Update, written later. Gekko is priced a good deal lower than other models. Cool thing is, to lower the price, they did NOT lower the quality of the frame. Instead, they left off the full shocks, which saves money in engineering and production compared to the complexity of their full-featured systems. And they KEPT — and even improved — the fast fold. So this is fantastic for city riders. And quite a smart move by HPV because we can still get very good shock absorption by using Schwalbe’s Big Apple tires.
Second update. It arrived. See my 2/24/11 blog entry. I have two words for those of you rockin’ in the three-wheeled-world: “Friggin’ awesome.”
Third update, a year or two later. I see I was not clear about something here. The design and production is HP Velotechnik’s usual high quality. However, the Gekko’s basic components are one or two steps lower than the basic components of the Scorpion line. Also, the US model is made in China, not in Germany. That’s okay. It gives riders a lower cost entry into an HP Velotechnik. It’s a wise move from HPV since some riders will feel the basic components are good enough for their purposes. Also, riders may prefer to ride the basic set for a while and then pick and choose which components to upgrade. For example, a rider may prefer to upgrade the drivetrain, but leave the Avid BB5s disk brakes alone. Riders with more advanced requirements can easily spec a Gekko with the same components found on the Scorpions. About half the Gekkos I sell are specced with the same components as a Scorpion, or higher. And this year, so far, half of the Gekkos have been customized with the 81-speed system and I do have to say it’s an incredibly nice kit that delivers a lot of performance for the dollar.
An English translation of the press release here:
http://www.recumbentjournal.com/news/gear/item/181-gekko-fx-gets-e-assist-weight-and-price.html
The famous video, here:
Looks like another winner.
Best,
Robert
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Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply (TM)
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2010 Robert Matson