Creating the New Ever-E-Day Electric Cargo Bike

Why and How we have created the new Ever-E-Day

This new electric bike has a mission:

Breaking through limited beliefs about electric and cargo bikes to offer liberating transportation for people responding to Climate Change. High quality, versatile and able to change with your needs over time.

Inspired by our customers, climate change and a deep appreciation for the healthy, low impact beauty of a human on a bike. This bike is the best one we have ever built for daily life!


How it Started

It started with Bike Friday Co-founder Alan Scholz listening to customers asking for electric assist that travels and is light weight and……. Through his research and experiments over the last several years developing the Haul-a-Day Cargo Bike and electrifying all the other Bike Fridays, he realized many people really need a bike that the world thinks is “impossible”. Alan thought Bike Friday could really break through the limiting beliefs in the bike world and create a break-through bike (just like he and brother Hanz did in 1992 with the first high performance folding bike that also fit into an airline suitcase).

 

Alan set a list of design goals and he accomplished them:

Break the weight barrier! – Typical electric bikes weigh over 50+ lbs  and the typical cargo bike weighs even more. The typical electric cargo bike weighs over 60+ lbs! – (weight considered safe to lift by OSHA maxes out at 50lb) – The Ever-E-Day electric cargo bike starts at 36lbs.

Breaking the limitations of battery range by offering choices to fit your needs! The Ever-E-Day Minimalist comes with a light weight battery that goes 30 miles on one charge. You can also upgrade to a larger battery that goes 60 miles. You can even get 2 to swap out for a back-up on a century ride. There is even an option for an Airline check-able battery making it the only electric cargo bike you can fly with.

Break the price barrier!  – Typical high quality electric bikes start around $2,500 and go up – (The Ever-E-Day starts at $2,195)

 

 

Break the size barrier! – Typical electric bikes have the same small choice of sizes that other bikes have at the dealer, often not fitting the tall and short people well. – The Ever-E-Day frame adjusts in 3 places to fit riders 4′ to over 6′ on the spot.

Break the travel barrier!  –  Typical E-bikes and Cargo bikes are too large and heavy to fly and their batteries are illegal on planes. – The Ever-E-Day packs into a standard airline suitcase,  is lighter and smaller for easy storage and has a battery option that is legal to fly by airline with.

Break the label & perception gap! – The Ever-E-Day is designed to ride like a world class bicycle that’s packed with flexibility to fit into your every day needs. Stripped down and with the battery removed the Ever-E-Day is great bike to ride at 33 lbs (with battery its 36lbs and gives electric assist).

 

 

 

Said another way the Ever-E-Day does more at less weight and less price than any bike out there!

 



Next Alan Started Making Prototypes in our shop in Eugene on the weekends.

 


Then the whole Bike Friday team started riding prototypes as we always test new products out on ourselves first!

Willie (engineer) and Brad (Service Manager) loaded up an Ever-E-Day with 665lbs and rode it hard trying to break the frame before the tires gave out.

Hanna (Bike Friday President) takes the Ever-E-Day on her weekly shopping trips.

The Ever-E-Day Commuter is plenty capable of big grocery trips

Kent ( Electric assist expert and customer service tech) took the Ever-E-Day to do some tree planting in a local park. It handled the trailer with 3 little trees and tools just fine!

Willie (Engineer and Marketing Assistant) took the Ever-E-Day on a 60 mile trek through the woods on gravel roads

We didn’t plan to have the Ever-E-Day be an electric gravel touring bike but it looks like it can do that too!

Fraeda (bike builder, reception and marketing support) lives 100% car free so the Ever-E-Day is now her every day transportation!

Will (Customer Service Phone Support) was so excited to get an Ever-E-Day as his daily ride he stripped his old bike and put all the parts on this frame in 2 days! Now he rides it as his daily transport rain or shine (and it has been raining buckets here this winter).

 

The Scholz sisters made sure it was fun to ride even with a load!

Ever-E-Day Accessories

The Ever-E-Day has a mind blowing array of accessory options to customize for your cargo carrying plans.

– The Ever-E-Day is Available Now and deliveries are already out to May 2020 –

29 thoughts on “Creating the New Ever-E-Day Electric Cargo Bike

    1. Hanna Scholz Post author

      The electric assist control is on the left side of the handlebar and has a simple grip shifter that allows you to easily change your electric assist from 0-4 levels with out taking your hand of the handlebar. I love it on my bike!
      -Hanna

      Reply
    1. Hanna Scholz Post author

      The Ever-E-Day has binder bolts in the middle of the frame. When you loosen them completely you can pull the bike apart into two halves. Then you just take off the front wheel, pedals, seat post and handlebar stems and it all packs into the same standard airline check-able suitcase we carry for our other folding Bike Fridays. It is simpler to pack than the folding bikes as there are smaller pieces to pack into the case verses the folding bikes that are one full frame that’s just folded.

      Reply
    2. Jen

      I really like this bike I have one of your bikes that you redid into an electrical one with the wheel and ligo batteries – Can I trade mine in also can I use my ligo batteries.?

      Reply
      1. suzanne Ferris

        I ride an old Moulton using cleats but am afraid of the twitching now of hitting railroad tracks at an angle and other age associated hazards being 68. How twitchy are these electric assist Friday frames? Are the front forks sprung like my Moulton’s ?forks?

        Reply
        1. Walter

          Though suspension was a hallmark of Alex Moulton’s designs, even before the so-called space frame, it’s not something that we have found the need for. We once had a model with a front suspension and it saw limited success given the extra weight and cost compared to the benefit. Using cromoly steel frames and our own unique frame design allows for a comfortable ride without the added complexity of suspension. And if you do want to add comfort, the quickest, easiest, least expensive, and lightest weight solution is wider, higher volume tires, as evidenced by the latest trend in the bike industry, gravel bikes.

          As for the wheels, smaller wheels are necessarily more responsive than large wheels. While this might lead one to think it’s more dangerous, I would argue the exact opposite. The ability to turn on a dime and quickly correct one’s direction with limited input is most certainly a benefit. If you suddenly realize you’re not perpendicular to the railroad tracks, you can more easily resolve that issue at the last minute on a smaller wheel than on a big wheel. On traditional big wheel bikes, responsiveness and stability are mutually exclusive, i.e. the more responsive the bike, the less stable. In our case, though, the responsiveness comes from the size of the wheel alone and not from the geometry. The geometry that we use on our bikes is that of a traditional old school touring bike, i.e. very stable. We thus provide something not readily found: a bike that is both responsive and stable.

          Reply
    1. Hanna Scholz Post author

      The battery in the GIF of the bike without racks has a range of 30 miles for normal riding. For flat roads on the lowest setting, we sometimes get much more, but can’t promise that. We also offer another battery that has a range of 60 miles for normal riding. (this one is shown in the GIF with all the racks, its still pretty lightweight). Because we use a modular bikepacking-style bag system, it’s easy to upgrade and swap out extra batteries to get however much range you’d like!

      Reply
  1. Lin B

    Wow, it is sweet. If it folded as well, I might, just might, consider giving up my pakiT+Travoy. Although @ 33 lbs it’s a bit heavier than my pakiT. On second thought, I’ll just wait until you guys make a 20lbs e-cargo bike. Yeah, you’ll do it. I’m patient and I know this is just the start of the process for you, lol.

    Reply
  2. Liz

    Does it have integrated lights? Will it fit two kids in the Whoopie thingy? We love our Haul a Day but could use a smaller kid hauler with e assist.

    Reply
    1. Hanna Scholz Post author

      The Mid-Drive system that comes on the Ever-E-Day does include an integrated light system that is controlled by the same handle bar mounted controller that you use to adjust 0-4 levels of assist. The rear rack options and whoopee bar is only set up to carry one kid, not two. The Haul-a-Day is still the best option to carry two kids. However the electric assist mid-drive system we are using on the Ever-E-Day can also be retrofitted to the Haul-a-Day. Our service department has been very busy doing electric retrofits on all our Bike Fridays this past year. If you want yours done soon you should contact our service department right away as their schedule is already out a few months.

      Reply
  3. Dewey

    What brand and model motor are you using? Are you using the Grin Tech LiGo batteries on this model and if so how many come with the bike for the $2195 price?

    Reply
    1. Hanna Scholz Post author

      The Mid-Drive motor we are using is: Tongsheng TSDZ2
      It is very popular in Asia and we have had good experience with it on our Haul-a-Day over the last several years.
      It uses a strain guage to smooth out changes in shifting and pedal effort. This makes the transitions much smoother than other motor styles like Bafang that do not have a strain guage.

      The Ever-E-Day Minimalist starts at $2,195 and comes with a battery with a 30 mile range that is not Airline Legal. However we offer battery upgrades from there to a 60 mile range battery or the LiGo batteries.

      So yes we do offer LiGo Batteries from Grin Tech as a battery upgrade option as the price tag is several hundred more than the other batteries that are not Airline legal. We offer 3,4 or 5 LiGo’s. You choose based on your plans.

      Reply
  4. Dan Richardson

    Is there a throttle of any kind? I built a bafang as my first ebike, and the throttle lever is the best feature -a short burst to get away from cars at stoplights, or an extra burst to get up a hill without needing to shift. It has become a “must have” feature for my next bike.

    Reply
    1. Hanna Scholz Post author

      The Ever-E-Day does not have a throttle (boost with out pedaling) it only has a boost while pedaling at 4 different levels. There are several reasons we have chosen this set up:

      1. Electric Bikes with throttle’s are not legal in several countries and USA states. We want to offer a bike that is legal to ride all over the world.
      2. Having a throttle does take additional bike handling skills to ride safely around corners, on wet surfaces and such that just are not the same handling skills as pedaling and steering a bicycle that requires pedaling.

      Reply
    1. Hanna Scholz Post author

      The torque on this mid-drive motor is 80 Newton Meters. It is quite good and much better than any hub motor torque. You do need to use your gears. When you talk to our bike experts they can help you determine the right battery for your hill as the battery can have a significant impact on your ability to ride up a steep hill with a smooth boost.

      Reply
  5. Jim

    Have you ever built a bike with the Nuvinci infinitely variable speed rear hub? Most versions are approved to be linked with an e-motor. I think these could have a significant range extending effect.

    Reply
    1. Walter

      Yes, we have used the NuVinci. Unfortunately, a lot of customers had problems with theirs, specifically with how fiddly the cable clamps were. Because of the trend of dissatisfaction, we have opted to stop working with them.

      Reply
  6. Gary Summers

    I own a low mile Q and would like to go elect.
    I was hit by a truck in my Suburban 2 years ago and I now have limited use of my legs from Siatica nerve damage. The best therapy is to use my legs and I need the low step thru. Could I trade in my Q or make the front wheel electric. I seldom use the 3nd wheel

    Reply
    1. Walter

      I see that you’re already taken care of, Gary, but if anyone else is wondering the same thing, we can retrofit old bikes with electric assist and you also accept trade ins.

      Reply
    1. Walter

      I can see you already got your bike on order, Jen, but if anyone else is wondering the same, it depends on the specifics of the load. The Ever-E-Day can carry *a lot* so while the frame upgrade may seem like a nice idea, it may not be necessary but you’d spend more and deal with a heavier bike for it. That said, get in touch to discuss your specific needs!

      Reply
    1. Walter

      There is not, but we can help you no matter where you are. That means we can consult with you by phone, email, VoIP, etc. to figure out what you want and then we can ship the assembled bike right to your door. Please get in touch and we’ll get you taken care of. Thanks!

      Reply

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