Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 10 - March 2024 i Cycling Electric

The Carbo Model X has some impressive features, the most notable being that it features a carbon fibre frame and fork that are more usually the preserve of premium road bikes. Elsewhere it offers precisely what you would want from this type of bike: it folds in half, features a Gates Carbon belt drive with a rear hub motor and houses a removable battery in the oversized seat tube with two size options available: 240Wh and 360Wh. The fold mechanism involves unlocking a couple of hinge latches, clicking the two halves together with a magnet and folding away the handlebar stem and pedals – simple. A claimed weight of 13.3kg should make it light enough to carry and ideal for commuting. The Carbo X’s user-friendly features don’t stop there. It…

REVIEW Coming in hot this year is a long-teased update from Eovolt to its family of electric folding bikes – the Eovolt Morning with its 16in wheels, the larger Afternoon (20in) and the larger still Evening (24in). The most popular of the three, and the model featured here in Pro guise, is the middle-ground 20in Eovolt Afternoon, which we were lucky enough to get a chance to ride in prototype form. And we’re happy to confirm that an already good package is now even better, thanks in part to domestic investors throwing their weight behind the brand. Eovolt’s designers have made nearly 40 individual changes to the bike, in the process securing new patents for the fold, the battery design and many other clever tweaks. The end result is a…

A unique and charming electric bike hailing from Berlin has made its debut in the UK, bringing forward some innovative design ideas that scream, ‘Why didn’t we think of this before?’ The e-bike is from German brand Lemmo. On the face of it, it’s a well-equipped urban commuter, with the versatility of a slightly larger tyre enabling the rider to take shortcuts along the riverside gravel paths and up into the forests on dry days, if desired. For most, however, the appeal of the Lemmo AllRoad will be the clever way that the battery can be removed to become a mobile powerbank. If you’re riding to the office on a sunny day but don’t feel like being bound to the desk, take the lockable battery pack off in an instant…

Over the past decade, Temple Cycles has been establishing a reputation for building clean and simple steel-framed bicycles. The brand’s models combine classic styling with modern technology and now the company, which was established in Bristol but has grown into an international operation, has made the move into e-bikes. The Classic Electric marks a turning point in the company’s history, because not only is it the brand’s first e-bike but it is also the first time Temple Cycles has used aluminium for one of its frames. It is easy to understand why the company has deviated from its traditional steel construction. Aluminium is easier to manipulate, which in turn simplifies the process of manufacturing a down tube that allows the frame to conceal the 500Wh Samsung-supplied battery. That oversized down…

REVIEW This lightweight city e-bike packs a decent punch, largely thanks to the impressive new Performance Line SX motor system from Bosch. The whole drive setup weighs just 4kg, with the weight distributed evenly between the motor hardware and the 400Wh battery that’s neatly hidden in the down tube. The motor’s torque rating of 55Nm is lower than some of the top-end Bosch mid-drives, but it’s still powerful enough to have been chosen by some e-MTB brands, and only those who take on the steepest of hills regularly might want more power. Overall weight is in the 22kg ballpark depending on spec – not bad for a fully equipped e-bike with mid-drive power. If you want more range, Bosch has launched its new PowerMore range extender battery – an extra…

Whyte bikes have always been designed in the UK, which gives the brand slightly different priorities from many overseas manufacturers. Ian Alexander, Whyte’s chief designer, is known to put the miles in on his creations, and in presenting the company’s 2024 bikes he also produced a ton of Strava imprints gained over a grim winter. These bikes have been through the wringer in the toughest and sloppiest of UK grime and, importantly, come out the other side. There is more to the new Whyte E-Lyte flagship than just extra attention on seals, bearings and mud clearance, however. Whyte invested in a jig that, for the first time ever, is able to determine the exact centre of balance on an electric bike. That, says Whyte, will create a perfectly balanced bike…

REVIEW E-MTB Trek was an early pioneer of using carbon fibre for its mountain bike frames, having first introduced its OCLV (Optimum Compaction, Low Void) technology in 1992. The brand has been using carbon fibre while working to make it a more affordable option ever since, and it’s certainly welcome to see a carbon fibre frame on an electric, full-suspension mountain bike at a little over £5,500. What’s even more surprising at this price is the level of componentry fitted to the Fuel EXe 9.5. While other manufacturers may have gone for a mix-and-match option with the groupset, gears and finishing kit, and perhaps a cheaper option for the suspension, Trek has stuck with a full Deore 12-speed groupset from Shimano and Bontrager finishing kit. It could be argued that…

REVIEW E-MTB Bianchi is a legendary name in road cycling, traditionally known for bikes built with slim steel tubes and finished in the company’s distinctive celeste green. The Italian brand is moving with the times, however, and its latest model couldn’t be further away from the machines that Bianchi is best known for. Swap steel for carbon fibre, road for off-road and analogue pedal power for electric assistance, and you’ve got the e-Vertic FX-Type Pro. In typically flamboyant Italian style, Bianchi describes the carbon fibre frame of this machine as being ‘inspired by the works of Michelangelo himself – “David” and “The Creation of Adam”, the joining point between top tube and down tube is disruptively designed to ensure stiffness and reactivity.’ Well done if you can spot the similarities,…

REVIEW The emergence of endurance road bikes has been somewhat overshadowed in recent years because of the popularity of gravel bikes. However, if you are looking for a bike that is comfortable for long days in the saddle, maybe even some light touring, and you’ve no interest in getting off-road, an endurance-focussed bike such as the E-EDR AF from Decathlon’s house brand Van Rysel could be just the machine you’re looking for. You may not be familiar with Van Rysel due to its in-house status, but it takes Decathlon’s well-known value-for-money ethos and adds a premier brand feel. A simple analogy would be to think of it as being like the Taste the Difference range in a Sainsbury’s store. The starting point for the E-EDR AF is an aluminium frame…

REVIEW The Orbea Gain D30i combines light weight with sophisticated gearing and braking systems for a truly high-quality electric road bike experience. It uses a lightweight Mahle X35+ rear hub motor with a 248Wh non-removable frame-enclosed battery, and the result is a bike that both looks like a regular non-electric road bike and rides like one when the motor system is not needed. While this is by no means a budget e-bike, it offers a lot for the money. Even better, there are some great offers around on this model – potentially reductions of several hundred pounds – so shop around and you may well get outstanding value. The 2x 12-speed Shimano 105 drivetrain ensures you have a wide enough gearing range to cover you equally well on steep hills…

REVIEW Given that Orro’s bikes are designed at its dedicated facility at the foot of Ditchling Beacon in the heart of Sussex, it is hardly surprising that the company’s first e-bike – the Terra E Apex 1 – is a gravel bike. As such, it’s very much the two-wheeled equivalent of the automotive SUV. Designed for both on- and off-road use, it’s a bike that allows you to commute through the week and go adventuring in the wilds on the weekend. On its first attempt at an e-bike, it’s obvious that Orro has taken a look at what is popular on the market and taken the design forward from there. This explains the full carbon frame and fork package, and it’s worth noting just what good value the Terra E…

REVIEW The past few years have seen the rapid rise of gravel bikes, which owe a lot to traditional road bikes but have more relaxed geometry and wider tyre clearance for off-road trail riding. However, unlike its competitors, Italian road specialist Cervélo has taken a novel approach with the introduction of its Rouvida range. Made up of one road-oriented model and two off-road designs, the trio of Rouvida bikes all feature an interchangeable flip-chip dropout, allowing the geometry to be changed to make them more road- or off-road-friendly depending on what riding you want to do. The effect is to marginally change the fork offset, slackening the angles for gravel and increasing the fork trail for greater stability or going the other way for road use. The differences between the…

REVIEW Tenways has been turning heads as one of the brands out of Europe that has put in a very worthwhile challenge to the affordable yet premium-feel electric bike market and as such has become incredibly popular on the mainland. Some of that interest has managed to cross the Channel, with the brand’s single-speed bikes starting to sell well in the UK. New to the market, and a bit harder to come by, will be Tenways’ Cargo One front loader. You’ll need to head to mainland Europe to lay your hands on one at present, but given the generous spec and comparably affordable pricetag compared to some rivals, you may consider it a trip worth making. Functionally you’ll gain a cargo bike capable of hauling 250kg (inclusive of the rider)…

REVIEW Tern is once again setting out to define a category, heading off into the unknown by designing, testing, tinkering and finally launching a new bike to suit a new purpose. Meet the Orox, the brand’s first foray into deep back-country exploration, this time with the added twist of having serious cargo-hauling capability. While you may find a few electric bikes of this style in the US, where many people use them for fishing or hunting expeditions, here in the UK this kind of bike does not yet really exist at this level of build quality, and we’re reliably informed that the component makeup of the bike has prioritised longevity and low maintenance. In keeping with the Orox’s character for unchartered exploration, there are some incredible standout innovations on the…

REVIEW Would you believe this is Estarli’s first cargo bike? We know from past experience that the Berkhamsted-based e-bike designers are quick learners and constantly scouring customer feedback for inspiration, and the story behind the Longtail is like many others in the e-bike world – the company’s founders wanted to ‘rebel against the school run’ by allowing parents to cycle their children in safety rather than drive up to the school gates. The result of Estarli’s work is a range of impressive electric bikes at very keen price points, yet with the Longtail we think the company has broken new ground in terms of the capability you can command at just shy of £3,000. To cut to the chase, the Longtail is – as described by its name – a…

REVIEW Gocycle teased that it was going to dip a toe into the cargo segment during 2023, offering at the time only a few cryptic zoomed-in detail shots and a waiting list and, to be fair, it did a good job of piquing our curiosity. For the uninitiated, Gocycle was one of the first e-bike brands to develop a companion mobile app, and was among the pioneers in bringing smart features to electric bikes. Its bikes also made a strong first impression thanks to their unique carbon fibre frame work that was unlike much else on the market at the time. Both the battery and cabling was fully integrated in the frame, giving the finished product a sleek and clean aesthetic that has carried through with each new generation of…

REVIEW Germany’s Velo de Ville has been making e-bikes for decades and is well established as a company offering custom builds. It’s only recently, however, that it has made a concerted push into the UK, and its presence opens up a much wider variety of options for UK buyers looking for a high-quality e-bike built to their exact choice of spec. The AEB 990 is just one variant of the brand’s ‘All Round’ e-bike, and all AEB 990 models come with the Bosch Smart System, pairing a powerful Performance Line CX mid-drive motor with a frame-integrated 500Wh battery as standard, though you can up this to 625Wh and add a 250Wh range extender. The ‘Smart’ part of Smart System comes from the Bluetooth connectivity that allows you to pair Bosch’s…

REVIEW Reasonably priced Gin on a summer day – much loved in the UK, and now ready to be loved in e-bike form too. The Gin X is refreshing in that we’re struggling to work out where corners have been cut, because it features an incredible spec list at one of the lowest price points you’ll find. There’s a healthy-sized battery to power you for around 120km (75 miles), a proven hub motor from Bafang, plus suspension and gears, all on a frame that comes in at a respectable 20kg. The brand pulls no punches over its strategy, and on its website Gin offers a blow-for-blow comparison of its price and spec versus rival bikes that in some cases are double the price. The result? It’s hard to justify the…

Being a parent can be tough. No one sits you down and prepares you for what will happen, and that’s just in the early weeks and months. Fast-forward a few years and you’re still learning on the job, while having to deal with angry tantrums and trying to reason with a three-year-old about why they can’t wear their favourite T-shirt in the middle of winter, or they can’t just eat crisps for lunch. As a parent of four kids, a pair of 10-month-old twins and two elder siblings aged 5 and 7, I feel I’m better versed than most to know what parents might need to help their cycling adventures go off with fewer tears and tantrums and more happy riding miles. I love a family bike ride. I love…

REVIEW Mention folding bikes and most people will think of commuters, but in today’s society a folding bike should have a wider appeal. The fact that it is easy to store and can be kept indoors without taking up valuable space even in a flat means you don’t have to worry about opportunistic thieves helping themselves to what could well be your primary mode of transport. Of course, folding bikes are popular with commuters, and for good reason. They save time and money, and when you throw in an electric motor you’re able to ride further and with less effort. And with Beameo’s Buddy you can save even more money, because you get all of these benefits for less than £2,000. There’s usually a catch. Budget-conscious e-bikes tend to trim…

Though e-bikes have made drastic improvements across the board in recent years, one factor that hasn’t changed is their added weight versus a pedal cycle – an unavoidable result of the motor, battery and all the cabling holding them together. It all adds up, to the extent that some full-suspension electric mountain bikes we’ve ridden only recently have weighed in anywhere from 23kg all the way up to 30kg and above. Not all are quite this heavy of course, but you’ll do well to see any bikes of this style weighing under 18kg. Ribble often claims to have the most lightweight electric road bikes on the market, and indeed the 10kg Ribble Endurance SL e is incredibly light for an e-bike, challenging even some non-electric road bikes for weight. At…

REVIEW Ribble’s Hybrid AL e Trail is a lot of bike for the money. And that’s not just in terms of the frame, the hardware or the software that the Mahle app puts at your fingertips, but also in the sheer volume of well-presented accessories that come as standard. To name a few, you get full front and rear wheel coverage from a pair of mudguards, wired-in front and rear lighting that feeds from the main battery, a kickstand, a pannier rack and even a built-in suspension seatpost to enhance comfort. And that’s what this bike is all about: comfort. A swept-back handlebar and upright geometry will have you feeling relaxed in the saddle, which itself is from Selle Royal. Assistance from the Mahle hub motor combined with the bike’s…

REVIEW A quick flick through the pages of this magazine and you’ll soon realise that to get an electric city bike with front suspension, derailleur gears, hydraulic disc brakes, lights, mudguards and a rear rack you’ll need to spend somewhere in the region of £2-3k. It’s just that no one thought to tell that to Juicy. The Roller is an aluminium-framed e-bike with all of those features but a pricetag of just £1,795, which makes it something of a bargain. The starting point is the aluminium step-thru frame. It may not feature the weird and wonderful shapes that you see on more expensive hydroformed aluminium frames, but it does everything you need a bicycle frame to do and helps contribute to the modest overall weight of 22kg. It also provides…

Desiknio isn’t the biggest name in e-bikes, but this premium brand is big on quality. Founded in Spain as a lightweight e-bike specialist, the company merged with Swiss speed pedelec specialist Stromer in 2022 and has been gaining traction across Europe ever since. The X20 Pinion is designed to be light yet low maintenance with a wide gear range from its Gates belt drive – an unusual but practical combination in a market that favours single-speed setups or chain-driven derailleur gears that require regular maintenance. There are two frame options: aluminium (13.6kg) or carbon (11.3kg). Other key factors in keeping the weight down are a Mahle X20 rear hub motor with bottom bracket gearing from Pinion and the oil-free belt drive. The Mahle X20 motor system is extremely lightweight at…

REVIEW E-MTB If we’re going to talk about the Mondraker Crusher R, let’s start with the elephant in the room: yes, £7,499 is an eyewatering amount to pay for a mountain bike. However, once you start to consider the carbon front triangle, Öhlins suspension at each end, the Sram XO1 Eagle gearing and an impressively large-capacity battery, it starts to make sense. Well, it does if you have deep pockets and want the best. The carbon fibre mainframe is shaped to not only accommodate the Öhlins TTX Air shock, which controls the 150mm of rear wheel travel, but also house the meaty 720Wh battery from Simplo. The frame allows for all of the control lines to be routed internally, and the manufacturer has also managed to fit the Shimano Steps…

REVIEW E-MTB There’s no getting away from the fact that at just a few hundred pounds short of £10k the Forestal Cyon Halo is expensive even for an electric, full-suspension mountain bike. But this is no ordinary e-MTB, and the difference is in the frame. Carbon fibre is an ideal material for full-suspension mountain bikes, because the frame’s strength and flexibility can be precisely tuned to meet the requirements of each piece through the use of different layups of carbon. With the Cyon Halo, Forestal has taken this idea one step further and used different types of carbon fibre throughout the frame. In this case, that means a combination of T1000, T800 and T700 carbon fibres. Now if you add in the complexity of the tuned kinematics of Forestal’s Twin…

Travelling abroad with a bike can be a frustrating experience. Airlines often charge you a premium for the privilege, there’s the risk of equipment damage in transit, plus the inconvenience of having to deconstruct it to some degree to fit in a bike bag or box, then rebuild it afterwards once you get to your destination. Bike spaces on train services such as Eurostar, meanwhile, are often limited to specific services and booked up well in advance. When looking to fly with an e-bike specifically, however, there’s another potential headache to consider. At present, international regulations heavily restrict the size of battery you’re allowed to travel with, partly thanks to the wave of negative press coverage surrounding the risk of fire (despite most such fires being the result of DIY…

REVIEW Not that many years ago, road bikes seemed mainly to be race-focussed – designed to go fast no matter how uncomfortable they might be for the rider. However, there’s been a subtle change in recent years as endurance or all-season road bikes have come to the fore. These are machines that can be ridden fast but have geometry that allows them to be ridden all day long in relative comfort. Trek’s extensive portfolio of bikes covers all aspects of road machinery, and the Domane+ AL 5 is the entry-level model in the company’s range of electric road bikes designed for all-day riding. To keep the price point as accessible as possible, Trek has gone with aluminium for the Domane+ AL 5’s frame, though the fork is upgraded to carbon…

REVIEW As the world of cycling and e-bikes in particular continues to evolve, the types and styles of bike available are becoming ever greater and the distinctions between genres ever more blurred. The Solace Gravel eRIDE 30 from Scott is a great example of this blurring of the lines. At first glance, it almost looks like a regular road bike. It is not until you look a bit closer that you notice the large volume and gently treaded Schwalbe G-One Overland Evo 700 x 50mm that mark it out as a gravel bike, but which can just as easily roll on tarmac. Similarly, the electric drive and battery package are not immediately noticeable. Key to both hiding the bike’s electric capability and allowing the clearance for the larger-than-expected tyres is…

A bellwether for e-bikes and so much more, Bosch is the automotive and consumer electronics giant that manufactures everything from your toaster to your lawnmower. It’s a vast network of specialist divisions that places futuristic technologies into the cars we drive while powering a variety of toolbox basics we use around the home. Somewhere in the middle, Bosch’s engineering nous landed in the bicycle market, revolutionising the entire industry while at the same time expanding the market – electric bikes were, after all, a rare example of a technology being adopted by an older demographic, who then popularised it enough for younger generations to see the benefits of cutting transport costs and broadening their horizons. However there is an income divide and a ‘technical recession’ – two consecutive quarters of…

REVIEW Electric cargo bikes can generally be divided into two categories: those for commercial use and those for domestic use. The former tend to have greater load-carrying capacity but by the same token take up a lot of space, which can make them difficult to keep secure in a flat or small house, no matter how useful they might be. Thankfully machines such as the Sub from Vello have been designed with domestic users in mind. By sharing elements from Vello’s range of folding e-bikes, the Sub can be partially folded and therefore stored in a much smaller space than expected – a useful touch that means you can keep it secure indoors. It would also appear that Vello has further applied its folding bike ideology to the Sub to…

REVIEW Cargo bikes, and especially electric variants, have been gaining in popularity for commercial users in recent years as businesses recognise not only the financial benefits they offer but also the wider benefits of being seen to be green, and a healthier and happier workforce – riding an e-bike is a much healthier place to be than sitting in a van in slow-moving traffic. Yet despite their many advantages, electric cargo bikes do have some downsides, notably the limited load capacity (relative to a van) and the lack of weather protection. The good news is that EAV’s 2cubed solves both of these problems. It seems somehow wrong to be calling the 2cubed an electric cargo bike because, as you may have noticed, it has four wheels and a roof. Then…

REVIEW Both serious and sleek in its design, the Komodo cargo bike has a massive 600-litre capacity capable of hosting a 150kg payload. Based on a tadpole design – two wheels out front and one behind – the British-built bike is constructed from a single monocoque shell to increase strength and improve handling. With its widespread layout, the Komodo aims to be one of the easier cargo bikes to handle for a beginner. In building that unique chassis, Komodo relies on natural materials such as flax among what the brand says are other sustainably sourced materials. A team of engineers with a motorsport background is behind the design, so it’s informed by more robust and speedier applications. Providing the power is a mid-mount 500W Okawa A40 motor rated at 250W…

REVIEW Stajvelo isn’t a name we’ve featured before, but having come onto our radar thanks to one of the brand’s London-based stockists – Brick Lane’s Bike.co.uk – we introduce to you the Nomades. This is one of four electric bikes made by the brand from Monaco, and that location alone should give you a clue that you’re getting a premium-end take on the commuter bike that combines utility and elegance. As standard you get mudguards and a luggage rack ready for a pair of pannier bags. There is also a kickstand for those cafe stops and a fitted set of Lezyne Micro 500 lights that take their power from the e-bike’s battery – in this case a 500Wh Polini battery that is seamlessly blended with the down tube in a…

REVIEW Whyte Bikes has always been more of a mountain bike brand than one for the urban environment, so imagine our surprise when alongside the new line of admittedly impressive off-road machines came the Rheo platform of bicycles and e-bikes. These are affordable, urban-ready bikes that are available for a shade under £2,000 unequipped or, for just £200 more, built up with a bunch of high-value extras such as a pannier rack, alloy mudguards, integrated front and rear lights, kickstands and other bits that just make sense for British riding. What’s more, you’ll even get a dropper post that comes internally routed, which at this price point is a welcome addition and one that we know will have customers won over once they experience the difference. Whyte also surprised us…

REVIEW BIKES FOR FUN Super 73 is a fashion statement brand that started life in California but is now making waves in Europe. The company has landed big investments and celebrity endorsements, but best of all is the fact that its dirt bike-inspired, fat-tyred e-bikes are just great fun to ride over all manner of terrain. The original (non-electric) fat bikes were designed to tackle long-distance challenges over extreme terrain such as riding the Sahara or Alaska’s Iditarod Trail. E-bike versions from the likes of Super 73 have brought the genre into the mainstream and the ZX model is a great introduction to electric fat biking. Within the Z series, the ZX is billed as the entry-level model, which means it lacks the suspension elements found in pricier high-spec versions…

For a folding bike to be popular it ideally needs to be reasonably lightweight, because at some point if you own a folding bike you’re going to be carrying it – that’s the whole point. By their very nature e-bikes are heavier than regular bikes but, with the introduction of the Lite, Volt has taken this into account by making it available with a choice of two batteries. If you want a lighter folding bike, choose the 7AH battery; if you want greater range and you’re happy to handle a little extra heft, the heavier 10AH battery increases the available mileage for a total bike weight of 18kg. Volt has used heat-treated and hydroformed aluminium to create the frame, which features a single pivot in the centre that facilitates the…

REVIEW Electric bikes make cycling more accessible and, as a result, a growing number of people are discovering the joy of cycling. Manufacturers are responding to this new market by producing bikes that are practical yet also very versatile. Canyon’s Pathlite:ON 7 SUV is a perfect example, and the clue to its versatility is in the name. In motoring circles, SUV stands for sports utility vehicle – a kind of catch-all term for cars that can be used for the school run or shopping during the week and then loaded up with sports kit and outdoor gear for weekend adventures in the country. That same ideology can be applied to this bike. During the week the Pathlite:ON can be used as a commuter bike, with integrated lights, a rear rack…

Schindelhauer has been described as the Rolls-Royce of electric bikes, and once you take a close look at the Heinrich Enviolo it’s easy to see why. Aluminium frames with the battery integrated into the down tube may be a common sight on e-bikes, but Schindelhauer takes things a step further. There’s internal cabling throughout, and forged dropouts hold the rear wheel with built-in adjusters to tension the Gates carbon fibre drive belt. There are also mounting points for a front rack if you want to increase the bike’s load-carrying capability. As standard there’s a rear rack that also does double duty as a discrete mount for the rear mudguard, which itself has a built-in light. It’s a similar story at the front, with a small but powerful light atop the…

Beeline Velo 2 ■ Do you ever find yourself navigating a new area by bike and, without having your mobile attached to your handlebar, having to rely on a sole earbud to communicate your next turn? If you’re like us, that means constantly pulling off to the side of the road to check your route. It’s a regular enough occurrence for it to be annoying and to also feel slightly unsafe at times. The more you cross lanes of traffic to check the route on your phone, the greater the interaction with cars, vans and, worst of all, lorries. Step in the Beeline Velo 2, a second-generation navigation unit that fits to your handlebar in seconds thanks to a pair of silicone bands that crisscross to secure the unit to…

REVIEW E-MTB Haibike is one of the pioneers that helped kickstart the e-MTB craze by offering top performance at an affordable price, and the ALLMtn2 stands out for its use of Yamaha’s PW-X3 mid-drive motor, which claims 85Nm of torque from a light weight of just 2.75kg. The motor’s power delivery peaks at more than 500 watts and in top power setting it multiplies your pedalling efforts by around 360%. And that’s not all – the PW-X3 is paired with Yamaha’s own InTube removable 720Wh battery, which should provide more than enough range for all but the most ambitious of all-day rides. The manufacturer claims an incredible range of 260km (160 miles) is possible. The spec list certainly tells you this bike is built for tough terrain, with 160mm RockShox…

REVIEW E-MTB The GasGas name may not be well known to many mountain bikers, but anyone with a passing interest in off-road motorcycling will be familiar with the Spanish brand. Given the recent and ongoing crossover between automotive brands and cycling, it should come as no surprise that motorcycle manufacturers are getting in on the e-bike act, and in theory they should have a better idea of what makes a ‘good’ e-bike than car manufacturers do. Nor are the three models that comprise the MXC range the first e-MTBs from GasGas. Last year the brand launched the longer-travel ECC race-focused e-MTBs, and the new all-mountain MXC is the brand’s ‘do-it-all’ bike that encourages riders to have a go on any terrain. Despite the pricetag, the MXC 4 is the entry-level…

REVIEW E-MTB The French sports superstore brand Decathlon has a reputation for good-quality and well-priced own-brand products across multiple disciplines, and that includes its line of e-bikes. The E-EXPL 700 is a case in point – it’s a real surprise to see highlights such as a large-capacity 630Wh battery, 1x10 drivetrain, 130mm travel air-sprung suspension fork and a dropper seatpost in a package that costs less than £2,500. As is the norm for entry-level e-MTBs, the frame is made from aluminium that is shaped and manipulated to create space in the down tube to house the battery and provide an anchor point for the mid-mounted Brose Drive T motor. The rest of the drivetrain package is one area where some cost savings have been made. Rather than the more familiar…

REVIEW The rapid rise of gravel bikes has seen the latest trend in cycling continually fragment. What began as a type of bike for riding trails where a mountain bike would be overkill has splintered into a vast array of off-road-capable machinery. Whether you want to race dirt tracks on a bike with aero tubing, commute on bridleways or go deep off-road on bikepacking trips, there’s a gravel bike to suit your needs. The Offroad Pro Gravel Carbon range from Advanced Bikes is definitely aimed at the more leisurely bikepacking journeys. While carbon fibre is commonly used for racy frames it is also a popular choice for e-bikes as its light weight helps counter the bulk of the motor and battery. Here that package comprises a Bosch Performance SX motor…

REVIEW At the start of December we published a review of Yamaha’s Wabash electric gravel bike on CyclingElectric.com, and it was a bike that we held more than the usual level of curiosity about. The reason? Round-the-world record holder and general two-wheel superhero Nick Sanders was halfway around the globe riding one in a bid to be the first to circumnavigate the planet by e-bike. Given his current rate of progress, by the time you read this it’s more than likely that Sanders’ victory lap back to his Welsh home will be imminent. In the meantime, we have watched this electric bike carry him competently all the way to Nepal without complaint, bar the usual trials and tribulations of sourcing a new battery on each continent. Our own experience riding…

REVIEW The recent rise in popularity of e-bikes has given rise to fresh ways of thinking about how bicycles can be used, and this in turn is creating new designs that are wonderfully practical. Cargo bikes are a prime example of this ideology – once the preserve of old-school grocers, cargo bikes and especially electric cargo bikes are being used not just for all manner of commercial applications but for domestic purposes too. The Benno 46er, while perfectly capable of being used commercially, is squarely aimed at the domestic market. A quick look at the luggage options for the substantial rear rack demonstrates the use of a seat for a small child, an older child, a pet carrier, multiple pannier options, a surfboard strapped to the side and even a…

REVIEW Swedish manufacturer Cake started life as an electric motorcycle brand and has a seriously impressive catalogue of all-terrain vehicles if you’re into the more high-powered side of two-wheeled sport. On the decidedly more sedate side of the business is the Åik electric bike, which arrives with a quite non-typical design, but one that nonetheless has a pitch we think is worth looking at. One of the outstanding features on the spec sheet is a claimed 360km (224 miles) theoretical range provided by what is, in modern e-bike design terms, a quite easy battery to spot. There’s not just a single battery on deck, as it happens. You can load up to three 750Wh batteries, each capable of 120km (74.5 miles) of range. These batteries have a twist in that…

REVIEW The longtail cargo bike is becoming ever-more popular because of its potential versatility. You can, within reason, bolt on anything you like to the rear racking to tailor the bike to your goals, whether it be a bit of seating to cart the kids around or a bit of racking to carry your camping gear out into the wild. The Synch Go S-Cargo looks particularly well-suited to the latter application thanks to being fitted with fat tyres, which should be up to the task of coping with soft ground on beaches or festivals. The S-Cargo’s frame is constructed from tough Reynolds steel, with the bike’s fabrication and assembly all taking place within a five-mile radius of Poole in Dorset. Its sturdy construction means an impressive carrying capacity of 200kg…

REVIEW It’s fair to say the Gudereit EVO’s design is far from run of the mill. Most high-end e-bikes feature a high-torque, mid-drive motor (typically Bosch), but the EVO is fitted with a gearless rear hub motor from German specialist firm Neodrives. Gearless hub motors have distinct advantages over mid-drives: they have fewer moving parts, put less strain on the gears and drivetrain, and allow for regenerative braking where the motor acts as a kind of electronic brake, also feeding some electrical energy back into the battery. It does also lessen the wear and tear on brake pads, plus it feels smooth and luxurious. However, gearless hub motors are also typically heavy and struggle up hills, which is why the e-bike industry has traditionally shied away from them. And while…

REVIEW Moustache has created a truly European electric bike with the Mardi 27.4. Assembled in France with a Portuguese frame and German motor, the Mardi is clearly sympathetic to the fact that 80% of the e-bikes made in Europe are sold in Europe. The bike is the ideal city steed for light utility, riding to work or for weekends out and about, no matter which city you’re in. As standard the Mardi features a rear rack, built-in lighting that draws power from the main battery, a kickstand and mudguards offering good coverage for you and those on your tail. There is even an AXA anti-theft lock that latches inside the rear wheel, not to mention the Bosch software’s potential protective features. The Mardi’s striking frame is worth an honourable mention…

REVIEW A longstanding name in the electric bike business, Ebco has spent a number of years refining its products and fine-tuning the art of hitting price points at the accessible end of the market, all while ensuring that its bikes are competitive on performance. The Urban 3R is – you guessed it – a city-focussed e-bike that comes kitted out for the next morning’s commute. Its finishing kit includes mudguards, a kickstand that will stop you from having to lean the bike against walls and a pannier rack ready to take clip-on luggage on both sides of the rear wheel. The bike is otherwise fairly no-frills in its design – and with good reason, because Ebco’s engineers decided to invest in a highquality mid-motor and generously sized LG battery instead.…

REVIEW BIKES FOR FUN Evari is a bike for the future, designed and developed with engineering input from the brightest minds at Silverstone and with faith in the brand from key industry investors. Engineered to speed pedelec standards, the 856 really stands out from the pack. The geometry isn’t far off that of a hardtail mountain bike and indeed the designer says he’s happy to take it off-road, as were we in writing our in-depth online review, but truth be told, the 856 is best suited to hacking around the city in style. You’ll get from A to B in a flash, looking flash. This is a bike that can and should be customised to suit your style, so when you’re browsing the Evari website you’ll be offered everything from…

It’s a well-known fact, and one confirmed in study after study, that the primary reason preventing more women from taking up cycling is a concern for their wellbeing on the roads. This reality was illustrated again recently in national cycling charity Sustrans’ Bike Life Survey. It found that 76% of women in the UK never cycle and only 9% consider themselves as regulars in the saddle. Compare that to the data for men, which shows 21% regularly cycle. The silver lining to a typically British cloud is that 36% of women who said they do not cycle would actually like to. They just need to feel safe enough to do so, and get started on those first few rides. You might think that it’s the same the world over, but…