EcoSpeed is a Portland based company that manufactures high performance electric power assist systems for bicycles. Their systems come with either a 700Watt or 1000Watt high torque motor, that will blow away most other add on systems. What makes their design unique is the use of a freewheeled crankset, that allows the rider to power a bicycle without the cranks rotating along with the motor like a fixed gear bicycle.

The workmanship looks fantastic and we’ve heard great things about their performance. The only drawback is the high initial cost. The starting price for a complete system is $2800. Add that to the cost of a brand new European or American built bakfiets and you’re looking at a starting price of around $5000, which is about the same cost as a used street legal GEM electric car.

We hope that as the popularity of these systems increase, the costs will go down with economies of scale. If price is no object and performance is your number one criteria, then you’ll love Ecospeed. Also as you shop for a power assist system, you might want to check out another Portland based manufacturer Stokemonkey as well.

Links:
• EcoSpeed Homepage
• Stokemonkey