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Bosch, the European mid-drive motor market leader, clearly have huge influence. Of course this stems from their reliable, high-performance e-bike motor systems, but it is just that that allows them the right to lead the debate on issues such as regulation – which they are calling for more of in the US.

As respected e-bike industry commentator Micah Toll recently summarised ‘The US market isn’t quite the wild west, but it’s much closer to that end of the spectrum than Europe’s tightly-regulated electric bike market.’ And as Toll also notes, there is a balance to be struck between allowing smaller companies to innovate – or just survive – and allowing unsafe products out there. With battery fires the main safety focus right now, Toll rightly notes ‘Batteries provide the most risk of any component on an e-bike, so they seem like the right place to start. UL-rated batteries (ie tested to safety standards) can of course be purchased by any manufacturer.’

In this week’s e-bike news:

• Mondraker announce carbon-framed e-mtb with Bosch’s most powerful, limited edition mid-drive
• Bosch push for more federal regulation of e-bikes
• Rad Power lay offs
  
• Decathlon’s three new e-bikes widen range dramatically
• What’s next?……six on an e-bike and bike lanes on stilts

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Mondraker Use Bosch Race Motor, Bosch Regulation Call and Much More!

With every new e-bike launch the trends are becoming clearer; sub 20kg e-mtbs are much more common and even full suspension sub 33lb / 16kg models are now beginning to appear more regularly – as witnessed by launches from Orbea and Scott this week – though you will still need very deep pockets to opt for the very lightest option out there.

E-trikes look to be on the up too; EBR was often asked about these in the past and we have to admit it was a struggle to recommend ones we had any personal experience of and a struggle to get review models in – now two have come along at once, one from Denmark’s Mate and the other from the one of the biggest names on the US e-bike scene, Rad Power. So we hope there will be more on e-trikes over the coming months…..

In this week’s e-bike news:

• Orbea Rise full-sus e-mtb now lighter than ever
  
• Scott Lumen range goes light with the TQ-HPR-50 mid-drive
• New e-trikes from Rad Power and Mate
  
• Pierer to sell Gasgas e-bikes in N American market
• Continental’s new, tough e-bike tire

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Xtra-light E-MTBs from Orbea and Scott, Two New E-trikes and Much More!

The contrasting cost of e-bikes seems very much apparent in this week’s news with Moustache’s latest ‘SUV’ e-bike looking to shave around 1400 euros off the price of its bigger-batteried predecessor, whilst Canada’s Nireeka are looking to really make a splash by offering a truly powerful e-bike with carbon frame for under $2500 by going down the direct to customer, crowdfunding route. Meanwhile we see how popular subsidies are proving at state level and there is more evidence from Shimano in Europe that purchase subsidies also go down well there too.

In this week’s e-bike news:

• Moustache Petit Weekend – e-bike SUV not less expensive with smaller battery
• Nireeka carbon e-fat bike crowdfunds
• E-bike subsidies on the near horizon in Oregon
  
• Vela e-bikes moving production to Detroit
• Cost of living now driving e-bikes sales says Shimano study
• Dutch e-fat bike retailers warned on illegally powerful sales

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Moustache Petit Weekend, Nireeka Carbon and Much More!

With new e-bike launches a little thin on the ground this week we catch our breath to take a look into other areas of the e-bike world. Perhaps most notably, after e-bike and e-scooter share schemes seem to have suffered from a post boom period of bad news stories, there are signs they are on the up again. On our more usual tack, we take a look at Espin’s battery upgrade and a new monster of an e-mtb from Italy.

In this week’s e-bike news:

• The Tricolore – a carbon-framed big batteries e-mtb from Italy
• Espin announces battery size upgrade for folding Nesta
• E-bike and e-scooter sharing – are they financially sustainable yet?
  
• New bike trails from Michigan and Germany
• Modmo likely to liquidate

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Moto Parilla Carbon Emtb, Espin Nesta battery Upgrade and Much 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

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Orbea, BMC, and FLX Release New E-Bikes, Rad Power Bikes Has a New CEO & 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

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Giant’s SUV, UK’s Peddle 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

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Radio Flyer Goes Compact Cargo, Surly Goes with Bosch and Much More !