Originally Posted by
Jipe
They also had a big delay but not as big as Helix.
Seems that even if a first batch of 50 pieces is assembled, no bike was delivered yet and so also no user feedback yet.
After delay and no delivery, the next major risk of kickstarter projects are compliance with announced specification (and it is now sure that Vellobike+ won't comply for the weight) behavior/performances and reliability.
These two can only be evaluated after delivery but Vellobike+ is either a single speed electric assist bike or a two speed Schlumpf electric assist bike and I have some doubts about a bike without gearing, even electric assisted.
Remember also that the battery capacity of the Vellobike+ is quite small so the user might be in a situation of having to use a single speed bike without assistance when the battery become empty.
I definitely prefer the concept of Ahooga that has a classic bike gearing.
The Ahooga looks very interesting. It is the first I have heard of it. Vellobike did offer a belt drive Shimano ALFINE 11-speed internal gear hub (non-electric) in their kickstarter (which I ordered). They are estimating delivery early May. I was originally interested in the Helix, but I also looked at the Vellobike which was similar in their folding design. I decided to go with Vellobike since it was an established company selling their first general models.