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Rad Power Bikes flagship electric commuter bike just got a substantial makeover.

Seattle-based Rad on Wednesday released the redesigned Rad Power Bikes RadCity 5 Plus, giving the bike a new look, a better climbing motor and an overall design that Rad says was built specifically for the company’s European ridership.

According to Rad’s announcement of the redesigned bike, the new RadCity 5 climbs hills 40 percent quicker than the previous iteration of the bike due to a re-tooled motor. The battery on the new bike is also claimed to last 11 percent longer thanks to a set of new custom-made tires that roll more efficiently on pavement.

This is the second redesigned e-bike Rad’s released in the past two months. In late July, the company dropped the new RadRover 6 Plus electric fat bike, which represented the most substantial re-imagining of that bike since its original debut. Many of the new features we saw in that release of the Rover — including an all-new user interface and the striking new frame design — appear to have made their way onto the new RadCity 5 Plus the company released on Wednesday.

[Read more…] about Rad Power Bikes RadCity 5 Plus: A New Frame and Quicker Motor

For Specialized, 2021 has thus far been the year of the superlight electric bike.

Of the three new or redesigned e-bikes introduced this year by the California-based bike brand, two have been built around the ultra high-tech (and very well done) proprietary Super Light System. But an announcement made today made it clear that Specialized has not forgotten about aficionados of power.

Specialized on Tuesday unveiled the newest iterations of their popular full power Turbo Como and Turbo Vado commuter e-bikes — plus they rolled out an all-new full power e-bike, a crossover eMTB and commuter called the Turbo Tero.

The Como and Vado have long been Specialized’s flagship lifestyle e-bikes, with the Como more geared for laid-back comfort riding and the Vado targeting riders who want a fast daily commuter that’ll give them a workout. But the new Tero is Specialized’s attempt at diving into the all-rounder category of e-bikes, a tricky cross-category segment of the e-bike market that tries to strike a balance between commuting, off-road performance and utility.

All three of these e-bikes share different variations of the Turbo Full Power e-bike motor, depending on the chosen spec level, and all three have the relatively affordable starting price of $3,250.

Let’s take a deeper dive into each e-bike:

[Read more…] about Specialized’s New Turbo Como, Turbo Vado and all-new Turbo Tero

This week brings some good news and some bad news for hopefuls that the U.S. government might sometime soon help pay for electric bike purchases; the E-BIKE tax credit advances amongst lawmakers, but at a slashed proposed rate.

There’s also some new versions of one of Electric Bike Report’s favorite mid-drive motors, fans of Yeti mountain bikes can now get an eMTB from the Colorado-based company, and Tern built a doghouse for your e-bike.

That and more in this week’s news:

• Proposed E-BIKE tax credit makes headway but gets slashed from 30% to 15%
• Fazua debuts trail and street versions of the Ride 50 drive system
• Yeti unveils first eMTB: It’s the signature blue, has a slick new linkage and is apparently ultra fast
• Lectric e-bikes hires long-time cycling executive as COO
• Tern special-built an accessory that helps you take your dog on an e-bike ride — It’s called the “Doghouse”

[Read more…] about E-Bike News: E-BIKE Tax Credit Update, Fazua Debuts New Drive System, Yeti eMTB and More!

Winter. A time when cold, snow and ice descends on much of North America, shorter days drive many indoors and most summertime toys get mothballed until warmer temps return.

But winter doesn’t have to keep you off your electric bike. You can absolutely ride your e-bike in winter, but there are some important things to keep in mind that’ll help keep you and your e-bike safe and functioning well until warmer days return.

Moisture and cold are the two most obvious considerations when riding your e-bike in winter. Both of these things could be detrimental to your bike and its electrical componentry, but many e-bikes on the market today are actually designed to handle these conditions.

Fat bikes for example, the plus-sized SUV’s of the e-bike world that have grown so popular in recent years, were actually initially developed specifically for winter riding. The wider tires provide good floatation in snow and the larger contact patch gives solid traction in slippery conditions. Many e-bikes are even designed to be water resistant, which helps shield the more sensitive electrical parts from the wet — frozen and otherwise — that’s so prevalent during winter in many parts of the country.

But aside from e-bike design, there are several things you can do as a rider and owner of an e-bike to safeguard your bike from winter hardship.

[Read more…] about Can I ride an electric bike in winter?

Three new e-bikes this week and all feature Bosch mid-drives. With high end mid-drives now giving pretty similar and very impressive performance the question for the manufacturers must increasingly be how they differentiate themselves from others.

Integration and connectivity are two areas based on the evidence of this week’s new e-bike releases – Scott have produced one of the most integrated looking e-bikes to date whilst Vaast have opted for a Unique suspension system and Evari stress hidden (or very well integrated) display and connectivity tech, with as many elements as possible hidden in a carbon monocoque frame.

In this week’s news:

• Scott’s integrated Patron eRide eMTB
• Vaast go Urban Adventure
• Carbon-framed Evari from the UK
• Bafang mid-drives
• Magnet speed hack from New Zealand’s NLS
• San Francisco Transit First Analyzed

[Read more…] about Ebike News: Scott’s Integrated eMTB, Vaast Urban Adventure, UK’s Evari and Much More

It’s Eurobike right now – Europe’s biggest bike trade show – so new announcements on e-bikes come thick and fast. Some are more predictable than others; bigger batteries and more powerful mid-drives from the likes of Bosch and Yamaha may be welcome developments for some but they are hardly massive surprises.

The more exciting changes these days seem to be at the lightweight end of the market with lightweight yet powerful mid-drives announced by Fazua and the little known Maxon – to give just two examples. Of course, only time will tell which systems will endure and which will be less popular or even fade away (see the mention of the Mando Footloose below….) – but Eurobike remains a great showcase for all the new developments and an exciting time for e-bike tech watchers, whichever tech goes on to succeed.

In this week’s news:

• Bosch 2022 Smart System
• All new Yamaha PW-X3 mid-drive launches
• Lighweight Maxon mid-drive
• Fazua’s new removable mid-drives
• Schaeffler’s Free Drive that needs no chain or belt
• New Gen4 Lime e-scooters launch in New York City
• E-bike charging stations set to grow says report

[Read more…] about Ebike News: Bosch 2022 ‘Smart’ System and New Mid-drives from Yamaha, Fazua and Others

Bosch on Tuesday announced a host of new model year 2022 products and updates for their line of electric bike drive systems that promise to make e-bikes smarter, more connected and go further.

Along with a new 750Wh in-frame battery, a new app, a handful of software updates and a new Bluetooth remote and display, Bosch outlined its vision for a more connected and smarter e-bike — one that can adapt intuitively to your riding style, help you get from point-to-point quicker and interact with other smart devices to become a more integral part of your day.

“The idea is that the physical experience of riding an e-bike and the digital experience of using a smartphone (should) combine very nicely,” Claus Fleischer, CEO of Bosch e-bike systems said during the company’s annual press conference on Tuesday morning.

The updates and new products planned for 2022 are some of the most significant we’ve seen from the German manufacturer in recent years, but new things for the 2022 model year weren’t the only things teased during Tuesday’s press event; Bosch also hinted at several other innovative smart features just over the horizon.

[Read more…] about Bosch announces new ‘smart’ e-bike system, a larger battery and new app for 2022