prairiepedaler

Ran into this guy recently. Nifty! First time seeing one. It's electric / pedal drive, weighs around 150lbs and cost 9 grand according to the owner. Looks like solar charging on top. The spoked wheels are covered. Americans have probably seen specimens before but they are rare up here. I invited the guy to the grand re-opening of a local community bike shop.

I also asked him if he'd been ticketed yet. He said no. I told him to give it time. The cops have pensions to fund and quotas to make. They'll ticket an indecent mannequin around here.

linberl

I really want one - but haven't found anyone in the Bay Area that has one I can check out. Perfect if you want to go car free but still be able to get around locally in bad weather.

prairiepedaler

Linber, have you seen any of these on the road or in your neck of the woods? The owmer of this specimen looked to be early in his early 40's and could ride a regular pedal bike if he wanted to. He was a smoker. I guess this elf might have a built-in ashtray option too, or maybe he just goes the fred flintstone route (out the bottom) with the ashes.

slomoshun

Organic Transit
https://organictransit.com/

pics…
https://tinyurl.com/y7v9t6ju


Reviews….

https://electricbikereview.com/organ...nsit/2013-elf/

https://electricbikereview.com/organic-transit/elf/

Schwinnsta

It nice but not a bicycle.

linberl

I've not seen one. I want a solution for carrying a passenger, specifically when it is raining, and this could do it. I do not want another car. This is basically just a bike in a shell with a motor to compensate for the added weight. I think they are made in North Carolina or somewhere back there and I've not seen anything similar in the Bay Area.

linberl

It's basically an enclosed e-bike, sorta like a recumbent, with an electric motor. If you are one of those people who don't think e-bikes are bikes, then you'll feel that way about this. Imo the motor is going to be offset by the added weight of the shell, so it is a bike, more than a regular e-bike; the motor is the same as an regular e-bike motor but it is pushing hundreds of pounds plus rider.

Schwinnsta

Yes they are literally recumbents with a shell but the rider is low and it looks dangerous in traffic. They are as much like little under powered cars as bikes

For the record I like ebikes. I don't own one but shall in the future.

linberl

To my knowledge, you ride them in the same places you ride a bike, not in car traffic, but in bike lanes, etc., so I'm not sure why they would be more dangerous than a bicycle - in fact, they are much more visible so I would think they might actually be a tiny bit safer? I actually find recumbents difficult to see when I am in a car, they are so low, but I doubt one could miss seeing an Elf =).

esther-L

I live in North Carolina and I own an ELF. It's my bike for commuting to work, and some errands.
Too wide for greenways, does not fit thru bollards. And really, greenway pavement would need to be 14ft wide for pedestrians to be comfortable sharing a greenway with this vehicle. I live in a state where bike lane use is not mandatory, and that's a good thing because majority of bike lanes near me are less than 4ft wide.
I choose the roads that I ride on (mostly in regular traffic lanes). With three 26 inch downhill-bike wheels and 150lb bike plus me and stuff, I don't want to bend a rim on a pothole. There are some roads (like downtown Raleigh) that I won't go near because the pavement quality is so low. I have not had a flat tire yet. Fixing a flat on the front tires is much easier than fixing a flat on the rear.

I've had mine almost 2 years. I have the single seat version - I wanted cargo space. All ELFs are the same body, so the back seat for passenger removes a lot of the cargo space, but does add a floor to a lot of the vehicle. My single seater has no floor, and I won't be riding in rain until I figure out a floor design that still provides a way to access the 2 chains for maintenance. Whenever I need to replace chains due to wear, I'll need to buy 5 chains. When our weather hits the 85+ degrees 80% humidity, I am grateful for the extra airflow from below, because I'm too lazy to mount a fan. In a foggy area, you will need to mount a fan that's pointed at the windshield to keep it from fogging up.
I have ridden on 55mph 2-lane roads at the ELF speed without conflicts with motorists. I do practice 'control and release' of my lane - there is no sharing a lane with the ELF. When motorists stack behind me, I look for a place to pull off road and release them (if motorists have not found an opportunity to pass me).
The ELF is designed for the federal Class 1 e-bike definition - max assist speed is 20mph. I have hit 33mph downhill. If going up a hill that's at least 1% grade, you don't get all 20mph. The speed cutoff is not that smart.
The ELF is big - 9ft long and 4ft 2 inches wide and 5ft tall (the front fenders are the widest part). I usually park in a car parking space. Someplace like San Francisco it might be a challenge to store and park an ELF.
An ELF is amazingly visible in traffic. I think there have been 3 people hit in their ELF - no injuries to humans. The plastic body has absorbed the impact - I remember somebody's iPad in the trunk was destroyed. I feel comfortable riding in traffic. Motorists seem to think an ELF is cute - I get roughly 8 angry motorist honks per 1000 miles.

You can look at the website www.anyonecanbike.com for some ELF information. I know there are ELF owners in southern California.

jon c. 

Are gusty winds a problem? Seems like a powerful gust at the wrong angle might flip such a vehicle.

esther-L

I have pedaled my ELF in wind gusts of up to 25mph. Crosswinds go thru the body, but they do affect the forward speed. I can see and feel the slowdown in forward speed. I have not experienced any motion that tries to tip the ELF over. There is 1 ELF owner whose ELF got tipped over when cornering fast, while being operated by a high school student. The majority of the 150lb weight is low in the ELF. An ELF cannot corner like a road bike with the rider doing countersteering. I do use a rubber wheel chock for peace of mind when parking. There is 1 ELF owner whose ELF got moved while parked, by wind gusts.

I bought the aftermarket clear plastic side shields (made by an ELF owner in Minnesota) and those perform very well with crosswinds. They make the gusts go around the ELF. They also make year-round commuting possible for me.