Ebike Industry Updates

BiSaddle, the maker of a saddle aimed at triathletes and road riders has been named the exclusive saddle partner for USA Triathlon, the governing body for triathlon in the U.S.

BiSaddle is unusual among ergonomic saddle designs in that the shell of the saddle allows the user to move the pads to a position offering the best support for their body.

As the governing body in the U.S. for triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon and off-road triathlon, the organization sanctions more than 3500 events annually, participated in by more than 300,000 athletes.

According to BiSaddle, “BiSaddle distinguishes itself through its patented fully adjustable saddle, providing athletes the ability to tailor their saddle to individual body shapes and preferences, guaranteeing an optimal and comfortable cycling experience. Dedicated to improving athlete performance and well-being, BiSaddle’s commitment to innovation is evident in their production of groundbreaking saddles suitable for various cycling disciplines.

“BiSaddle is committed to maximizing the potential of age-group athletes, and we at USA Triathlon are excited for this partnership to work together to support athletes as they chase their personal finish lines,” said Victoria Brumfield, USA Triathlon CEO. “This new partnership will help multisport athletes experience how an adjustable shape, custom fit saddle can be used to train harder, ride further, and ride faster.”

The reasons to mount a smartphone holder on your e-bike seem to grow by the day. From serving up navigation info and real-time data functions such as current speed and miles ridden, there are a growing number of apps that can turn a smartphone into a better display than the one that comes with your e-bike. And increasingly, e-bike manufacturers are launching their own apps that can provide real-time directions, connect brand owners and even offer security features including GPS tracking. So that answers the why. The what, in this instance, is the Pimp My Bike Phone Holder, which is unlike any other smartphone holder we’ve seen. In our review of the Pimp My Bike Phone holder we will look at its many functions as well as its overall sense of value.

With the smartphone mounts we’ve seen up until now, they generally only serve to hold the smartphone so that it can be viewed while riding. A few manufacturer-included ones offer the added benefit of a charging plug, but most of those provide a single amp, roughly equivalent to a standard iPhone charger.

*Make sure to use the discount code EBIKEREVIEW at checkout

Beyond the question everyone comes to us with, which is, “What e-bike should I buy?” the number one question we field is what is the most comfortable seat out there. Naturally, every e-bike maker thinks they are putting excellent saddles on their e-bikes, but having sat on hundreds of seats we can verify that they are not all the same. We’re here to review the Electric Bike Co. XL Comfort Saddle and will explain why this is our go-to for greater comfort.

There is no one key to what makes the Electric Bike Co. XL Comfort Saddle better than nearly all other bike seats out there, and that’s part of its secret. But there are a few clues to why it is so successful. Its size is the biggest (haha) reason riders like this saddle so much. It’s larger than most seats on the market. Size matters because greater surface area means less pressure on any one part of your keister and that means feeling better supported.

When is a helmet not just a helmet? We don’t mean to ask a riddle in a review, but the Sena M1 EVO MTB helmet does more than protect your head. Sure, it protects your head—it carries certification from the CPSC—but it includes a safety taillight as well as a sound system that provides a host of interesting functions, including acting as an intercom with other riders. In our review of the Sena M1 EVO helmet we will take a look inside this exciting helmet.

Let’s get the basics of the helmet out of the way: This MTB helmet carries certifications both for the U.S. (CPSC 1203) and the EU (EN 1078), so potential buyers can be confident that this helmet meets basic safety standards. It comes in two sizes to cover heads ranging from 55 to 63cm in circumference. And despite the light and electronics, it weighs only 340g (12 oz.), which is right in line with many other mountain bike helmets.

So what makes this a mountain bike helmet? The visor. Sena makes other models specifically for road riding, such as the R1 EVO. The visor is helpful for anytime a rider is moving in and out of wooded areas; suddenly riding into bright sunshine can make it hard to see the trail and not having the sun in your eyes (thanks to a visor) means your eyes don’t need as much time to adjust when you ride into a wooded area. The reason this isn’t considered a helmet for the road is one of speed, not style. Above 20 mph, the wind will grab the visor and push the helmet around on your head, which isn’t comfortable and reduces the helmet’s ability to protect you in the event of a fall.

For the bike industry, 2023 was a year best forgotten. In 2020, thanks to the pandemic, most brands sold out of their entire season’s stock by July, which meant placing panicked orders for more product. In many instances, brands placed orders several times the size of their traditional sales projections. The brands that were able to restock the quickest were the biggest winners and those that were at the back of the queue found themselves glutted with stock when all the pandemic purchasing dried up.

The drying up began in 2022, but with so many people having purchased bikes and e-bikes in 2020 and 2021, demand has yet to return. In an analysis piece on the industry website Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, Rick Vosper showed that e-bikes are poised to save the bike industry from what would otherwise be an industry-wide depression.

After brands placed huge orders to refill their depleted stock in 2020 and 2021, the glut of inventory caused imports of pedal-only bikes to shrink by 31 percent in 2022. That’s a huge drop, but it was followed by an even bigger drop of 41 percent in 2022. The 5.4 million regular bikes imported in 2023 represents the lowest number of imported bikes since 1981, when our country was digging out of the late-1970s recession.

E-bike sales, by comparison, have been on a very different trajectory. In 2016, e-bikes represented only 2 percent of the bikes imported to the U.S. In 2023, e-bikes made up 18 percent of the total number of bikes brought into the country. Even though e-bike imports fell by almost 1 million units in 2023—a 10 percent fall relative to 2022—they were still 15 points higher than the imports for 2021.

Giant Group, the worldwide parent forGiant Bicycles, released its 2023 financial report. showing the company had NT$76.95 billion ($2.44 billion) in sales, which represents a 16.4 percent decline in year-over-year sales.

Giant attributed some of the decline in sales due to a drop in entry-level and mid-level products in both North America and Europe. Even a huge growth in sales in China was unable to overcome the slump.

The sales drop hit Giant’s profit hard, with the company’s net profit before tax shrinking to NT$4.8 billion, while after tax profit ticked in at NT$3.4 billion. Earnings per share were NT$8.68 ($0.27); the board approved a dividend of NT$5 ($0.16) per share.

Giant’s fortunes do not look to be improving in 2024. January sales were reported to be down 18 percent from 2023 and February was down even further, off by 27 percent.

E-bikes made up 30 percent of Giant’s total sales in 2023, including both those sold under the Giant name and those produced for other brands.

Cowboy has introduced a new city e-bike model. TheCowboy Crosscomes in two versions, the Cross, with a traditional frame, and the Cross ST, with a step-thru frame. This is a single-speed e-bike with a Gates belt for nearly maintenance-free riding. What makes the Cross and Cross ST different from other Cowboy city e-bikes is the presence of a suspension fork for greater rider comfort.

The Cowboy Cross comes with a 250W brushless, geared hub motor. Cowboy estimates that riders may see as much as 80 mi. (120km) of range per charge, thanks to the 540Wh battery. If a range of 80 mi. seems optimistic for a 540Wh battery, don’t be too suspicious; that’s more than double the power of the rear hub; it seems within the realm of PAS 1 possibility.

Also worth noting is that this is a Class 1 e-bike aimed at European markets where there is a top assist speed of 15 mph. Going slower does wonder for range.

The Cowboy Cross weighs 61 lbs., which will help riders get more out of the 250W hub motor than would be possible with a heavier e-bike.

Between the 2.4-in.-wide tires, 40mm-travel inverted suspension fork and suspension seatpost, this will be the most comfortable e-bike from Cowboy in their line.

European e-bike maker Ampler has introduced a new model, theCurt Anyroad. This is a variation of their existing Curt superlight city e-bike. The basics of the two models are similar, but a handful of changes give the new Curt Anyroad some go-anywhere abilities that the Curt superlight city e-bike lacks.

Like the Curt, the Curt Anyroad begins with an aluminum frame. The frame comes in two versions, a low-step (not quite a step-thru) and a step-over (or traditional) frame. The low-step comes in two different sizes that are truly different sizes, while the step-over comes in three sizes. It’s nice to see an e-bike that really can give a broad range of riders a comfortable fit.

Like the Curt, the Curt Anyroad features a 250W brushless, geared hub motor with torque sensor powered by a 336Wh battery, a 60cm-wide flat bar, hydraulic disc brakes, seatpost with integrated light, front headlight, fenders and kickstand. Where it differs is that the carbon fiber fork is replaced with an aluminum one that includes rack mounts and the single speed drivetrain takes an exit in favor of a 10-speed drivetrain and the 40mm-wide semi-slick Panaracer tires and replaced with a low-profile knobby Panaracer GravelKing SK that is 43mm wide.

The weight jumps from 32 lbs. to 37 lbs. This is a decidedly premium e-bike and comes in near the $4000 price point.

Pi-Pop, a French company based in Orleans, has introduced an e-bike with no battery. Yes, you read right. This is the first e-bike that lacks a battery. Instead of a battery, Pi-Pop is using supercapacitors to store energy that can be discharged on demand. Pi-Pop isnot the only company working with supercapacitors.

The supercapacitors are housed in a module mounted to the side of the rear rack, so, in a manner of speaking, it does have a battery. The housing is notably smaller than that of a typical e-bike battery, though. That’s backed up by the Pi-Pop’s weight: just 47 lbs. (21.5kg).

Pi-Pop’s concept works from the same basic concept as regenerative braking. Rather than plugging in the e-bike to charge it up, the supercapacitors charge as you ride. Pi-Pop says that their e-bike will charge on flats, while descending and when braking. They even claim that you can arrive home from a ride with the same level of charge in the supercapacitors as when you left.

Supercapacitors are an interesting technology to use for storing energy. They have several obvious selling points. First, there’s no lithium. Second, they can last 10-15 years, rather than three to five years. Third, they are very energy dense, meaning that 250Wh of supercapacitor storage will weigh less than a 250Wh lithium-ion battery.

Anyone who has ever had a bike or e-bike stolen knows the sense of pain, anger and betrayal you feel upon discovery. Now, imagine having that magnified more than 100 times. Canadian e-bike brand BikTrix was set to begin shipping their newest model, the Juggernaut FS ST, a powerful full-suspension all-terrain e-bike with a step-thru frame. A full shipping container of the Juggernaut FS ST had been delivered to BikTrix’s Delta, BC, warehouse.

The container of e-bikes, which included some prototypes as well as 140 of the new Juggernaut FS ST, had just recently arrived at their warehouse, but hadn’t been unloaded yet. Unfortunately for BikTrix, thieves with a Ryder cab broke the lock that secured the container chassis on which the shipping container sat and simply connected the chassis to the truck and drove off with it.

BikTrix provided Canadian police with surveillance video from the warehouse as well as the truck’s license plate number. Canadian police tracked the truck for two days but when they observed no illegal activity, ceased their surveillance.

“This container wasn’t just metal and contents, this container was like a treasure chest of our dreams, our entire team’s hard work, and considerable market value worth $1M—comprising all of our savings,” said Biktrix Founder and CEO Roshan Thomas

Amsterdam city officials are experimenting with a new technology that would allow them to reduce the speed of e-bikes in specific locations. The technology is GPS-based and has been developed by a nonprofit, theTownmaking Institute, in conjunction with Odido—formerly T-Mobile Netherlands—for connectivity.

The concept is a simple one: In highly congested areas, city officials would like to be able to reduce the maximum speed of e-bikes in order to increase safety. The technology would not cause an e-bike to brake. Rather, it would reduce the motor’s power output, effectively stepping down the pedal-assist level.

Such a concept may seem hard to fathom in our freedom-obsessed nation. Dutch officials see it as a matter of general safety for all users. Bike and e-bike use in the Netherlands is so high that parking all of them can be a challenge.

The system will allow two different forms of communication, which the Dutch officials call “nudges” and “nannies.” The nudges would be alerts sent out to riders alerting them to conditions to be aware, such as accidents. The nannies would be speed reductions based on a rider’s GPS coordinates.

As it is, e-bikes in the Netherlands are limited to a maximum speed assistance level of 25kph (18 mph). The technology would allow the system to reduce a rider’s speed to 15kph.

In a first for the bike industry, e-bikes outsold regular bikes in Germany in 2023. With sales numbers for the calendar year compiled, 2.1 million e-bikes were sold, as compared to 1.9 million bicycles.

Such a shift in sales was already predicted as sales trends were clearly headed that way. In 2022, e-bikes represented 48 percent of total sales, while back in 2013, e-bike sales comprised just 10 percent of the total bike market in Germany.

Despite the increase in the percentage of total sales going to e-bikes, e-bike sales were down relative to 2022. Total bike sales have been dropping in Germany as well. After topping out at 5 million bikes and e-bikes in 2020, sales have dropped each year, with 4.7 million sold in 2021, 4.6M in 2022 and now a drop to 4M in 2023.

Not all markets and companies are seeing a drop. Swiss brand Stromer saw growth in 2023.

Of the many opportunities that e-bikes have created for people, one of the most exciting is how adaptive e-bikes and e-cycles have enabled riders with special needs to explore places that were once out of reach. A trail system in Vermont, called the Driving Range, recently opened and its trails were built to accommodate adaptive e-bikes.

Most singletrack trails are too narrow for adaptive e-bikes, so even in places where Class 1 eMTBs are allowed, adaptive cycles with three or four wheels are too wide to fit on the trail. The trails at the Driving Range, however, are wide enough for adaptive e-bikes that have wheels in parallel.

The key to making the trails at the Driving Range wide enough was the use of a trackhoe, a kind of pint-sized bucket loader. More and more, trails are being “machine-built”—created with the help of motorized devices such as trackhoes and bobcats. This allows trail builders to exert greater control over the terrain, building features and smoothing transitions in terrain to create flowy lines that are the juice of what this sort of riding is about. The trackhoe, due to the width of its tracks, naturally cuts a path wide enough to accommodate adaptive e-cycles.