Ebike Industry Updates
Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.
A punchy motor defines the Trailblazer Pro’s ride experience with thrilling speeds and nearly effortless climbing.
If you are a larger rider needing an extra boost, or like Lightning McQueen, you tell yourself, “I am speed,” you’ll really dig what this bike can do.
HPC equipped the Trailblazer Pro with many nicer features that make for a great ride experience. Seasoned riders will love the precision of the suspension system with rebound and compression control. The tires’ grip, along with the lighter-weight design, helps it feel nimble through tight turns.
The handling was great despite our wishing for a slightly shorter chainstay length which would have made it feel a bit more agile. When it came time for the downhill though our handling complaints were all but gone, it was a lot of fun to hop around on.
The Trailblazer Pro turned many heads on our rides, either for its neon green accents or for how often we called out ahead to pass somebody. It’s a fun bike with a lot to unpack, so make sure to see how it did in our testing below.
Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.
TRP and Bosch have collaborated on an electronic drivetrain for both road and mountain that will shift automatically and be powered by Bosch’s battery.
TRP has collaborated with Bosch on a new electronic drivetrain for e-bikes equipped with Bosch motors. The TRP Bosch E.A.S.I. A12 uses a TRP-made electronic rear derailleur powered by the e-bike’s Bosch battery. But that’s just the beginning.
TRP is the high-end arm of Tektro; it stands for Tektro Racing Products. The TRP Bosch E.A.S.I. A12 is a 12-speed drivetrain. Though we’ve seen photos of integrated control levers for road and gravel e-bikes, TRP shows the drivetrain on an eMTB on their website. They show two cassettes; one features a 520 percent range (10-52t). The other features a slightly narrower 11-50t setup. Among the features that TRP touts on the site are automatic shifting so that you never have to think to shift. Riders can use Bosch’s Flow e-bike app to set their target cadence in case they choose automatic shifting. Manual shifting is, of course, an option, but so is a temporary manual override for riders who choose automatic shifting.
Perhaps the most intriguing feature of the drivetrain is the torque reduction it performs when shifting. The higher the torque the drivetrain is under when shifting, the more wear the drivetrain suffers. By reducing the amount of torque the motor produces while shifting, drivetrain longevity is increased. The shifting tends to be smoother and quieter as well.
The wireless shifter features a classic two trigger design. The shifter communicates via CMD technology and it runs on a CR-2032 watch battery.
In terms of sizing and fit, we were pleased to note that the bike is available in two frame sizes: a small for riders between 5’0” and 5’7” and a medium fitting those from 5’7” to 6’3”. We tested the medium, which felt appropriate for my height of 5’11”, with room to spare for taller riders.
The Trax LT’s adjustable stem allows riders to tailor the bike’s fit to their preferences. With the stem angled forward, users can adopt a more forward-leaning riding position. Conversely, with the stem set vertically, the riding position can be more upright. Personally, I preferred the upright seating position due to some back issues, as it alleviated pressure.
I found the curved handlebars, cushioned saddle, and rubber grips to be comfortable as well; I was able to enjoy long test rides without any soreness.
The bike’s user interface was simple, colorful, and easy to read and understand. A large button pad made for simple operation and a color LED display inevitably gave the bike a nicer feel than a traditional black-and-white screen. I also appreciated the added touch of its included road animation that played when the bike was moving.
Troxus included fenders, a headlight, and a 55-lb capacity cargo rack with a taillight/brake light. We appreciate these features, as they are well suited to commuting, but considering the Trax LT’s price of roughly $1,600 (at the time of writing) and its display’s compatibility, we hope to see turn signals included in the future to increase the bike’s safety factor.
The suspension is stiff and supportive, which makes it great for climbing and stable on descents, though it’s not as plush as some other setups. Our test bike came with an air spacer in the front fork, and we preferred the ride after removing it.
More than anything, we were pleasantly surprised by the bike’s agility. The 38mm stanchions and longer wheelbase make it appear larger than it feels to ride, offering better-than-expected maneuverability.
This serves as a reminder: the bike’s sizing runs large, and for the first time, I think I would have been better off on a medium rather than the large we tested. Be sure to consult the geometry chart to find the best fit for your preferences.
The brakes worked reliably. SRAM’s DB8 4-piston hydraulics have all the stopping power you need to stop in a hurry, and they have operated just fine over all of our testing. Not having a lot to talk about where the brakes are concerned is a plus when I’m reviewing a bike.
The mixed-wheel setup felt like a good choice on this bike. Since it did feel a little large to us, it was nice to have the more agil feel of a 27.5-inch tire in the rear. Overall though, the bike just felt very stable with the larger-than-most wheelbase and nice tire setup.
Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.
A Unique, Premium Ride That Is Rugged and Capable for XC & Trail Riding in Any Weather
For some, trail or XC mountain biking is a fair-weather-only activity. Fighting the muck after some rain might not sound like a joyride. For others, local trails may not be the most conducive to riding if you live in a sandy, gravelly, or snowy locale. However, a cure exists for these particular ailments in the form of true fat tire eMTBs for XC and trail riding.
The Borealis Keystone operates in this niche, and it was impressively outfitted to thrive in different riding scenarios.
Borealis has been making fat bikes for a long time—as evidenced by their owning the domain fatbike.com—and their first take on an electric bike is an impressive one. The Keystone has the modern geometry associated with trail and XC riding, is spec’d with a host of desirable Shimano and SRAM parts (hello, electronic shifting!), and lets the rider pick the tires ranging from offensive lineman to sumo wrestler sizes.
One of the most surprising takeaways from our time on the Keystone was how simple it is to ride. The bike weighs 60 lbs, but it feels light by fat bike standards—there are several in the 70 – 90 lbs. range, after all. It was surprisingly easy to maneuver around on our local trails, and we even found it worked well with the motor off.
The bike is extremely responsive. It’s a stiff bike with a rigid fork and a 680mm handlebar. It feels lively and light on the road, yet it corners really well and inspires confidence when riding at speed.
The handling has a downside – it’s a rougher ride overall, and you’ll feel more bumps in the road. In truth, this was the type of bike I hated when I first got into cycling. Still, over the years, I’ve appreciated the handling characteristics, and, well, my backside has toughened up over thousands of miles, so the sharper handling is a worthy tradeoff for me.
The bike rocks a clean aesthetic. Ride1Up has always had nice paint jobs, but they’ve nearly eliminated any visible cables, so the Roadster V3 is about as sleek and visually appealing as anything they’ve produced.
Riders of different heights can pick from three frame sizes. The brand has often opted for just two – a high step and a low step – so this is further growing and evolving. As a 6’1″ rider, I felt great on the size large high step model.
The previous Roadster was only available in a single-speed option. This time around, you can choose either the single-speed belt drive or the Shimano Deore 10-speed. Our tester was the 10-speed, and it had a great and practical range to work with.
In terms of its sizing, the bike is available in a single frame size advertised for riders from 5’5” to 6’5”. Our team was divided on its fit, but at 5’11”, I found it to be somewhat awkward-feeling. I was unable to extend my legs fully when pedaling—possibly the reason for the extremely sensitive torque sensor—and I found the 650mm handlebars too narrow.
As I stated in the intro, the Eden is one of two models made by Freedare. The brand’s other fat tire e-bike, the Saiga, has a high-step frame with greater saddle height and flat handlebars but is otherwise identical to the Eden. As such, it’s better suited for taller riders; I’m confident the Saiga would be more appropriate for my height and leg length.
We appreciate that Freedare offers two bikes for riders of different sizes, but we encourage them to expand the number of frame sizes offered for each model. This would allow for a better fit—and increase the overall comfort—for riders on the extreme ends of the height spectrum.
I found the Eden’s handling to be relatively predictable, though its size and weight were noticeable (as I’d expect for a fat tire bike). It was appropriately stable, which is one of the style’s most appealing features. In general, the bike handled well, though wider handlebars would likely improve its overall feel.
The bike’s motor engaged quickly and smoothly, and the bike felt controlled when riding at speed, but I noticed that its 7-speed drivetrain resulted in ghost pedaling at speeds above 20 mph. Considering that the bike ships in Sports Mode, where its speed can reach 28 mph, we recommend that Freedare upgrade to an 8-speed drivetrain with a wider gearing range.
Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.
Area residents will soon be able to apply for a point-of-sale voucher that will discount the price of an e-bike.
Northwest Arkansas residents will soon be able to apply for an e-bike rebate program. A local nonprofit will administer a $7 million rebate program to encourage e-bike use.
The Tri-Regional Arkansas Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) Program was awarded a $99 million grant by the Environmental Protection Agency in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The program will benefit residents of the Tri -Region (Northwest, Central and River Valley)—roughly half the population of the state of Arkansas.
The program will be administered by Trailblazers, an organization whose mission is working to create a world-class recreational and active transportation infrastructure network. The $7 million program is impressive, considering the city of Atlanta set aside $1 million.
Rebates will be granted in the form of point-of-sale vouchers, resulting in a discounted price for the buyer. Trailblazers has yet to announce qualifying criteria and application procedures. Residents wishing to know more are encouraged to follow Trailblazers on Facebook or Instagram.
In terms of fit, the bike is advertised to be appropriate for “most riders,” which is reinforced by the range of adjustment in its saddle and handlebar height. The bike includes a long seatpost with 9” of range in saddle height and a telescoping, collapsible stem with 5” of range in handlebar height. We found this to be suitable for our tallest and shortest testers.
The bike’s geometry seemed good, too. In many cases, riding a folding e-bike can feel awkwardly cramped or stretched out, but with so much adjustability and reasonable reach, I found the bike to be appropriately sized and enjoyable to ride without feeling stuck in an uncomfortable position.
As I stated in the opening paragraphs, I greatly enjoyed the Lynx Folding’s comfortable, upright riding position. Saddles are very personal, and while its shape wasn’t what I’d choose for my daily ride, its thick and plush cushion was extremely forgiving. The bike’s soft rubber grips were comfortable and squishy; even longer rides felt great.
With relatively narrow handlebars and 20”x3” mid-fat tires, the Lynx’s handling was on the twitchier side, but not to an unusual degree.
One area with room for improvement was the user interface. The bike’s control panel is on the underside of its pretty color display, which I found difficult to reach due to the throttle lever placed between the grip and the screen. To make the buttons more accessible, I rotated the throttle and display beyond their ideal positions.
Riding bikes with your kids can be amazing fun. It’s a great way to connect with family and be active outside. Fun as it can be, keeping everyone together can be a challenge. Kids have shorter legs and ride on bikes with both smaller wheels and smaller gears. The bike world now has a solution for that: E-bikes for kids.
An e-bike for kids offers some great opportunities for parents, as well as a few areas for reasonable concern. The big opportunity is that if your child is riding an e-bike, it will be easier to keep everyone together. Kids can hit their endurance limit both hard and unexpectedly. A throttle can keep a fun spin from becoming a death march home.
One of the other terrific benefits of an e-bike made for kids is that it is much easier for them to reach a speed sufficient to balance. Of course, there’s also reason to be concerned: A tiny person moving faster than you can run can be pretty scary.
We took a hard look at the e-bikes out there—there are more than you might guess—and have rounded up the best options in a number of different categories. Rather than divide the bikes according to use, we’ve organized them according to the age group they are most likely to fit. We’ve done our best to include objective sizing based on rider height because what parent hasn’t had the experience of buying a shirt for a six-year-old that fell to their knees?
Knowing the ways our kids have sometimes displayed more enthusiasm than judgment, we’ve weighted our collection toward those e-bikes that enable a parent to restrict the e-bike’s top speed. More control provides greater safety until you see how much control and skill the child can exercise over the e-bike while riding.
Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.
A new proposal would allow eMTB riders on more than 100 miles of trails within the Lake Tahoe region.
Electric mountain bikes may soon enjoy access to more than 100 miles of trails in the Lake Tahoe Basin thanks to a new proposal. Trail access for electric mountain bikes has been a contentious issue in many parts of the U.S. and the Lake Tahoe region is no different.
The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the U.S. Forest Service has proposed opening up 100 miles of non-motorized trails to eMTBs. Called the Basin Wide Trails Analysis Project, the proposal encompasses the trails that sit within the ridgeline that rings Lake Tahoe.
The proposal aims to reclassify 87 miles of non-motorized trails motorized, but limited to e-bikes—not motorcycles, ATVs or other vehicles. It would also allow the construction of 23 miles of multi-use trails open to e-bikes. One mile of trail currently classified as motorized would be reclassified to e-bike-only. It would also allow for the construction of three new trailheads to increase user access.
The proposal would open 114 different trails to eMTBs, giving eMTBs access to a network of trails encircling the lake.
The bike is offered in a single frame size, though as mentioned above, it is also available in a high-step frame with a slightly different rider height range. While the ST frame fits riders from 5’2” to 6’3”, the HS frame can accommodate those between 5’4” and 6’4”.
The bike’s height range made sense with its range of adjustability. At 5’11”, I fall near the top end of the XPress ST’s height range. Thanks to its adjustable quick-release stem and extended seatpost, which offers 12” of saddle height, I was able to find a comfortable riding position with proper leg extension and a comfortable handlebar height/reach.
I found the ride to be extremely comfortable due to a combination of the bike’s riding position and its contact points. With an upright seating position, I enjoyed the comfort of its custom saddle and ergonomic handlebars/grips with no strain on my back or wrists. The Dutch-style handlebars suited the bike’s feel and style while granting relaxed handling.
At its price of around a thousand dollars, the XPress 500 ST is functional but expectedly basic. The only bells and whistles included are the headlight and tail/brake light, though Lectric offers a variety of useful, optional extras for a nominal price.
A benefit of the bike’s relatively feature-light component package is ease of use. The cockpit layout is uncluttered, with a central color display, a small control panel on the left handlebar, and a throttle and shifter on the right. We generally appreciated its straightforward interface, though we felt it would benefit from a couple of small changes.
It isn’t quite as fast on long, sustained climbs on double-track roads, but it shines in a way unique from many other esteemed mid-drives in its low cadence capabilities. If you’re ever guilty of bad shifting habits and not downshifting properly, this is the type of motor you’ll love as it’ll make up for those tendencies. You’ll also notice it if you lose some momentum before starting a climb; that’s where you’ll really appreciate the power this motor has.
This differs from other motors where it seems like power levels build up and peak in the high cadence. It’s somewhat an inverse of expectations, but it gives it a unique property we liked once we adapted to it.
The motor has five different assist modes: ECO, Standard, High, MTB, Extra-Power, and an adaptive mode that’ll try to assist you by spanning across the middle three PAS levels.
Personally, I didn’t sync up too well with the adaptive mode and largely used the same two or three settings on most of my rides, but it’s worth playing with to see if it works better with your pedal cadence.
Each assist level feels distinct with nice, incremental improvements to work with. The motor itself has a little quirk to it, it feels a bit twitchy when doing trackstands. You can feel a bit of a vibration through the cranks as the motor wants to engage. It’s something you quickly get used to, but it might catch you by surprise on your first couple of rides.
In terms of sizing, the Haul LT (and its sibling, the Haul ST) are remarkably well-engineered. Most e-bikes with a single frame size struggle to fit riders with 12 inches of difference in height, but thanks to its telescoping stem and dual-telescoping seatpost, the Haul comfortably fits riders 4’5” to 6’4”.
With roughly 14” of saddle height adjustment and 6” of flexibility in handlebar height, the LT’s fit and riding position can be tailored to its rider. I found comfort in a mostly upright position with a small amount of weight on the handlebars.
Pedaling felt relaxed and comfortable overall, though it took a few rides to adjust to the crank-forward design, which requires pedaling in a slightly outward and downward motion. I have tested some bikes where this felt extreme, but the Haul took only a slight adjustment; overall, the experience was easy and enjoyable.
The bike was also remarkably responsive due to its torque sensor. The motor engaged smoothly with an adaptive feel in most of its assist levels, but it could feel somewhat jerky and oversensitive in PAS 5. After a few rides, I learned that it was important to maintain steady pressure and a consistent cadence, which smoothed out the ride almost completely.
In terms of handling, the bike felt surprisingly nimble, given its length and weight of over 90 lbs. When moving, I found it easy to forget that the bike was so large; it cornered quickly and steered precisely thanks to its 20” wheels and wide 700-mm handlebars.
When Bosch set out to redesign the Performance Line CX motor, they chose to keep the basic performance parameters the same: The motor still produces a maximum of 600W and up to 85Nm of torque, making for a 340 percent assist. The question, of course, is why Bosch didn’t increase the amount of assistance. In Bosch’s view, the Performance Line CX already provided the perfect balance of power, rideability, efficiency relative to battery range and drivetrain durability. More power would mean greater weight, making the eMTB heavier and less nimble; it would also result in a decrease in range because of more weight and drawing more power for the motor, as well as more wear and tear on drivetrain components.
So what changes? Well the first notable difference is that the new motor is 100g (3.5 oz.). The new motor also provides greater thermal stability; traditionally as a motor heats up, power production is reduced by the controller to prevent the motor from overheating. While the previous Performance Line CX offered greater thermal stability than its competitors, the new motor shows even more consistent performance on long rides.
Bosch redesigned the different sensors to make it even more responsive to rider input. It features new torque and cadence sensors, as well as the addition of inertial sensors. The inertial sensors measure acceleration in three axes as well as rotation in three axes—six sensors total and what this does is provide the controller a sense of where the eMTB is in space—how it is moving. The motor can now respond in subtle ways based on whether the rider is climbing, descending, riding on smooth ground or rolling through a rock garden or over roots.
Bosch has cut the amount of noise the motor produces, particularly the higher frequency sounds that tend to be the most noticeable part of the sound a motor generates.
The Performance Line CX now offers a smart walk assist; with the press of a button, the rider receives just enough power to walk up grades too steep to ride, but thanks to the inertial sensors, it tailors the speed of the walk assist based on the grade and how smooth or bumpy the ground is. They’ve also added a hill hold feature, which will provide just enough power to keep the eMTB in position for 10 seconds after releasing the walk assist button. Additionally, they’ve added hill start assistance for when the trail is so steep that it is hard to generate enough speed and balance so that you can move the foot that’s on the ground to the pedal. Hill start assist provides an extra burst of power so that the rider can get up to a balancing speed and land their foot on the pedal.
There are two speed modes you can switch between by pressing the up and down arrow buttons on the handlebar display at the same time. It’s quick and easy to swap between them, and we started calling them UK and US riding modes, though Fiido doesn’t use those terms.
We’ll describe these modes in more detail below, but whichever you pick, both deliver a hefty dose of power from the large geared rear hub motor. As you’d expect, for instant power, you’ll reach for the thumb throttle, while pedal assist gives you more gradual acceleration.
In both cases, the power delivery isn’t the smoothest we’ve tried, but it’s definitely effective. Acceleration ramps up quickly once you overcome the inertia of this heavy fat bike and get rolling above about ten mph. The torque sensing responds most smoothly to a decent amount of pressure on the pedals, combined with selecting the right power level for the terrain. When you hit that sweet spot, it feels like you’re getting a good workout while also getting an efficient and proportional boost from the motor.
It’s worth mentioning that there’s a fair bit of noise from the rear hub motor. We don’t necessarily see this as a bad thing – other road and trail users will hear you coming. After all, it’s now law that electric cars – whose motors are often silent – be made audible when driven, precisely as a safety feature.
As we’ve mentioned, out of the box, there are two riding modes you can quickly switch between, roughly similar to UK and US modes, though neither mode seems to be strictly legal.
The XPress 750 rides really nicely. I quickly appreciated the thicker saddle, soft grips, and the fork that sopped up feedback from the road.
The bike comes in either a high-step frame like the model we tested, or a step-thru model that’s a bit more cruiser-y. The body positioning of the high step is semi-aggressive, but not the type of thing that’ll tire your back out too quickly. It will also fit a nice range of riders pretty well from 5’4”-6’4” (perhaps a tad optimistic on the high-end, but doable).
At 6’1” I felt right at home in the saddle with good leg extension and I liked the nimble nature of the narrow handlebar. The reach was perhaps a tad short for my preferences, but easy enough to live with.
The handling feels good. The XPress is pretty light as far as commuter e-bikes go, and it manuevers through corners or around traffic pretty well. I was particularly impressed with how tight everything felt at faster speeds where some bikes have noticeable vibration throughout the frame. That’s not the case here though.
Quality is a tricky thing to put into words sometimes, but in a general sense the ride was as nice-feeling as many higher-priced counterparts. The low price tag doesn’t result in a poor quality feel. The price is kept low with limited frame sizes and colors to pick from, but they didn’t cut corners in the construction or design from what I can feel.
The bike is offered in a single step-thru frame sized for a wide range of riders between 5’1” and 6’4”. At 5’11”, I found the bike extremely comfortable and well-sized, but I also felt it important to verify the extremes.
I asked two of my fellow reviewers—Matthew at 5’5” and Sydney at 5’1”—to take a test ride since they fit the extreme ends of the Discover’s advertised height range. Both expressed that the bike felt great; Matthew specifically is often cramped, but enjoyed good leg extension and comfortable handlebar positioning thanks to the bike’s adjustable stem.
Personally, I found the bike’s upright riding position to be a highlight. In addition to its thick saddle, ergonomic handlebars, and rubber grips, this felt natural and relaxed with no sources of strain or pressure. The high vantage point also gave me a wide view of my surroundings while also making me visible to other cyclists and pedestrians.
The Discover handled predictably thanks to its curved handlebars and 26” wheels. Its suspension fork felt appropriately forgiving (its 80mm of travel is an upgrade from the original model’s 60mm).
We received two other “Plus” models for testing along with the Discover 1: the T1 ST Plus city bike and the fat tire Nomad 1 Plus. The T1 ST Plus included a color display with multiple riding modes and power levels, while the other models did not.
The bike is offered in two sizes: a Medium for riders 5’4”+ and a Large for those 5’8”+. At 5’11”, I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the medium frame of our test bike was; with a relatively stretched and aggressive riding position, I would have guessed we had the larger model.
The bike’s contact points (saddle, grips, and pedals) were extremely comfortable. Our test bike was standard, aside from its color (a raspberry-like purple hue) and TranzX suspension seatpost. I am confident I would have liked the standard saddle without the upgraded seatpost, but I highly recommend one of the three suspension options for a smoother ride.
Handling is one of the primary areas we hope Biktrix will improve. We appreciated the Duo ST’s relatively nimble handling—a result of its 24” wheels—compared to many other fat bikes with larger 26” wheels. But the step-thru frame had a lot of flex when cornering, creating a loose feeling on faster turns that was not helped by its soft suspension fork.
It is possible that the standard RST Guide suspension fork on our test bike was a dud, but we recommend that Biktrix upgrade to a sturdier base model.
It’s also fair to point out these problems aren’t unique here – they are true of most fat tire e-bikes with step-thru frame. That’s why ST models are often best suited for paved areas instead of lots of off-roading or quick cornering.
Generally speaking, electric bikes are perfectly legal. That’s because People for Bikes, the largest advocacy organization for cyclists in the U.S., wrote a model law and then lobbied heavily for a three class system that states could adopt to give e-bike riders consistency across the 50 states.
That said, we’re beginning to see news reports of e-bikes being banned or restricted in some communities. The village of Key Biscayne recently outlawed all e-bikes and e-scooters. In some places, only certain types of e-bikes are permitted. If you’re confused by what you’ve seen on TV or read in the news, it’s understandable.
Most states (42) have gone on to adopt the law defining the three class system; it positions the three classes of e-bikes within a state’s existing motor vehicle code and gives e-bike riders most of the same rights (and responsibilities) as riders of traditional bikes. A handful of states (Alaska, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Carolina) have adopted laws that deviate from this by varying degrees.
Unless explicitly forbidden, all three classes of e-bikes are permitted on streets. Those three classes are:
Class 1: pedal assistance up to 20 mphClass 2: pedal assistance or throttle up to 20 mphClass 3: pedal assistance up to 28 mph (if it has a throttle, the throttle’s assistance tops out at 20 mph)These three e-bike types, which cover more than 90 percent of all e-bikes sold, are permissible on any road that a bicyclist is allowed to ride. Like bikes, e-bikes are not permitted on interstates or similar highways. Riders are required to obey all the rules of the road, just as a driver would. Some states limit rider age, especially with Class 3 e-bikes. They may also require some riders (such as minors or riders of Class 3 e-bikes) to wear a helmet.
