Unbiased, In-Depth Analysis of the Best Electric Bikes
Electric bikes or ebikes combine human power from pedaling with electronic power from a hub motor, mid drive, or friction drive powered by a battery pack. They come in all shapes and sizes, including trikes, tandems, folding, cargo, and more. A traditional analog bicycle can usually be converted to electric through the use of kits. Ebikes fall into three classes including Class 1 pedal assist only up to a set speed (usually 25kmh or 32kmh), Class 2 throttle only or throttle with pedal assist up to a set speed (usually 25kmh or 32kmh), and high speed Class 3 up to a set level (usually 45kmh 28mph).
Riese & Müller is a special company… germinated in the late 80’s by a pair of mechanical engineering students in Germany studying at Darmstadt, these guys just wanted to keep their ears warm (inventing a pair of helmet-compatible ear muffs called Hot Ears). Soon after, in 1992 they developed a full suspension folding bicycle called […]
EG builds electric bicycles that tend to be lower priced while maintaining a comfortable, solid experience. The Oahu 500 EX is their high-step cruiser model and I saw a number of improvements over the prior build including a more compact battery with slightly higher capacity battery and repositioned kickstand for improved stability. It’s a heavy […]
The Magnum Classic is one of my favorite folding electric bikes because it delivers so many features at such a reasonable price. Not all of those features are perfect, the independent lights for example, require you to swap AA batteries out occasionally and can be accidentally left-on to drain while you’re in class or at […]
Electric trikes make a lot of sense… here’s a platform that is stable and approachable (for riders with limited strength or mobility) but heavy and usually limited in terms of pedal ergonomics and gear options. Getting a little boost from an electric motor means that tricycles become more approachable and fun, hills are less daunting […]
Royal Dutch Gazelle is a practically legendary, highly trusted, bicycle company from the Netherlands dating back to 1892. They design, test and build their bikes with passion and attention to detail. There’s a lot of fun history that I’m learning about the company with each of these visits to shops and their US headquarters in […]
The Walleräng M.01 is a “modular” electric bike platform that combines sport with transport. It’s capable of acting as a light-weight cargo ebike with the dual rack system and I appreciate the way the front rack does not turn as you steer the bike. It starts out as a small out of the way platform […]
While traveling through Southern California I visited Fullerton Bicycles and met Trevor, the owner of the Quick-E+ electric bike you see here. He’s a 128 lb road biker who loves distance rides on the weekend but also commutes ~35 miles daily to his job. Trevor bought this bike to use as a recovery tool and […]
Juiced Bikes started out in 2013 with electric cargo bikes designed to haul loads and go far… they offer some of the highest capacity battery packs in the space and tend to be popular with delivery cyclists. In 2016 they launched the CrossCurrent, a sporty city bike with more traditional battery integration, a suspension fork […]
IZIP is one of the older electric bike companies operating in the United States, they’ve been a leader in the mid-level product space for several years and are now owned by the Accell Group which has Raleigh Electric and Haibike as well. It’s a company with good customer support, a solid network of dealers (mostly […]
The MK1-E is an electric version of the MK1 from Butchers and Bicycles, a company located in the meatpacking district of Copenhagen. Copenhagen is the capital city of Denmark, a bicycle friendly country in Europe where cycling accounts for roughly 20% of all commuter trips! I was impressed with the look of this thing from […]
