ebikes

Electric bikes are booming in popularity in just about every demographic in the US. From teens riding to school all the way to elderly folks getting back on a bicycle for the first time in years, electric bikes are becoming ubiquitous. But as speeds and power levels have increased, Connecticut is responding with new laws.

Electric bikes are booming in popularity across the US, and cities are starting to take notice. From famous programs like those in Denver to smaller initiatives around the country, local governments are rolling out rebate and incentive programs to make e-bikes more affordable, especially for lower-income residents. The goal? Get more people out of cars and onto two wheels.

Canadian startup Beachman has just unveiled its latest electric two-wheeler, the ’64, a vintage-styled electric motorcycle that looks like it rolled straight out of the 1960s. With throwback café racer design and a respectable top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h), it’s a slick little ride with a curious twist: it calls itself an e-bike.

[Update: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the Beachman ’64 E-bike did not have pedals. In fact, it does have small cranks and pedals folded up against the bike, mounted to the swingarm.]

We recently had the opportunity to test out Retrospec’s Beaumont Rev 2 electric bike. This Class 2 electric city bike is as stylish as it is functional. Despite its streamlined design, the Beaumont Rev 2 is sneaky fast with quality components throughout. Be sure to check out our full video review below.

Let’s get one thing out of the way early: single-speed electric bikes aren’t perfect. If you live in the hills of San Francisco, they’re not going to be your best friend. But if you’re like the majority of city riders around the world – rolling through mostly flat neighborhoods, navigating stop-and-go traffic, and hopping on and off curbs – then a single-speed e-bike might just be the smartest and most underrated option on the market.

Utica, New York, is about to become a new hub for electric bikes, or at least that’s the plan, if eBliss Global has a say in it.

Electric mountain biking has long been one of the most exciting – and most expensive – corners of the micromobility world. Riders get to explore rugged trails, climb hills that would leave most lungs gasping, and experience the rush of mountain biking with a little extra electric assist. But for many, the cost of entry has felt more like a brick wall than a welcome gate. Until now.

California’s growing fleet of electric bikes is the subject of two new laws signed this week by Governor Gavin Newsom and intended to increase the safety of the quickly growing form of alternative transportation.

Ride1Up is officially hitting the trails in a big way. Known for its commuter-focused electric bikes that deliver impressive value, the San Diego-based brand has just announced the new Ride1Up TrailRush: a trail-ready electric mountain bike that marks Ride1Up’s first true entry into the rugged world of eMTBs.

In a market full of complicated tech, sky-high torque specs, and smartphone apps to control an e-bike, New York-based Priority Bicycles is going in the opposite direction with the launch of its newest model: the Priority Glide, a lightweight, fuss-free e-bike that brings belt drive simplicity to the masses.

Electric bikes are a menace. They go almost as fast as a car (if the car is parking), they’re whisper quiet (which makes them impossible to hear over the podcast playing in your headphones), and worst of all, they’re increasingly ridden by teenagers.

In his latest crackdown on e-bike riders, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is pushing for a new citywide e-bike speed limit of 15 mph (25 km/h), despite the fact that no one seems to know how it would actually be enforced.

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 Aventon and Lectric, a surge in Amish riding e-bikes, a wireless charging kickstand, cheaper electric motorcycles coming from Honda and LiveWire and more.

VIVI e-bikes, a budget-friendly brand commonly found on Amazon and Walmart, just got hit with a major recall affecting around 24,000 electric bicycles due to fire risks. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that the lithium-ion batteries included with VIVI e-bikes can overheat, catch fire, and potentially cause injury or death.

Buzz Bicycles has just launched its newest electric tricycle model, pushing prices even lower as older riders continue to gravitate towards electric three-wheelers as accessible e-bikes for both recreation and transportation. Now with the Buzz Cerana T2 hitting the road, the lower end of the market is heating up even faster. And Buzz may now have one of the best-priced mid-drive e-trikes in town.

Locals call him the “Bicycle hero,” but Texas man Evan Wayne says he’s just doing what he can to help his community after it was cut off due to the recent devastating and deadly flooding tragedy.

Forget fumbling with cables or hunting for batteries – TILER is making electric bike charging as seamless as parking your ride. The Dutch startup recently introduced its much-anticipated TILER Compact system, a plug-and-play wireless charger engineered to transform the user experience for e-bike riders.

In what could be a sign of a broader wave of tightening regulation on illicit electric bike activity, one New York town plans to start punishing parents when their underage kids commit e-bike infractions.

Aventon is giving its popular fat tire e-bike a serious upgrade. The company just unveiled the Aventure M, a new mid-drive version of its best-selling Aventure model. With more torque, smarter shifting, and a boost in connectivity and control, Aventon says this is the “most advanced” bike it has ever produced.

New York City is creating a new department aimed at cracking down on e-bike delivery workers, and critics say it’s the latest move in a growing pattern of targeting micromobility riders instead of the real threats on the road.

The e-bike industry in the West has long been a tale of two territories. North Americans enjoy higher speeds and power limits for their electric bicycles while Europeans are held to much stricter (i.e. slower and lower) speed and power limits. However, things might change based on current discussions on rewriting European e-bike regulations.