Richard Peace

It’s an interesting time for an EU bike company to launch an e-bike in the US and Econic One are a little different to most EU e-bikes coming there. Many US brands are based on a ready supply of competitively priced Asian components and systems, whereas classic EU brands like Riese and Muller and Gazelle opt for premium motor systems like Bosch and Shimano and charge a premium price, choosing not to compete on price with most other brands, but to stand out for their quality, longevity and practicality. Econic One, though EU-based, use motor systems from Bafang but spec higher quality gearing and brakes than most budget brands that use the ikes of Bafang and also feature GPS tracking and locking features. It’s an interesting approach and it will be fascinating to see if they succeed.

Elsewhere we look at the question of speed pedelecs and even faster e-bikes, prompted by three announcements hot on each other’s heels on e-bikes that will assist you up to at least 28mph. Class 3 e-bikes assist you up to 28mph but you need to be pedalling and there are restrictions on where you can take them – some bike paths may be off limits for example. In contrast class 2 e-bikes assist up to 20mph and you can use a throttle. Class 2 are a little more popular, but it’s clear from three recent launches that e-bike companies believe plenty of potential riders want the extra speed.

In this week’s e-bike news:

• Econic One – a new e-brand for the US
• High speed e-bikes from Volcon, KK and Aventon
• Swytch’s new lightweight kit now available to order
• Electra launch Polynesian-inspired e-bike
• Other news from Boston, Buffalo and Japan

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Econic One US Arrival, Speed E-bikes and Lots More!

The e-bike industry is always trying to predict what ‘the next big thing’ will be. Will it be more and more lightweight e-bikes and in particular full-suspension e-mtbs that are considerably under 20kg? Haibike, one of the market leaders in making high quality but good value e-bikes, certainly think so – witness the recent launch of their Lyke range – and you would expect them to have done some detailed market research on the subject.

Another big question this week’s news poses is what changes will happen simply as a result of continuing supply chain difficulties. Several recent market reports have shown how demand is as strong as ever for e-bikes in most countries, but the supply of quality European brands at least, cannot keep up with that demand. Cannondale’s recent change of spec from a European Mahle motor to a Taiwan-based Hyena motor hints at the continuing volatility of supply chains and the difficulty of e-bike brands being able to nail down a given specification for a given model.

In this week’s e-bike news:

• Haibike’s new carbon-framed, full-sus lightweight e-mtbs revealed
• Yamaha PW S2 – a lighter, smaller more powerful mid-drive
• News specs for popular Cannondale and Volt models
• Specialized extends battery recall
• Market overview – possible effects of supply chain difficulties

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Haibike Launch Lightweight E-MTB Range, New Yamaha Mid-drive and Much More!

You might have thought just about every niche in bike design had an electric version, but if so this week’s news proves you wrong. First off, California’s Onyx have some up with their own take on an electric dirt bike aimed at skate park stuntmasters, whilst over in the UK Hummingbird are using a plant based material to make their latest ultra-light folding e-bike.

Elsewhere, FLX announces their first e-mtb, Mate gets involved in a lawsuit, e-bike price differences between the UK and abroad are explored and German cyclists go for a ride…….down the autobahn (freeway…). So this week’s news is nothing if not varied.

In this week’s e-bike news:

• Onyx launch high-powered pedelec dirt e-bikes
• Hummingbird uses flax plant fibre for frame manufacture and claims
• New e-bikes from Blix and FLX
• Mate e-bikes in Maryland lawsuit
• Are e-bikes pricier in the UK than mainland Europe?
• 8,500 strong German bike protest takes over autobahn at Frankfurt
  

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Onyx Electric Dirt Bike, Hummingbird Fibre E-bike and Much More!

Whilst this week’s headline news is a new release from one of the US’s best known and most respected e-bike manufacturers, there’s an unusually lengthy article on the US and UK markets and what kinds of e-bikes are appearing there – and what kinds are likely to appear in the future. Whilst there’s no revolutionary new tech on the horizon it’s clear there are lots of price pressures and we look in a bit more detail at what it might mean. Could there be cheaper mid-drive models on the horizon? Will the likes of Cannondale and Trek head increasingly down the hub motor route to keep prices in line? We take a look at these questions as reflected in recent news.

In this week’s e-bike news:

• Electric Bike Company Launches a 24” wheeled folder
• US & UK market analysis – hub motor price pressure
• US company invests in German four-wheeled e-cargo bike
• Tier’s smart e-bikes can now test if you are drunk
• Germany’s four-wheeler e-cargo Antic gets seven figure US investment

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Electric Bike Company’s F for Folder, US vs UK Markets and Much More!

EBR sometimes wonders why some designs of e-bikes just aren’t more popular with manufacturers as there seems to be loads of interest in them out there. Take electric trikes; we reviewed the Evelo Compass electric trike and so far it has racked up over 100,000 views for the Youtube video. So it’s great to see Addmotor’s new extra capable version of its electric trike hit the market. It’s got an extra big battery and a powerful drive system, showing that e-trikes don’t have to be the poor cousins of two-wheeled e-bikes in performance terms.

The rest of this week’s news is wideranging, including self-extinguising battery fire technology, automatically speed restricting vehicles being piloted on NYC streets and the strangely abrupt events at Bolt Mobility in cities across the US.

In this week’s e-bike news:

• Addmotor e-trike gets new bigger battery and drive system
• Job’s micro fire extinguisher system implanted into batteries
• NYC pilot intelligent, active motor vehicles that speed-govern themselves
• Bolt Mobility funding dries up and leaves their vehicles stranded and ‘locked’
• Share e-bikes for London’s ever popular ‘official’ bike hire system
• The motor systems looking to challenge the market leaders

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Addmotor E-trike, Raleigh Trace Lightweight and Much More!

Modern e-bikes are made to be ridden in the wet and rain, so regularly riding in raining conditions and sometimes leaving your bike in the wet shouldn’t be a big deal as long as you dry it off afterwards and take care to keep the chain (if it has one) oiled and clean. But what about outdoor storage or traveling around on your car’s hitch? Do you need an e-bike cover then?

There might be several reasons where you do want to protect the bike from rain or even strong sun (it’s not the best idea to expose a battery to very hot, direct sunlight for hours on end). If you have to store the e-bike outside for long periods, perhaps just because that’s the only space your accommodation has, then a cover is virtually a must.

Those on long touring trips may need to store the bike outside too, so a lightweight stowable cover could come in handy here too and then of course RV tourers may well have a couple of e-bikes on the rear where they live most of the time. Or your e-bike might be your most cherished possession and you simply want to keep it in the best possible condition which may mean covering it up when not in use.

Down below the Electric Bike Report team will break down the basics about e-bike covers.

[Read more…] about Do You Need A Cover For Your E-Bike?

Bosch are the European market leader in terms of premium quality mid-drive systems and have been a little quiet of late. So it’s good news to see more detail on exactly what features are arriving in the wake of the announcement of the new Smart system – all detailed below. These features are likely to be seen on European available e-bikes first of all but US riders will no doubt see many of the features too in 2023 and 2024.

Dominant as Bosch is, there’s plenty of variety out there in the e-bike world as we also look at a new e-folder, hear about exciting new places to ride in the US and hear the thoughts of the incredible EAV delivery e-bike from the UK.

In this week’s e-bike news:

• More features for the Bosch Smart system
• Dahon Curl Ei4 – a small e-folder
• Ride 1UP upgrades Core 5
• US national bike route network gets an extra 650 miles
• Kitzuma and BikeExchange expand US e-bike offering
• EAV – the UK e-bike that wants to replace vans – an in depth podcast

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Bosch Smart System Expands, Dahon, Ride 1Up and Much More!

Only a few years ago e-bikes’ existence would have been beneath the radar of most automakers – Mercedes’ involvement with the Smart bike being the one possible exception (although that was arguably part marketing exercise in support of their Smart car brand). With Porsche’s buyout of e-bike motor system maker Fazua, it’s clear this automaker at least sees significant profit in e-bikes of the future.

But beyond that Porsche have bought themselves a foothold in the emerging electric micromobility market too. As we also point out this week, all manner of light electric vehicles are starting to populate bike lanes around the world, and at some point legislators, national and local, will have to sit up, listen and act. Porsche can see it’s not just e-bikes they have potentially invested in, but a possible transport revolution. The writing may not be on the wall for the car, but this car maker for one has recognised there are significant other players in town.

In this week’s e-bike news:

• Porsche to make e-bike components and whole bikes
• Lectric 46% increase in battery size
• Bianchi launch e-mtb line
• Where has the Federal e-bike tax credit gone?
• Micromobility America conference for September
• UK’s Mycle launches three new e-bikes
• Paris vs NYC cycle lanes

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Porsche Goes E-bike, Lectric’s Bigger Battery and Much More!