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The last thing we want is to sell systems to people who’d be happiest and healthiest without motor assistance, if only they’d try it for a few hundred miles…. Regarding the Xtracycle as merely a motor mounting point instead of as something you’d want on your bike in any case is a warning sign. I’m not assuming this is you, Arjun.

I apologize if I seem grumpy in some of the above. It is true that I may be losing the forest of a great market full of happy potential customers for the trees of a few very persistent characters and a cast of hundreds of innocently casual inquirers who don’t seem to get what Stokemonkey’s about anyway. And I apologize deeply to the many patient souls who do get it for the long, long delays. I’m spread thin: I admit it. I hope y’all understand that what’s happening here in Portland with ordinary practical biking is much bigger and frankly more necessary than Stokemonkey.

In the spirit of more frequent updates, the guy programming the electronics has completed his historic ride across Canada and will be programming on the train back home. And no, he is not the bottleneck.

I wanted to find out if this statement was was directed towards people who do not have an xtracycle yet.

So mightn’t it be a worthwhile investment of time, then, to spend a few minutes per week giving even a brief status update like the one above? And in a more visible place, either on the CC or SM main pages? (You could open every one with “Today is date and we do not have a ship date.” :-)

I’m sure you’d still get some inquiries, but more-frequent and more-visible updates might reduce the noise enough to be a net time gain overall.

Just sayin’…

Meanwhile, we are shipping certain updated components to current Stokemonkey owners to improve their safety and reliability. Surly Big Dummy mounting hardware is available for those wanting to transfer their kits over to these new bikes. Stokemonkey replacement battery packs are again available, too (large now, small very soon).

Also, I am continually deluged in requests for “updates” on availability, such that I spend much more time filtering through them than actually advancing the availability date! I don’t suspect this will help much, but please: I won’t estimate availability in advance. And I will publicize availability. It is not helpful to keep asking. I am keeping no secrets, but I don’t feel it is productive to “update” which wires were stripped or which bolts greased on a weekly basis, nor indeed ever.

I am also frequently asked questions about Stokemonkey that are answered in the Stokemonkey FAQ and compatibility sections: http://cleverchimp.com/products/stokemonkey/faq/ ; http://cleverchimp.com/products/stokemonkey/compatibility/ . While these documents are in need of minor revision, it is still true that Stokemonkey is intended solely for Xtracycle-standard longbikes. It does not make sense as merely a personal transport option like other electric bikes, but as a cargo/passenger solution for hilly areas. If you don’t intend to haul major weight up major grades, there is very likely a better solution on the market, and we will dissuade you from pursuing a Stokemonkey when they are again available.