Trek Debuts FX+ 1 and Townie Go! E-Bikes with Throttles, We Compare the Aventon Aventure 3 and Velotric Nomad 2 | TWR Ep 32

The Yamaha-founded battery service company Enyring has announced a partnership with Swobbee, a provider of infrastructure and technology for battery exchange platforms. Through this collaboration, Enyring plans to debut a battery swapping service in Amsterdam and Berlin beginning this summer.

The companies have worked together previously, with Swobbee handling the charging services for a Berlin-based rental service with a fleet of Yamaha’s NEO electric mopeds. The new partnership leverages Swobbee’s experience managing over 100 charging/battery exchange stations across Europe and New York City.

Enyring aims to expand e-bike usage by catering to delivery workers and commuters alike, with their envisioned platform allowing riders to trade in depleted batteries for freshly charged power supplies. With ready-to-roll batteries always available, subscribers to the service would effectively have unlimited range.

Our Take: Similar services, like the Taiwan-based Gogoro, have been gaining traction in recent years. The services make sense in major cities, both to keep delivery workers and dedicated EV users on the move, but also to allay concerns about battery fires in densely populated residential areas.

In an unexpected move clearly intended to compete with brands like Aventon, Ride1Up, Rad Power Bikes, etc., Trek has released a new FX+ 1/1S city e-bike as well as a revamped Townie Go! under the Electra name. Both bikes feature 500W rear-hub motors and throttles, which stray away from the brand’s typical pedal-assist-only approach.

The FX+ 1 and 1S models are touted as weighing a manageable 48 lbs. They have 520 Wh batteries, hybrid gravel tires, and a 410% gear range for the 8-speed Shimano drivetrain. Both bikes offer compatibility with the Trek Central app, a wall-mounting Easy Mag charger, and come in high-step and mid-step frames.

The Electra Townie Go! model is a refreshed, sleek-looking cruiser with similar specs. In addition to a 520 Wh battery, an 8-speed mixed Microshift/Shimano drivetrain, and hydraulic disc brakes, the Townie has an MIK-HD cargo rack and integrated lights/turn signals. It also has a Quad Lock phone mount, an EasyMag charger, and compatibility with the Trek Central app.

Both the Townie Go! and the FX+ 1 are available with 20 and 28 mph configurations. Both bikes are also priced at $1999.

Our Take: It’s extremely interesting to see Trek entering the market with competitive pricing and features such as a throttle that many casual e-bikers find appealing. As Trek products, we expect both to have a refined and highly ergonomic feel, as well as competitive performance. We can’t wait to test these bikes!

The Echo Pro helmet, made by a Dutch company called Headfirst, offers a unique ratcheting press-fit design to ensure comfort and a snug fit. Users put the helmet on, press the sides to engage the ratchet mechanism, and tighten the fit, while using a push-button to release the clamp system when removing the helmet.

According to the company, the helmet was designed to be safer, better fitting, and more comfortable than a traditional helmet. Looks were also taken into account, with the low-profile design being far less bulky than most other helmets on the market. Headfirst also claims that the Echo Pro can withstand multiple impacts.

One feature that caught our attention was the integrated brake light, which uses an accelerometer to activate. When the sensor detects deceleration, the light turns on!

At the time of writing, the Echo Pro’s Kickstarter Campaign has reached roughly $18,500 of its $22,500 funding goal with 22 days to go.

Our Take: We’d want to see testing of the helmet’s ability to withstand multiple impacts, since helmets usually have to be discarded after a single incident, but we’re digging the look and functionality of this design!

The accelerometer-activated brake light is a feature we’d love to see integrated into e-bike brake systems. Presently, e-bikes with brake lights require specific brake systems with a motor cutoff feature, which we feel isn’t essential on models with torque sensors. Accelerometers could allow for brake lights with other brake systems that wouldn’t interrupt the pedal assist system.