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Electric Bike Company Model S Review

Electric Bike Company Model S Electric Bike Review

Electric Bike Company Model S Review: Overview

The Electric Bike Company Model S is a well made Class 3 electric beach cruiser powered by a 500W motor. With casual cruiser-oriented geometry and loads of customization, there are a lot of great features that make the Model S one of our favorite beach cruisers.

When we started the Electric Bike Company Model S review, we were impressed with how sturdy the frame was and how clean its welds are. It also came fully assembled, which was a nice touch. It didn’t take long for us to tell that EBC put a lot of effort into their electric cruiser.

Electric Bike Company has one of the most complete online customization tools we’ve seen in the e-bike industry, and our review model of the Model S was decked out with a custom colorway (even on the battery pack!), wood fenders, an upgraded 48V, 18Ah battery and a single speed drivetrain, plus a couple of additional custom features and accessories.

Note: The main difference between the Model S and the Model Y is the location of the battery. The Model S has the battery located above the rear tire, while the Model Y’s battery is stored in the basket up front. The Model R and Model E store the battery in the downtube.

If you’re looking for a comfortable cruiser oriented e-bike that will withstand the tests of time, then we would highly recommend looking into the Model S. During our review its performance and extensive features backed up its looks.

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E-bike News: NYC Proposes E-Bike Ban, Bosch Adds Features to E-Bike Flow App, RadWagon 4 Available for Purchase Again and Much More!

Electric bike news 3rd February

We’re excited to share that California is launching a program to make e-bikes more affordable for folks who could use the help. Unfortunately, a member of the New York City Council has proposed banning all e-bikes from the city. Bosch has added some cool new features to their Flow app. Having wrapped up their efforts following a recall Rad Power Bikes has returned their popular RadWagon 4 to showrooms and their website. Murf Electric Bikes has secured a capital investment, and Rad Power Bikes’ RadWagon 4 returns for availability along with the brands’ commitment to improvement.

In this week’s e-bike news:

  • California Plans to Make E-Bikes More Affordable
  • NYC Proposes E-Bike Ban
  • Bosch Adds Features to E-Bike Flow App
  • GEF Partners Invests in Murf Electric Bikes
  • RadWagon 4 Returns to Rad Power’s Website

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Radio Flyer M880 Review

Radio Flyer M880 Electric Bike Review

Radio Flyer M880 Review: Overview

The little red wagon company is diving headlong into the e-bike game.

Radio Flyer, a company synonymous with childhood nostalgia and classic Americana, is now making affordable electric cargo bikes. In this Radio Flyer M880 review, we’ll take an in-depth look at the company’s lighter-duty electric cargo bike that doubles well as a commuter or electric fitness bike.

Radio Flyer has dubbed its M880 e-bike, the smaller of their two debut models, a “midtail” electric cargo bike, meaning it has much of the carrying capacity of a full-size cargo bike but with the wheelbase and maneuverability of a normal e-bike. It’s a nice balance of everyday utility for running errands and getting to work, combined with riding characteristics that are just flat out fun.

The M880 we tested in this review is a pre-production version of Radio Flyer’s very first e-bike, so we do have some minor notes about power delivery and some other things, but by and large we were incredibly impressed with this bike. It’s very stable, versatile and predictable. With a carrying capacity of 300 lbs, a comfortable fit and a rear rack that’s compatible with accessories and child seats, Radio Flyer has clearly spent a lot of time thinking about how this e-bike could be used to replace car trips — I personally think they nailed it.

*Flyer no longer sells the M880, but check out the Via Pro instead!.

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Rad Power Bikes RadRover 6 Plus Review 2024

Rad Power Bikes Rad Rover 6 Plus Electric Bike Review 2024

RadRover 6 Plus Review: Overview

The Rad Power Bikes RadRover 6 Plus is a Class 2 fat tire electric bike that’s designed for paved and unpaved joyrides and commutes. The RadRover 6 has enough power to thrive in a town with steep hills and enough comfort to enjoy your evening cruise.

The RadRover 6 Plus holds onto its classic Rover roots while still bringing some new bells and whistles to the table. When we started the RadRover 6 Plus review process we noticed some big changes right out of the box. From the new dual display to the integrated battery pack, the evolution of the RadRover was apparent. Rad claims their RadRover 6 Plus to be “the biggest evolution in RadRover history”.

Looks aren’t everything though, so we conducted a hill climb test, brake test, circuit test and more to get familiar with the changes Rad’s made since the last time we reviewed a Rad Power Bikes model. By the end of this review you should have a good idea of how the bike performed and if the RadRover 6 is the right fat tire e-bike for you.

*Rad no longer sells the high step model of the Rover. You can see the full RadRover 6 Plus Step-Through review here.
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Ride1UP LMTD Review, 2024

Ride1Up has a new LMTD out for sale: The LMTD V2. Click here to see that review, as this model is no longer available for sale.

Ride1UP LMTD Review 2024
There are so many competitive e-bikes in the $1500-$2000 price range, it can be hard to build a bike that stands out from the competition. With the LMT’D, Ride1UP made an e-bike with a set of priorities different from what we see with the average commuter or city e-bike.

What we will explore in our Ride1UP LMT’D review is how this is an e-bike more focused on performance than function. It’s an affordable muscle car of an e-bike. It features a powerful motor, a sizable battery, a high-quality suspension fork, quick-rolling tires, an 8-speed drivetrain and perhaps most notable is that it uses a torque sensor to control the motor rather than a cadence sensor.

All added up the Ride1UP LMT’d just feels like it’s a performance tier above its price tier which is certainly no small feat to accomplish. To achieve this there were some concessions made by omitting a few standard features, but everything you DO get included adds up to a sensational ride.

For all of our thoughts on the total package on the Ride1UP LMTD head further down into our comprehensive review.

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E-bike News: VanMoof bailout, Subsidies for E-bikes are More Effective than ZEVs

Electric bike news 27th January

This week’s news shows the great variety out there in the e-bike world; we are concentrating on new launches in this issue and have Cannondale’s lightest e-bike yet, a small cargo bike with a rear hub motor, a slighter larger but still very manageable one with a powerful Bosch mid-drive, an all-wheel model from a car company with super powerful dual motors and last but not least, what claims to be a ‘smart’, lightweight and super-affordable friction drive. Prices? They range from $299 to $4799….

In this week’s e-bike news:

  • VanMoof Gets Cash Bailout
  • Subsidies for E-bikes more effective than subsidies for ZEVs
  • French brand Jean Fourche introduces e-bike
  • A foldable bike helmet that includes lights
  • Lawsuit against Rad Power Bikes adds two Taiwanese defendants

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E-bike News: Ride1up Go Moped Style, Step-thru E-MTBs and Much More!

Electric bike news 19th January

This week’s news has a very cosmopolitan flavour; whilst the fat-tired, keenly-priced new offerings from Ride1Up and Aventon are pretty much meat and drink for this website, we only occasionally cover e-bikes not available in the US or UK. So this issue feels like a mini-departure with news of what might be the start of trend originating in Germany in the shape of a wave of step-thru, (relatively) light, fully equipped e-mtbs and also an insight into how Japan’s Honda are taking aim at China’s unique domestic e-bike market. Finally, if you you want to know what the Dutch have been up to recently in their quest to provide the country’s bike riders with incredible infrastructure, check out the latest ‘invisible’ bike parking right in front of the country’s main train station.

In this week’s e-bike news:

  • Ride1Up launch moped-style REVV1
  • Aventon Aventure 2 – one of the best e-fat bikes out there gets torque sensing
  • Will full-sus, fully equipped, step-thru e-mtbs catch on? The Germans think so…
  • Honda target China with historically named e-bikes
  • 280 mile Bonneville Shoreline Trail takes a legal step forward
  • Subaquatic bike parking in the middle of Amsterdam

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Ride1up Go Moped Style, Step-thru E-MTBs and Much More!

Pedego Avenue E-Bike Review – 2024

Pedego Avenue Review 2024 - step thru and high step bike frames
Amidst the boom in e-bike sales, riders are increasingly seeking a lightweight commuter bike that handles like a regular commuter bike, and gives them at least 30 miles of power assist. Responding to their demands, U.S. e-bike giant Pedego sent us the new Pedego Avenue to review. With its lightweight frame, sleek design, and proven power train, this commuter bike wowed us in how it delivers power and range for urban and suburban commuters to relish.

The Avenue is a medium/large commuter bike that does a great job disguising the fact that it’s an e-bike. Featuring a 17” aluminum frame, with 28” wheels,and two frame sizes: the Step-thru (good for riders 5’1 – 5’8”), and a 19” Classic frame (good for riders 5’4” to 6’1”). Weighing in at a little over 52 lbs. (including motor and battery), the Avenue is lighter than most e-bikes when it comes to loading it onto your bike rack, or wheeling it up the stairs to your apartment. It features a 500-watt gear driven motor, a 10.4-amp hour battery (a 14-amp hour battery is available for an additional $250), 28” (700 cm) wheels, rigid suspension, and mechanical disc brakes.

Coming in at right around $2000, this bike costs a little more than competitive brands, but you’re also getting a solid 5-year warranty and support from over 200 dealerships nationwide – something most other e-bike manufacturers don’t offer. Additionally, they offer fairly quick turnaround times on service, and their mechanics are trained specifically to fix Pedego bikes.

The company recently sent us their high-step and step-through Avenue models to test and evaluate. As we have found in testing hundreds of other e-bikes over the years, no e-bike can do it all, but Pedego’s Avenue has a lot going for it.

The following is our Pedego Avenue review, based on the independent tests and analysis we conducted on the e-bike’s motor performance, hill-climbing abilities, distance range, braking capabilities, safety, its handling and ride comfort, and a final summary that can help you decide if this is the commuter bike for you.

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E-bike News: SRAM look to enter e-bike market, Lectric E-trike and Much More !

Electric bike news 13th January

EBR usually concentrates on e-bike launches and products that are already out there or at least very likely to be launched and in production over the next few months. You may not see a SRAM branded e-bike drive system any time soon but the seeming likelihood of them entering the market is this week’s lead story purely on the basis that if SRAM do ever launch their own system – as seems probable with their purchase of Amprio – it should have a huge impact on the e-bikes on offer out there purely because of their massive industry reach.

In this week’s e-bike news:

  • SRAM poised to enter the e-bike drive market
  • Lectric tease folding e-trike
  • Detroit e-bike with US-made steel frame
  • Sweden’s Cake to launch 20mph ‘workhorse’ mode
  • Enviolo’s new more affordable hub
  • CNBC e-bike safety video – is it anti-e-bike?
  • Denver relaunches e-bike subsidies

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Xnito Helmet Review 2024

Xnito Helmet Review
In our Xnito helmet review, we will look at what makes this helmet different from helmets that typically meet American CPSC requirements.

Where e-bikes are concerned, Europe has led the way in a great many regards. Europe is also leading the way where safety is concerned with the NTA8776 helmet standard. The Xnito helmet is a helmet that meets this standard, created for riders powering along on Class 3 e-bikes, which have a maximum speed of 28 mph.


Xnito is offering EBR readers 10% off their purchase when you use the code: ELECTRICBIKEREPORT

The Xnito helmet foregoes any needlessly fancy technologies that can drive up the price of a helmet in favor of in-molded EPS (Expanded polystyrene, the foam inside the helmet) with a greater thickness seen in most helmets. And unlike some in-moded helmets, the plastic outer shell into which the EPS is molded wraps around the bottom of the helmet to help protect from dings. It’s built to be safe for crashes, but also withstand the bumps that come from natural use as well.

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