Unbiased, In-Depth Analysis of the Best Electric Bikes
This type of electric bike is designed to go off-road. Mountain bikes usually have higher volume tires with aggressive tread (smaller knobs for gravel roads and packed dirt, larger knobs for soft loose terrain). Most eMTB products have front suspension and many offer full suspension! This improves rider comfort and control, but tends to increase the price and weight of the bike. Most electric mountain bikes have aluminum frames, but the really fancy ones use lightweight titanium or carbon fiber. They are often ranked by toughness, terrain capability, and suspension travel going from cross country (120mm), trail (150mm), all mountain enduro (150mm to 180mm), and downhill (180mm+).
The 2017 IZIP E3 Sumo is a complete upgrade from prior year models. Instead of using the mid-tier TranzX motor system, IZIP has opted for the top-tier Bosch Performance Line CX motor system. This thing offers 75 Newton meters of peak torque output, shift-sensing and shift recommendation, as well as a compact design. Electric bike […]
The Bulls SIX50+ E FS 3 is a fun all-mountain ebike with Bosch CX drive system. It’s fun, because it can go almost anywhere with longer travel 150 mm suspension from RockShox and plus sized 2.8″ tires from Schwalbe. As a Class 1 electric bike with 20 mph top assisted speed, it would be allowed […]
The Giant Full-E+ 1 really impressed me. This is a full suspension electric bike from one of the “Big Three” including Giant, Trek and Specialized. They’ve got dealers all across the USA and have actually been producing electric bikes in Europe for a while so the technology is refined. At $5,300 this product is outfitted […]
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 SDURO AllMtn 6.0 is a near top of the line model from Haibike running a Yamaha mid-drive motor and upgraded 500 watt hour battery pack… That’s a 25% capacity increase from some of the lower-end models and prior year equipment. What I usually notice first about Haibikes is their beautiful purpose-built frames with angular […]
The BULLS E-Stream EVO 45 FS combines some of my favorite features of electric bikes. It allows you to travel in full suspension comfort without concern for lost efficiency because it’s electric… and has an extra-large battery pack. It allows you to travel faster, in this case much faster, with advanced pedal assist up to […]
The Magnum Peak is a faster, more powerful version of the Mi5 electric trail bike (which is still available for $1,700). The Peak offers the same great looks at a still reasonable $2,000 price point but climbs better and can reach 28 mph top speed vs. the more standard 22 mph with the Ui5. Both […]
Haibike makes beautiful, purpose built electric bikes that tend to cost more but deliver premium components and drive systems. The SDURO line runs on Yamaha mid-drive motors that can accommodate multiple chainrings, two in this case, providing a wider range of gears. Given the all-mountain design, with longer travel suspension and aggressive trail/mountain geometry, those […]
There really aren’t that many Carbon fiber electric bikes… yet! It’s a combination that makes sense to me but is understandably very expensive. The Carbon fiber dampens vibration and decreases weight which is great for a platform which tends to ride further, maintain higher average speeds and be heavier due to motor, battery and control […]
This was the second time I’ve been able to test ride a Specialized Turbo Levo model and thankfully I got some help from Garret and John at Rock N’ Road Cyclery in Laguna Niguel California and Erik at Peleton Cycles in Fort Collins Colorado where I ultimately purchased one for myself. These shops have some […]
