How many people want a softail ebike?

[NRG]

Here's another, earlier 1903 from the oldbike museum:

» 1903 Columbia Model 106 Cushion Spring-Frame Chainless The Online Bicycle Museum

Soft tail(!) and shaft drive...solid tyre's I think even though the advert indicates otherwise[Edit...no it does have Pneumatic tyre's!]....the more I look at vintage bike the more I believe they really really wanted suspension on their bikes!

 

[flecc]

There were a number of these attempts at suspension early in the 20th century, but I draw a different conclusion from NRG. The public clearly didn't adopt it, despite the availability. This is rather like the various attempts at making bikes very different today, the public ignoring most and sticking with the known bike frame styles. We were 80 years into the 20th century before it eventually appeared in mountain bikes, 80 years in which good suspension could easily have been introduced if there was any demand. A demand had to be found first before it could succeed, and that eventually became the use of bikes on rough off-road conditions with the mountain bike. No demand was established for it on road bikes, it appeared there solely as a fashion matter, the use of mountain bikes on road because people liked the perceived style.

 

[NRG]

I think the demand was there but the barrier was one of cost! $75 in 1903 is the equivalent of approx. $1900 today and given the average wage back then being waaaaay lower than today its no surprise that the market success of these early suspension bikes was so poor...everything in that advert (there are others) points to comfort!

 

[flecc]

Agreed back then, but that wouldn't have applied in many periods later in the century. It wasn't low prices that finally introduced it on mountain bikes, it was the application, and suspension still has no place on good road bikes where cost is of little importance, given how expensive these can be.