🐎 Porsche's eBike Rebrand
Plus: Braving +50mph on 14-inch wheels, Panda Mini’s (possible) arrival in Europe, and how stolen bikes get recovered.
Early-ish Bird Ending!
Hi there - The final deadline to purchase Early-ish Bird tickets to Micromobility Europe is fast approaching. Prices will double tomorrow (Feb. 17th). Book now to save big, then join us in Amsterdam on June 8-9 for two stacked days of meetups, rides, talks, news, and more.
What You Need to Know Today
The line between motorcycles and electric bikes continues to blur with QuietKat’s new Lynx, a two-speed, 1,000W hub motor–equipped bike with the lean-and-hungry look of a cafe racer.
With an absolutely massive battery, the new FW11 folding ebike from WildeWay offers more range than just about any other retail ebike on the market today: +100 miles on pedal assist.
Porsche is officially renaming Greyp, the Croatian electric bike company it acquired in 2021, Porsche eBike Performance. Could this change in the automaker’s branding be a prelude to new bikes? Watch this space…
Ever wonder how theft recovery services actually get stolen bikes back to their owners? Watch this short ride-along with an eBike hunter.
Or if you more of a DIYer, here’s how to install a GPS tracker on your scooter.
There’s a chance Geely’s Panda Mini, a low-cost and frankly adorable mini car that is popular in Chinese cities, could be headed to Europe next.
The three top-selling EV motorbike firms in India are Ola Electric, Okinawa Autotech, and Hero Electric—and oh boy, are they selling: “Autocar India tells us that electric two-wheeler sales were up 305% on 2021 figures. The markets for two-wheel EVs has grown from fewer than 2,000 vehicles in 2013 to over 600,000 per year last year.”
French brand Eovolt is updating its entire bike lineup with torque sensors for a smoother, more efficient ride.
Are you brave enough to hit +50 mph on a pair of 14-inch wheels? You’ll soon have the chance to find out with the new Roadrunner Pro from VoroMotors, a tricked out electric scooter that (thankfully) comes equipped with a very good pair of dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes.
Two brands from East Asia—China’s Keeway Iskia and Thailand’s GPX—are both rolling out two-wheelers inspired by retro European mopeds.
Overpowered or… amazingly-powered? With 1,500W of get-up-and-go, the Super Monarch AWD 1500 Dual Crown falls well outside of the 750W legal limit for on-road eBikes in many areas.
This elegant, lightweight motorcycle concept from ID Design caught our eye this week. It’s a design we’d be thrilled to see realized someday.
A Cake employee has completed the first unassisted trip across Africa on an electric motorcycle.
Tips on how to live car-free, or at least car-lite, in the less walkable parts of America.
… and no, designing walkable cities is not an elaborate scheme by the government to monitor your whereabouts, despite what the conspiracy theorists on TikTok tell you.
Guides
🚲 Your Guide to the Best Hub-Drive Electric Bikes: If you want to cast the widest possible net in your hunt for the perfect electric bike, you won’t want to write off budget-friendly hub motors. Our list includes some top picks and shopping tips.
💨 eBike Motor Buying Guide: … or if you want just the motor (hold the bike), you can discover some of the best eBike motors with features, performance, and cost comparisons in our expert buyer’s guide.
Reviews
The Benno RemiDemi 9D is a high-quality electric bike perfect for those who want something compact with good carrying capacity. The Bosch motor system provides class 1 pedal assist, making it a great choice for those who want a powerful ebike that can still be easily pedaled.
The Skatebolt Breeze 2 is an all-in-one electric skateboard combining clever innovation and great value. With excellent battery life and a smooth, stable ride, this longboard will fulfill all your asphalt adventures.
The Escape R electric trial bike by Electric Motion is an excellent pick for enduro riders and freeriders. It is durable, robust, and runs in just under 4 hours of charging time. It's easy to handle and turns on with a push of a button. If the budget and discipline fit, the Escape R is worth the try.
Thanks for reading Ride Review - a weekly missive about the people, places, and products that are accelerating the adoption of tiny transportation all over the world.
Each week we share a fresh dose of consumer-driven dispatches, highlighting the best news, opinions, and reviews about electric scooters, bikes, boards, buggies, and more. If it has to do with riding or buying small vehicles, you can find it here.
I don't mean to be *that* guy, but I hav serious concerns regarding this specific issue of hyper-electric-bikes getting close to motorcycles, or mopeds being "deconstructed" to look like beefed-up electric bikes. Long the story short, I think that, with the hype in full swing, we may get a "SUVification" of e-bikes and, to be honest, that's good news for nobody. We're still trying to normalize biking or e-biking on cities and regulators are falling far behind reality on the streets. Blurring the lines between e-bicycles, mopeds and, e-bikes might do more harm than good for the ecosystem of urban micromobility.
That, or I'm just becoming a grumpy old man, which is likely as well.
Thank you for your newsletter!