Tested: Electra Moto 3i
When I saw the Moto 3i, it stirred a long-lost memory of my first bike—a cream-yellow BMX cruiser with a two-speed kickback hub and 24-inch wheels. The Moto 3i conjured the image of surfing down my street with one foot on the seat and one on the crossbar: an improbable and ill-advised feat that today I find hard to believe really happened. Yet it did, as did the time we neighborhood kids decided to play Evel Knievel and jump our bikes over flames... that we set in someone's yard. (Sorry about the grass, Mrs. Ebert, but your side lawn had the slope we needed for takeoff.)
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All those childhood memories come roaring back on the Moto 3i—as intended. Part cruiser, part klunker, and part BMX-style cruiser, the bike has a style that's everywhere and nowhere at once—whatever you rode as a kid, the Moto 3i somehow mirrors it. So I rode it like I rode as a kid. Every errand became an excuse to lay fat skids on the 2.1-inch-wide knobby tires, which have extra rubber that I convinced myself was there just for that purpose. Every curb lip was a jump; every banked expanse of concrete in an underpass an opportunity to flick the bike up into a wall ride. (Aside: Can we resurrect two-speed kickback hubs, please?)
This is not a practical bike of any kind. It comes in one size. It's a tank to ride up hills. The three-speed internal drivetrain is geared so high and wide that the third speed is useless for anything other than an hour-record attempt. From a performance standpoint, the only thing that really gets a nod is the powerful Hayes mechanical disc brakes. Don't trouble yourself with issues like fender and rack compatibility or why there's no generator light. The Moto 3i is not a why bike; it's a why-not bike.
Why not ride to the gelato place on a summer night? Why not rip on your way to get groceries? And, yes, giving in to those kid-id urges now and then, why not corner like a flat-track motorcycle racer? I have yet to gather the courage to bike-surf it down the street, but give the bike time. I won't set anyone's yard on fire, though. Probably.
What You Need to Know
•Three speeds, but only quadzillas can use the highest one
•29-inch knobbies that are ready to skid
•Aluminum frame with style for days
•Fast-halting mechanical disc brakes
Price: $660
Weight: 32.5 lb. (one size)
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