Ebike Industry Updates
In terms of comfort, the bike excels; its riding position, while having a slight forward-lean, is mostly relaxed and upright. It features a well-shaped Bontrager Commuter Comp saddle with a great balance of softness and supportiveness. The bike includes ergonomic rubber grips with plenty of support, and large rubberized pedals with plenty of grab – but no pegs to inflict shin wounds in the event of a slip.
The Allant+ is offered in three frame sizes and two frame styles; the high-step we tested fits riders between 5’-5” and 6’-6”, while the step-thru or “Stagger” model is made for shorter riders between 5’-1” and 6’-1”. At 5’-11”, I fit squarely in the middle of the accommodation range for the Large frame, and it felt perfect for me in terms of saddle height, reach, etc.
As I mentioned previously, the bike felt firmly planted, but still handled incredibly responsively. Its 660mm handlebars provided quick steering, and ultimately felt wider and roomier than they were. The 27.5”x2.4” Bontrager E6 Hard-Case Lite tires helped the bike feel stable and offered cushioning to help counteract the absence of a suspension – which itself plays a role in the bike’s confident handling but makes bumps more pronounced.
A huge element that contributed to the overall ride feel of the Allant+ is its Bosch Performance Line Speed mid-drive motor. In addition to providing a remarkably smooth and consistent feel to its pedal assistance, the system includes highly functional technology to make rides easier and more enjoyable.
Our test bike was outfitted with the manufacturer’s SmartphoneHub that includes a basic black-and-white LCD, but features a spring loaded clamp mount that allows riders to use their smartphone as a display. When paired with the bike through Bosch’s COBI.BIKE app, users have seamless access to up to 10 pre-selected contacts for making calls with Bluetooth headphones/earbuds, streaming songs through Apple Music or Spotify, turn-by-turn navigation with Apple Maps, ride tracking through Strava or Komoot, and health/fitness data through Apple Health or Google Fit.
A powerful and practical all-terrain e-bike for hunting, commuting, or simply having fun.
An e-bike aiming to adventure in potentially remote areas needs serious power to deal with rough terrain; fortunately, QuietKat specced a beastly 1,000W Bafang rear-hub motor with 80 Nm of torque. In combination with the bike’s Kenda fat tires and Mozo suspension fork with 100 mm of travel, the Ranger is well-equipped to handle any and all types of terrain.
We experienced an impressively stable ride with great handling from the bike’s chunky off-road tires and 740mm handlebars. Depending on frame size, the Ranger sports either 20”x4” or 26”x4.5” fat tires that chew through dirt with ease. The bike’s wide handlebars offer precise steering for navigating tight trails or obstacles, ensuring that the Ranger stays firmly on course.
Whether loaded up with game, camping gear, or even a load of groceries, the Ranger has a substantial payload capacity of 325 lbs. The bike’s rear rack is welded to its beefed-up chainstays, allowing it to carry up to 100 lbs – but in case that doesn’t cut it, QuietKat offers two trailer options to make the job possible.
Those were the highlights from our time on the bike, but to learn more about its real world performance, read on to our full QuietKat Ranger review below!
First, comfort: the bike features a great-feeling CHIFA leather saddle that I found extremely comfortable after hours on the bike. Like the JackRabbit OG, the XG uses foldable pegs for foot placement. These felt sturdy and stout, even as a rider with large feet. The bike’s standard rubber grips were pleasantly squishy but otherwise as expected.
In terms of fit, the XG is advertised as being able to accommodate riders from 4’-9” to 6’-6”. Few bikes can fit such a broad range of users with a single frame size, but the XG has one clear advantage. With no pedals, riders need not be concerned with proper leg extension – they simply need a comfortable seat. Our tallest and shortest testers (Michael at 6’-5” and Kaleigh at 5’-4”, respectively) enjoyed their rides in comfort and style, proving JackRabbit’s advertised height range completely on point.
The overall feel of the ride ranged from lively to relaxing. In Eco, the bike’s cruising speed was a comfortable balance between getting us where we needed to be and allowing us to enjoy the scenery. In High, the ride was a bit more thrilling with punchier acceleration and a more energized feel.
Regardless of power level, the XG’s handling was incredible! With such a short wheelbase, we could almost literally turn on a dime, and with its robust motor, the bike could easily power through turns.
With a low-profile off-road tread pattern on its 20” CST tires, the XG can handle some light dirt or gravel roads. There is no suspension that comes standard, though the 2.4”-wide tires help to smooth some dips and bumps.
Componentry
It’s in cockpit components: handlebar, saddle, stem and seatpost that we often see examples of companies working hard to bring down the cost of an e-bike as they move from the most expensive version to the most affordable version. The Cannondale Moterra is no different.
With the Cannondale Moterra 1, we see a carbon fiber handlebar, but on the other four models, they all receive an alloy bar.
All five of the Moterras receive a dropper post and the amount of adjustability varies depending on the size of frame. The smaller sizes getting less range and the bigger sizes covering more.
Drivetrain, brakes and wheels
For an eMTB to meet the sort of performance riders expect, it really can’t afford to trip where the motor, battery, suspension, brakes or drivetrain are concerned. A weakness in any of those areas will hamper an eMTB’s performance.
The Cannondale Moterra comes with a 12-speed drivetrain on the 1, 2 3 and 4. The Moterra 5 comes with a 10-speed drivetrain, which results in a narrower range of gearing.
When pedaling becomes a backup, not an option, it makes sense to design a ride with a more comfortable seat, greater stability at speed and bigger tires with more traction. That said, on those occasions when you do choose to pedal, it’s nice not to have your knees bumping your chin and I’m not sure I’ve ridden an e-moped that gave me a more comfortable seated position. We’re all going to misjudge range at some point and find ourselves a mile or two from home. The e-bike that makes pedaling home as easy as possible is going to cause less range anxiety, and that’s one thing the QuiteKat Lynx has going for it. I wouldn’t have guessed I could go nearly 10 mph on a 100-lb. e-bike with the motor off. So, kudos and all.
QuietKat’s Variable Power Output (VPO) is one of our favorite features. The unlimited mode is great fun when no one else is nearby, but in traffic or on a bike path, it’s helpful to be able to switch this to Class 3 or Class 2 operation in an effort to be a good neighbor.
QuietKat’s app improves the user experience with features like GPS tracking both while riding and when parked, locking and unlocking the Lynx and more.
With UL-certification becoming a must-have, we were glad to see that QuietKat secured UL 2849 certification for the Lynx. That means the full electronics system including battery, charger and motor has been certified safe.
QuietKat’s warranty is a little more stringent than we usually see as it covers the Lynx for one year or 1000 miles, though the frame carries a lifetime warranty. Those wanting additional coverage that includes accident protection can purchase a one-, two- or three-year supplemental warranty at the time of their purchase.
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Their product line received an exciting addition earlier this month when they announced their new cargo e-bike, the CX.
V9 of the Goccycle app is just the first step in a process that the company says will result in new features being deployed to owner’s smartphones. The upgrade to V9 is substantial enough that the company says it will be unable to support the old version of the app and that Goccycle owners will need to upgrade to V9.
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Stromer’s parent company, myStromer AG, which is also the parent of e-bike brand Desiknio, accomplished a major feat in 2023 by growing their market share in two of Europe’s hottest e-bike markets, Belgium and the Netherlands. The company managed an even more unlikely deed in the U.S. by charting double-digit growth.
Among Stromer’s accomplishments in 2023, they built the first rideable prototype e-bike using a ceramic battery. They also forged a multi-year relationship with Alinghi Red Bull Racing to introduce two Alinghi Red Bull Racing Special Edition Stromer models.
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The two e-bikes, the S1 and the C1 are intended to be lighter than typical e-bikes. Navee says they will weigh between 25 and 30kg (55 to 66 lbs.), in order to make them easier for smaller riders or riders with limited strength or mobility to manage.
The two e-bikes share many design features. Both feature step-thru frame designs. They can be ordered with either 250W or 350W motors (500W or 700W max output, respectively) and several different batteries, from 468Wh up to 612Wh. Both e-bikes come with 26-in. wheels and front and rear drum brakes. Navee included both a torque sensor and a cadence sensor to make them as responsive as possible.
Both e-bikes are projected to have a range of up to 75km (46.6 mi.) per charge, and will be speed limited to 25kph (15.5 mph).
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Due to concern for the rising rates of lithium-ion battery fires which are often incorrectly attributed to e-bikes, Denver will require that anyone using one of their vouchers to purchase an e-bike that complies either with UL 2271 (batteries) or UL 2849 (the entire system including motor and battery).
The vouchers will be released in five batches. The first batch was released Tuesday, February 27. Additional batches will be released April 30, June 25, August 27 and October 29. Vouchers are good for 90 days.
The program is aimed at low-income Denver residents; vouchers are awarded to households that earn less than 60 percent of Colorado’s median income ($86,900 for individual earners or $99,300 for two earners), less than 60 percent of the area median income or less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
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The LMT’D V2 arrived as a Class 2 e-bike with throttle and pedal assist up to 20 mph, though it can be switched to a Class 3 through its settings menu. This grants access to pedal assisted speeds up to 28 mph (the throttle remains limited to 20 mph). As such, I performed a Speed Test in both its Class 2 and Class 3 modes to measure its maximum speeds in its 5 PAS settings. The data from both tests is graphed above.
Our test course is a flat section of paved bike path with straights and curves. Due to the LMT’D’s use of a torque sensor for motor engagement, I maintained a consistent, casual-to-moderate level of effort so as to observe the differences between settings.
In Class 2 mode, I began the test by pedaling with the PAS deactivated (PAS 0) and reached 10.6 mph comfortably. My speeds increased relatively steadily to 13.5 mph in PAS 1, 15.8 mph in PAS 2, 19.1 mph in PAS 3, and 21.0 mph in PAS 4. With the bike limited in its Class 2 settings, there was no room left to go above my PAS 4 speed; I measured the same maximum in PAS 5.
In Class 3 mode, there was an immediate and noticeable difference in the motor’s output across the full span of assist levels. I once again noted steady increases of speed, with maximum results of 14.8 mph in PAS 1, 18.9 mph in PAS 2, 22.8 mph in PAS 3 and 25.1 mph in PAS 4. Finally, I felt a significant kick upon selecting PAS 5; the bike rocketed to 29.9 mph with its maximum output.
With a 48V, 750W rear-hub motor, the bike’s ability to reach the Class 3 limit in PAS 5 (with some gusto, I might add) was no surprise; this is a powerful motor that is able to draw and use current from the battery quickly. However, I found that the bike’s ride felt much more reserved than I expected in its lower PAS settings than I expected based on its specs. I thoroughly appreciated the bike’s non-electric feel, so this was a pleasant surprise!
Considering that travel-focused companies like Thule make bicycle carriers, it’s obvious that flying with a bike is a thing. But what about flying with an e-bike? When checking luggage, airline agents ask about lithium ion batteries and TSA asks about them as well when we move through security.
Policies on flying with a bike vary from airline to airline. Most consider a bike in a carrier to be oversize, which results in a charge that can run from as little as $35 up to more than $200, per leg.
While the charges for bikes can seem arbitrary and maybe even capricious, flying with an e-bike is a different matter entirely. Because e-bikes use lithium-ion batteries, the transportation of those batteries is governed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA has placed strict limits on the size of lithium-ion batteries permitted on planes, both in carry-on and checked luggage.
The maximum permissible size for a lithium-ion battery is 100Wh. The specific language can be found in the Code for Federal Regulations under § 173.185 (1,i).
Hard-tail eMTBs of course don’t have the same smooth ride as full-suspension e-bikes, but in addition to being less expensive, they are lighter and require less service, and often last longer. And while full-suspension designs are exciting, in much of the U.S., the downhills aren’t long enough to really enable a rider to make use of the rear suspension. So while a hard-tail eMTB will feature a bumpier ride than a full-suspension model, it tends to be more efficient when pedaling on flat ground.
There is a front fork to talk about though. With most all-terrain and fat-tire e-bikes that are billed as being suited to off-road riding, we generally see a suspension fork of between 60 and 120mm of travel; 100mm is common. Aventon chose the RockShox 35 Silver TK suspension fork with 130mm of travel. Performance wise, I thought it was great. It held up well over several rounds on our local trails. As a 235 lbs human, I thought I was getting the ideal sag at around 35%. Why point out what I saw on the scale the last time I was on it? Well, you can’t adjust the compression at all, so heavier than me and it might have to much sag. Aventon has a lot of good here so I don’t want to overblow this point, but it would have been nice to have a fork you could adjust.
Another great touch that Aventon gave the Ramblas was the dropper post. Dropper posts have become necessities on both mountain bikes and eMTBs. With the press of a lever, a rider can sit down on the seat and lower it, then release the lever and the seat stays down. This allows the rider to move around on descents, drop-offs and any technical terrain where the presence of the saddle can hamper the rider’s ability to move.
We often talk about how the one-size e-bikes can’t really fit everyone. The Aventon Ramblas comes in four sizes because riding on technical terrain calls for a well-fitting e-bike in a way that commuting to work doesn’t. If a cruiser doesn’t fit just right, it’s not a big deal, but if an eMTB doesn’t fit right, the rider’s balance and ability to control the e-bike can be compromised.
With four sizes, Aventon estimates that the Ramblas will fit riders from 5 feet 1 up to 6 feet 5, with each size accommodating about a 4-in. range of heights. We think they got this right.
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The basics of the Rad Power Bikes RadWagon remain unchanged: This is a cargo e-bike with a step-thru frame designed to carry as many as two passengers. Providing the muscle is a 750W brushless, geared hub motor.
While those basics remain in place, preserving the cargo e-bike’s mission and basic abilities, plenty else has changed. The RadWagon 5 features an all-new frame design, with less tubing, but with greater adjustability and a better ability to accommodate smaller riders. The wheel size has been changed from 22 in. to 20. and the battery has grown from 672Wh to 720Wh.
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We’ve previously reviewed the Vvolt Alpha and Vvolt Proxima and found both to be terrific designs that offer a solid value.
The Vvolt Slice Lite features a 20-in. wheel in the front and a 26-in. wheel in the rear. It may look a little funny at first, but there’s a good reason for this. One truism of all moving things is that the lower the center of gravity, the more stable it is. By equipping the Slice Lite with a 20-in. front wheel rather than 26 in., Vvolt is able to offer riders a much lower attachment point for the cargo module—their front-mounted basket.
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The new cargo e-bikes aren’t e-bikes, exactly. They feature four wheels, give the driver a semi-enclosed cab (front windshield and roof to protect from weather), will be able to carry a load of up to 375 lbs (170kg) for up to 45 mi. per charge and will use three-pin plugs for charging so that FedEx won’t need to install custom chargers.
FedEx worked with Electric Asssited Vehicles, Ltd. (EAV) on the design of the cargo e-bikes. The U.K.’s Department for Transport awarded EAV £150,000 to develop and test the cargo e-bikes from its Freight Innovation Fund.
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EBR’s BikTrix Juggernaut FS First Look Review:
The BikTrix Juggernaut is a sophisticated all-terrain e-bike. Whether someone chooses the fat-tire version or the mountain bike version, they’ll be heading into the countryside on one of the most powerful e-bikes we’ve seen. It will climb anything that can be called a road and maintain convincing control throughout.
How would someone choose between the fat-tire and the mountain bike version? It’s not a straightforward choice, that’s for sure. Anyone who is likely to encounter snow or sand will be better served by the big tires. But riders who will be riding terrain with lots of twists and turns, or plentiful mud would do well to pick the mountain bike edition.
There are always some features in any e-bike we review that give us pause. We can’t always see a way to improve them, but we take note, either way. With the BikTrix Juggernaut FS we have two concerns. Our top concern is for the safety of the rider and that of other riders or pedestrians should someone choose to ride this e-bike on a bike path or on trails in a park. This e-bike will reach speeds that could alarm anyone nearby, and perhaps even the rider.
Our other concern is just how frequently its owners will need to replace its drivetrain components. Its combination of power (1200W) and torque (220Nm) mean that it will wear out the chain, cassette and chainring faster than almost any other e-bike we’ve seen. Often, a rider can avoid replacing the cassette and chainring if they replace the chain frequently enough. The chain tends to cost 20 percent (or less) of what a cassette costs. But replacing the chain often enough to avoid cassette and chainring replacement may not be possible with such a powerful e-bike. Buyers of the Juggernaut FS will need to be prepared to develop a good relationship with a neighborhood bike or e-bike shop in order to keep it in good working order.
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Safe Shield is different from other batteries in that each cell within the battery is surrounded by a heat-absorbing resin. Batteries made this way are called “potted,” and this is a product design that is already in use in EVs, where the risks posed by a fire are far greater.
The heat-absorbing resin is designed to prevent the spread of heat in the event that one cell is compromised. By drawing heat away from the cells, the resin used in Safe Shield is meant to prevent thermal runaway from taking place.
Rad Power Bikes still specs top-shelf cells. Safe Shield batteries will feature either Samsung or LG cells. This is a 48V, 720Wh (15Ah) battery, and it is certified to UL’s 2271 standard for e-bike batteries.
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The basics for the Himiway C3 are attractive. It features a step-thru design, suspension fork, 750W hub motor, 960Wh battery, 7-speed drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes. This is a well-equipped e-bike. It also features a cowling that fits around the frame and battery that gives the C3 a look that evokes an e-moped.
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Unfortunately, as e-bike use has climbed, helmet use hasn’t kept pace with their adoption. While it makes sense that if more people are riding e-bikes there will be more injuries even if the rate of injury per 100,00 people stays the same. That stinks, but what is worse is that helmet use hasn’t kept pace with rising e-bike use. As a result, we’re seeing an increase in the number of head injuries.
A new study published by JAMA Surgery examined helmet use from 2017 to 2022, finding that helmet use fell by 6 percent over that five-year span. That’s not the worst part of the study, though. It found that the number of e-bike riders who went to the hospital with head trauma rose 49 fold. That’s not 49 percent; it’s 49 times, resulting in some 8,000 visits in 2022 alone.
The bad news doesn’t end there. The study revealed that 44 percent of the injured riders were wearing helmets.
Injury severity rose
Researchers examined 1,038 cases of head injuries e-bike riders suffered and calculated that 46,000 adults and children visited emergency rooms between 2017 and 2022. Not only was there a 49-fold rise in hospital visits, there was a 43-fold rise in hospitalizations. That is, the number of people who went to the emergency room and then were admitted to the hospital rather than being discharged home that day rose 43 times.
Motor and battery
One of the standout features of the Himiway A7 Pro is its 500W mid-drive motor. Most mid-drives we see produce 250W and less than 100Nm of torque. This 500W motor produces a whopping 130Nm of torque. Combine that with the torque sensor and what the rider gets is an e-bike that is immediately responsive to pedal input and enough torque to make this ride accelerate like a muscle car.
The 720Wh battery features Samsung and LG cells for excellent reliability. Himiway suggests that riders may see as much as 50 mi. of range per charge, which would seem modest if not for the fact that this is a 500W mid-drive motor; 50 mi. would be reasonable for such a powerful mid-drive motor.
The Himiway A7 Pro ships as a Class 2 e-bike with a top assist speed of 20 mph, whether pedaling or on the throttle, but it can be unlocked for a maximum pedal-assist speed of 28 mph.
Componentry
One component on this e-bike that’s easy to miss is the dropper seatpost. Seatposts are rarely interesting on commuter e-bikes, but this one features a small lever just below the nose of the saddle. Pull it up, put your weight on it and you can slide it down to your preferred height. Release your weight, and it will rise when you pull the lever.
With a commuter, you rarely need to change saddle height once you’ve set it for your needs, so why include a dropper post? This is for the family that has more than one user for this e-bike. In a household with two or more fully grown people, buying everyone an e-bike might not be feasible, so purchasing one that everyone can use with ease would make terrific sense.
