Blog

In this weeks news:

• New 28mph Yamaha eRoad bike
• Crosscountry and Downhill eMTBs from Mountain Bike Specialist Niner
• Vekkit Lightweight Retrofit Kit from Poland
• Vittoria’s New Graphene Tyres
• What Do You Pack for an eBike Trip?
• Electric Monowheel World Record
• ‘Free’ eBike Use for North Londoners
• Battery Tech Update
• Cargobike Boom in Europe

New eBikes and eBike Systems

New Yamaha Civante – A 28mph eRoad Bike

Class 3 e-bikes are allowed a top assisted speed of 28mph in the US. They are popular for those who feel the 20mph limit on class 1 and class 2 e-bikes is insufficient. The greater speed of course means you go further, faster. The downsides are:

• Access to all bike paths may be restricted so you may find yourself mixing more with motor traffic
• Shorter battery range and life due to the greater power demands on the battery to reach top assisted speeds

Despite any drawbacks, Yamaha have announced the launch of a new class 3 e-bike the Civante eRoad bike. It also looks pretty light, claiming to be a sub 20kg e-bike despite packing a powerful looking PWSeries SE mid-drive motor and a 500Wh battery. There are also 20 derailleur gears and LED lights and hydraulic disk brakes. There are also rack and fender mounting points.
[Read more…] about eBike News: Yamaha Speed Pedelec, New Niner emtbs, Mount Washington Trip, Monowheel Record & More! [VIDEOS]

Recent headlines might suggest that shared e-micromobility schemes – whether e-bike or kickscooter – are having a tough time. Whether it’s reports of shared e-bikes being scrapped or the likes of Bird and Lime suspending service in cities due to the pandemic.

But amidst the global chaos engendered by Covid 19 there was plenty of positive news about micromobility too, from corporate style product launches to new services out there on the streets.

Here EBR takes a look at what’s been happening to shared electrically powered schemes before and during the virus and what the signs are for the future.

First the Bad News

Rentals from e-bike and e-kickscooter schemes all but dried up at the start of the pandemic. As this March report from The Verge tells us ‘Lime, the largest e-scooter-sharing company in the world, said it would be suspending service in nearly two dozen countries. Bird said it would halt operations in six US cities as well as all of its European markets. And Spin, which is owned by Ford, has had to pause service in “very few” cities and universities. ‘
[Read more…] about Can Electric Scooter and Bike Sharing Companies Survive the COVID-19 Virus?