An eBike Rant

“NOT everything good has to be an iPod or iPad,” is the QOTD from Charles Morgan who makes retro-inspired 3 wheelers. The bike industry could learn much from this man, like about bespoke bikes that aren’t the same bike with a paint job, even an artsy paint job. I say this after Eurobike and going into Interbike where the media is supposed to be wow’d by some new e-bike that’s the same bike Lee Iacocca sold in the 90s.

When the industry produces e-bikes that aren’t Iaccoca bikes, they’ll finally succeed and we’re just starting to see that now. The industry needs to innovate beyond a comfort bike with a small motor. We’ve covered e-bikes here and have seen concepts that are actually built around a notion of powered riding and not just a flat-bar bike with a motor bolted onto it. The WSJ just reviewed the type of e-bike we don’t want to see anymore and didn’t like it anymore than we would.

Commuters will find it cumbersome and off-road riders will decide the clumsy weight is not compensated for by the occasional uphill boost.

New bikes from M55 and Blacktrail push traditional e-bike, boring, heavy boundaries into fashion, performance, and towards the high end. Imagine an Aero Road Bike with a motor or well-designed, modern-looking e-bike in a bike share for a downtown hotel. That’s what we need to see to really move the needle on this segment in the States, where bikes are still seen as expensive toys.

113b

M55 Terminus drivetrain

When you persuade people that e-bikes are an item of aspiration and sexiness, they’ll sell and that day can’t come soon enough.

Blacktrail Non Plush Ultra

To rethink what an e-bike is or can become, manufactures should focus on mobility concepts like neighborhood vehicles that younger consumers can share for that 10 mile range around their homes. They should connect a bike to a cyclist’s Smartphones and integrate it with how they travel. The auto industry is in the same place and the Frankfurt Auto Show is expected to focus on innovations and creating consumer demand with electric cars. They’re working on better batteries, extended range, safety, and so should the bike industry. Collectively, we need to push innovations and develop a killer app of a bike that happens to have a motor on it too.

eurobike-workcycles-2011 18

Pinion crankcase with electric assist

That bike will get cyclists uphills and around town without breaking a sweat and they look cool doing it.

We're riding townies, adventure, and mountain bikes. Find recommendations on our store page. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.