VIDEO This Rare Futuristic eBike is a Total Nightmare

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The YouTube video titled "This Rare Futuristic eBike is a Total Nightmare" dives deep into the story of the Reevo Hubless Bicycle, a crowdfunded e-bike heralded for its bold, futuristic design but ultimately criticized for its impracticality and performance issues.

Key Takeaways from the Video:​

Background on the Reevo Hubless Bicycle:​

1. Crowdfunding Success:
   • The Reevo raised over $6.7 million on Indiegogo, thanks to its innovative hubless design, fingerprint security, GPS tracking, and built-in lighting features.
   • However, only 150 out of 2,700 orders were fulfilled before the company behind Reevo disappeared, leaving backers without bikes or refunds.
2. Innovative Features:
   • The bike introduced several high-tech elements:
     • Fingerprint lock to prevent theft.
     • Airless tires for a smooth, puncture-free ride.
     • Built-in lighting and directional signals.
     • Space inside the hubless wheel for carrying bags or other items.
3. Production Issues:
   • After the launch, complaints about quality began to emerge. Even people who received the bike found it problematic, poorly-built, and extremely challenging to use.

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Performance Review:​

1. Main Design Flaws:
   • Hubless Wheel Problems:
     • The hubless design, while visually striking, introduced significant resistance, making pedaling inefficient and loud.
     • It lacks serviceable parts, and replacement parts are unavailable since the company folded.
   • Pedal Assist Oddities:
     • The motor often engaged without warning, creating unpredictable and dangerous situations.
   • Brakes:
     • The bike uses outdated caliper brakes due to its hubless wheels, which provide insufficient stopping power for a heavy e-bike (~70 lbs).
   • Heavy and Inefficient Ride:
     • Pedaling feels extremely difficult due to poor mechanics, making the e-assist a necessity (but only marginally helpful itself).
2. Durability:
   • The bike broke after a brief ride over a small bridge bump, highlighting its instability and fragility.
   • Issues like noisy mechanisms and a poorly implemented kickstand further added to its unviability in real-world conditions.

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Ethics and Indiegogo Campaign Issues:​

1. Questionable Marketing:
   • Many features were exaggerated, and promotional materials oversold the bike’s capabilities while overlooking inherent flaws.
2. Corporate Disappearance:
   • Reevo's parent company vanished shortly after shipping some bikes, leaving hundreds of backers stranded with no answers.
   • Evidence of the company's attempt to distance itself includes branding being taped over on delivered bikes.
3. Was it Truly a Scam?:
   • While some called it a scam, evidence suggests the creators did attempt to deliver on promises but failed due to poor engineering and hasty execution.

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Summary of the Riding Experience:​

1. Backlash from Owners:
   • Riders universally criticized the bike’s loud noise, poor ride quality, and unreliability.
2. Collectors’ Perspective:
   • Despite its defects, some enthusiasts see the bike as a collectible piece of engineering history and maintain interest in keeping it functional.

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Overall Takeaway:​

The Reevo e-bike stands as a reminder of the risks and challenges tied to crowdfunding projects, particularly when highly experimental designs are rushed to market. While visually stunning and innovative in concept, its execution failed to meet the standards of practicality, safety, and durability expected from a functional bicycle.
If you'd like to delve deeper into this fascinating story—or explore parallels with other crowdfunded tech disasters—feel free to ask!