Currie and A2B electric bikes to be sold at Best Buy
Ultra Motor A2B electric bicycle - Click above to enlarge
Last week, it was revealed that Best Buy had plans to sell a range of electric-powered personal transportation products in addition to the Brammo Enertia, though were were still a bit unclear as to what that statement actually meant. As pointed out by a few of our readers living in California, the Big Box Retailer is already selling the Segway in a few of its stores, but what else?
Apparently, the answers were available for those who knew where to look. According to Bicycle Retailer, Best Buy will be adding electric 2-wheelers from Currie Technologies and Ultra Motor's A2B product line. According to Larry Pizzi, president of Currie Technologies:
"There could be a larger rollout as we approach this holiday season. We're encouraging Best Buy to have diversity [of brands]. We hope that many others participate."Included among these electric bikes and scooters will be six different Currie iZip models ranging from $299 to $2,000. Thanks for the tip, John!
[Source: Bicycle Retailer]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Yuros 2:10PM (5/12/2009)
I wonder if Geek Squad will charge as much for bike maintenance as they do for computers?
-"You had a flat tire...that will be $299"
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mike 3:06PM (5/12/2009)
Best Buy is a rip off. I wouldn't trust them with my 5 year old computer let alone with a 2500$ electric bike whether it be for parts, service, or initial assembly. They should sell it through a store such as Mountain Equipment Co-op or a USA equivelant.
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Skii 3:56PM (5/12/2009)
ditto.
This is a lot more of a bicycle than an electronic gadget.
People who know bikes should be servicing and selling them.
jpm 3:55PM (5/12/2009)
There major points to make here:
1. No way in hell I would buy an e-bike from bestbuy because they're a huge ripoff. I might order it from newegg though.
2. Most people go to bestbuy in their SUVs and buy big screen TVs, Computers, DVD... all things that involve sitting on your ass indoors being passive. You really think they would buy a little e-bike that forced them to go outdoors?
3. As the other guys said, no way in hell I want some geek squad tool taking care of my maintenance.
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Kris 4:18PM (5/12/2009)
I'm sorry, but I don't see the point of electric bikes. People who like biking and/or rely on a bike for transportation don't need electric assistance and probably don't want it. (They like the exercise! I know I do.) And people who rely on a car (either due to laziness or commuting distance - guilty on the second count) aren't likely to be persuaded to ride any bike instead - be it manual or electric -- because they're accustomed to the convenience and comfort of an automobile. There may be a handful of geeks who want to be the first kids on the block with any new gadget, but I don't see electric bikes taking off (so to speak).
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FitFan 11:38PM (5/12/2009)
I concur with the other comments about BB.
Electric bikes interest me because my commute is about 27 miles each way. While I can certainly ride that distance, it would take a while and would require too much effort for me to reasonably do it 2x per day.
If I could use an e-bike to turn that into a 75 minute ride (the drive takes 45 minutes each way) then I would be tempted to try it. The e-bike would be easier for me to recharge than a vehicle and would be much more cost effective. It would also improve my cardio health, since the e-bike would probably only be doing 60% of the work.
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Herm 3:37AM (5/13/2009)
I can see you guys have never used an electric bike.. they are a blast and very practical. they may soon become the #1 transportation method in the world.
A 27 mile commute on a bike to work is a bit too much.. you are going to die when an SUV runs you down :)
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ebow 12:13PM (5/15/2009)
Regarding the use of tags on this site... this article was labeled with 22 different different tags, and yet you missed "electricbike", the same board categorical tag embedded in an article not 5 hours later. That means this story doesn't show up in pages like http://www.autobloggreen.com/tag/electricbike yet may stand alone forever on a page like http://www.autobloggreen.com/tag/CurrieElectricBikes/ .
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Tim Royal 1:42PM (6/14/2009)
Dear Mr. Fit Fan: I agree with you, I would like to know if you carry two battery packs to travel that distance and which bike you have. Tim Royal, Scoot on This, Portland Or.
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joepah 11:52PM (6/21/2009)
I bought an A2B metro electric bike, and its build quality looks excellent, however the bike's reliability is not ready for prime time. I agree that BB is not presently prepared to market and service electric bikes.... I mean where do people test ride these things, in the mall parking lot, or down aisle 23 between the washing machines? And these are bikes at heart that require mechanics tools and lots of spare parts.... I just don't see anyone trusting their 3k bike to some kid playing with his USB.
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David 11:14AM (6/29/2009)
The bikes are available today at Walmart for about $350.
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