Jivr folding chainless ebike on Kickstarter

Kudoscycles

Official Trade Member
Apr 15, 2011
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www.kudoscycles.com
As a designer and a buyer of e-bikes,there is no product that gets designers creative juices going than trying to re-invent the bike.
Every time I go to the cycle shows there are literally dozens of new folders,which every salesman thinks is the best folding design and everything in the past will be redundant.
Ok please show me how it folds...
It's so quick and easy sir....you fold the handlebars in by releasing the sliders,attach them to the spring clips,then undo the tube lock,slide the assembly down locking knob 1,then move to the seat undoing knob 2 and move the seat into a vertical position,re lock knob2,slide the whole assembly down locking knob 3 to retain. Then pick up bar1 moving into a vertical mode at the same time rotating the front wheel assembly,using the triple safety lock to retain,then pick up bar2 making sure you have the pedals in a horizontal position,then fold up the pedals rotate the cranks onto the safety clips and there sir is it folded....ok I exaggerate but you take my point,you've missed your train by the time you have done that lot,you also need to take a degree in e-bike folding.
The other surprise for the salesman is the question 'how does it ride',I want to ride it on the test track....really sir nobody does that. So often it rides down the track with creaks and groans and twists like a ballet dancer,not even sure the wheels are pointing in the same direction,you couldn't live with that for more then 100 yards.
I am looking for a folder that folds to be only slightly bigger diameter than the wheels,is quick n easy to fold,weighs less than 15 kg and preferably less and is solid and nice to ride,no nasty bits poking out and folded it should resemble a drum case.
KudosDave.
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,221
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I am looking for a folder that folds to be only slightly bigger diameter than the wheels,is quick n easy to fold,weighs less than 15 kg and preferably less and is solid and nice to ride,no nasty bits poking out and folded it should resemble a drum case.
KudosDave.
The DiBlasi e-tricycle almost gets that small and has an amazingly simple and quick fold, but rigid to ride it certainly isn't. Even 12 mph is an achievement, but it's fold is very clever.

Check the fold and carry if you haven't seen it before:

Page link to both animation and video.
.
 
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trex

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 15, 2011
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For a company with a single product in an unproven market, the valuation they are thinking of is mad. A quick look at their business plan for the next two years in the 'exit strategy':

Forecasted valuation as of December 2016:

P/E Valuation 1st Round Investors’ Stake Equity Stake Valuation ROI (pre-tax)

15 £21,532,039 17.5% £3,768,106 2,512%

20 £28,709,385 17.5% £5,024,142 3,349%

25 £35,886,731 17.5% £6,280,177 4,186%

Details of exit valuation forecast can be found in the Business Plan.
 
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MarcinJIVR

Just Joined
Apr 20, 2015
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Hi everybody,

I'm founder of JIVR | Bike. I started reading this thread some time ago and thought I should get involved - I'm glad to see that the JIVR | Bike intrigued so many of you!

What seems to be concerning you most is the chainless drivetrain. Although, we cannot disclose any details just yet, I can assure you that it works equally as efficiently as a chain drive - we've run some tests to determine that. I'd be happy to arrange test rides if you're still dubious :) I'd also encourage you to follow our social media as we're intending to reveal some details of the design soon.

Marcin Piatkowski

PS. @Kudoscycles I'm sorry, but I do not remember pitching to you for investment. Have we met before?
 
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patpatbut

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 25, 2012
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Hi Marcin,

Good to see here. I am one of the backers from your project.

I am based in Oxford but do cycling around in London. Do let me know if you have a test ride organised.

Pat
 

mfj197

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jul 18, 2014
553
160
Guildford
Marcin, good to see you on here. I'm intrigued to see how your project progresses. You have put a lot of thought and energy into creating Jivr and I heartily commend you for that. I think a decent folding ebike could be ideal for a lot of rail commuters. It's a shame my commute by ebike is just a bit too far as otherwise I'd have been one of your backers. Hope everything goes well.

Michael
 

jerrysimon

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 27, 2009
3,292
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Cambridge, UK
I have tried many small wheeled folders and this does indeed look good fold wise.

I always end up back on my Brompton though. The beauty of electrifying a Brompton is that the resale value will also remain high if you choose to sell it later.

I appreciate that this includes a lot of additional "gizmos" but again in my experience keeping it simple makes for easy maintenance. My guess is that anything goes wrong with this it will be back to the supplier to fix.

Another thing that seems to be absent is luggage carrying facilities. Some kind Brompton/Dahon on frame mount would be welcome.



Finally (and it may be because I am old and cynical) I really dont get the hype (smart words, slick phrases etc) that have to accompany these kind of projects. I guess its because I don't understand marketing. Apple have made it work, but simply aligning yourself with the Apple brand seems kinda cheesy.

Regards

Jerry
 
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mfj197

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jul 18, 2014
553
160
Guildford
My guess is that anything goes wrong with this it will be back to the supplier to fix.
With the Jivr, they come to you to fix it - whatever it is. They also come to you to lubricate the drivetrain once a year. Interesting business model, and I'm intrigued to see how it pans out.
Finally (and it may be because I am old and cynical) I really dont get the hype that has to accompany these kind of projects. I guess its because I don't understand marketing. Apple have made it work, but simply aligning yourself with the Apple brand seems kinda cheesy.
That seems to be part of the whole Kickstarter thing - you have to get your idea known, have to make it sexy to attract investors.

Michael
 
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jerrysimon

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 27, 2009
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I agree but so often these kind of projects (and I am not saying this one) end up being all fluff and no substance.

Ps I looked through the spec, is there a carry weight listed anywhere ?

Ah 15Kg, just watched the video. My lightest motorized Brompton is 11.5kg and after any more than 5-10 mins carrying you have to stop. I guess that weight for me does not include the bag and battery in the other hand. I still think you need some kind of luggage option.

I applaud the effort and design that has gone into the bike though and wish them every success :)

Jerry
 
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SteveRuss

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2015
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Bristol, Uk
With the Jivr, they come to you to fix it - whatever it is. They also come to you to lubricate the drivetrain once a year.
If you live in London is says.. Otherwise you have to post it to them.. Ouch..

I know this will probably change but it would put me off having to deal with a London only based repair service. I live 120 miles away..