ebikes

This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes new e-bikes from Gazelle, Amflow, and Monarc, the CPSC wants to clamp down on e-bike safety regulations, DeSantis vetoed an e-bike safety bill in Florida, and more.

Eurobike, the annual bicycle tradeshow that takes over Germany for several days each summer, always brings with it a fun array of new bikes and bike-related goodies. While the show wasn’t as big as it had been in previous years, there were still plenty of fun treats for the eyes and for the riding.

Check out the selection of fun takeaways below, in no order other than how they came out of my camera.

Spend enough time reading the news and you’d be forgiven for thinking e-bikes are society’s newest menace. Every week seems to bring another headline about reckless teenagers weaving through traffic, riders flying down sidewalks, battery fires, or politicians introducing bills to crack down on electric bicycles.

Those stories are real, and coming up on two decades of covering the e-bike industry, I’ve written about many of those issues. But with that experience, including riding hundreds of e-bike models and countless thousands upon thousands of miles on electric bikes around the world, I can’t help but feel that we’ve lost sight of the bigger picture.

Canadian electric two-wheeler maker Beachman has taken the wraps off its latest model, the Aviator, expanding its lineup with a platform that spans everything from a Class 2 e-bike to a highway-capable electric motorcycle.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has proposed a sweeping new safety rule that could significantly reshape the e-bike industry, particularly when it comes to lithium-ion batteries and electrical systems.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed a bipartisan e-bike safety bill that would have introduced new rules for riders around pedestrians, effectively ending legislation that had passed both chambers of the state legislature unanimously.

Gobao has officially taken the wraps off several new e-bike drive systems, but while the company’s new continuously variable transmission (eCVT) motors are certainly intriguing, it’s the batteries that may end up stealing the show.

Avinox may still be one of the newest names in the e-bike drive system industry, but the company isn’t wasting any time pushing the envelope.

At Eurobike 2026 in Frankfurt this week, the e-bike motor manufacturer unveiled its latest concept technology, dubbed the MG Concept Motor. Developed in partnership with major bicycle brands including Canyon, Commencal, Forbidden, and Mondraker, the new drive unit aims to rethink one of the most maintenance-intensive aspects of modern e-bikes: the drivetrain.

Just a few months ago, few people in the e-bike industry had heard of Rad Life Mobility. Today, the company is already assembling a portfolio of brands it has scooped up in the North American e-bike market.

A new e-bike company has entered the increasingly crowded commuter e-bike market, but it’s doing so with a strategy that feels notably different from the usual playbook. The new Monarc Tracer combines a powerful Class 3 commuter platform with premium components, a surprising amount of integrated technology, and one feature that almost no other e-bike company includes as standard: a second battery.

Plus, it comes with the backing of the largest e-bike company in North America.

Gazelle has become one of the first major bicycle brands to launch a new e-bike built around Bosch’s recently announced Hub Line motor, unveiling the sleek new Gazelle Curb urban commuter.

Bosch has just launched its first-ever hub motor for urban e-bikes, bringing Smart System tech to a new market segment.

AAA may be best known for roadside assistance and travel services, but the organization is now taking a much closer interest in electric bicycles and electric scooters as their popularity continues to surge across the US.

There’s a new law in Washington state regarding the classification of electric bicycles. But if you want to know what the new law says, you should probably avoid reading the news in Washington.

Florida is the latest US state to wade into the increasingly crowded waters of e-bike regulation, with lawmakers advancing a bill that would impose a situational 10 mph (16 km/h) speed limit for e-bikes on shared-use paths. It’s a move that fits squarely into a broader national trend, as states and cities across the country reconsider how electric bikes fit into public spaces that were never designed with fast, motor-assisted travel in mind.

[Update June 16, 2026: The Florida Senate and House have passed the bill, which has now been sent to the Governor to be signed into law.]

There was a time, not all that long ago, when the electric bicycle industry seemed headed in a very different direction. The promise of the e-bike was elegantly simple: take a normal bicycle and make it easier. Easier to commute, easier to climb hills, easier to ride farther without arriving sweaty, and easier to replace car trips.

Ten years ago, if you had told me that I’d be riding what I would soon call an “excellent commuter e-bike” despite it weighing 118 pounds (53.5 kg) and rolling on 24×4.0-inch fat tires, I probably would have laughed. Today, though, I’m not so sure.

The Ariel Rider Kepler occupies a category that doesn’t really exist on paper but makes a lot of sense in the real world: the fat tire commuter. Plenty of riders buy adventure-style e-bikes and end up using them almost exclusively for city riding anyway, enjoying the comfortable fat tires, upright riding position, and confidence-inspiring handling. Ariel Rider seems to have looked at that trend and decided to lean into it instead of fighting it.

New Jersey’s controversial new e-bike law was pitched as a way to improve safety, but with its July 19 implementation date rapidly approaching, a growing number of riders, advocates, and even lawmakers are arguing that the state may have gone too far.

I love listening to music, podcasts, and audiobooks when I’m riding my e-bikes. Depending on the type of ride I’m doing, I’ve got an affinity for all of them. But I also love not getting hit by a car. And those two goals don’t always work well together.

Traditional earbuds and headphones can be great for audio quality, but they also have a nasty habit of disconnecting you from the world around you. On an e-bike, situational awareness is a key part of staying safe. Hearing a car approaching, a cyclist calling out a pass, or a pedestrian running into your path can make a real difference.

That’s why I’ve become such a fan of bone conduction headphones, and after spending time with the TRI 2 Pro Multi-Sport with Playlist+ headphones from H2O Audio, I think I’ve found my favorite pair yet.

Specialized is taking the increasingly popular concept of bikepacking and giving it a serious electric boost with the launch of the new Turbo Levo 4 X.

The company describes the model with a simple tagline: “Electric Overlanding.” Basically, this is the bike to take you and all your gear beyond where the trail stops, blazing your own path and your own adventure.

The Tezeus C8 is one of those e-bikes that hides several interesting, higher-end features/components behind an unassuming design, giving you more than you bargained for without attracting too much unwanted attention. And while it’s a pricier model than the usual budget suspects, the added features may be enough to warrant a deeper look.