Electric bike company Faraday is back with a follow-up to their stylish Porteur–this time with a step-through style called the Cortland. Adding some performance enhancements to the sleek ebike technology that propels the original, Faraday hopes to attract more women with the new style. Though I am sure guys will love the electric cruiser bike, too.
“Four years ago, the Kickstarter community helped us build our flagship model. Now there are over 700 Faraday Porteurs on the road, and we’re ready to deliver the next chapter in the Faraday story – the step-through model that so many have been asking for,” said Adam Vollmer, Founder and CEO of Faraday Bicycles.
The Cortland not only ditches the top tube from the durable steel frame in order to make it easier to mount, but also ups the battery capacity and adds a more efficient motor. The specs include a 250W front-hub motor with peak of 35oW, 290Wh Lithium ion battery for 25 miles of power-assisted riding, custom bamboo fenders, 8-speed Shimano Alfine hub, Gates Carbon Belt Drive, built-in LED headlight and tail light, steam-bent bamboo fenders, and leather grips. Once you get to your destination, the battery can be fully charged in 3 hours.
The Cortland S offers everything the Cortland does, but with an 8-speed derailleur and chain drive to reduce the price and weight. It also features steel fenders, Duracork grips, and mechanical instead of hydraulic disc brakes.
I had the opportunity to ride the original Porteur at Interbike last fall. It’s hard not to come away with a smile on your face–the bike is just fun and so natural to ride. I can see the more cruiser-like Cortland being the perfect bike for running errands around town or even throwing a kid on the back with Faraday’s Yepp-seat compatible rear rack and heading to school. I want one for cruising around Mill Valley.
Faraday is taking pre-orders for both the Cortland ($1999 early-bird) and Cortland S ($2999 early-bird) ebikes over on Kickstarter. The campaign is pretty close to funded after just one day. Faraday expects to ship the bikes in July.
Other rewards include an auxiliary battery pack ($449), which enables existing Faraday riders to double their range with an external battery pack for the first time, and GPS tracking device ($449) that can be hidden inside your Cortland to find its location at any time.
