Babel Bike vs Faraday Porteur electric bike

Both the Faraday Porteur and Sinclair Babel Bike are new electric bicycles born from crowd funding, but each is radically different from the other.

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The Faraday Porteur is designed to look and ride just like a familiar, high-quality bicycle. As with most electric bicycles, the Faraday lets you put in as much, or as little, effort as you want. The bike features a discreet battery, integrated front and rear lights, wood mudguards, an 8-speed internal hub with belt drive, and multiple options for carrying cargo. If part of the challenge to get more people on two wheels is the portrayal of cycling as stylish, fun and efficient then the Porteur is surely the bike for the job. The Faraday Porteur has just gone on sale in America priced at $3,500. Faraday website.

If the Porteur presents cycling in the European tradition of stylish and care-free travel, the Babel Bike could not be more different.

Crispin Sinclair believes the answer to making cycling safer is to give the rider a seat belt and protect her within a roll cage. The theory is that if struck by a lorry, the Babel Bike and rider are pushed aside rather than crushed. The non-electric Babel Bike costs £1,999, with the electric motor adding another £1,500.

Is the world ready for recumbents?

Recumbent bikes offer more comfort and greater efficiency, but they are not popular. When Clive Sinclair launched the C-5, he believed it was going to revolutionise personal transport. Unfortunately the electric recumbent was too low and unusual looking to gain popular appeal. The same may prove true of the Babel Bike.

The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK’s most ethical provider.

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