Hi everyone, I just noticed that a bit of traffic was directed to my solar bike website and I couldn't understand what electric bikes and kite surfing had in common and then I noticed a thread with quite a bit of discussion about them and thought I'd contribute.
I must say that one of my favourite things to do requires an electric bike, a skateboard, a mate with a house close to the beach and a good seabreeze. You have the ebike and skateboard kept at the mate's house and then drive upwind and start kiting. You kite all the way back to the bike and then one rides while the other skates behind (forgot to mention you need a leg rope for towing too). You really get going pretty quick on the skateboard (to the point where you have to tell the rider to slow down) and it's awesome fun, you pretty much carve up the pavement all the way back to the car and it's nearly as good as kiting (though not quite). It really just doesn't work without the electric kit as riding into the wind towing someone is too hard work after a kite; with the electric bike it's just smooth. I think that perhaps I should mention this idea to the guys who started the WAKSA biz right on Brighton road/West Coast HWY - that's a good final destination and a great downwinder from Swanbourne. Perhaps they can house one of my electric bikes and a skateboard for all keen kiters who hate the traffic on West Coast HWY after work so they can just drive straight to Swanny or Cott and know they can have fun getting back.
I've had a lot of experience in testing all different kits - petrol, elation, homemade from whipper-snippers and I can tell you that the best, simplest and best value is by far the electric front hub motor with a good lithium ion battery. If you live in Perth (or anywhere in Australia) then please get in touch with me ( solbike@gmail.com ) and we can chat, there's heaps of information I've been putting up on my website over the last few years and it's all in a quest to make the first Solar-Algae-Hydrogen-Electric Bike.
Cheers,
Matt
ps: website is www.solarbike.com.au
ps: The picture is of my latest electric fixie - can get these from Cottesloe Cycles
Geez Gizmo. It looks like the perfect design for a faceplant onto the pavement. 
And at nearly 3000 pounds = 6000 dollars, I can think of a lot of cheaper ways to re-model faces or remove teeth than that. 
Also, it's rear wheel steering and they are inherently difficult to control.
Just try riding your bike backwards to sample that. It can be done but it's more of a circus trick than a safe method of transport.
