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Frame material is an old chestnut for discussion in the bike and e-bike world, but despite lots of exciting new tech appearing on the horizon (and sometimes disappearing back beneath it) the vast majority of e-bikes and bikes are still made from steel and aluminium alloys. New alloy mixes and new manufacturing processes like aluminium tube hydroforming (pioneered on bike frames by Giant in the early part of the 20th century) have given a new twist and new possibilities to frame design. But, at the heart of it you are still left with the same metallic core properties of steel and aluminium on the vast majority of bikes and e-bikes available today.

EBR has reported on many of the new developments such as 3D-printed frames, magnesium cast frames and even bamboo-framed e-bikes. Despite being around for quite a while on road bikes, carbon-fiber has remained relatively rare on e-bikes but this week we look at two e-bike startups looking to bring carbon fiber frames to more affordable e-bikes, price being traditionally one of the big sticking points of mass adoption. Is this really a new dawn for e-bike frame materials or another false one?

• Ride1UP’s new affordable, single speed gravel e-bike
• Urtopia and CrownCruiser carbon fiber e-bikes
• Automatic suspension from SRAM
• Orion look to popularise low cost e-bikes
• Amazing e-bike and Brompton US growth
• Dott to launch 10,000 share e-bikes across Europe

[Read more…] about Ebike News: Ride1UP Gravel Option, Carbon Fiber Future, Amazing US Bike Growth & More!

Lighter, faster, greener, smarter. All themes that crop up regularly with e-bike and e-scooter companies wanting to claim they have the lightest or fastest or greenest or smartest product out there.

Ares have broken the seductive 20lb weight barrier with an e-road bike, BMW want variable e-bikes with a near-on 40mph speed capability on their latest concept vehicle, Unagi claim their new e-scooter is the smartest out there and the UK’s Royal Mail are heading for greener and greener ways of electric delivery. Read on for more detail…

• Ares use HPS Watt Assist system to launch their first sub-20lb e-bike
• Switzerland’s FLYER head to the US
• UK’s Eskute launch Bafang powered mid-drive models
• Royal Mail trialing micro electric vehicles from Norway and France
• Fazua acquires innovative hub drive company
• European e-bike speed debate hots up
• Unagi’s new ‘smart’ e-scooter with sensors
• Chicago set for more bike lanes

[Read more…] about E-bike News: Ares sub 20lb E-road Bike, Eskute Go Mid-drive, E-bike Speed Debate & More!

Plenty of innovation and interesting light electric vehicles this week, from Cube’s partially tilting trike to Eli’s 25mph mini electric car – OK the Eli is not an e-bike but the kind of small, light electric vehicle that e-bikes are much happier co-existing with on city streets with than full size cars and trucks and e-bikes arguably have more in common with small EVs like this than small EVs do with full size cars.

Also notable is the fact that Eli is based in the US but has chosen the EU to launch – for reasons we go into below. At the same time the sleek and hi-tech looking Cowboy 4 is heading from it’s Belgian roots to the US, proving that the e-bike market appears to be expanding just about everywhere just at the moment.

In this week’s news:

• Cowboy 4 urban e-bike should be on sale in the US from Jan 2022
• Cube’s innovative tilting trike
• Rad City commuter line gets makeover
• Serial 1 Limited Edition S1 Tribute
• E-mtbs dominate German e-bike market
• Eli EV takes a trip from the US to Europe
• Juiced bigger mid-range battery

[Read more…] about Ebike News: Belgian Cowboy to the US, New RadCity 5 +, Cube Tilting Trike and Harley Davidson Limited Edition – and Much More!

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?