Another nicely thought out ebike has hit Indiegogo this morning, offering decent power and a practical range at an affordable price. But what sets this Spinciti Amsterdam machine apart is its (perhaps surprising) focus on health and fitness.
The basics of the Amsterdam bikes appear solid enough: commuter-focused, decent-looking proprietary frame designs in men's and ladies' flavors, with low-profile, integrated batteries in the downtubes, standard fenders and a subtle look that might pass for a regular bike at first glance.
The motor is a 500-watt hub drive, pulling up to 28 mph (32 km/h), using a torque-sensing pedal assist. The 8-speed gearset and shifters are Shimano, the disc brakes are Tektro, it's got a decent little integrated headlight, and it offers a range up to 50 miles, which should cover most commuting needs.
Where it plans to differentiate itself is in its smarts; the Amsterdam connects to your phone via Bluetooth, and feeds accurate exercise data back into apps like Strava, My Fitness Pal, Apple Health and others, helping to correct the exaggerated readings you can get when your fitness tracker doesn't know that you're on an ebike instead of doing all the hard work yourself.
You might think ebikes and fitness are a strange pair. After all, if you wanted to get fit, why would you buy a bike that does half or more of the work for you? Interestingly, though, studies have shown that riding around on an ebike offers about the same fitness benefits that regular bikes do, with the added bonus that they're super-accessible for the unfit, the overweight and those less inclined to pursue exercise. Ebikes encourage people to ride further and more often, and the fitness benefits are real.
So it makes sense for the Spinciti bikes to talk to fitness apps, and these and other ebikes could be an excellent move toward a healthier lifestyle. They're live on Indiegogo now, with prices ranging from US$999 to US$1,950 depending on options. Standard crowdfunding disclaimers apply. There's several colors and designs to check out in the photo gallery.
Source: Spinciti Amsterdam Indiegogo
