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E-Bike News: Borealis Goes E-fat, Rad Power Out of Europe, Van Moof Woes and Lots More!

Electric bike news 12th July

This week’s news has the usual rash of new e-bike announcements, but more unusual is the news of financial difficulties in an area that’s usually dominated by good news stories. In the intensely competitive European market high-tech leaders Van Moof have rapidly come unstuck as an going high rate of warranty claims appear to have caught up with them whilst Rad Power are retreating from this particular area of the globe altogether finding it a rougher ride than their home territory in North America where they undoubtedly have a higher profile. It all underlines the difficult economic climate in many parts of the world underscored by the fact that Covid-induced over production has lead to a glut of e-bikes in stock. You only need take a look at many e-bikes are being discounted to see the effect a complex mix factors has resulted in.

In this week’s e-bike news:

  • Borealis Keystone – a premium quality mid-drive e-fat bike
  • Bergamont extends use of lightweight TQ HPR 50 mid drive in its new range
  • UK’s Surge debuts it’s great value e-folder with premium components
  • Is this the end for Van Moof?
  • Rad Power retreats from Europe
  • Garmin promotes e-bike compatibility

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E-Bike News: New Models from Cowboy, Tenways and Peugeot and Lots More!

Electric bike news 6th July

The contradictory themes of simplicity and complexity run through this week’s news. Cowboy, who have just announced their new Cruiser model, are proponents of the simplest looking, simplest to operate e-bike, albeit one with some fairly advanced tech in the form of wireless tech and inductive wireless phone charging. Similarly Tenways have gone for the low maintenance simplicity of ‘stepless’ hub gearing and a belt drive with their brand new powerful mid-drive city e-bike.

The future seems far more complex in design terms – at least if you think Canyon will follow through on their declared intention of introducing the futuristic sounding ‘V2X’ (vehicle to everything) wireless technology that will let all vehicles on the road electronically ‘talk’ to each other (along with suitably equipped stationary objects). Is this the point at which the increasing cost and complexity of technology get halted by the demands of reality or will it prove to be a landmark safety development?

In this week’s e-bike news:

  • Cowboy’s comfiest e-bike yet – the Cruiser
  • Tenways AGO T – a city e-bike with powerful drive and stepless gears
  • Peugeot’s new Digital range of connected e-bikes
  • Canyon look to ‘vehicle to everything’ communication as the future
  • Chinese carmaker NIO to roll out semi-solid state batteries

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Engwe M20 E-Bike Review 2024

Full Suspension Cafe Racer For Throttle Fun Without The Pedaling

Engwe M20 E-Bike Review 2024
Our review of the Engwe M20 electric bike covers all the details on this sporty BMX-looking e-bike. With its full suspension and all-terrain knobby tires, the M20 handles bumps, moguls, and drop offs better than most 20-inch wheel e-bikes you’ll find. Riders seeking more power to explore urban and outback areas will like the 750-watt rear hub motor.

The M20 is a Class 3 e-bike, with motor power from the throttle up to 20 mph, and motor power through the pedal assist up to 25 mph. This e-bike’s low-sitting, sporty design makes a great handling bike for riders of all levels. When you first hop on this bike and grab the handlebar, you’ll likely yearn for adventure. This bike’s design and feel will invite you to go where you haven’t gone before.

Until recently, full suspension e-bikes resided in the $3000-plus range, leaving many new riders to opt for hardtail e-bikes instead. But Engwe came up with the right recipe for suspension and performance, and offered this bike for a price that’s considerably lower than most of its competitors. So, if you’re interested in this kind of sporty BMX-style e-bike, then you’ll want to keep reading about our review and performance tests on this bike.

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Pedal Core Electric Bike Review, 2024

Full Suspension, Speedy Motor, and Seating for a Friend Enables This Bike to Offer More Fun Per Mile

Pedal Core Review 2024
Amidst the surge of new e-bikes hitting the scene, one could argue (and complain) that a lot of these new e-bikes look and ride similarly. But breaking the mold on this the new Pedal Core, a fat tire, moped-style e-bike hosting some unique features that really make this bike standout. Tailored to whet the appetite of adventurers and off-roaders, the Core hosts a unique suspension design that is inspired by the motorcycle world.

Riding on inverted, “upside down,” forks and dual coil shocks, the Core handles bumps, ditches, rocky and sandy trails better than many of the so-called “all-terrain” e-bike out there. Not only does this bike give you a smoother ride in the dirt but the suspension also handles carrying a passenger on its long seat, and cargo, on the optional rack that’s available.

Helping the Core break free from its seemingly indistinguishable brethren in the e-bike community, this bike’s suspension dominates the terrain with its powerful Bafang 750-watt motor, helping reaching speeds up to 32 mph, when set in Sport Mode. Providing the much-needed energy to go further, its 15 amp-hour (672 watt hour) battery can take you upwards of 50 miles on a single charge.

Whether you’re a new or experienced rider, if you’re looking for a way to break the mold of monotony of moped-style adventure e-bikes, then the Pedal Core is a bike you should take a longer look at. We’ll go over all the pertinent details here, including the results from the gauntlet that is Electric Bike Report’s testing regimen . After finishing reading this Pedal Core review, your mind should be pretty set on whether or not the it is a bike you’d want. So please read on.

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E-Bike News: $25 Million for NYC Charging Stations, Fuell’s Ultra-long Range E-bike and Much More!

Electric bike news 30th June

It’s not often that e-bikes can attract $25 million dollars of federal funding but that’s the amount heading to New York City for new – and hopefully much safer – charging infrastructure designed to stop people charging e-mobility devices (including e-bikes) in housing and businesses and causing a fire risk. If it works and prevents lithium battery fires (some of which have been fatal) then it will all have been worth it.
Elsewhere in this week’s news we have a strong technological innovation theme, with reports about Fuell’s new e-bikes that utilise a mid-drive and gearbox in one style system from Valeo, whilst there’s a nice feature from Bike Europe on Specialized’s history of e-bike innovation in Switzerland.

In this week’s e-bike news:

  • New York City gets $25 million for safer charging and storage infrastructure
  • Fuell and Valeo team up for long range e-bikes on Indiegogo
  • What has Specialized been up to in Switzerland?
  • E-bike Vision offers third party, safety-accredited batteries
  • Euro/UK e-bikes sales top 5 million in 2022

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Tenways CGO600 Pro E-Bike Review

A refined yet simplified city e-bike for riders who prioritize practicality and style.

Tenways GCO600 Pro Review
The Dutch company Tenways has made waves in Europe following a successful crowdfunding campaign in 2021. Having established itself through a line of well-designed urban e-bikes, the brand has since extended its reach into the US. We take a look at one of the company’s latest models – the upgraded version of their original CGO600 city e-bike – in this Tenways CGO600 Pro review!

This bike impressed us initially with its clean styling and unique “Avocado Green” paint job, but it’s what’s under the hood that really makes a difference:

The US version of the CGO600 Pro uses a 350W rear hub motor with a torque sensor that delivers a smooth, natural-feeling ride experience with plenty of pep for a bike of this style and size. This, combined with its single-speed drivetrain and pared-down 3-stage pedal-assist system (PAS). makes the bike easy to operate and fun to ride!

We noticed a full complement of high-quality components on the bike, with its single-speed Gates Carbon belt drive at the forefront. This system isn’t just easy to use; it’s super-clean and virtually maintenance-free!

City-dwellers, urban commuters, and fans of fixed-gear (or “fixie”-style) bikes will dig this bike’s approach! Read on to learn more about it in our full Tenways CGO600 Pro review below!

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Magnum Metro 750 Review – 2024

The Adventure Bike for Urban Commutes and a Little Outback Exploration

Magnum Metro 750 Review 2024
The following review on the Magnum Metro 750 details how this adventure bike will likely attract riders who are city commuters and would like some capabilities for light, outback exploration. Built for commuting, touring and rougher roads beyond, it’s a mid-step frame for easy on-and-off sitting, for long rides and short ones. The upright design and lightweight feel makes it easy to adapt to and ride longer than expected.

The Bafang 750-watt motor gives ample loads of acceleration when you need it, and powering the motor is a large battery that gives longer range than many of the existing e-bikes out there. The medium/large size frame has an ergonomic relationship with the handlebar, steering head and saddle, making this an ideal size bike for riders who are 5’0” to 6’5”.

This bike comes with a host of good components to enable you to get many miles of enjoyment from this bike. They include suspension on the fork set, which allows you to adjust the compression and damping, the suspension seatpost.

The Metro 750 does a little of everything well, with a few areas of true highlight. See the full Magnum Metro 750 review below for more details.

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E-Bike News: Bosch, Yamaha, Brose and Pinion all Release New Mid-drives and Lots More!

Electric bike news 16th June

The high quality mid-drive market has been dominated by powerful and relatively heavy mid-drives from the big four of Bosch, Brose, Shimano and Yamaha for the last decade or so. But this year’s Eurobike suggests there are some fundamental changes afoot in the world of mid-drive technology. Both Bosch and Yamaha announced their lightest mid-drives yet, whilst Brose announced a new super powerful 48 volt mid-drive system and Pinion moved from bottom bracket enclosed gearing systems into the complex and challenging world of combining bike gears and a mid-drive motor in one unit. Exciting times certainly lie ahead in the world of e-bikes and light electric vehicles.

In this week’s e-bike news:

  • Mid-drive mega-launch at Eurobike as Bosch, Yamaha, Brose and Pinion stake their claims in the future world of mid-drive technology
  • France’s Kilow combine innovation and style with their new e-bikes
  • Wings – the tandem microcar from India

[Read more…] about E-Bike News: Bosch, Yamaha, Brose and Pinion all Release New Mid-drives and Lots More!

Bosch Performance Line SX Motor

Bosch Performance SX Motor

German e-bike system manufacturer Bosch has unveiled a new addition to its Performance Line of motor and battery systems, just in time for the Eurobike trade show. The Performance Line SX now ranks as Bosch’s lightest drive system.

The Performance Line SX is aimed at higher-performance e-bikes, particularly eMTBs, road e-bikes and gravel e-bikes. The entire system, including controller weighs just a bit more than 4kg total. We will dig more into the weight in a bit, but because so many lightweight systems give up performance to save weight, we will first look at the impressive output of this system.

Surprising power

The Performance Line SX motor produces up to 600W. That’s the number they lead with because it’s the number that most impresses on paper, but it doesn’t really sell this motor the way it deserves. It also produces 55Nm of torque. What they don’t say up front is that like other Bosch mid-drive motors, the Performance Line SX runs at 250W nominally, which is the same as other Bosch mid-drive motors.

A 250W mid-drive motor that produces 55Nm of torque and maxes out power at 600W would be a snooze-a-rama if this were a hub-drive motor, but for a mid-drive motor, these are very solid stats. Mid-drive motors are able to multiply their output with the aid of the e-bike’s drivetrain. Just as gears help a rider get up a hill and back down, those same gears can help a mid-drive motor’s output translate into what is effectively more than 1500W thanks to the 600W max output of the Performance Line SX motor.

People often wonder why Bosch’s motors are limited to a nominal rating of just 250W. There are two answers to this question. The first is simple: EU regulations don’t permit them to make a mid-drive motor that produces 750W and 100Nm of torque. The second answer is more existential: Once someone has had a chance to ride an e-bike with a Bosch motor, they are unlikely to declare it underpowered.

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Specialized Levo SL Kids Review: First Look at a Kids EMTB

Specialized Levo SL Kids

It’s a problem as old as kids’s bikes: How can a child hope to keep up with mom or dad on a bike ride? The deck, as we say, is stacked against even the most athletic aspiring ripper: Kids aren’t as strong as adults. Their lungs are smaller. Their bikes are heavier in proportion to their bodies. The wheels are smaller, which makes them slower. And that’s really just grazing the surface.

Specialized has introduced their solution: The Levo SL Kids. This eMTB is what happens when you turn a ray gun set to “shrink” on the Turbo Levo SL, Specialized’s lightweight eMTB which features their SL 1.2 motor, which produces 250W (nominal) and 45Nm of torque. It’s powered by a 320Wh battery, and features high-end componentry, including an 11-speed drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes, air-spring shock and dropper post.

All this is assembled around an aluminum, hard-tail frame that comes in one size and a couple of colors.

Specialized has a long history of hiring some of the best writers in cycling and in recent years their copy has sometimes favored poetry over reality. However, in their press kit announcing the Levo SL Kids they nail the challenge of introducing kids to mountain biking. They write: “Discovering the true benefits of mountain biking has a physical barrier of entry, no question. As adults, we understand the grit it takes to appreciate a deep section of trail that took some serious effort to get to. Our kids haven’t seen the views we have, had the experiences (yet), and built the inner motivation to push through for that satisfying mountain overlook. But that’s changing. What kids lack in pedal power they make up with endless wonder and the desire to explore. Levo SL Kids levels the playing field so their imagination to experience the outdoors won’t be limited by their pedal abilities.”

Amen, brother.

In our Specialized Turbo Levo SL Kids review, we break down our first impressions, thoughts on the spec, and what this can mean for moms and dads looking to hit the trails with the kids.


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