Connect with us

Published

on

When it comes to belt drives in the e-bike industry, Gates is the undisputed leader. And those quality drives usually come at a high cost, but now we’re seeing the lowest-priced Gates carbon belt drive-equipped e-bike yet: the new Ride1Up Roadster V2 Gravel Edition.

Just in case you need a refresher, belt drives on e-bikes have a number of advantages.

Chains have enjoyed well over 100 years as the main form of drive technology on bicycles. But belts are coming into their own on high-end e-bikes designed for the city, hybrid, comfort riding, utility and other non-mountain e-bikes from just about every premium manufacturer out there.

It makes sense, since belts have so many assets over chains. They are smoother operating and quieter, leading to a more pleasant cycling experience (especially in nature!). They are maintenance free, meaning you never need to oil them or worry about a stuck link. They won’t get your pants leg or ankle all dirty and greasy. And they last longer too, with some Gates belts rated for 50,000 miles (80,000 km) or more.

Gates isn’t the only name in the game, but they’re definitely the most common. We see them all over the premium e-bike market, and my own everyday rider personal transport/fitness e-bike has a Gates carbon belt drive on it too.

The only downside (other than a tiny efficiency shortcoming compared to chains) is that they are pretty expensive. Most e-bikes with Gates belts are priced at over $3,000. Many are well over that figure.

But the Ride1Up Roadster V2 Gravel Edition just may be the most affordable e-bike yet to feature a Gates belt drive, coming in at just $1,295.

The Gravel Edition is an upgrade to the base level Roadster V2, a $1,045 e-bike that also features a belt drive, though not made by Gates.

The Gravel Edition of the bike was just announced this weekend and won’t go on sale until next week, where it will come with an estimated shipping timeline of December 2021.

The bike is so affordable because it is built around the budget-oriented Roadster V2, which is a pedaling-optimized low-power electric bike.

I previously reviewed the Roadster V2 and it is an awesome ride… as long as you enjoy pedaling (see my review video below). Unlike powerful throttle-enabled e-bikes, this is a lower power pedal assist e-bike that is designed to give you a nice boost, but still requires some good old fashioned honest sweat equity. The 350W continuous-rated motor (with 500 watts of peak power) still gives plenty of boost in its highest power mode, but offers a more gentle assist in the lower power levels. The 252 Wh battery is small enough to be completely hidden in the frame, yet still offers enough capacity for around 20-35 miles (32-56 km) of range depending on your power mode. But the real kicker is that the thing only weighs 32 lb (14.5 kg)!

(Note that the $995 price mentioned in the video above was the original promotional price upon release – it’s now up to $1,045, which is still way underpriced in my opinion).

The Roadster V2 has those skinny road tires that you’ll find on most fitness or hipster-style commuter bikes, and so it isn’t really meant for off-road riding.

But since gravel e-bikes make up such a booming category, Ride1Up has reworked the Roadster V2 into the Gravel Edition, paving the way (or graveling it?) for off-road fun.

The rim brakes are replaced by mechanical disc brakes to give better stopping power, the tires are upgraded to true gravel tires and the bike sports a new “updated contemporary geometry”.

But the biggest update is the replacement of the off-brand belt drive with a true Gates Carbon Drive system. That gives you the dependability of a Gates belt at a price that’s never been seen before.

So how did Ride1Up do it? Basically, by offering less bike than most other Gates-equipped e-bikes. Gates drives usually go on top dollar e-bikes. I’m talking $5,000 Terns and $7,000 Riese & Müllers.

But Ride1Up bucked that trend and brought the top shelf drive to a mid-shelf e-bike, saving money with less battery, a smaller motor and a minimalist display.

Keep in mind that the Roadster V2 is also a single-speed e-bike with a rear hub motor, and thus you aren’t paying for a fancy internally geared hub and mid-drive motor that is normally paired with a belt drive system.

This might sound like a strange choice at first – a single speed e-bike for gravel – but I’ve actually been doing exactly that with my own single-speed e-bike, the RadMission. This is another low-cost single-speed e-bike (this one is just $999) and I’ve been using it as my main trail bike. Keep in mind that I’m talking fairly smooth gravel roads and nature trails – not technical downhill single track. But the added assist of an electric motor means that I don’t need those lower gears, and the single ratio has been fine for me.

The RadMission has been a great single-speed pseudo-gravel e-bike for me!

So while the single-speed design may be a turnoff for some riders, I haven’t found it to hamper my style.

I’m looking forward to testing out this new edition of the Roadster V2 as soon as I can beg, borrow or steal one to get my hands on the new e-bike.

Until then, let’s hear your thoughts on the new Roadster V2 Gravel Edition in the comment section below.


Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Kate Nash says selling photos of her bum on OnlyFans paid for an extra tour crew member

Published

on

By

Kate Nash says selling photos of her bum on OnlyFans paid for an extra tour crew member

Kate Nash says selling photos of her bottom on the X-rated site OnlyFans has allowed her to add an extra crew member to her tour staff.

The 37-year-old singer says the fact she is having to subsidise her shows in this way shows that the music industry is “completely broken”.

She announced she was launching her OnlyFans account last week as she began the UK leg of her tour, and has previously said on Instagram that, “touring makes losses not profits”.

Speaking about her new venture to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she said it was “very funny” and “fun to do,” adding, “My industry is completely broken, I don’t think it’s sustainable, and I think it’s a complete failure, I think it will collapse as well”.

Going on to talk about “people finding solutions to fund their art,” she said: “I think it’s quite empowering, and I’m also creating jobs with my bum now.

“For example, I couldn’t bring a crew member that’s on tour with me in the UK to Europe, but now I can, because of my OnlyFans website.”

Read more:
Davina McCall releases video statement after brain tumour surgery
Wicked lands largest opening weekend of 2024 at Vue

She has previously described the career move as a “punk protest,” containing “lots of comedy”.

Speaking to LBC last week, she said: “The cost of touring has gone up. Just like the cost of living crisis, there’s a cost-of-touring crisis – where the cost of travel, accommodation, crew wages, bus rental, all the things that you need to pay for when you go on tour, everything’s gone up.

“But a lot of bands’ and artists’ fees for gigs have not gone up, whereas ticket prices have gone up.”

Nash also said music was an “exploitative industry,” adding, “I have had lots of experience of being exploited”.

She said it could “learn a lot from the sex industry”.

Beginning her career in 2005, Nash has had one UK top 10 single – 2007’s Foundations – and two UK top 10 albums.

She has just finished a three-week US tour and is now touring the UK before moving on to Europe. Her London gig later this week is sold out.

And Nash isn’t the only one branching out to bring in cash. Lily Allen said earlier this year that she had joined OnlyFans to sell photographs of her feet.

The 39-year-old Smile singer, who moved to the US in 2020, says she has “very strict guidelines” and is charging subscribers $10 (£8) a month to view images of her feet on the platform.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Davina McCall says she has short-term memory problems after brain tumour surgery

Published

on

By

Davina McCall says she has short-term memory problems after brain tumour surgery

Davina McCall has said her short-term memory is “a bit remiss” as she recovers from brain tumour surgery.

Speaking from her bed, the visibly emotional TV presenter posted a short video updating her Instagram followers on her condition, saying it had been a “mad” time.

She expressed an “enormous heartfelt thank you” to people who had messaged her after she revealed this month she had a benign brain tumour, a colloid cyst, which she described as “very rare”.

Looking bright, but with a visibly bruised left eye, McCall said: “My short-term memory is a bit remiss.

“But that is something I can work on, so I’m really happy about that. I’m writing everything down, to keep myself feeling safe.”

She added: “It’s been mad, and it’s just really nice to be back home, I’m on the other side.”

In a message posted with the video, she reiterated her thanks for all the support she has received, adding: “Had a great night’s sleep in my own bed. Have a couple of sleeps during the day which keeps my brain clear… Slowly, slowly…”

When she first shared her diagnosis, she said chances of having it were “three in a million” and that she had discovered it several months previously after a company offered her a health scan in return for giving a menopause talk.

The 57-year-old star said support from her fans had “meant the world”.

She said she was being “brilliantly looked after” by her partner, hairdresser Michael Douglas, and her stepmother, Gabby, who she calls mum.

Becoming tearful, the presenter said: “I’d quickly like to say big up the stepmums. I don’t really say thank you to Gabby enough. She’s been an amazing rock my whole life.”

McCall was estranged from her birth mother, Florence McCall, who died in 2008.

Kate coming out of the Big Brother house in 2002
Image:
McCall with 2002 Big Brother winner Kate Lawler. Pic: Rex Features

With a catch in her voice, McCall went on: “I’ve got a massive dose of vitamin G – I’m just really grateful. I’ve always been really lucky in my life, but I feel unbelievably grateful right now. So, thanks for everything, all of you.

“I’m on the mend, I’m resting and sleeping loads and I feel really good. I’m just very lucky.”

Stars including presenter Alison Hammond, singer Craig David and radio host Zoe Ball quickly shared their delight at the positive update.

McCall rose to fame presenting on MTV in the mid-1990s, and later on Channel 4’s Streetmate, before becoming a household name as the host of Big Brother from 2000 to 2010.

Davina McCall  with her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire
Pic: PA
Image:
McCall with her MBE, alongside her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson. Pic: PA

She’s gone on to present programmes across the networks, the most recent being ITV dating show My Mum, Your Dad.

Last year, McCall was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.

Married twice, McCall has three children, two daughters and a son, with her second husband, presenter Matthew Robertson.

She has lived with Douglas since 2022, and they present a weekly lifestyle podcast together, Making The Cut.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Barbara Taylor Bradford, the ‘grand dame of blockbusters’, dies aged 91

Published

on

By

Barbara Taylor Bradford, the 'grand dame of blockbusters', dies aged 91

Barbara Taylor Bradford, the bestselling novelist who wrote A Woman Of Substance, has died at the age of 91.

The Leeds-born author, who sold more than 90 million books, died peacefully at her home on Sunday after a short illness and was “surrounded by loved ones to the very end”, a spokeswoman said.

Taylor Bradford, who was often labelled “the grand dame of blockbusters”, hit the big time when A Woman Of Substance was published in 1979, making her an overnight success.

The story sold millions of copies and traced the journey of Emma Harte from life as a servant in rural Yorkshire to heading a business empire.

The rags to riches story was followed by many other successful books with the author’s works being published in more than 40 languages across 90 countries.

Barbara Taylor Bradford,.
Pic: Caroll Taveras/Bradford Enterprises/PA
Image:
Pic: Caroll Taveras/Bradford Enterprises/PA

Barbara Taylor Bradford on her 21st birthday.
Pic: Bradford Enterprises/PA
Image:
The author on her 21st birthday. Pic: Bradford Enterprises/PA

Charlie Redmayne, chief executive of publisher HarperCollins, said the author was a “natural storyteller”, adding: “Barbara Taylor Bradford was a truly exceptional writer whose first book, the international bestseller A Woman Of Substance, changed the lives of so many who read it – and still does to this day.”

Taylor Bradford, who was made an OBE in 2007 for services to literature, wrote a total of 40 novels during her career – her most recent was The Wonder Of It All, published last year.

Barbara Taylor Bradford.
Pic: Caroll Taveras/Bradford Enterprises/PA
Image:
Pic: Caroll Taveras/Bradford Enterprises/PA

File photo dated 01/06/93 of Barbara Taylor Bradford with her husband Robert at Claridges Hotel, London, during a visit to launch her new blockbuster book "Angels". Bestselling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford, who wrote A Woman of Substance, has died at the age of 91, it has been announced. Issue date: Monday November 25, 2024.
Image:
Taylor Bradford with her husband Robert in 1993. Pic: PA

Born in May 1933 as the only child of Winston and Freda Taylor, she worked as a typist for the Yorkshire Evening Post before becoming a reporter and then the paper’s first woman’s editor.

At the age of 20, she moved to London and worked in Fleet Street for Woman’s Own and the London Evening News.

She met her husband, American film producer Robert Bradford, in 1961 and they married in London on Christmas Eve in 1963 before moving to New York the following year.

Read more on Sky News:
At least one dead after DHL cargo plane crashes
How long will unsettled weather last in the UK?

The couple were married for 55 years until he died from a stroke in 2019.

Following a private funeral in New York, the author will be buried alongside her late husband at the city’s Westchester Hills Cemetery.

Continue Reading

Trending