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Our process.

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Adam Vollmer | 0 Comments


Over the last few weeks, a lot of you have been asking about our process for designing the original Faraday Porteur with Rock Lobster for the Oregon Manifest design challenge. True to our IDEO roots, we used every bit of the design thinking process and were lucky enough to catalogue the journey with Core77 in the Design/Build Chronicles. 

Check out the posts (including images and video of the journey) for many of our prototypes, brainstorm creations and iterations.

Posted in build, design, design thinking, design/build, oregon manifest, process

The Winning Color, 11 Days Left, and International Shipping

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Adam Vollmer | 0 Comments

11 Days Left


There are eleven days left in our Kickstarter campaign, which ends on Friday, August 10th at 10:39pm PDT. After Friday 8/10, our team will go into production and be placing firm orders for hardware. If you are looking for a reason to get your Faraday...

"That's the beauty of the Porteur, you're hardly aware that the bike is pushing you along until you're zipping around at 20mph with minimal physical exertion." —Engadget.com

“...an e-bike that even cyclists could love” —Bill Strickland, Editor, Bicycling Magazine

"gorgeous"—Jonathan Maus, Bikeportland.org


We have been overwhelmed by the scope of interest in the Porteur, including over 30,000 visitors in the last eight days to faradaybikes.com from around the world and nearly 40,000 views of our Kickstarter video.

A couple of the Faraday team members were in Portland, Oregon, last weekend to meet with Kickstarter backers and provide test-rides of the bikes. The trip was a great success, and we offer a hearty thanks to Walnut Studiolo and Clever Cycles for hosting Faraday.

International Shipping


With a barrage of enthusiastic emails from around the world, Faraday is proud to now offer shipping to Canada and Mexico, and will be accepting reservations on international orders for the next round of bicycles after our Kickstarter bikes have been delivered. If you would like to reserve your place in line for the first internationally-shipped Porteurs, please sign up here. Signing up before August 10th reserves your Porteur for the reduced price of $3,500 USD. International shipping charges are not included in this price. Deposits will be accepted after the conclusion of our Kickstarter campaign.

The Winning Color


With an overwhelming majority of the vote, the winning color combination is British Racing Green! Thanks to all who voted. We will send all backers a survey for each owner's size, color, and component preference at the conclusion of the Kickstarter campaign.

Thank you all for your enthusiasm, interest, and support.

Regards,
Adam & the Faraday team

Who rides Faraday?

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Adam Vollmer | 0 Comments

Our awesome Kickstarter backers have purchased their 2013 Porteurs for a wide range of reasons – from staying active as a baby boomer, to sweat-free commuting, to simply increasing cargo load and distance for errand-running. Below, we’ve highlighted a few responses from around the country:

Baby Boomers: “I am 63 years old and I want to enjoy biking as I always have - I look forward to the excellent assist the Faraday will give me! I am a true baby boomer that will stay active for a long time!” – Jean from Portland, OR

Conscious Commuters: “I bought my Faraday so I can ride sweat-free to work, my bag on my bike and looking stylish. I have always loved functional city bikes and love that the Faraday has built-in lights that I don't have to remove when I stop or remember to turn on/off or recharge. I also love supporting a new type of Eco-conscious transportation, one of the few believable ways we can have more people in less space with less carbon footprint.” – Darius from San Francisco, CA

Errand Runners: “I purchased the Faraday firstly for around-town riding, so I can run longer errands, with more cargo, in a larger range without worrying about hills or bus schedules…my hope is that after I get more comfortable on my bike, I can join my husband and father and brother on the longer, more challenging day tours they take.” – Valerie from Portland, OR

Design Lovers: “All my hardcore design/biker friends scoff at eBikes, but finally said, ‘ok, you can get that one!’” –John from Seattle, WA

What type of Faraday rider are you? Follow our progress on Kickstarter (UPDATE: $100,000 raised in 7 days!) and spread the word: a pedal revolution is brewing!

E-Bikes are the next big thing in transportation.

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Adam Vollmer | 0 Comments

E-Bikes are the next big thing in transportation. 

The New York Times reports that e-bikes "represent the largest-ever adoption of alternative-fuel vehicles — far more prevalent than electric cars". At Faraday, we recognize that the movement needs more than clunky, heavy bikes to take off with the same voracity in the United States as it has in China and Europe. The US rider demands a bike that looks classy and rides well with or without the electric assist engaged. 

The e-bike market is certainly here to say, as Pike Research reports that sales of electric bikes will reach $6.9 billion this year, with growth well above $10 billion in the next half decade. According to the Times, "In Germany, e-bike sales have soared from about 25,000 in 2005 to 300,000 last year" and "more than 105,000 e-bikes will be sold in the United States this year...with sales more than tripling by 2018".

 

This level of widespread adoption marks a change in tide for commuters, errand-runners, and exercisers everywhere. E-bikes finally have the range and power to compete with driving alternatives such as motor scooters and bus riding, as well as with driving itself. The 2013 Porteur's large removable front rack and supportive double top tube mean carrying significant loads home from the grocery store is more than possible, it's pleasurable. And the bike's conventional size, 10-15 mile range and 45min recharge time allow it to fit seamlessly into our riders' busy lives. 

At the end of the day, e-bikes may make sense for dozens of practical reasons, but people invariably enjoy the ride more than regular biking. Watching their reactions is the best part of our jobs here at Faraday, for as the Times discovered, riders simply "come back beaming like a kid who just got training wheels off." 

See the full NY Times article and sign up for Faraday Bike's newsletter to stay informed!

Faraday Event at Propeller

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Adam Vollmer | 0 Comments


A chance run-in with Lorn Dittfeld, owner of Propeller Modern in Hayes Valley, San Francisco, led to the exciting event taking place this afternoon (6/10) from 4-6pm at Propeller.  Faraday bikes founder Adam Vollmer, as well as IDEO industrial designer Adam Reineck and California Home & Design editor Erin Feher, will be having a conversation with IDEO CEO Tim Brown about cycling, alternative transportation in our cities, and the story of a young start-up’s efforts to bring an exciting new kind of bicycle to market.

Propeller Modern is one of the bay area’s premier modern furniture and design stores, and it’s really an honor for the Faraday to be able to grace its floor.  If you can’t make today’s event, don’t worry!  The Faraday will be on display in the Propeller window all week long as part of SF Design Week.  Stop by, check it out, and get excited – the Faraday Porteur becomes available for pre-sale in little over a month!

Thanks Lorn and Propeller for this exciting chance to share Faraday’s story!


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About Us

Faraday Bicycles™ is a company dedicated to revolutionary bicycle innovation and design. We are engineers, designers, and industry veterans who passionately believe that better bikes make a better world. Bicycles trim our waistlines, brighten our commutes, help make our cities cleaner and more vibrant, and bring a smile to our faces. So we’ve designed our bikes with one simple goal: Give more people more to smile about.

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