You Don T Have To Be Stoic To Enjoy The Maxwell Stoic E Bike

Troy Rank’s new e-bike was worth the wait.

Five years ago I was very impressed riding around Buffalo on a Maxwell EP-O e-bike designed and built by engineer Troy Rank. It was actually the first time I had ever ridden an e-bike and I wanted to buy it, but it never got to market. Eventually I did buy a Gazelle dutch style e-bike which I love, but it is heavy and conspicuous, and I am nervous every time I leave it locked outside.

Now Troy Rank is back with the Maxwell Stoic, which takes a completely different approach. This bike is light for an e-bike (38 pounds) and inconspicuous, looking like a normal bike; the 378Wh battery pack is hidden, integrated into the frame. You would have to recognize the 300 watt motor in the rear hub or the little display to know it’s an e-bike at all.

It is a bit less minimalist than the original EP-O bike, having front and rear lights built in, a pannier rack, and “all the stuff you need to practically live with the bike everyday.” It’s a pedelec, class 1 bike with five boost settings and tops out at about 20 MPH on electric drive to stay as a legal Class 1 e-bike, but is probably light enough that you can ride it faster.

Lloyd Alter/ Troy Rank with Maxwell Bike in Buffalo/CC BY 2.0

I was intrigued by the name and asked why he called it the Stoic. Troy Rank responded with some wonderful points and a discussion of Stoicism, which he got interested in through reading Mr. Money Mustache, who has been an influence on TreeHugger too. It’s a good read.

A Stoic is sometimes defined as “a person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining,” but that’s not accurate, and perhaps it isn’t a good way to market an e-bike, which as Rank has said, is a bit of a luxury without being overpowered, heavy, or expensive. There is no hardship here.

Rank also explains that the hub drive motor is a lot less complicated than my Bosch mid-drive, doesn’t contribute to stretching the chain, and is less complex. “Of course simple things like lights and fenders are standard because these items, in my opinion, are the necessities for even the most Stoic of riders.”

Different people have different needs, but a light e-bike that feels like a regular bike, goes 50 miles on a charge and has an Introductory Indiegogo price of US$ 1199 should be attractive to anyone, and you don’t even have to be stoic about it.