Unbiased, In-Depth Analysis of the Best Electric Bikes
This style of electric bike positions the rider in a laid back position for comfort and aerodynamics. Cranks and pedals are usually mounted out front on an adjustable boom vs. directly below the seat tube and saddle. Instead of sitting on a saddle, most recumbent ebikes utilize a canvas chair that support the bottom and back of the rider; some even have adjustable headrests. Recumbent bicycles are usually setup as tricycles with two wheels up front and one in the back (called tadpole trike), or two wheels in back with one up front (called delta trike). There are a few unique recumbents that use two wheels like a traditional bicycle, making them easier to lean and turn but less stable to mount.
The Sun Seeker Eurus Electric Trike is a professional conversion job by Electric Bike Technologies. These guys own ElectricTrike.com and E-BikeKit… they built the Liberty Trike and have a warehouse in Croydon Pennsylvania that I got to visit for several days. When we came to the Eurus model I was very impressed and felt like […]
In my experience there are two main kinds of three wheeled bicycles. The ones with a single wheel up front called a tricycle or delta trike and the ones with two wheels up front called a tadpole or tad for short. The Sun Seeker Eco Tad SX is the latter type which tends to steer […]
The Sun Seeker Eco Delta is one of the more affordable recumbent electric trikes I’ve tested. It doesn’t offer quite as much power as some of the other conversions built by Electric Bike Technologies but their choices were smart… By that I mean, they went with a geared hub motor for more zip given the […]
The Personal Activity Vehicle 3 (PAV3) from Worksman Cycles is a tricycle designed for full sized adults and those looking for comfort and cargo hauling ability. I visited Electric Bike Technologies in Croydon Pennsylvania to check out their electrified version of the Stretch trike which uses a 500 watt gearless hub motor and 48 volt […]
The Nomad 3 Series is Outrider’s latest creation, a blend of torque and speed… it sits half way between the Alpha and the Horizon models which offer 45 mph and 25 mph top speeds respectively based on their reduction gear box settings (5 to 1 and 15 to 1 respectively). The Nomad tops out around […]
For this review I was able to meet with a lead designer from Outrider, Zach Thomas, who walked me through the different specs on their updated Outrider Alpha 4 Series which he helped to create. We demoed the 420 trim level with a few minor upgrades but otherwise this is a fairly stock, base level […]
All of the current gen Outrider electric recumbent trikes share the same basic componentry but differ with respect to the gear box, motor power output, ground clearance (ride height) and stock color. The Horizon is by far the most versatile, offering standard pedals, foot rests vs. pedals in combination with hand cranks, hand motion activation […]
The HP Velotechnik Scorpion FS 26 S-Pedelec is definitely one of the coolest electric bikes I’ve ever had the pleasure to test ride. Recumbent bikes offer a number of advantages on their own (stability, aerodynamic efficiency, special needs adaptability) and these are further enhanced with the addition of electric assist. You can go further, reduce […]
The first time I saw a Ridekick Power Trailer was at Interbike 2012 but the company has actually been in business since 2010. The founding team, Dee and Mark Wanger, wanted to built an alternative ebike system that could be shared easily between the different bikes in their family, from parents to kids or even […]
The Organic Transit ELF (which stands for Electric, Light, Fun) is part recumbent trike, part velomobile and part cargo bike. Borne on Kickstarter in 2013, the first generation ELF reached more than double it’s funding goal and has turned heads and hearts all over the world with some owners scooting to the grocery store and […]
