Electric Bike Reviews, News, & Testing

Electric Bike Report

x
Menu
We are reader-supported. When you buy an e-bike or gear through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission that supports our independent testing. Learn how we test.
Sponsor

Michael Clark

Co-Owner, E-Bike Writer & Reviewer

Michael has been involved with many of the aspects of operating Electricbikereport.com. Figuring out how to test products and help consumers decide which e-bike is best for their personal needs is a passion. E-bike’s have the opportunity to completely change the way people move around, get outside, and get from one place to the next. Riding bikes is a daily thing around here, and man do we get to ride a lot of bikes!

Get to Know Michael Clark

Certifications

  • B.S. Accounting

Favorite Style of E-Bike

Commuters, Utility Bikes, and E-MTB’s

Favorite E-Bikes Reviewed

RadRunner 2, Globe Haul

Current Bikes You Ride/Own

Orbea Rallon, RadRunner 2, Lectric X-Pedition, Lectric XP Lite, DYU, Euphree City Robin X

Hobbies

Traveling around the world, Hanging out with my wife and kids, and growing our business.

Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.

Michael Clark

First impressions: Super73, SoCal’s lifestyle e-bike brand

Monterey, CALIF. (2021 Sea Otter Classic) — Founded in 2016, Super73 has one goal in mind — create something the electric bike industry has never seen before. With inspiration from vintage 1970’s “taco style” motorcycles, the original Super73 model combined modern electric bike performance and componentry with a touch of nostalgia.

Fast forward a couple of years, and their bikes started to gain traction — and it wasn’t just from their 4 inch-plus tires. By 2018, Super73 gained loads of attention online thanks to popular YouTubers riding and reviewing their bikes, and celebrities like Post Malone taking notice of the brand.

We sat down at the 2021 Sea Otter Classic with Drew Palos, one of the head marketers for Super73 to learn more about the company and their bikes. The Southern California native gave the skinny on the history of the company, what makes their bikes special and why he personally enjoys owning a Super73 e-bike so much.

Super73 e-bike company

We got to catch up with the Super73 team during the 2021 Sea Otter Classic.

[Read more…] about First impressions: Super73, SoCal’s lifestyle e-bike brand

Checking out the new SCOR Bicycles eMTB

Monterey, CALIF. (2021 Sea Otter Classic) — SCOR Bicycles was born from a couple employees at BMC searching for a bike to push their limits on the world class trails found in the Swiss Alps. While BMC is no stranger to high performance bicycles, the Swiss brand’s endurance-based bikes left some day dreaming about a bike for the bigger hits and gnarlier terrain.

Electric Bike Report got a chance to meet the SCOR/BMC team at the 2021 Sea Otter Classic and see what they were all about. Tyler Miller, the midwest regional sales manager for BMC America told our team more about how SCOR came to be and what makes them so unique.

Naturally, we had our eye on their eMTB, the SCOR 4060 Z LT XT which was on display at the event. The rear linkage design, beautiful paint job, Shimano EP8 motor and the rarity of the eMTB made it a hard bike to ignore. We are hoping to put this bike to the test on our rocky Southern Utah terrain in the near future.

SCOR 4060 Z LT XT

The SCOR 4060 Z LT XT we saw at the Sea Otter Classic was done up in this gorgeous purple paint. It’s a looker.

[Read more…] about Checking out the new SCOR Bicycles eMTB

Bosch’s futuristic concept bike shows what e-bikes could be

Monterey, CALIF. (2021 Sea Otter Classic) — The 2021 Sea Otter Classic had lots of electric bike influence this year, many of which were powered by Bosch.

Bosch, one of the industry-leading manufacturers of e-bike drive systems, had one of their concept bikes on display showing what the future could hold as far as e-bike design and engineering. The bike was built to have a clean, yet capable look and it was tied together by a 10-year anniversary Bosch Performance Line CX mid-drive motor and the navigation-capable Bosch Nyon touch screen touch screen display. The full suspension design, spoked carbon one piece wheels and stealthy cable routing made the bike one hell of a looker.

Between Bosch’s arsenal of demo bikes and the size of their tent, Electric Bike Report couldn’t pass up talking to the Bosch team and seeing what they had in the works. To get more information on the concept bike we had a quick discussion with Jocelyn Vande Velde, the head marketer for Bosch in North America.

Bosch concept e-bike

The 10-year anniversary Bosch Performance Line CX motor had some neat gold bits.

[Read more…] about Bosch’s futuristic concept bike shows what e-bikes could be

5 Coolest things from Day 1 of Sea Otter Classic 2021

Day one at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California was a whirlwind of new electric bike tech, some sneak peeks into what’s coming just over the horizon and lots of literal wind.

This October marks the return of the event after a one year COVID-forced hiatus and the industry was out in force. The Electric Bike Report team was on the ground for the first day of Sea Otter, and here’s a quick look at the shiny things that caught our eye.

Stay tuned of more in-depth bike reviews, on-camera chats with industry experts and first looks at some of the coolest new e-bikes on the market.

[Read more…] about 5 Coolest things from Day 1 of Sea Otter Classic 2021

What Are The Pro’s and Con’s of Electric Bikes?

Electric bicycles seem to be popping up everywhere, and with good reason. The self-sufficiency mixed with a little help here and there has allowed riders across the world to rediscover the fun of biking and, possibly, reconsider driving to and from work.

With so many positive benefits revolving around electric bikes it’s hard to see anything wrong with them, however there are a few cons worth discussing. This list weighs the major pros and cons of electric bikes.

Pros of Electric Bikes:

Electric bike pro #1 – The efficiency and experience of electric bikes

It’s hard not to love the feeling of hopping on an e-bike, turning it on and then flying like the wind. Thanks to the pedal assist, you get a lot more from your pedaling than on a standard bike. A common stigma revolving around electric bikes is that it takes the exercise out of biking, but that’s not true. A recent study showed e-bike riding made for a meaningful workout.

The ability to choose how hard you work when riding is a unique characteristic of e-biking; when riding with assistance you receive a consistent workout and difficulty level throughout the span of your ride, ultimately resulting in a more predictable strain level.

Commuters, off road riders and those getting out for a simple cruise are all going to benefit from being able to alter how difficult the ride is and how fast the bike is moving.

Electric Bike Pro #2 – Electric bikes are good for you and the environment

Electric bikes not only benefit your health, but also benefit the world we live in. It’s commonly accepted that electric bikes and cars are better for the environment than their gas powered predecessors, and with good reason.

A 2019 study done in Italy proved electric bikes consume 40 times less energy than a gas powered car going the same distance.

Not only does electric biking benefit the environment, it benefits you. I’ve found my work day is always better if I’ve got some exercise prior to clocking in. I’m more focused and ready for the task at hand. Being able to ride an electric bike to and from work combines exercising with eco-friendly commuting. That’s two birds with one stone!

[Read more…] about What Are The Pro’s and Con’s of Electric Bikes?

LEVA: U.S. e-bike sales should top 1 million in 2021, 3 million in coming years

Tahoe east shire trail

Guest post by: Ed Benjamin, chairman of the Light Electric Vehicle Association This post was previously published on LEVA’s website and is being reposted here for our audience.

The United States tends to make changes slowly until a tipping point is reached. And then, change can be startlingly fast.

That tipping point has occurred with electric bikes in the last two years. We are on our way to becoming the most profitable and largest western market for electric bikes.

For nearly 23 years, the U.S. electric bike market was tiny compared to the Asian and even the European electric bike market. For each of those years, I would assure my clients, readers, and peers that the U.S. will — eventually — be one of the largest markets for e-bikes and pedelecs.

Growth was slow, partly because the bicycle industry of the U.S. is focused on sport, fitness and recreation, and for years the electric bike has been regarded as primarily a transportation tool. Two wheelers as transportation has been a very small business.

Read more: Bike Mechanics Should Become LEVA Tech Certified, Or Risk Being ‘Left Behind’

But now… the limit on the U.S. market is the performance of the supply chain. U.S. brands will take almost any electric bike they can get and sell it almost as soon as it is received. Unfortunate lead times — as much as two years — are the problem.


[Read more…] about LEVA: U.S. e-bike sales should top 1 million in 2021, 3 million in coming years

Ebike News: Sea Otter Classic registration date set, Stromer and QuietKat have new owners, EU road fatalities hit all time low & much more!

One of the world’s largest bicycling events is nearing after a more than year-long hiatus; some e-bike companies were bought and sold; and U.S. lawmakers took positive steps to make our roads safer as Europe reported the fewest pedestrian road deaths on record.

Those things and more in this week’s news roundup.

In this week’s news:

  • Registration for Sea Otter Classic nears after COVID hiatus
  • European road fatalities fall to all time low
  • Transportation bill moves forward with funding for cycling, walking infrastructure
  • QuietKat acquired by Vista Outdoor, owner of several well-known outdoor brands
  • Luxury e-bike brand Stromer also gets bought
  • Support people for bikes, (maybe) win a Stromer

Registration opens next month for California’s famed Sea Otter Classic

Registration for one of the United States’ largest bicycling events is set to open next month after being postponed for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Read more…] about Ebike News: Sea Otter Classic registration date set, Stromer and QuietKat have new owners, EU road fatalities hit all time low & much more!

E-Bike Battery Safety And Fires

Ebike Battery Safety and Fires

*This post has been previously published by LEVA and is being republished here for our audience at Electric Bike Report
Edward Benjamin
Chairman, Light Electric Vehicle Association

I have an electric bike in my garage. The battery on that bike contains enough energy to propel my 100 Kilo self, plus the relatively heavy Pedego Stretch Cargo Bike, and whatever cargo I am hauling (often more than 50 kilos of SCUBA gear) at 20 MPH (32 KPH) for …. more than an hour… (I have never actually exhausted that battery.)

The amount of energy needed to push me, my cargo, the bike, at 20 mph for an hour is something any physicist can calculate. I cannot. But I will just say it is a LOT of energy crammed into a battery box about the size of two cigar boxes (or one shoe box, size 13, for those who do not smoke cigars).

And at 20 mph, I am drawing current at a glorious rate (more than 30 Amps) that is heating wires, connectors, circuit boards, and despite a very efficient motor….the motor.

As recently as a couple decades ago, using a lithium manganese battery in such a fashion would have risked of starting a battery fire. Today, on that bike, a fire is extremely unlikely.

[Read more…] about E-Bike Battery Safety And Fires

How To Fix A Flat E-Bike Tire

How to fix a flat tire

Intro to Fixing A Flat E-Bike Tire

We’ve all been out for a ride that’s borderline heavenly; the weather’s pristine and everything seems to be perfect until BAM! You’re riding around on a deflated tire. The frustration is real, but you can learn quickly enough how to fix a flat e-bike tire.

While a serious flat may be the end of your ride that day, it doesn’t have to keep you off the trails for long. With proper preparation and a few simple steps, it’s only a matter of time before you can resume riding like nothing ever happened. The Electric Bike Report team has outlined simple step-by-step instructions for fixing a flat and getting back on the road.

Before you get started you’ll need

  • 1. A replacement tube
  • 2. Tire levers
  • 3. A way to inflate the tube
  • 4. A wrench (possibly)

[Read more…] about How To Fix A Flat E-Bike Tire

Rad Power Bikes RadRover 5 Review, 2021

Rad Power Bikes Rad Rover 5 E-bike Review

Summary Review: Rad Power Bikes RadRover 5

Looking for the review of the latest RadRover? Click here.

We were eager to get our hands on the RadRover 5, as we have had great experiences with Rad Power Bikes in the past. With that being said, the Rad Power Bikes RadRover 5 review process was an absolute blast and lived up to our expectations here at Electric Bike Report.

There’s just something about a rugged, giant-wheeled bike that seems so inviting for fun, isn’t there? The RadRover 5 is largely just that – a fun time to be had on two massive wheels. You can charge hard on any terrain thanks to its 4” fat tires. And between the tires and the suspension fork you’ll be able to focus more on enjoying your ride, and less on feeling any bumps in the road.

Backing up the RadRover is a reputable company we’ve reviewed often in Rad Power Bikes. So when it comes to questions, customer service, and accessories Rad Power Bikes has your back. And, at least in our experience, Rad takes care of their riders.

One thing worth noting before you dive into our RadRover 5 review: you’re going to see the word “smooth” a lot, and that’s simply because the RadRover 5 is noticeably smoother than many of the other fat tire competitors out there. I’m not by any means saying this is a perfect bike, but it’s certainly been a fun, controlled ride.

We’ve reviewed plenty of fat tire e-bikes with similar specs, and price points, very few of them ride as smoothly (see, “smooth”!) as the RadRover does.

[Read more…] about Rad Power Bikes RadRover 5 Review, 2021