Ebike Industry Updates
The combination of low weight, smooth and skinny tires, large 700C wheels and a lack of suspension give the Velotric T1 HS a particular sort of ride. At low speeds, this e-bike is agile and can wind through a crowded bike path with ease. At higher speeds, it has great road manners and cruises easily. At Class 3 speeds, it’s very stable and gives the rider plenty of confidence.
I’d compare the ride of the Velotric T1 HS to a sporty car. The handling is quick and the suspension stiff, whereas most sedans tend to handle more calmly and feature a gentler rider, suspension-wise.
Velotric chose to equip the T1 with an assortment of rack mounts, which gives this e-bike some added flexibility. For the rider who might want to do some loaded touring (an inn-to-inn tour, perhaps?), the T1 provides an intriguing opportunity.
I mentioned before how I felt like I needed more reach from the saddle to the bar. In part, that’s because Velotric sent us the medium size of the T1 HS. It’s great that Velotric not only makes the T1 in two different frame designs (ST and HS), they offer two different sizes as well. The large features a notably longer top tube (15mm longer), which would have helped my comfort as I seemed to dwarf the medium.
Having built-in GPS was pretty terrific. It improves security and offered a fun perspective on the riding I did. The smartphone app that brings the various functions together, though, was a little buggy; I had to unpair and re-pair my phone a couple of times.
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Photo Credit: Feedback Sports
Until recently, there weren’t many repair stands that could handle an e-bike. Most were made for traditional road and mountain bikes that weigh less than 30 lbs. In the last couple of years some of the top companies producing tools for pro and home mechanics alike have begun introducing stands sturdy enough to make working on your e-bike a cinch. In our survey of the best repair stands for e-bikes we will look at the factors that make for a good repair stand as well as our favorite models on the market.
Let’s take a look at our faves.
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In the Netherlands and in many European countries, e-bikes are limited to a maximum output of 250W. This is one of the reasons e-bikes with mid-drive motors are so popular in Europe—a mid-drive motor can provide more assistance than a hub motor can for a given wattage. Why mandate such a low power output? Dutch officials see it as a public safety issue. While pedelecs that go 28 mph (45kph) are available, most e-bikes are restricted to 15.5 mph (25kph). According to the Dutch government, as e-bike use has grown, so have e-bike-rider fatalities, in an equal proportion.
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The Dutch government has purchased 247 portable dynamometers that can be positioned in locations with high e-bike traffic and the police can stop riders and test their e-bike’s output. E-bikes that exceed that 250W nominal rating will earn their owners a ticket €290 ($312 USD). A second infraction will result in the same fine, but a third can result in confiscation of the e-bike.
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Riders over the age of 12 but don’t yet have a driver’s license would be required to take and pass the test. Upon passing the test, prospective riders would be required to carry a state-issued ID.
Boerner, said the effort is to make sure both kids and parents understand traffic rules in order to keep kids safe when riding their e-bikes.
The test would be based on safety training published by the California Highway Patrol, in response to AB 1946, also authored by Boerner.
“E-bikes provide that sense of freedom that so many kids and Californians are looking for,” Boener said, “but it’s crucial that we ensure they know how to ride using the rules of our roads, and make safe and smart decisions when sharing the road with cars and pedestrians.”
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The Two Front Wheel Electric Bike (they call it an electric bike rather than trike) takes a different approach to three-wheeled e-mobility by positioning the paired wheels in front, rather than in back. This also features a folding design to ease both storage and transportation.
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Componentry
It’s in cockpit components: handlebar, saddle, stem and seatpost that we often see examples of companies working hard to bring down the cost of an e-bike as they move from the most expensive version to the most affordable version. The Cannondale Moterra is no different.
With the Cannondale Moterra 1, we see a carbon fiber handlebar, but on the other four models, they all receive an alloy bar.
All five of the Moterras receive a dropper post and the amount of adjustability varies depending on the size of frame. The smaller sizes getting less range and the bigger sizes covering more.
Drivetrain, brakes and wheels
For an eMTB to meet the sort of performance riders expect, it really can’t afford to trip where the motor, battery, suspension, brakes or drivetrain are concerned. A weakness in any of those areas will hamper an eMTB’s performance.
The Cannondale Moterra comes with a 12-speed drivetrain on the 1, 2 3 and 4. The Moterra 5 comes with a 10-speed drivetrain, which results in a narrower range of gearing.
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Due to concern for the rising rates of lithium-ion battery fires which are often incorrectly attributed to e-bikes, Denver will require that anyone using one of their vouchers to purchase an e-bike that complies either with UL 2271 (batteries) or UL 2849 (the entire system including motor and battery).
The vouchers will be released in five batches. The first batch was released Tuesday, February 27. Additional batches will be released April 30, June 25, August 27 and October 29. Vouchers are good for 90 days.
The program is aimed at low-income Denver residents; vouchers are awarded to households that earn less than 60 percent of Colorado’s median income ($86,900 for individual earners or $99,300 for two earners), less than 60 percent of the area median income or less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
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The two e-bikes, the S1 and the C1 are intended to be lighter than typical e-bikes. Navee says they will weigh between 25 and 30kg (55 to 66 lbs.), in order to make them easier for smaller riders or riders with limited strength or mobility to manage.
The two e-bikes share many design features. Both feature step-thru frame designs. They can be ordered with either 250W or 350W motors (500W or 700W max output, respectively) and several different batteries, from 468Wh up to 612Wh. Both e-bikes come with 26-in. wheels and front and rear drum brakes. Navee included both a torque sensor and a cadence sensor to make them as responsive as possible.
Both e-bikes are projected to have a range of up to 75km (46.6 mi.) per charge, and will be speed limited to 25kph (15.5 mph).
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The LMT’D V2 arrived as a Class 2 e-bike with throttle and pedal assist up to 20 mph, though it can be switched to a Class 3 through its settings menu. This grants access to pedal assisted speeds up to 28 mph (the throttle remains limited to 20 mph). As such, I performed a Speed Test in both its Class 2 and Class 3 modes to measure its maximum speeds in its 5 PAS settings. The data from both tests is graphed above.
Our test course is a flat section of paved bike path with straights and curves. Due to the LMT’D’s use of a torque sensor for motor engagement, I maintained a consistent, casual-to-moderate level of effort so as to observe the differences between settings.
In Class 2 mode, I began the test by pedaling with the PAS deactivated (PAS 0) and reached 10.6 mph comfortably. My speeds increased relatively steadily to 13.5 mph in PAS 1, 15.8 mph in PAS 2, 19.1 mph in PAS 3, and 21.0 mph in PAS 4. With the bike limited in its Class 2 settings, there was no room left to go above my PAS 4 speed; I measured the same maximum in PAS 5.
In Class 3 mode, there was an immediate and noticeable difference in the motor’s output across the full span of assist levels. I once again noted steady increases of speed, with maximum results of 14.8 mph in PAS 1, 18.9 mph in PAS 2, 22.8 mph in PAS 3 and 25.1 mph in PAS 4. Finally, I felt a significant kick upon selecting PAS 5; the bike rocketed to 29.9 mph with its maximum output.
With a 48V, 750W rear-hub motor, the bike’s ability to reach the Class 3 limit in PAS 5 (with some gusto, I might add) was no surprise; this is a powerful motor that is able to draw and use current from the battery quickly. However, I found that the bike’s ride felt much more reserved than I expected in its lower PAS settings than I expected based on its specs. I thoroughly appreciated the bike’s non-electric feel, so this was a pleasant surprise!
Considering that travel-focused companies like Thule make bicycle carriers, it’s obvious that flying with a bike is a thing. But what about flying with an e-bike? When checking luggage, airline agents ask about lithium ion batteries and TSA asks about them as well when we move through security.
Policies on flying with a bike vary from airline to airline. Most consider a bike in a carrier to be oversize, which results in a charge that can run from as little as $35 up to more than $200, per leg.
While the charges for bikes can seem arbitrary and maybe even capricious, flying with an e-bike is a different matter entirely. Because e-bikes use lithium-ion batteries, the transportation of those batteries is governed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA has placed strict limits on the size of lithium-ion batteries permitted on planes, both in carry-on and checked luggage.
The maximum permissible size for a lithium-ion battery is 100Wh. The specific language can be found in the Code for Federal Regulations under § 173.185 (1,i).
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Stromer’s parent company, myStromer AG, which is also the parent of e-bike brand Desiknio, accomplished a major feat in 2023 by growing their market share in two of Europe’s hottest e-bike markets, Belgium and the Netherlands. The company managed an even more unlikely deed in the U.S. by charting double-digit growth.
Among Stromer’s accomplishments in 2023, they built the first rideable prototype e-bike using a ceramic battery. They also forged a multi-year relationship with Alinghi Red Bull Racing to introduce two Alinghi Red Bull Racing Special Edition Stromer models.
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Their product line received an exciting addition earlier this month when they announced their new cargo e-bike, the CX.
V9 of the Goccycle app is just the first step in a process that the company says will result in new features being deployed to owner’s smartphones. The upgrade to V9 is substantial enough that the company says it will be unable to support the old version of the app and that Goccycle owners will need to upgrade to V9.
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Hard-tail eMTBs of course don’t have the same smooth ride as full-suspension e-bikes, but in addition to being less expensive, they are lighter and require less service, and often last longer. And while full-suspension designs are exciting, in much of the U.S., the downhills aren’t long enough to really enable a rider to make use of the rear suspension. So while a hard-tail eMTB will feature a bumpier ride than a full-suspension model, it tends to be more efficient when pedaling on flat ground.
There is a front fork to talk about though. With most all-terrain and fat-tire e-bikes that are billed as being suited to off-road riding, we generally see a suspension fork of between 60 and 120mm of travel; 100mm is common. Aventon chose the RockShox 35 Silver TK suspension fork with 130mm of travel. Performance wise, I thought it was great. It held up well over several rounds on our local trails. As a 235 lbs human, I thought I was getting the ideal sag at around 35%. Why point out what I saw on the scale the last time I was on it? Well, you can’t adjust the compression at all, so heavier than me and it might have to much sag. Aventon has a lot of good here so I don’t want to overblow this point, but it would have been nice to have a fork you could adjust.
Another great touch that Aventon gave the Ramblas was the dropper post. Dropper posts have become necessities on both mountain bikes and eMTBs. With the press of a lever, a rider can sit down on the seat and lower it, then release the lever and the seat stays down. This allows the rider to move around on descents, drop-offs and any technical terrain where the presence of the saddle can hamper the rider’s ability to move.
We often talk about how the one-size e-bikes can’t really fit everyone. The Aventon Ramblas comes in four sizes because riding on technical terrain calls for a well-fitting e-bike in a way that commuting to work doesn’t. If a cruiser doesn’t fit just right, it’s not a big deal, but if an eMTB doesn’t fit right, the rider’s balance and ability to control the e-bike can be compromised.
With four sizes, Aventon estimates that the Ramblas will fit riders from 5 feet 1 up to 6 feet 5, with each size accommodating about a 4-in. range of heights. We think they got this right.
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The basics of the Rad Power Bikes RadWagon remain unchanged: This is a cargo e-bike with a step-thru frame designed to carry as many as two passengers. Providing the muscle is a 750W brushless, geared hub motor.
While those basics remain in place, preserving the cargo e-bike’s mission and basic abilities, plenty else has changed. The RadWagon 5 features an all-new frame design, with less tubing, but with greater adjustability and a better ability to accommodate smaller riders. The wheel size has been changed from 22 in. to 20. and the battery has grown from 672Wh to 720Wh.
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Changes to the RadExpand 5 Plus include a bigger, safer battery, the addition of a torque sensor, a more compact profile when folded, better security and a suspension fork.
Many of the features of the Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5 Plus remain unchanged from the previous version, in part because it was already a terrific design. It still ships as a Class 2 e-bike with a maximum-assist speed of 20 mph and a half-twist throttle. It sports a 7-speed drivetrain with a roughly 260 percent gear range and hydraulic disc brakes paired to 180mm rotors.
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We’ve previously reviewed the Vvolt Alpha and Vvolt Proxima and found both to be terrific designs that offer a solid value.
The Vvolt Slice Lite features a 20-in. wheel in the front and a 26-in. wheel in the rear. It may look a little funny at first, but there’s a good reason for this. One truism of all moving things is that the lower the center of gravity, the more stable it is. By equipping the Slice Lite with a 20-in. front wheel rather than 26 in., Vvolt is able to offer riders a much lower attachment point for the cargo module—their front-mounted basket.
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The new cargo e-bikes aren’t e-bikes, exactly. They feature four wheels, give the driver a semi-enclosed cab (front windshield and roof to protect from weather), will be able to carry a load of up to 375 lbs (170kg) for up to 45 mi. per charge and will use three-pin plugs for charging so that FedEx won’t need to install custom chargers.
FedEx worked with Electric Asssited Vehicles, Ltd. (EAV) on the design of the cargo e-bikes. The U.K.’s Department for Transport awarded EAV £150,000 to develop and test the cargo e-bikes from its Freight Innovation Fund.
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EBR’s BikTrix Juggernaut FS First Look Review:
The BikTrix Juggernaut is a sophisticated all-terrain e-bike. Whether someone chooses the fat-tire version or the mountain bike version, they’ll be heading into the countryside on one of the most powerful e-bikes we’ve seen. It will climb anything that can be called a road and maintain convincing control throughout.
How would someone choose between the fat-tire and the mountain bike version? It’s not a straightforward choice, that’s for sure. Anyone who is likely to encounter snow or sand will be better served by the big tires. But riders who will be riding terrain with lots of twists and turns, or plentiful mud would do well to pick the mountain bike edition.
There are always some features in any e-bike we review that give us pause. We can’t always see a way to improve them, but we take note, either way. With the BikTrix Juggernaut FS we have two concerns. Our top concern is for the safety of the rider and that of other riders or pedestrians should someone choose to ride this e-bike on a bike path or on trails in a park. This e-bike will reach speeds that could alarm anyone nearby, and perhaps even the rider.
Our other concern is just how frequently its owners will need to replace its drivetrain components. Its combination of power (1200W) and torque (220Nm) mean that it will wear out the chain, cassette and chainring faster than almost any other e-bike we’ve seen. Often, a rider can avoid replacing the cassette and chainring if they replace the chain frequently enough. The chain tends to cost 20 percent (or less) of what a cassette costs. But replacing the chain often enough to avoid cassette and chainring replacement may not be possible with such a powerful e-bike. Buyers of the Juggernaut FS will need to be prepared to develop a good relationship with a neighborhood bike or e-bike shop in order to keep it in good working order.
When pedaling becomes a backup, not an option, it makes sense to design a ride with a more comfortable seat, greater stability at speed and bigger tires with more traction. That said, on those occasions when you do choose to pedal, it’s nice not to have your knees bumping your chin and I’m not sure I’ve ridden an e-moped that gave me a more comfortable seated position. We’re all going to misjudge range at some point and find ourselves a mile or two from home. The e-bike that makes pedaling home as easy as possible is going to cause less range anxiety, and that’s one thing the QuiteKat Lynx has going for it. I wouldn’t have guessed I could go nearly 10 mph on a 100-lb. e-bike with the motor off. So, kudos and all.
QuietKat’s Variable Power Output (VPO) is one of our favorite features. The unlimited mode is great fun when no one else is nearby, but in traffic or on a bike path, it’s helpful to be able to switch this to Class 3 or Class 2 operation in an effort to be a good neighbor.
QuietKat’s app improves the user experience with features like GPS tracking both while riding and when parked, locking and unlocking the Lynx and more.
With UL-certification becoming a must-have, we were glad to see that QuietKat secured UL 2849 certification for the Lynx. That means the full electronics system including battery, charger and motor has been certified safe.
QuietKat’s warranty is a little more stringent than we usually see as it covers the Lynx for one year or 1000 miles, though the frame carries a lifetime warranty. Those wanting additional coverage that includes accident protection can purchase a one-, two- or three-year supplemental warranty at the time of their purchase.
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The basics for the Himiway C3 are attractive. It features a step-thru design, suspension fork, 750W hub motor, 960Wh battery, 7-speed drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes. This is a well-equipped e-bike. It also features a cowling that fits around the frame and battery that gives the C3 a look that evokes an e-moped.
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