Posts tagged e-bike

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Finally got around to watching Arnold on Netflix, which was quite enjoyable. I was happy to see so many rolling shots of Schwarzenegger on an e-bike. A bit of googling revealed that it's a Matchless Urban E-Bike, which sold for over $9,000 (now sold out). Powered by a Brose 250 watt motor, this thing looks like a good match for the Terminator!

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This week Santa Cruz unveiled their new Skitch–a lightweight flat bar e-bike. Now, back in the 90s, we called the acoustic version of these 700c bikes "hybrids." I commuted for years on a Surly Cross Check I built up with flat bars. To me it’s the best all-around configuration for urban bike commuting.

The Skitch is very cool, with a carbon fiber frame and fork, mid-drive Fazua Ride 60 motor and a claimed 30 pound weight. But the $5,999 price tag was a bit eye opening. It made me wonder: who is the customer for this bike? The marketing photos show a guy in jeans and a backpack hooning around with it like it's a BMX bike. Who is gonna do that with a $6k carbon bike? For the same money, you could have a Santa Cruz Stigmata AND a half-decent ebike–one that you wouldn’t be worried about locking up somewhere (like the REI Co-Op bike I just scored for $998).



Weight is a big issue for e-bikes. My wife has a Specialized Turbo Vado (another bike I’d call a hybrid). It’s an awesome bike, but at over 50 pounds, it’s kind of porky.

So what are your options for more affordable, lightweight hybrid e-bikes? Here are three that come to mind. Let me know if there are others I should include on this list!

Propella 7S

Propella is a cool little e-bike company based near us in Redmond, Washington. We first met them at the Seattle Bike Swap back in February. The Propella 7s features a 7-speed drivetrain, a 250 watt hub motor and 250 wh battery, with a range of 20 - 40 miles. This Class 1 e-bike has five level of pedal-assist and tops out at 19 mph. It weighs in at a reasonable 37 pounds and is generally priced around $999. Want a cleaner look and lower price? Propella also offers a singlespeed variant for $799.



State 6061 eBike Commuter

I consider State to be the king of affordable, quality direct-to-consumer bikes. So when they introduced their 6061 eBike Commuter I definitely took notice. The State has a cleaner look with an integrated 360 wh LG battery in the down tube. Like the Propella, it has a 250 watt rear hub motor. State claims a 24 miles range in PAS level 5 and over 100 miles in PAS level 1. It weighs 38 pounds and is currently priced at $1,299. Hot shot roadie/writer Phil Gaimon has one, and you can see him ride it on Instagram.



Detroit Bikes–Electric

Can you justify spending a little more for a boutique, Made-in-USA option? Then be sure to check out the Detroit Bikes-Electric. This stylish steel e-bike has the cleanest look yet, thanks to the Zehus All-In-One Motor--no need to put a battery on or in the frame! The 250 watt hub motor provides pedal-assistance up to 15.5 mph, and Zehus claims a range of 20 to 35 miles (though the Detroit guys have seen significantly farther than that). And the belt drive helps make it no fuss, no muss. The Detroit e-bike weighs in at a scant 32 pounds and is currently priced at $2,599. I’m super excited to see and test one of these in person--and we will have one in the BikeList booth at the Electrify Expo in Seattle in less than three weeks!



What are your thoughts? And what bikes did I miss? Let me know in the comments!

It’s been several decades since I locked up a bike. My bikes are my babies and bike thieves seem to get more brash and sophisticated every day. But I just ordered my first ever e-bike from REI last week (got an orange Co-op Cycles Generation e1.2 for half off–more on that soon) and plan to use it as a grocery getter and bar bike. So for the first time in a long time, I’m in the market for a bike lock.

As chance would have it, my buddy Dan Cavallari just did a full rundown of the best bike locks for 2023. He got out the angle grinder and everything. You can read his full analysis over at Tom’s Guide.

Do you lock up your bike? If so, what lock do you use?

Increasingly people are turning to e-bikes as car replacements. The example I hear the most is people opting to get rid of their second car in favor of an e-bike, especially a cargo bike. This seems to provide a "best of both worlds" approach and can make local trips a lot more economical and fun. I love this pic from Reddit of a Tern GSD making a Costco run!

Do you use an e-bike as a car replacement?

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E-bike fence sitters and weight weenies may now be temped to consider an e-bike for their next purchase as Bosch introduces the new Performance Line SX, aimed at higher end mountain bikes, gravel bikes and urban bikes. The motor and battery combine for a total weight of just 4KG (or 8.8 pounds). You can read more about it at Bike Radar, or watch the Bosch product launch video below.

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