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Gen3 The Stride Review 2022

Gen3 The Stride E-Bike Review

Though price is usually a pretty safe indicator of quality, a high(er) price tag is not always a foolproof bellwether of a high-performing electric bike. Sometimes, it’s the cheap ones that steal your heart.

The Gen3 The Stride electric commuter bike is one such exception to the cost/quality rule. Powered by a 500W Bafang rear hub motor, a fully integrated 500Wh battery and a full Shimano Drivetrain, The Stride is a serious contender in the commuter category. The best part, however, is the price — just $1,499 MSRP. In this Gen3 The Stride Review, we’ll dive into the details of the bike and parse out just what makes this such a solid affordable e-bike.

In addition to taking a hard look at the specs, Electric Bike Report also put The Stride through a series of real-world tests designed to demonstrate how the bike will perform in the real world. Giving you an idea of how well the bike rides, brakes, climbs and even how long the battery will last.

[Read more…] about Gen3 The Stride Review 2022

Ask Electric Bike Report: Are e-bikes safe for seniors?

Are e-bikes safe for seniors

The team at Electric Bike Report fields a surprising number of questions on whether electric bikes are safe for seniors and older people.

We get so many of these questions, that we actually tailor-made a list of our recommendations of the best e-bikes for senior riders.

But to answer the question in short: Yes, e-bikes are safe for seniors. Not only are they safe, they offer a host of health benefits from low-impact physical exercise to boosts in mental and cognitive health.

But it makes a lot of sense that we get this question so often — cycling, at least before e-bikes grew popular, hasn’t always been the most friendly sport for older demographics. It’s an activity with a reputation for hard physical exertion; one where pedaling unaided up hills and over long distances, among other things, could be obstacles unkind to aging bodies.

That paradigm quickly changed as e-bikes gained popularity.

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E-bike News: Yet Another New E-bike from Tern, BMX Electric Style, Heavy Cargo and Much More!

Electric bike news 1st July

In the early days of e-bikes the aim was simply to make reliable systems with enough power and battery range that weren’t too heavy. Now it’s more about pushing the limits of what is possible and catering for as many potential e-bikers as possible.

This week’s news shows these trends very clearly; we have a newly announced e-cargo bike with a revolutionary-sounding motor system that is one of several mammoth e-cargo offerings now on the market (we are talking several hundred lbs of cargo carrying…) whilst Tern’s new NBD looks to cater for smaller or older riders or those who just want to get into biking the easiest way possible. High speed, high performance BMX electric stunts anyone? Yep, we’ve got that covered too….Or if you just suffer overly from punctures we look and the 2nd gen puncture proof Geck tires, their lightest yet.

In this week’s e-bike news:

  • Tern’s NBD looks to broaden the appeal of the e-bike
  • Chimera’s titanium e-BMX with patented high performance motor system
  • Are Rivian autos the latest auto company getting seriously into e-bikes?
  • Heavy duty e-cargo bike category now includes Finland’s Ouca
  • Gecko 2nd gen cellular rubber puncture-proof tires now on Kickstarter

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Yet Another New E-bike from Tern, BMX Electric Style, Heavy Cargo and Much More!

E-bike News: State Bicycle Co’s First E-bike, Delta Euro Sec, Eole Crowdfunds and Much More!

Electric bike news 24th June

A single speed e-bike is about as simple as they come and EBR have already written about their pros and cons here. Low maintenance and easy to use, they have a lot going for them as long as the hills aren’t excessively steep for the model you pick (not all single speeds were created equal…).

So it’s refreshing to see State Bicycle Co. choose a single speed as their first bicycle rather than trying to overspec a budget model which may only lead to the most cut price components possible whose performance may be disappointing. Very recently we looked at Walmart’s full-sus e-mtb that retails for little more than the State Bicycle Co single speed – you may appear to get less for your money with a single speed but the end product and components may well be higher quality.

In this week’s e-bike news:

  • State Bicycle Co.’s first e-bike is a single speed
  • Delta Cycles moves from accessories into e-bikes
  • Eole’s X models combine folding and suspension
  • Bafang announces automatically changing three speed hub gear
  • PeopleForBikes reveal top US cycling cities for 2022

[Read more…] about E-bike News: State Bicycle Co’s First E-bike, Delta Euro Sec, Eole Crowdfunds and Much More!

Serial 1 SWITCH/MTN: Harley Davidson’s Serial 1 Launches First eMTB

Serial 1, the electric bike brand built on Harley Davidson’s legacy and engineering, announced on Friday its latest foray into the world of electric mountain bikes with a model that promises off-road performance accessible to all riders.

The new eMTB, called the Serial 1 SWITCH/MTN, is built around the backbone of the brand’s riotously successful /CTY models but with off-road specific geometry and a component suite chosen for performance in dirt. Like all of Serial 1’s other e-bikes, the new SWITCH/MTN is built on the Brose S Mag mid-drive motor that makes 90Nm of torque and offers 410% support at peak power. It also uses a 529Wh battery integrated into the lower portion of the frame for good looks and a low center of gravity.

Though Serial 1 has recently been releasing a series of special edition and otherwise one-off e-bikes, the SWITCH/MTN will be a permanent fixture in the brand’s e-bike lineup. It will be priced at $4,499 MSRP and is expected to begin shipping in early August of this year.

Serial 1 SWITCH/MTN

The all-new Serial 1 SWITCH/MTN eMTB.

“The vast majority of our world is unpaved,” said Aaron Frank, Brand Director at Serial 1, in a release announcing the new e-bike. “Fire roads, Jeep trails, singletrack paths, terrain parks, ski hills, state forests—there are so many great destinations to explore on two wheels and SWITCH/MTN, with its powerful motor, large-capacity battery, fully adjustable front suspension, and wide-ratio 1×12 drivetrain, has the all the performance and capability to take you anywhere you want to go.”

READ MORE: Our one-on-one interview with Serial 1’s Aaron Frank

Electric Bike Report had actually been invited to attend a special press event this week at the Bentonville Bike Fest in Arkansas, so I’d planned on having some first ride impressions ready for you. Unfortunately, a bout with COVID-19 derailed those plans so a first-glance spec review will have to do until we get the Serial 1 SWITCH/MTN in for full review.

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E-bike News: Walmart goes sub-$1500 full-sus, Afreda 3-wheeler and Much More!

Electric bike news 16th June

How cheap should cheap e-bikes be? That’s the question asked by the Hyper E-ride, a full-suspension off-road e-bike now stocked by Walmart. At $1498 it certainly looks a bargain as you would expect – but since there are very few full-suspension e-bikes available at this price it would certainly be interesting to see what compromises have been made by the manufacturers to achieve that price.

Elsewhere the search for e-bike innovation continues in the shape of the interesting looking Skarper ‘it’ slated for arrival in 2023 with interesting looking disk brake drive technology and the remarkable looking ‘reverse three wheeler’ with independent front suspension from Afreda.

In this week’s e-bike news:

  • Walmart stocks sub $1500 full-sus e-bike
  • Skarper – newly announced ‘disk rotor drive’ kit
  • Meet REI Co-ops’ new compact style e-bikes
  • The incredible three-wheeled Afreda F6
  • Gecko cellular puncture proof tyres to crowdfund their lightest tires yet
  • More Bosch charging points for the UK’s National Cycle Network

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Walmart goes sub-$1500 full-sus, Afreda 3-wheeler and Much More!

E-bike News: Evelo Galaxy SL for Smaller Riders, Solar E-bikes and Much More!

Electric bike news 10th June

This week’s news is an interesting mix in more ways than one. The Evelo Galaxy SL is from a brand who we’ve reviewed a lot and looks to cut a niche with a combination of high speed for smaller riders. And the latest Tenways single speed shows, despite rising prices seemingly everywhere, there are still high quality yet very well-priced e-bikes to be had.

Looking to where e-bikes might be heading in the future there might also be interesting clues in the form of the intriguing Basalt electric fat bike from Mokwheel, which claims also to be a solar powered charging station and in the field of micro electric vehicles we have the Nimbus titling tricycle microcar! All is explained below….

In this week’s e-bike news:

  • Evelo Galaxy SL – a speed pedelec for smaller riders
  • Tenways CGO800S – a high quality city e-bike with a great price tag
  • Mokwheel’s Basalt includes a solar power station
  • Solar-power e-bikes roll out in East Africa
  • Nimbus, the latest light electric vehicle available for pre-order

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Evelo Galaxy SL for Smaller Riders, Solar E-bikes and Much More!

Electrify Expo 2022: The Coolest E-Bikes (and Sorta E-Bikes) On Show

If you were to swing by the grounds of the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in southern California over the weekend of June 4 – 5, you could have test driven an electric car from the likes of Polestar, Lucid Motors or Toyota and then walked across the venue to another test track, and taken a spin on an electric bike or e-motorcycle.

The event, called the Electrify Expo, was the first stop in a national series of expos by the same name intended to showcase all sorts of electric vehicles. From e-skateboards to e-snowmobiles and e-bikes to electric cars, there was seemingly one of every form of electric transport on show. There was even at least one e-tractor, which drew a surprisingly large crowd and at least one audible “I’m not a farmer, but I want one” from one attendee.

Unlike the usual trade shows and events the Electric Bike Report team attends throughout the year, which are typically focused on performance cycling and dominated by traditional e-bike brands, the Electrify Expo drew a more eclectic crowd of EV enthusiasts and had suited auto industry execs rubbing shoulders with e-mobility inventors and small e-bike startups. It was an interesting crowd, but one that surely better reflected our readership and the greater e-bike consumer base.

As per usual at one of these shows, I scoured the venue for the latest, greatest and downright weirdest new and cool models the e-bike industry had on show. While I tried my best to stay focused on e-bikes, I admittedly strayed from my lane more than once and found myself test riding and photographing things that aren’t exactly e-bikes in the traditional sense.

Without further adieu, here’s some of the latest, greatest and downright weirdest EVs (mostly e-bikes) I saw and rode at the Electrify Expo Long Beach.

[Read more…] about Electrify Expo 2022: The Coolest E-Bikes (and Sorta E-Bikes) On Show

Ride1UP 500 Series Review, 2022

Ride1UP 500 Series Electric Bike Review - Header

Summary Review: Ride1UP 500 Series Electric Bike

An old problem reared its head while we were reviewing the Ride1UP 500 Series: Electric bikes are just really tough to sort into categories.. There’s just too many ways you could feasibly use an e-bike — or too many opinions chiming in — to neatly parse out who and what exactly a particular bike is best for. But by golly we try.

That’s why this review of the Ride1UP 500 Series was a bit tough to write. When the Electric Bike Report team sat down to debate how we’d describe this bike and define who exactly it was for, we hit a wall. Despite our different backgrounds and areas of expertise in the bicycling world — from racing to weekend path cruising and everything in between — we all really liked the 500 Series. Usually, there’s at least one among us who’s a detractor. Not this time.

The 500 Series is a comfort commuter at heart, but in reality it’s just a really good all-around e-bike for the money. It’s comfortable, sporty enough to throw around, has good battery life and doesn’t pretend to be some newfangled take on an eMTB or electric folder. We’re not trying to claim it’s perfect — we’ve got some gripes with the cadence sensor and battery readout that I’ll get into later — but you’ll be hard pressed to find a more versatile and well decked comfort e-commuter at this price

Our testers with a racing background liked how stable the bike felt at speed, and our testers that look for commutability appreciated its surprising range and comfort during longer stints in the saddle. Everyone, no matter their background, liked the 500 Series’ mellow yet satisfyingly torquey 500W motor.

Add this all together, and Ride1UP has given you a solid option for anyone looking for one bike that can wear many different hats and won’t break the bank.

*The Ride1Up 500 Series is no longer being sold. However, the brand has several enticing models in the same vein you might be interested in:
Ride1Up LMTD 2 Review
Ride1Up Roadster V3 Review
Ride1Up Turris Review

[Read more…] about Ride1UP 500 Series Review, 2022

GEN3 The Flex Review 2022

Gen3 Flex Hybrid Electric Bike Review

GEN3 The Flex Review: Overview

The Flex from GEN3 is a Class 2 hybrid electric bike that’s designed to span multiple styles of riding. The Flex’s sporty design mixed with a 21-gear range and 500W rear hub motor make The Flex a good casual commuter or a nice option for the exercise-oriented cyclist.

This GEN3 The Flex review revealed there is more to this hybrid than we were initially expecting, between its lively handling characteristics and fast rolling speeds The Flex is a hard bike to ignore when looking into budget-friendly hybrid e-bikes.

GEN3’s sporty hybrid e-bike combines the benefits of having an electric bike with a gear range that still allows the rider to get a good workout if they so please. The Flex also has puncture resistant tires with a versatile tread pattern and a suspension fork with 100mm of travel. This makes for good on-road and off-road riding.

Throughout our time with The Flex, we conducted numerous tests to get a better understanding of how the bike performs on steep hill climbs, how it stops, how comfortable it is and how long the battery lasts. Between all of our tests and sections in this write up you should have a good understanding of if The Flex is the right Class 2 hybrid e-bike for you.

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