Sleek and practical are words that perfectly describe most e-bikes. They are an excellent option for people looking for an environmentally-friendly and traffic-free means of commuting. Unfortunately, the quest for minimal power consumption led to a wave of e-bikes with lightweight bodies and frames that can hardly withstand tough conditions. If you’re in the market for a rugged electric bike, you shouldn’t look beyond the Ruff Cycle’s Ruffian eBike.
Design and features
Ruffian sports a vintage feel about it but boasts the features and performance of the modern e-bikes we’ve come to love. The bike is high-end in every sense of the word. It has a sleek aluminum frame and a Bosch 300Wh or 500Wh battery. The 250W Performance Line CX motor from Bosch, with a maximum torque of 75 Nm, it can reach speeds of up to 25 km/h (15.5 mph). Importantly, Ruffian doesn’t just pack high-end features for the fun of it. It promises top-notch performance to boot.
Iconic steel tank and motorcycle kickstand
Shiny exhausts, sleek steel tanks, and the kickstand are just some of the things we miss about good old motorcycles. Ruff Cycles tries to partially recreate the memory in the Ruffian eBike by bringing back the iconic powder-coated steel tank and the kickstand. The steel tank houses the bike’s battery power pack, and you can remove the plate for easier access to the battery. The kickstand makes parking a breeze.
Enviolo gear hub and Madura disc brakes
Ruffian features a unique gear hub from Enviolo that allows users to change the gear ratio between the pedals and rear wheel in one continuous motion. The e-bike has eight gears in total, and the seamless gear change greatly facilitates a smooth riding experience. If you’re worried about how you’ll bring your bike to a halt at high speeds, Ruffian’s MT4 Magura disc brakes have you covered. The manufacturers assure that the brakes offer outstanding stability and modulation for both on- and off-road drivers.
Adjustable saddle
Ruffian’s saddle is designed explicitly for the e-bike, and it’s made out of genuine leather. According to the manufacturers, the seat will get more comfortable with time, as it will bear the imprint of the rider’s buttocks. It can also be adjusted to accommodate riders of various heights and physiques.
Gates carbon drive
The e-bike sports clean, smooth, and durable Gates belt drive that perfectly meets the needs of all types of riders. Carbon belts are known to be tougher and more durable than chains. Moreover, they never need lubrication and are nearly maintenance-free.
Bright LED lights for safety
Ruffian’s big, bright front and rear LED lights guarantee clear visibility while driving at night or in poor weather conditions. The rear light also ensures that you will be visible to other road users, no matter the weather condition.
Pricing info
Ruffian eBike is currently priced at 4,799 Euros (approx. $5,390). Admittedly, the price is rather steep for an e-bike. If you have the cash and you like making a statement with your rides, including the Ruffian in your collection won’t be a bad idea. You may visit the official Ruff Cycles website to place an order or for more information.
Startup
A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend to become registered, startups refer to new businesses that intend to grow large beyond the solo founder. At the beginning, startups face high uncertainty and have high rates of failure, but a minority of them do go on to be successful and influential. Some startups become unicorns; that is privately held startup companies valued at over US$1 billion.
Actions
Startups typically begin by a founder (solo-founder) or co-founders who have a way to solve a problem. The founder of a startup will begin market validation by problem interview, solution interview, and building a minimum viable product (MVP), i.e. a prototype, to develop and validate their business models. The startup process can take a long period of time (by some estimates, three years or longer), and hence sustaining effort is required. Over the long term, sustaining effort is especially challenging because of the high failure rates and uncertain outcomes. Having a business plan in place outlines what to do and how to plan and achieve an idea in the future. Typically, these plans outline the first 3 to 5 years of your business strategy.
Design principles
Models behind startups presenting as ventures are usually associated with design science. Design science uses design principles considered to be a coherent set of normative ideas and propositions to design and construct the company's backbone. For example, one of the initial design principles is "affordable loss".
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