Santa Clara, California-based Vintage
Electric has just released a new electric bicycle model known as the Cafe, and
it is nearly as pretty as it is expensive. The Vintage Cafe was just announced
yesterday and embodies Vintage Electric’s well-known culture and style. The
bike features a sweeping cruiser frame and removable briefcase-style battery in
a custom-shaped enclosure.
The Vintage Cafe also includes
laser-etched wooden inlays that give it a classy flourish – something not seen
on very many electric bicycles these days. Leather is included on the handlebar
grips and the saddle. That saddle includes a built-in taillight as well, while
the headlight is a standalone 6V vintage-inspired unit.
On the performance side of things, the
Vintage Cafe is rocking a 750 W direct-drive motor and can hit a top speed of 45 km/h. Vintage is known for creating more powerful e-bikes with up
to 3,000 W of power, and so we have to wonder how many peak watts that “750 W
rated” hub motor is actually putting out. The Vintage Cafe features a removable
500 Wh battery that the company rates for between 32-97 km. Which
is to say, “it can go anywhere from not that far to pretty far.”
For what it’s worth, most e-bikes of this
size and power level can do an honest 32 km)of range on
throttle-only operation at 32 km/h. Using the weakest pedal assist
level can usually double that
range, sometimes more). And since this model doesn’t offer a throttle, the
pedal-assist option will likely help it eke out even more range than most
throttle e-bikes.
Speaking of pedal assist, the Vintage Cafe
features a true torque sensing bottom bracket, which the company refers to as
its Vintorque™ drivetrain. Torque sensors are known to provide a smoother pedal
assist experience compared to cheaper cadence-based pedal assist systems. To
make one yours, you’ll need to shell out a cool US$ 3,995. Consider yourself lucky
though, since that price actually puts the Cafe on the most affordable end of
Vintage’s lineup.
