
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legitster ◴[22 Oct 25 21:25 UTC] No.45675359[source]▶
So the interesting thing about this is the ... peddle-by-wire drivetrain? So unlike a normal e-bike, when its battery dies it turns into a stationary bike.

I love ebikes and generally like what Rivian does, but in a very competitive market it's hard to see the appeal of this.

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hbarka ◴[22 Oct 25 21:40 UTC] No.45675507[source]▶
If I may also peddle my opinion, this e-bike is a fresh innovation and it's easy to see how revolutionary it is. What very competitive market has regen, 180 newton-meter of torque, programmable power curve, shape-shifting? This e-bike is incredible. These days, who lets their iphone battery die?
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1. rglullis ◴[22 Oct 25 22:09 UTC] No.45675788[source]▶
Why should we care for "revolutionary" when the design that has been working for centuries is cheap, widely understood and universally available?
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2. palmotea ◴[22 Oct 25 22:42 UTC] No.45676090[source]▶
> Why should we care for "revolutionary" when the design that has been working for centuries is cheap, widely understood and universally available?

Because some designer wants to feel good about themselves, better than all who came before.

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3. rglullis ◴[22 Oct 25 22:48 UTC] No.45676132[source]▶
If wankery is what they they are after, maybe they should go design "revolutionary" sex toys.
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4. hbarka ◴[22 Oct 25 22:50 UTC] No.45676155[source]▶
Horses complained about this when the Model T came.
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5. rglullis ◴[22 Oct 25 23:34 UTC] No.45676505[source]▶
Horses were not cheap nor universally available. And cars had the obvious benefit that they did not leave literal horse shit around the city.

This "revolutionary design" does not offer any significant advantage over the existing systems for e-bikes. A regular e-bike without power is a just a regular bike. You can adapt a regular bike into an e-bike for < $600. Any run-of-the-mill mechanic can figure out how to work on a basic bike. This one will probably require some "certified Rivian expert" to work on it.

Only irrational neomania can justify being interested in this "revolution".

6. jfengel ◴[23 Oct 25 02:13 UTC] No.45677424{3}[source]▶
You might be stunned at what the boffins have come up with. Or perhaps horrified.