Blog

Will Yamaha be the first major mid-drive manufacturer to be a global e-bike player as well? To date, competitors in this area like Bosch, Brose and Shimano have stuck to making mid-drive systems and not ventured as far as whole e-bikes – and that doesn’t look likely to change any time soon. But Yamaha are a bit different; after a strong start in the fledgling e-bike industry in the early 90s they faded from view somewhat but made a strong comeback around 2013 with their new triple sensor mid-drive system and a major push on the international market, supplying major players such as Giant and Haibike. They have made own-brand e-bikes for the US market for a while now and have always sold them in their home market of Japan, so it will be interesting to see how far their instantly recognisable and highly-esteemed brand name takes them in the intensely competitive European market.

In this week’s e-bike news:

• Vvolt’s new belt drive model with stepless gears – the Centauri
• Yamaha announce new own brand e-mtbs
• Premium Californian brand Ibis launch new e-bike
• OKAI wireless update sees speed increase
• Pure’s new, extra stable e-scooter
• Magene radar for rear view safety
• EAV supply e-bikes for London street cleaners

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Vvolt Centauri, IBIS and Yamaha EMTBs and Much More!

Stuttgart, Germany—In a move that will excite eMTB enthusiasts, Bosch has introduced a limited-edition motor destined specifically for eMTBs that will be raced. While eMTB racing isn’t huge in the U.S., in Europe eMTB racing has taken off and the e-bikes used by racers have been dropping in weight. This new lightweight motor is called the Bosch Performance Line CX Race Limited Edition; it presents an evolution and upgrade from Bosch’s existing Performance Line CX motors. This new motor will be found on top-of-the-line eMTBs from recognized brands.

What Makes The Bosch Performance Line CX Race Limited Edition

The Bosch Performance Line CX Race Limited Edition can, like some of Bosch’s other motors, multiply a rider’s effort up to 400 percent, while tipping the scales at just 6.1 lbs., making it the lightest motor in the Bosch e-bike portfolio. In decreasing the motor’s weight, the overall e-bike weight will be reduced, which will improve the eMTB’s handling and make it easier to corner with and jump over obstacles. The controller will offer a “Race” mode which will offer even punchier performance than found in Bosch’s Turbo mode. They claim that only very experienced riders will possess the skill set necessary to fully utilize and control the motor’s performance in Race mode.

In designing the Bosch Performance Line CX Race Limited Edition, the engineers gave it some very impressive performance parameters. In addition to multiplying a rider’s effort by as much as 400 percent, the motor also delivers a whopping 85Nm of torque, which will deliver exceptional performance on steep climbs. They also gave Bosch’s Extended Boost feature an upgrade. Extended Boost allows for an extra kick when encountering boulders, stairs, downed trees or extended rooty passages; it is said to provide additional power for up to 2m (about 6 feet). Top speed will be limited to 20 mph.

[Read more…] about Bosch Performance Line CX Race Limited Edition: A Motor For eMTB Racing

Some e-bike trends are easy to spot and obvious; Bosch launching a lighter mid-drive that offers a greater level of support is very welcome but hardly a surprise. After all, who wouldn’t want less weight and more power? The rise of e-bike subscription services, where customers effectively rent an e-bike has thus far been dominated by smaller specialist startups (even if they happen to use e-bikes made by major brands) and is clearly something of a niche, despite it being popular amongst delivery workers. But now the biggest player in the US e-bike market, Rad Power, is dipping its toes into the subscription market but only in one German city, albeit that Berlin is one of the hubs of the micromobility universe. As ever, only time will tell if this is the very start of a sea change or a short lived experiment only.

In this week’s e-bike news:

• Bosch’s Performance Line CX Race – lighter and more assist
• Pikaboost – the 6.6lb friction drive to crowdfund
• Cannondale Trail Neo 1 – the e-mtb that will take lights and rack
• Beyond and D-Fly – two companies launching specialist e-scooters
• Rad Power and Cycle join forces to launch Berlin-based subscription service

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Bosch’s lightest mid-drive, Pikaboost Friction Drive and Much More!

IDoes Ghost’s recent announcement they will use the lightweight (8.8lb) Fazua 60 mid-drive system on a new line of emtbs in 2023 show where the future lies for hardcore e-mtb riders? That weight – and it’s the total system weight including battery – is as much as some mid-drive motors alone. Of course, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, as rider reaction and review opinion filter back from the bikes online, as and when they move out of the ‘announcement’ phase and into real world use.

Elsewhere this week we take a look at whatever happened to federal e-bike tax credits, shared micromobility that lets you take a passenger onboard and a promising-sounding second life solution for ‘retired’ electric vehicle batteries.

In this week’s e-bike news:

• Ghost announces Path Riot lightweight emtbs
• Death of federal e-bike tax credits put the spotlight on state actions
• The Veo Apollo – a shared e-bike made for two
• Mercedes and Batteryloop use old EV batteries to help power Swedish homes
• Carlsbad’s 50ft e-bike dismount rule hits the local headlines
• 500 share e-bikes imminent in London, England

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Lightweight Ghost EMTB, Federal E-bike Subsidies (Not) and Much More!

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!