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Specialized Tone Bike Helmet Review

With its understated look, the Specialized Tone helmet is the sort of helmet that could coax the reluctant into donning a skid lid. The Tone hits a terrific price point (<$100) and as we started reviewing the Specialized Tone helmet we were thrilled to see it still includes a MIPS liner which can reduce rotational forces, should the need arise. We’re pleasantly surprised to see such a full-featured helmet retail in such an affordable price range.

Whether you’re an e-bike rider, or still riding traditional bikes, the Tone is a stylish option worth considering. It’s become the daily use helmet for one of the Electric Bike Report staff members for numerous reasons. Read on below to see why.

Specialized Mode Electric Bike Helmet Review

As soon as we got the Specialized Mode helmet in for review it was remarkable at how, well, normal looking it is. Frankly, there are a great many bike helmets that look like they were worn in a sci-fi comedy. They can look bad enough we’ve considered riding without one—but not wearing a helmet is dumber than the way some of them look. So when one comes along that looks like a hat on steroids, well we get excited.

The Specialized Mode is a helmet aimed at all of us who would prefer not to be noticed for our headgear. It features a MIPS liner to protect against rotational forces in an accident and performed well enough when tested by Virginia Tech that they awarded it a full five-star rating in their testing.

Going even a further step above the norm, it is rated up to the Dutch NTA8776 standard making it a great option for e-bikers with the confidence that it can hold up when traveling at faster e-bike speeds.

E-bike News: Orbea, BMC, and FLX Release New E-Bikes, Rad Power Bikes Has a New CEO & More!

Rider safety leads our news this week with the announcement that the CPSC has decided to make Rad Power Bikes’ rim-strip safety notices a recall. The New York City Council, in the wake of several lithium-ion battery fires is considering bills to improve the safety of the batteries. Some of the legislation could include fines.

In this week’s e-bike news:

FLX Introduces the “Menace,” Modeled on the Schwinn Stingray
E-Bike Black Friday well underway
Rad Power Bikes CEO Steps Down
CPSC issues recall on some Rad Power Bikes’ rim strips
BMC Launches new, premium e-road bike, the Roadmachine 01 AMP X
Orbea updates its popular enduro eMTB, The Wild

E-bike News: Giant’s SUV, UK’s Peddle and Much More !

It’s taken a while, but now e-bike motor systems have become hugely capable and e-bikes are so popular they can inspire their own one-off designs, the traditional bike categories of road, e-mtb and city bike are being blurred at the edges. Take the new ‘SUV’ design from Giant we cover this week – it’s got elements of hybrid, mountain bike and tourer about it, plus modern e-bike features that are hugely practical and which don’t feature on many non-electric bikes (ie the belt drive and stepless hub gear combo). Clearly, no longer are e-bikes just a traditional bike with motor and battery bolted on, but ones where motor systems and many other features like gearing and lighting are fully integrated into the electric design.

In this week’s e-bike news:

Giant’s Stormguard E+ – an SUV of e-bikes
Bosch launches Kiox update and withdraws Android version straightaway
UK’s Peddle launches four new e-bikes
Renault Mobilize Duo arriving in the UK
Silicon Valley money for Aventon

E-bike News: Radio Flyer Goes Compact Cargo, Surly Goes with Bosch and Much More !

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 a smaller 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:

Cannondale’s lightest e-bike yet
Radio Flyer’s compact, folding e-cargo model shipping in November
It’s steel-framed and has Bosch’s most powerful mid-drive….meet the Surly Skid Loader
GM comes up with an AWD e-bike version of it’s SUV EV
Livall now crowdfunding its simple-looking friction drive

E-bike News: Niu Moped Specialist’s E-bike, Kona Goes Hub Motor and Much More!

The likes of Trek and Kona are trendsetters so it’s interesting to see Kona following Trek in a more budget, hub motor direction, with three varied offerings all powered by the same rear hub motor and in-frame battery combo. Just why they have chosen now to do so when they have had competition from cheaper hub motor machines for many years is an interesting question. Perhaps they foresee the arrival of more and more e-bikes from Asian competitors that look anything but cheap and cheerful as almost all once were. If the new Chinese NIU e-bike proves a raging success the $2000 ‘quality budget’ e-bike sector can only see more entrants. And with 916Wh battery capacity, a Gates Carbon Drive and full equipment, the Chinese e-moped specialist could well have just announced itself as a major player in this market.

In this week’s e-bike news:

NIU’s highly capable looking BQi-C3 Pro goes on sale at $1999
Kona launches three hub motor models around the $2000 mark
Tiler’s charging kickstand system redesigned
Kleuster Freegônes’ incredible e-cargo bikes now assembled and distributed at Renault’s French truck facility
Just when will the UK legalise e-scooters?

E-bike News: Trek’s Lightest Road Bike, Vello Lightweight E-cargo and Much More!

Whilst most readers probably won’t be spending the $9,000 (or more) Trek are asking for their latest and lightest yet e-road bike, the implication from this week’s news is clear. You can only push prices down so far before something gives, is the implied moral of the fate of some 22,000 e-bikes from Ancheer which have been selling over recent years at sometimes seemingly unfeasibly low price tags. Whilst there are undoubtedly bargains to be had at the budget e-bike end of the market it’s also true that, as in most areas of life, you get what you pay for, so think twice before buying an e-bike with a price tag that pushes credibility…

In this week’s e-bike news:

Trek’s 24lb e-road bike
VELLO crowdfund lightweight e-cargo bike
Robo System’s incredible 4-WD e-scooter
Ancheer recall 22,000 budget e-bikes over battery fears

E-bike News: Specialized Again Tease ‘Budget’ E-bike, Class 1 Trail Access Policy and Much More!

Although today’s lead story about Specialized seems, on the face of it, to amount to releasing a couple of PR pics for their latest tease at the upcoming Globe Haul ST, there is a lot riding on the future success of Specialized’s forthcoming ‘budget’ e-cargo bike. To quote this Cyclist article on the history of Specialized, ‘Since then (the 1974 company founding date), the company has developed beyond all recognition, growing to the point where it not only follows trends in the cycling market but often dictates them.’

So will Specialized kickstart a new movement in the e-bike industry for companies that have traditionally produced premium priced bikes, often with elements of their own proprietary technology, to head downmarket? And will innovative design and tech be a feature of the new lower-priced models or are Specialized simply aiming to compete on price? EBR will let you know very shortly….

In this week’s e-bike news:

Specialized gives first clear photos of Globe Haul ST
People For Bikes Urges Class 1 Use Only On Non-Motorized Trails
Delfast’s New Moped Style E-Bike
All The Latest With E-MTBs
NYT Looks at Van Moof and E-Bike Growth

Eskute Netuno Review 2022

Eskute Netuno Review: Overview

The Eskute Netuno we’re revieweing here is effectively the updated version of the Eskute Voyager which we reviewed in 2021. It’s Eskute’s take on a trail e-bike that looks to give value for money and allow you to get out and about off-road. Whilst Eskute call it an e-mtb we feel this is a bit of a misnomer – it’s not a bike for tackling any off-road hill or trail in the way classic mtbs are. It’s more of a bike that is pretty off-road capable and gives you plenty of bang for your buck, unlike much pricier true e-mtb offerings that will tackle the most challenging terrain out there. This is not a criticism, just an outline of what you can expect from an off-road e-bike at this price point built to an EU 15.5mph assist / 250W motor rating spec. Within the brief of being an EU spec trail bike the Netuno acquits itself well overall.

So what’s on offer with the Netuno and how does it differ from its predecessor? Apart from a price rise from £999 to a currently discounted price of £1199 (not unexpected in today’s inflationary world), there is a 9% battery capacity boost to 522Wh, which is great news, plus a new large and striking handlebar stem-integrated display complete with USB charging port for your phone.

There’s a similar, maybe even identical, Bafang rear hub motor rated at 45Nm of torque, and budget steel-sprung front forks and cable-operated disc brakes. The seven-speed derailleur gearing also looks to offer the same gear ratios as on the previous Voyager model.

All in all the spec is pretty much what you would expect to see at this kind of price point, though the now larger 522Wh battery is certainly a nice bonus to have over the previous model. Of course, the actual testing and performance are what distinguish one budget e-bike from another so let’s get on and see how the Eskute Netuno stands up to our standard battery of tests.

Thousand Chapter Helmet Review

The Thousand Chapter helmet we’re reviewing with MIPS offers all the protection found in expensive road bike and mountain bike helmets at an affordable price point. It also presents an understated look that can be accessorized with different colored visors (including rose gold, neon yellow and tortoise shell), while magnets at the rear of the helmet allow a rider to attach a blinking light, which is included.

In our Thousand Chapter helmet review we will look at what else makes it a great buy for e-bikers and traditional cyclists alike..

Specialized Tone Bike Helmet Review

Specialized Mode Electric Bike Helmet Review

E-bike News: Orbea, BMC, and FLX Release New E-Bikes, Rad Power Bikes Has a New CEO & More!

E-bike News: Giant’s SUV, UK’s Peddle and Much More !

E-bike News: Radio Flyer Goes Compact Cargo, Surly Goes with Bosch and Much More !

E-bike News: Niu Moped Specialist’s E-bike, Kona Goes Hub Motor and Much More!

E-bike News: Trek’s Lightest Road Bike, Vello Lightweight E-cargo and Much More!

E-bike News: Specialized Again Tease ‘Budget’ E-bike, Class 1 Trail Access Policy and Much More!

Eskute Netuno Review 2022

Eskute Netuno Review: Overview

Thousand Chapter Helmet Review

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