A startup out of Istanbul, Turkey, called Tozz Bike is hoping to inject some fun into getting around city streets with a stand-up electric kickbike called the Pipegun #1 that's inspired by BMX bikes and skateboarding.
"E-mobility products in the market are designed and developed to move people from point A to point B with less consumption of energy and time," explained Burak Kazar, who founded Tozz Bike earlier this year with Emre Kuvvetli. "These are great specifications for commuting and go with the flow – or usually rush – of the city. However most of them are designed to fulfill the requirements and still need some seasoning to be more fun and even offbeat. We removed that secret seasoning from our design cellar and created Pipegun #1."
The Pipegun #1 – or PG-1 – made its debut at the recent Design Week Turkey, and is initially being made as a very limited production run of 20. It will come in two powerpack variants – each built around a naked stainless steel frame and riding on 20-inch Eclat rims wrapped in red Salt Tracer BMX tires.
The model with a 250-W Bafang hub motor produces 45 Nm (33 lb.ft) of torque, has a top speed of 25 km/h (15.5 mph) and is reported capable of tackling 12-degree inclines. Though the Li-ion battery specifics haven't been shared, riders are promised a per-charge range of up to 45 km (28 miles).
The other powerpack option comes with a 500-W Bafang motor and bigger battery for 60 Nm (44 lb-ft) of torque, a top speed of 35 km/h (21.7 mph) and a range of up to 60 km (37 miles).
What's not exactly clear is how the motor works to get you moving, though the design suggests that a rider's kick input is amplified in a similar fashion to the fat-tire Scrooser rather than merely twisting a throttle to roll off. Elsewhere there's a BMX-style handlebar, disc braking to the rear and funky LED lighting to the front of the skateboard-like deck.
That's about it for the given specs. Pre-orders for this limited production run are open now, pricing starts at US$2,100. Shipping is expected to start in January.
Update Jan 10, 2022: Tozz Bike's Burak Kazar has now confirmed how folks move around on the Pipegun, saying that the "PG1 works with a thumb throttle and can run without any kick or physical power necessity. However when the battery is off, you can ride it by kicking without any resistance from electric motor."
Source: Tozz Bike
