ebikes

Electric bicycles used to be fairly multi-use vehicles, often designed for roles such as commuting, recreation, and even light cargo duty. But as e-bikes continue to grow in popularity, strong sales are encouraging designers to branch out with ever more specific-use designs that excel at certain tasks.

Now a Japanese company is showing off their innovative new electric cargo trike, which falls squarely into the utility category of electric bicycles.

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I’ve tried a pile of electric bicycles over the years. Probably over a hundred different models – it’s a perk of working in the industry!

But I think of all the electric bicycles I’ve ridden, these two might be some of the best bang-for-your-buck electric bicycles I’ve ever used. The $479 Swagtron EB-1 and $499 Swagtron EB-5 are surprisingly awesome little e-bikes that are capable enough to meet the needs of the majority of riders without breaking the bank.

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Much better known for its motorcycles, Yamaha Motor Corporation is entering new waters in the US as their electric bicycles have now reached retailers in the country.

The company is offering four different styles of mid-drive electric bicycles that are meant to cover a wide range of riders and riding styles.
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Electric bicycles come in all shapes, sizes and prices, from large $2,900 cargo e-bikes to cute little $499 folding electric bikes.

Now Stark Drive has redefined the idea of affordable electric bicycles with a new $299 offering, the Stark Drive Mini.

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As a leader in the electric bicycle powertrain market, Bosch has a major impact on the direction of the industry.

Now the company is unveiling their newest full-featured electric bicycle computer designed to set a new standard in the world of e-bikes.

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While electric bicycles are becoming increasingly commonplace, electric versions of cargo bicycles are still a rare sight in most cities. But with the convenience of an e-bike combined with the hauling capabilities like your family’s minivan, electric cargo bicycles can be incredibly useful for utilitarian tasks and even as car replacements for many people.

That’s why I was so excited to test the CERO One electric cargo bike over the past few weeks. Having just moved apartments and not owning a car, I put the CERO One through its paces in a number of real world tests.
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Many electric bicycle manufacturers claim that their e-bikes can go far, but only one can claim that their bikes go the farthest. With a Guinness world record breaking 367 km (228 mi) distance on a single charge, Delfast’s Prime electric bicycle takes the cake when it comes to long range electric bicycles.
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Bosch’s PowerTube batteries aren’t the first e-bike in-tube batteries by a long shot, but because Bosch maintains such a big share of the premium e-bike market, the new in-tube variant of their 500Wh batteries allow premium brand bikes to hide their power source better. And that means better looking and performing bikes.

We reviewed the Trek Supercommuter 8 last year which had Bosch’s old battery system, still integrated into the frame, and thought the $5000 price tag was tough to swallow, even for the premium components and experience. But we’re going to step it up a notch today with the dual Bosch PowerTube batteries (1kWh total) Riese & Müller Supercharger which we got on loan from Propel bikes in Brooklyn/Long Beach that retails for around $7000 kitted out.

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As we’ve reported previously, the Trump administration’s trade war has recently entangled electric bicycles, among other products, in billions of dollars worth of trade tariffs with China.

Now American electric bicycle companies are responding about how this could impact their businesses, generally for the worst.
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The most common uses for electric bicycles are for recreation and commuting. But that doesn’t mean that e-bikes haven’t found favor in other fields as well. They are becoming increasingly useful for various utility and commercial off-road uses.

And in what may be a first anywhere in the world, electric bicycles are getting drafted into the army – the Norwegian Army that is.
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These days it seems like there is a never-ending supply of new electric bicycles being announced weekly. From inexpensive e-bikes with just 7.5 mi (12 km) of range to specialty e-bikes with 400 mi (643 km) of range.

But consumers have always had to take these range estimates with a grain of salt due to the various and sometimes unscrupulous methods that some retailers take to eek out more impressive results. Until now that is, as a new standard for measuring the range of electric bicycles has finally been developed.
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Electric bicycles have come a long way in the last few years. Despite originally being designed to provide cyclists with a relative amount of assistance, many companies are now pushing the boundaries of what can be considered a bicycle. From Vintage Cycle’s 36 mph retro-looking Scrambler to Onyx’s 30 and 60 mph CTY and RCR models.

The newest production electric bicycle to join the 40+ mph (64 km/h) club is the HyperFat HF1100 by Juiced Bikes.
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Ever since the Trump administration began its trade war with China, electric bicycle importers have been nervous about what it would spell for the e-bike industry. In June those fears were realized when the United States Trade Representative published a list of 284 categories of products covering over $16 billion in trade which were all tentatively scheduled to receive 25% tariffs.

A public discussion period was opened to allow for feedback on the proposal, with the USTR publishing the final list yesterday. Only 5 individual products were removed from the list, with electric bicycles and electric motors for e-bikes both remaining. The tariffs are scheduled to begin August 23rd.
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Electric bicycles are becoming increasingly popular forms of personal electric transportation, and rightfully so. They make it super easy to zip around crowded cities, usually arriving faster than cars, buses and just about every other alternative.

But one of the few downsides of electric bicycles is that they are usually fairly large and bulky, meaning they’ll take up a big chunk of your apartment or car – if they even fit. That’s where folding electric bicycles come in, and the 2018 Oyama CX E8D II is perhaps one of the nicest examples of a folding electric bicycle that I’ve ever seen.
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Whether you want to feel the rush of the wind in your hair like Tom Cruise racing an F-14 Tomcat down the runway in Top Gun or you just want to get to work faster, there are a number of ways you can increase the speed of your electric bicycle.

Here we’ll cover the top 10 methods to coax more speed out of your e-bike.
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After a lengthy review period, the European Union has decided to implement new tariffs on electric bicycles imported from China in an effort to clamp down on e-bike dumping in Europe.

The amount of duty being levied is determined for each company specifically, and ranges from 21.8% to as high as 83.6%, though most will receive a duty of 37%.
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Electric bicycles are usually quite heavy, though recent design innovations have been pushing the envelope to reduce motor weight. In the past, heavy-duty steel and aluminum frames, dense battery packs and bulky electric motors all helped tip the scales on these hefty metallic steeds.

The best way to get around the heavy e-bike problem is to design the vehicle from the ground up using lightweight materials and components combined with innovative weight-saving structures. And that’s exactly what Prodrive did with the new Hummingbird folding electric bicycle.
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There’s a new trend in the out-of-the-box electric bicycle design world: minibike styled retro e-bikes. A couple of years ago, Lithium Cycles debuted their Super 73 e-bike with a design that harkens back to something between an old 1980’s minibike and a Honda Ruckus. Unimoke then followed up with a strikingly similar design, which was then followed by a redesign and price drop on the original Super 73.

Now, California-based Juiced Bikes is getting in on the action with their own offerings in the same category.
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There are a number of impressive competitors in the high-end electric bicycle market, including innovative offerings from companies like Optibike and Stromer. To remain competitive, companies are racing to outdo each other on high-tech features and novel designs.

Haibike recently revealed their new FLYON line of electric bicycles, which have certainly embraced a creative approach to remain both innovative and creative. From an incredibly torquey in-house motor design to a ram air cooling intake, Haibike has embraced thinking outside the conventional e-bike box.
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This week has been a good one for innovation in the electric bicycle industry, with two major players both unveiling new designs for mid-drive motors built specifically for electric mountain bikes.

Brose dropped the new Drive S Mag, a magnesium update to their previous Drive S that both increases power while reducing weight, and Shimano showed off their new STEPS E7000 motor, designed for recreational riding.
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It seems like every week there’s a new electric bicycle company or model being announced. With so many different options available for consumers, it can be hard to keep track of which companies are which.

Fortunately, a few names stick out as having been around the block a few times. And when it comes to old school electric bicycle companies, Optibike definitely fits the bill. Founded in 1998, Optibike has been building high performance electric bicycles for trail riding and racing for 20 years. And in true old dog, new trick style, the company has released their latest offering which sets out to redefine what it means to be a high performance electric bicycle.
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