Welcome to Ride Review, your weekly roundup of new tech and vehicle launches in the world of micromobility.
What You Need to Know Today
Lectric keeps on cranking out new models this year! The XPress is their first full-sized electric bike, with 27.5" wheels, and their first to rock a torque sensor. It's available in two frame styles (high-step or step-thru), and you also can pick between a 500- or 750-watt rear hub motor. Lectric hooked up our reviewer, Tyson Roehrkasse, with a prototype for a day and he tested it out on some of Denver's wonderful cycling trails. Check it out here.
VanMoof is back in business under the new ownership of McLauren Applied. The redesigned company and A5 and S5 models are fueled by a completely re-engineered supply chain, a new dealer network to provide personal support for customers, and healthy upgrades to both hardware and software. Everything looks promising but will it be enough to win back the trust of the customers left empty-handed in 2023?
Ride1Up is making an effort to be more transparent with its customers by doing away with MSRP and sale pricing. It will be interesting to see if this pricing becomes the new norm in the e-bike industry.
The first production-ready electric motorcycle rolled off the line in Raptee Energy’s new Chennai manufacturing plant, which claims to have an annual capacity of 100,000 units.
Image Credit: Raptee Energy
Juiced Founder and CEO Tora Harris pulled out all the stops with the new JetCurrent Pro calling it an e-bike with “transportation-grade EV status.” He’s not kidding - 1,200W continuous power, 105nm of torque, 34 mph top speed (off-road only), and beefy 4-piston hydraulic brakes squeezing 203mm rotors are impressive specs you’ll find on few e-bikes.
Vinfast makes its US e-bike debut with the VF DrgnFly, which claims to blend Vietnamese cultural aesthetics and current e-bike trends. Should appeal to the Super73 crowd.
You've no doubt heard of Radio Flyer before; yes, they're the "Little Red Wagon" company. Turns out they also make electric bikes, and they do a pretty darn good job of it. The Via is their newest e-cargo bike, the result of over two years of industry research and design iteration. It's extremely well built, has excellent accessory options, and is available in three frame sizes.
Canadian mountain bike maker Norco just announced electrified versions of two of its popular enduro class models, The Range VLT (180mm F/170mm R) and Sight VLT (160mm F/150mm R) both use a Bosch CX motor for full assistance on the climbs and Norco’s VPS high-pivot suspension design with an idler.
In an effort to boost its market share before an upcoming IPO, India’s Ola Electric has dropped the price of its lowest-priced moped, the S1X, by 12.5%.
This falls a bit on the heavy side of micromobility, but it is cool to see. Aptera Motors is developing a solar-charged, three-wheeled EV that has a range of 400 miles and the solar cells can add up to 40 miles of charge per day to the batteries. The company just received the first production-ready Aptera chassis at its San Diego HQ.
Image Credit: Aptura
Here’s a look at some of the new e-skateboard tech on display at ESK8 CON 2024 in Las Vegas.
Indian electric moped maker Lectrix launches the new E2W using a hybrid ownership model. The E2W sells for Rs49,000 (~$586 USD) and then is combined with a battery subscription service to reduce the upfront cost, eliminate battery longevity concerns, and large battery replacement costs.
Earlier this year, Salsa Cycles began building its electrified bike line with a flat-bar commuter and a gravel model. This week, Salsa added two new e-MTBs to its lineup: the Notch enduro e-MTB and the Morraine all-mountain e-MTB.
Images Credit: Salsa
If you crave the boost of an e-skateboard, but prefer the analog feel of a regular skateboard, you might consider trying the REM - a handheld motorized wheel-on-a-pole that works completely independently of the user’s board.
When only the best will do for junior’s first balance bike, GoCycle has you covered with the $400 GoCycle Mini Carbon Fiber balance bike.
We’re not sure what category this falls under, but engineer James Bruton designed a one-of-a-kind “screw-bike” that uses 4 mecanum wheels that rotate in opposite directions to move. Check out the video 👇
Correction: The Tuesday newsletter stated that the Bicycle Association and Association for Cycle Traders support a U.K. initiative to legalize e-bike throttles and more powerful motors. These two groups oppose the measure. We regret the error.
