review

I’m a bit of a bike lock collector. After having my favorite e-bike stolen a few years ago (as well as several less favorite bikes stolen over the years), I’ve gotten much more serious about security. After testing the LITELOK X1, I can tell you that this lock is so overbuilt that I even use it on my electric scooters and motorcycles.

Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing a wide range of products designed to help people make their lives easier, greener, and hopefully more fun, too. As the year winds to a close, here’s a look back on the reviews that viewers liked the most, voted on by your clicks. These are the e-bikes, e-motorcycles, and e-products whose reviews had the highest views of the year.

In a world where every new e-bike launch seems to be bigger and more powerful than the last, there’s a certain comfort to feeling something nice and small between your legs again. I’m talking, of course, about the JackRabbit OG2 micro e-bike. It’s the latest update to JackRabbit’s original (literally OG) tiny format electric two-wheeler, and by God, it’s better than ever!

The Fucare electric bikes I’ve tested in the past have largely been fast and powerful machines, but always within the realm of reason. Apparently, that streak has come to an end with the new Fucare Gemini X Sport Dual Motor Dual Battery electric bike, which throws reason to the wind with so much power and speed that you can’t really call it much of an electric ‘bicycle’ anymore.

North American e-bike regulations allow a higher power limit of 750W, which has resulted in an amazingly diverse field of super powerful e-bikes. However, that also means there’s a push towards the extra heavy end of the spectrum. But as a nice break from the race to more power, now that I’ve been testing the lightweight Ride1Up Roadster V3 for several weeks, I’m glad to finally be back on a lighter and more efficient ride that reminds me of the simpler times.

I’ve always enjoyed electric watersports devices, and have a long history with everything from electric surfboards to electric boats. But it’s the category of electric sea scooters that likely offers the most accessiblity to the average person, providing fast and fun water excitement without the larger upfront cost and complexity of larger vessels. The Sublue Vapor is the latest in a string of electric sea scooters I’ve tested over the years, and it’s the fanciest one yet.

There’s no real beating around the bush here; the Rattan Pinus is one borrowed vowel away from the king of all middle-school humor. But trying to put that aside for just a few moments, the bike itself is actually a really fun ride and pretty darn decent, too. It’s definitely far from a premium-level e-bike, but it’s interesting as a modest budget option!

The Aventura-X EV29 has much of the feel-good charm that comes along with nostalgic Vespa rides, yet without any of the exhaust noise, smell of gasoline, or oily rag on your workbench. I spent a few enjoyable weeks riding this fun little runabout and felt almost like I was cheating, getting the fun vibes without paying the normal entry price of muss and fuss that goes with classic ICE scooters.

Velotric continues to impress me with each new launch, and the Velotric Fold 1 has no plans to ruin that streak. Having spent some solid saddle time with the bike now, I can tell you that this is one of the best electric folders out there right now for e-bike shoppers on a budget.

All of Yadea’s latest full-suspension electric scooters are slick-looking machines. Nicely contoured cast frames, dual swingarms for the complete suspension package, and single-side supported wheels make the scooters look like they’re floating at just the right angle. But it’s the most powerful model of the bunch that packs the biggest surprise. Behind the cute exterior of the Yadea Elite Prime is a veritable wolf in sheep’s clothing, offering up to 1,500W of power in a scooter that looks like it belongs behind a leggy model in a Paris fashion shoot.

My dad has been looking at electric chainsaws for a while but hadn’t pulled the trigger on one, and so being the good son I am (especially since he lets me send weird Chinese electric vehicles to his property), I decided to buy one for him. There are a few electric chainsaws out there, but I’ve heard good things about Ego’s tools and so I decided to try one of those. A couple clicks on Amazon and a few days later, a shiny green Ego Power+ 18-inch 56 volt electric chainsaw showed up at the door.

I recently had the chance to check out the Meta 2024 electric bike, which fits the bill for what many people are searching for in a hybrid-style commuter electric bike. So could this be the ride you’re looking for? Let’s find out!

I love getting the chance to see and test new and innovative designs in the world of micromobility, especially since many of the repetitive designs we so often see turn out to be cookie-cutter rehashes of other models. But the designers of the Easybike G16 definitely went in a new direction, creating something innovative and comfortable for all types of riding.

At just 37 lb (16.8 kg), the Tenways CGO600 Pro is pretty darn lightweight for an electric bike. Of course, you give up a lot of the features and performance many riders have come to expect of chunkier e-bikes, but the tradeoff leaves us with a lightweight ride that is still punchy enough for most commutes.

Wallke’s electric bikes have never shied away from high-power motors or heavy duty frames. But with the Wallke X3 Max, the company doubled down to give us twice the motors for an all-wheel-drive ride.

In the e-bike world, we often joke that some of the beefier and more massive US-market electric bikes are more like small electric motorcycles. Well, a brand called Happyrun must have heard us and pulled the ol’ “hold my beer!” The result is the Happyrun Tank G100, which may wear a pair of bicycle pedals but is all motorcycle from the ankles up.

As much as I love the nicer and more refined electric bikes that use higher quality parts and better construction for years of worry-free riding, I understand how important the entry-level market is for making electric bicycles as accessible as possible. And e-bikes like the $799 Engwe L20 2.0 are putting more butts on seats than ever before, combining low prices with performance that will likely surprise you!

I’ve been on the hunt for an electric mountain bike that would give me much of the performance of the fancier, high-priced models, yet without their major downside: that higher price. The Velotric Summit 1 rolled in at the perfect time, and while the bike itself isn’t perfect, it’s darn near exactly what I’d want from an eMTB that focuses on keeping prices down.

I’ve always found the sub-$1k e-bike segment fascinating. The bikes aren’t always the best, but the good ones are usually good enough for most casual and/or recreational riders. And this is the group of e-bikes with the biggest potential for winning over new riders who haven’t fully committed to the idea of a pricier e-bike replacing a good chunk of car miles. The $899 Starrun R20 is the latest folding fat tire e-bike that seems ready to compete in this quickly crowding market. So does it have what it takes?

If you’ve been in the market for an electric scooter, you’ve probably already seen Apollo’s name alongside the list of usual suspects. But while the brand is best known for its more expensive flagship models, the new Apollo Go was launched earlier this year to reach a budget-minded price that would appeal to more riders.

When Gogoro rolled out its new high-performance electric scooter, the Pulse, the world got its first glimpse of an entirely new side of the company. Best known for its battery-swapping system and cute, brightly-colored scooters, the Pulse launched an edgy new look for Gogoro. But even more importantly, it also showed off an entire suite of new high-tech innovations.

And so when I received an invite to be the first Westerner to test ride the Pulse and share the experience with the world, I jumped on it. Every company seems to proclaim that their new e-scooter is like none other before, but only the Gogoro Pulse is one of the few that can truly mean it. This electric scooter marks a paradigm shift in what is possible for this form factor and with Gogoro’s swappable battery standard.