New all smart bike from Volata cycles
 

Today I came across these new bikes from Volata cycles which supposedly are the "smartest bikes" out there. Bike features Di2 Alfine 11 IGH, carbon belt drive, intergrated lights, dynamo hub, a computer intergrated into a stem and even a joystick on your drop bars. All in all, I'd say it's more suitable for commuting than any other type of riding. Their website specifies that size M bike will weight 10.6 kg (or 23.37 lb) which is pretty light considering everything the bike has. It's fully sustainable and pretty much maintainance free.

You can book one now for $300 and overall the bike will cost $3500. Sounds a bit steep but besides that I believe it really could be decent commuter for those who like design and function working together.

What are your thoughts on it? Would you consider buying one when it comes out?

http://i.imgur.com/hB9egcq.jpg

No rack? No fenders? Not quite sure it is an ideal commuter either. Maybe a long distance commuter who does zero utility cycling and leaves all their stuff at work.

That position feels very aero for riding the surface streets.

Less electronics. Then a rack, at least.

^^^^^
It is an interesting looking bike; but I really have no idea who it is suited for. As stated, the lack of any type of rack mounts, and the rider position, along with its overall geometry, make this a bike that would be poorly suited for most commuters.

The light are integrated into the frame. That's convenient if they work well. What do you do when they fail? What if they're not good enough and you want to replace them? All of the internal electronics (music, GPS, heart rate monitor, horn, anti-theft, etc) will be obsolete long before the bike is too old to ride. Generally, a good bike can last decades or a lifetime. Electronics like those are good for two or three years; either they stop working well or the new stuff is compelling enough to replace the old stuff.

Belt drives have some advantages, but what options are there for changing the rear cog or chainwheel for changing your gearing?

$3,500 is a lot to spend on a commuter bike. You can't afford for it to be stolen, so you can't lock it up outside. And most bike commuters want upright handlebars, not drop handlebars.

What do you mean sustainable? I can't even imagine.

What do you mean maintenance free? I've never seen a maintenance free bike. Bikes require more repairs per mile than cars because they have to be light enough to ride. If they were as reliable as cars, they would be too heavy to ride.

Doesn't the front skewer lever on the drive side look dorky or ignorant?

The integrated bike is an attractive idea but is fraught with problems. A bike has to be light, and different people's needs vary. How can you make a bike with all the accessories everyone wants and none of the accessories people don't want? It is necessary for each of us to accessorize our bikes differently.

It makes me think of planned obsolescence, but it looks really cool! I'm okay with the electronics, but I'd want a model with rack mounts. Oh, and it's way out of my price range, but that's another story.

A plaything of someone with too much money and not much sense. As @noglider stated - a bike should be able to last for decades. Fancy, integrated electronics will not. Also, way to have an aero/integrated stem with the rest of the bike lacks any aero features...

For that price you can get a helluva lot of bike, like the CDale Super Sexy Evo with full Ultegra. You can a CAAD 12 disc Ultegra for $1000 less. You can get two CAAD 12 105s. The list goes on...

can't get the site to open up, I'm interested to see if they have innovative cable routing through/around that headtube to keep it so clean, but yeah, $3500 and no rack mounts? That's not a commuter. Are they really targeting the commuter market?

Everyone seems to be really pissed about this one for some reason :)

The site mentions that they are going to be adding additional "extensions" as they call (accessories in other words) soon. It's definitely not a bike for everyone. But I personally commute on a bike which has no fenders (I took them off) and no rack and I don't miss them in the slightest. Like I said, it's a bike for those who appreciate minimalistic design and the ease of use. I will agree that electronics don't last too long but that's the price you pay for that extra comfort.

The only thing I'm not going to argue against is the price. It is definitely too steep but I guess it's hard to launch such bike for any less, stay competitive and actually make some profit off it.

I guess those retractable fenders and rack make it very expensive.

I don't think anyone is pissed, I think we just see it as being minimally useful. It's not a minimalistic design. It looks cluttered with a lot of junk. Why bother with an integrated headset when nothing else is aero? You may as well get a race bike if that's what you want, for a lot less money.

I see that they will offer, "extensions," soon, that add carrying ability. In other words, proprietary add-ons of questionable usefulness costing more than necessary, instead of simple rack mounts.

I don't think it looks cluttered, I think it looks quite nice with the only visible cables in that one spot near the head tube. And the custom headtube/headset design looks very interesting.

I guess I don't see anything here that couldn't be accomplished more usefully at a lower price. But I acknowledge that's not always the point when fashion comes into the picture.

Meh, I do like the integrated cables! And I am thinking getting a frame with internal cable routing seems like an excellent splurge for my mid-life cries. :P

But, I might just have a weird opinion, as a woman, but I don't like using special bags on my bike for every day. I'd rather carry my everyday bag. And not wear it while biking. So a rack is a must have for me.

I also don't like integrated tech that can easily be obsoleted. Who knows if they will be around in 2 years when that computer dies. Then you are kinda stuck with no replacement options. And these won't likely sell enough to have a thriving 3rd party accessory market. It feels like a bike designed to trash in 2 years, because you have to upgrade to the latest model.

I honestly think that an integrated headset is more of a design feature rather than aerodynamic. It creates a very interesting geometry of the bike which I personally quite like.

This bike is definitely not for any kind of racing but I see it being really fun for those daily road commutes or casual touring.

When evaluating something like this it is important to understand the work that's been done besides putting all of the components together. Designing integrated lights, creating easy and functional control system or making the frame to fit it all is definitely not something I would be able to do (myself or with help), at least not for that kind of money or with the same level of detail. And for those who love integrated bikes, that will be enough reasons to justify the price of the bike. If taken care of properly, I truly believe this bike could serve for long. It depends on the owner and not the bike.

What if you want a stem longer than 105mm? Are you just out of luck?

It looks like a nice bike but personally I'll not spend $3.5K on a commuting bicycle. I'd also be disappointed with all of those exposed cables, which I'd feel looks kind of unfinished. I wouldn't mind at all on a $350 bike but it would bug me on a $3500 bike.

Some great features though and the video on the site is pretty compelling. I wouldn't be that concerned about the computer electronics, as long as they're replaceable.

I've never paid $3500 for a race bike, let alone a commuter.

I'd rather get a light flat bar steel frame and carbon fork from Gunnar for $1500 and spend the other 2 grand on components, and a Garmin 810 Bike GPS

I'll bite. I wouldn't buy it just on the basis of integrated dynamo lighting. That particular market is somewhat stagnant (certainly not advancing as fast as battery powered lights--how could it, so heavily regulated in Germany?), but I've still seen almost no production bike equipped as new with a light that I would feel comfortable riding on a dark street. Doubly so, since that bike can't have better optics installed (or more to the point, will the company care to provide such?).

Fenders are a deal killer to me; one could always mount 'clip on' fenders, but full coverage fenders, which all but one company's require mounting points, will always be a requirement for me.

A solidly connected rack, too, would be necessary. It could've even been integrated into the frame without sacrificing aesthetics (Civia Twin City, Giant Momentum, et. al.).

As a 'sport' bike? I personally ride a bike with Alfine 11 and drop bars, formerly with skinny tires, and it is not equivalent to a high-end derailleur equipped bike at all. Does it do some things better? Sure, but light weight and low drivetrain inertia is not one of them. The Di2 version of the hub is much less finicky than the cable operated version, but it is still not maintenance free--the hub needs to be drained/filled every 2 years/1500 miles at the minimum. Mine is opened up completely every other service. Low maintenance, sure. No maintenance, that's just dishonest.

On any 'sport' bike other than a bike for randonee-ing, the drag added by a dynamo hub would be intolerable. Combined with the added rotating mass of the rear hub would make a faster paced group ride an exercise in futility (or at least a better workout than anyone else would be getting).

To me, it doesn't seem like they know what market they're gunning for. No bicycle (now) has enough mass appeal/utility for you to sell only one model to everyone.

I just watched the video. Wonder how they have it geared. There are some steep hills just around the corner from that office. ;)

I have seen some quite fancy bikes near there but I don't know if I'd want that locked up outside all day.

But there are plenty of young tech workers that would jump on that in a heartbeat.

I love how the configurator NASA women's saddle and the size small recommends 5'5" to 5'8". Eliminating probably half of all women. I would be too short at 5'4"