For decades, the e-bike industry has become unfortunately predictable. Take a standard bike frame, stick a battery on it, run the chain through a motor, and call it a day. This formula more than works. It has been extremely successful and profitable for the industry. As expected, all that success and profit have garnered attention from the likes of Rivian, the electric automaker, which has little to do with micromobility. Now they have completely rewritten the formula for what makes a great e-bike.

The ALSO TM-B, an upcoming class 3 electric bike, rejects the constraints of a bicycle and embraces automotive engineering. Pricing for the vehicle starts at $3500, and ALSO doesn’t hope to corner the "purist cyclist" marklet. It aims to conquer the emerging market of tech-forward urban commuters seeking to replace their cars.

The Virtual Drivetrain

The TM-B does not have a chain, long-belt, or derailleur. It operates as a series hybrid. Cadence sensors work with the carbon belt and software to deliver up to 180 Nm of torque to your feet as you pedal along. The software then simulates a 10-speed gearbox, giving riders electronic control over the resistance they encounter on uphill sections or in tricky terrain. 

Much like the ADO Air 28, the TM-B has an estimated range of about 100 miles and takes just over 2 hours to charge from zero to full. The entire rig runs on an 808 Wh battery pack and uses a 240W USB-C charger.

As much as the marketing around the bike may suggest, this is no discovery or innovation. Bikes like the ADO Air 28 have long featured gearless drives for under $1500

Early testing reveals a nimble ride despite the bike’s heft. As The Washington Post’s Chris Velazco notes, the bike is "both fun to ride and surprisingly difficult to steal," adding that he found it "nimble, fast off the line and easier to handle than its 80-pound frame suggests." 

That said, this entirely digital ecosystem is a boon as much as a curse. Unlike traditional e-bikes, which you can lug home on purely pedal power when dead, the TM-B interfaces entirely digitally with the motor, so a dead battery means no pedal power at all. 

The N+1 problem

What started as a joke online is truly reflective of a real problem in the world of e-bikes. The perfect number of e-bikes you own is one more than what you have, or N+1. Manufacturers often typecast bikes and pack them with utility-specific features that make the bike unusable in other scenarios. You wouldn't want to lug around the heavy rear rack and cargo bins on a trail, nor would you want to rely on a heavy-duty eMTB to lug around groceries. 

ALSO tackles this by introducing a modular, swappable utility tool. Using the secure e-latches controlled via the touchscreen, you can swap out the top frame in a few seconds. You could seamlessly convert the bike from a "solo" rider to a "utility/ cargo" cruiser in a few seconds. 

When attached, the bike’s software automatically detects and reconfigures the motor’s power delivery to adjust for the new weight distribution. William Robertson wrote for Forbes, "While it certainly resembles a bicycle, the ideas behind it clearly show that the ALSO team examined nearly every aspect of e-bike technology and essentially asked: how can we do this differently and better?"

The Software-First Build

It is unfair to say that traditional e-bike manufacturers don’t focus on software. Especially when brands like Velotric offer dedicated screens that connect to your existing tech suite. That said, e-bikes don’t need the best-in-class software. A user can sufficiently interact with the e-bike through a small analogue screen that displays the key details. 

In the case of ALSO or Rivian, there are too many moving parts in an EV to operate without top-class software and a user interface. Rivian’s tech pedigree is more than apparent with the 5-inch high-res touchscreen display that runs a custom operating system (OS). The OS is capable of terrain-specific tuning and navigation, providing ETAs and real-time battery levels.

Rivian has also brought its EV-specific security to the bike. Your smartphone acts as a digital key. As you walk away, the motor is electronically locked, the pedals decouple from the motor and spin freely, and the software electronically locks the bike to the frame, with active GPS tracking. 

The Verdict

The ALSO TM-B is an interesting experiment. Should it work, rest assured that every manufacturer will consider abandoning traditional manual-gear systems and switching to the “virtual drivetrain” the bike runs on. We call it an experiment because that is what it is, at least for now.m We don’t know the performance specs uphill, or the battery range in real-time use. 

However, by stripping out the mechanical gear systems in favour of modular digital ones, ALSO makes it easier for entry-level bikers to switch from cars for short commutes. Not to mention the trust that comes with its association with Rivian, a well-regarded brand in the world of EVs; riders will enjoy the automotive reliability of an e-bike. 

With deliveries slated for late 2026, and the bike’s base price set at $3500, the TM-B is a fascinating look at what happens when automotive scale meets the intricate design of micromobility. 

For a deeper dive into the engineering philosophy and a closer look at the vehicle in action, watch Chris Yu, the president and co-founder of ALSO, in an interview with Micromobility Industries.