E-Bike News; Ride1Up, Cannondale and Cervélo Go Gravel, and Lots More!

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Dec 15, 2023

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By: Richard Peace

Electric bike news 15th December

Whilst electric gravel bikes – designed to be fast on-road but able to handle some degree of rougher off-road riding – may be a niche in the e-bike world they appear to be a growing one. Whilst you might expect the likes of Cannondale and Cervélo, who cater for enthusiast riders with big pockets, to announce new e-gravel bikes it is probably the news that budget e-bike specialist Ride1Up have just announced their own take on the genre that might make other budget e-bike manufacturers sit and up and wonder if this is a niche that is spilling out into the mainstream.

In this week’s e-bike news:

Ride1Up announce first electric gravel bike
Cannondale’s new e-gravel model has single-sided suspension and comes in regular and speed pedelec versions
Cervélo’s Rouvida converts from a road to a gravel bike – but it doesn’t look easy
Urtopia move further along the AI e-bike road
Corratec’s Apple-based C-Finder tracking tech to feature on nearly all 2024 e-bike models

Ride1Up’s CF Racer1 – a High End E-gravel Bike with a Budget Price Tag

roadster black right min

Ride1Up are known for high quality, well-thought through but very reasonably priced e-bikes and their latest venture – their first drop model is the CF Racer1 and is now available for pre order.

Ride1Up’s own description seems to sum it up best:

‘The performance-inspired CF Racer1 features an ultra-light carbon fiber frame and a sleek, entirely concealed electronic setup. It is designed for individuals seeking a high-performance riding experience with the added benefit of silent motor assistance when needed’

Detailed spec includes a 28mph assist, 250W, 42 Nm torque rear hub motor and high quality SRAM Rival 11-speed derailleur gearing.

With an introductory price of $2195 it’s clear the Ride1Up is looking to take on much higher priced rivals that dominate the world of lightweight e-gravel bikes.

…And Another Carbon Framed E-gravel Machine, this Time from Cannondale

cannondale s neo carbon lefty 3 gravel e-bike is-a bit different than others around

Cannondale recently announced their latest e-bike which uses their innovative but well-established ‘Lefty’ single sided suspension fork, the Topstone Neo Carbon Lefty 3.

The electric gravel offering comes 15.5mph and 28mph spec versions which, apart from the different Bosch mid-drives, are of identical spec, featuring BallisTec carbon frame with integrated Kingpin suspension, a Lefty Oliver gravel front fork with 30mm of travel and a Shimano GRX 812/600 11-speed hydraulic disc group.

The EU version gets a Bosch Performance Line CX mid-drive whilst the US version comes with the speedier Bosch Performance Line Speed and both models get frame-integrated 500Wh batteries.

….And Another, as Cervélo Announces a Road/Gravel Crossover Model

Cerevelo Rouvida

‘Cervélo have become the latest bike brand to go electric with the arrival of the sleek and slightly perplexing Rouvida. While this is, on the face of it, another high-end, low profile e-road bike built around the Fazua Ride 60 mid-motor system, it can also be ridden in an e-gravel configuration thanks to some interchangeable dropouts that significantly alter the geometry of the bike’ says the UK’s Ebiketips.

Whilst the Ride 60 is one of the highly impressive new lightweight mid-drive systems to arrive in 2023, you are certainly paying for the privilege as the three builds the Cervélo Rouvida comes in range from £6,000 to £11,000 (around $7,500 to $13,750).

The perplexing part referred to in the ebiketips article is the rather convoluted process of changing it from a road-capable e-bike to a gravel-capable one, involving, as it does, a visit to a dealer to get a firmware update amongst other things.

Urtopia – the AI E-bike Controlled by a ‘Smart Ring

Urtopia Smart Ring

If you thought that the integration of digital tech into e-bikes couldn’t go much further (for now at any rate), Urtopia are out to prove you wrong.

The Hong Kong based company have teased what they call ‘the world’s first dual motor, dual battery e-bike with fully integrated AI called the Fusion. That’s really all the detail we could find on this new model but the tech they boast of is a bit clearer.

There will be fingerprint sensor, GPS module, gyroscope and the torque sensor – ‘communicating via CAN bus with a central control unit, which itself has the corresponding computing chips. Communication with cloud services is possible via 4G, and with Google Maps, Apple Health, Strava, ChatGPT and other applications via APIs.’

Most intriguing of all is the integration of a ‘Smart ring’ if you find smartphone to e-bike integration too cumbersome – a neat PR move if nothing else ahead of Apple’s launch of their own Smart Ring – that claims to integrate with the onboard AI to help with unlocking and navigation…..the video gives you much more of an idea anyhow.

Corratec Announce C-Finder Tracking for 2024 Range

Corratec C Finder

German-based Corratec have announced that they have teamed up with Kathrein Solutions and developed the C-Finder tracking system to be integrated into 2024 e-bikes.

The system claims e-bikes can be located quickly and easily and it does not rely on GPS and the associated costs for an eSIM, but on Apple Find My Network technology used in the likes of iPhones and AirTags. Corracted say 99% of their 2024 e-bike range will feature the tech.