Smarter and smoother: Riding the new generation of e-bikes

The electric bike scene is booming.

In the past few months, new battery-powered two-wheelers have come out each week claiming to be faster, lighter, and more battery efficient than the next. But it's the tech hidden within the frame that's defining the newest crop of powered bicycles.

More bikes are connected to smartphones and mobile apps with sensors for everything from fall detection to crash alerts to theft tracking. With this new functionality, the bikes emphasize light-weight "commutability" instead of the clunky, heavy, vandalism-proof bikes that you get through-bike shares.

If you needed more proof that e-bikes are the "it" transportation device, the New York Times reported that e-bikes sales were up 145 percent in 2020. Bike makers faced supply constraints from overwhelming demand. Connected devices marketplace Wellbots put together its annual Top 25 Smart Products list. Five e-bikes made it into the 2021 ranking, while last year only one e-bike charted.

Here are some of the newest e-bikes rolling in.

Cowboy

A sleek e-bike can feel like an oxymoron. But the Cowboy 4 is a seriously slick piece of machinery that gives you an automatic boost while pedaling. With wireless charging and its own app with maps and battery information, the bicycle can feel like a giant, 41-pound phone accessory.

There are no buttons on the bike, just the app and a lot of sensors and GPS embedded within the custom-made frame. You can lock it remotely and turn on stolen mode if you think it's been swiped. There's also crash detection, where it'll reach out to an emergency contact with your location coordinates if you've fallen and not gotten up.

Via Giphy

The company's second model is now available for pre-order in the U.S. after first launching in Europe. Deliveries will start in January.

Cowboy brings lightweight simplicity to e-bikes and a smooth connection between phone and bike. You can even buy a custom phone case that clips your phone directly to the handlebars. The app includes directions, keeps track of your stats, and even lets you know about air quality levels before your ride.

Specialized

Last month, Specialized released three new fully powered e-bikes: Turbo Vado, Turbo Como, and Turbo Tero. Some come with a rear-facing sensor that gives visual, audio, and haptic alerts when something is coming from as far as 460 feet away.

A charged up Tero ride. Credit: SPECIALIZED

The bikes have an accompanying app that can remotely disable the electric motor and activate a motion sensor alarm.

Specialized's newest trio of e-bikes is more connected than ever before with the app as an extension of the bike.

Calamus

The Calamus Ultra is an e-bike scheduled for delivery in February that's all about safety and sensors — sort of like the Volvo of e-bikes. It'll alert you about oncoming traffic or a car coming up behind you (hope you like alerts that vibrate in the handlebars). Like many modern cars, it'll come with blind-spot assist to notify you about objects in your periphery before turning. The handlebars will also have turn signals.

While e-bikes emphasize safe riding, this is one of the first bikes to build car-like safety features into a base model.

Safety first. Credit: calamus

Serial 1

Serial 1 is Harley-Davidson's new electric bicycle line. Last month it released the limited-edition S1 Mosh/Tribute bike, named for Harley's 1903 motorcycle. Only 650 of these vintage-style bikes were available in the U.S. and Europe.

An exclusive ride. Credit: SERIAL 1

The $6,000 bike is already sold out. The S1 Mosh/Tribute builds on Serial 1's first e-bike with LED lighting built into the design and internal wiring and cables. Newer e-bikes like this are cleaning up their designs for a simplified look — with fewer of the inner workings exposed, leaving vandals with fewer opportunities to tamper with them.

SWFT

With beach cruiser vibes, Swft e-bikes look cool and also have enough range for a daily commute. With their 31-mile range and 19.8 mph max speed, the Fleet and Volt versions can keep up with more expensive e-bikes. The e-bikes start at $999. Most e-bikes are well over $1,000, so this opens a world of high-end gadgets up to those with slightly slimmer wallets.

The "walk mode" turns on the electric motor while you're walking the bike, so you don't even have to push it as you stroll.

Cruisin'. Credit: SWFT

There's also an electric moped with thick tires. But that's veering too far off the the e-bike path.

Radio Flyer

Known for its little red wagon, Radio Flyer has expanded into e-bikes. This month the company started deliveries on its two Flyer e-bikes, one with enough room to strap on two young passengers. It can hold 400 pounds and still power along.

With all this available for today's e-bikes, it's a safe bet that next year's batch will have to include even more tech, alerts, and sensors.