E-Bike News; Giant’s Momentum to Feature Throttle, Patent Filed for New Shimano Mid-drive and Lots More!

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By: Richard Peace

Electric bike news 17th November

You might not have thought putting a throttle on an e-bike was a big deal but to some US manufacturers it clearly has been. So it’s big news in the small world of e-bikes that Giant’s ‘liestyle’ brand, Momentum, have followed the likes of Specialized and Trek in doing just that. It also follows the trend of similar premium brands introducing more keenly-priced hub motor models and making them somewhat more competitively priced, whilst still being several cuts above the very cheapest brands out there in terms of both quality and price.

In this week’s e-bike news:

Momentum Cito E+ – Giant gets into throttle-powered cargo bikes
Shimano many be planning a new lighter, smaller mid-drive
Eovolt goes upmarket for 2024
REMCO bikestand lifts 100lbs
Rad Power to close New York store

Giant’s Momentum Announce First E-bike with Throttle

Momentum Cito+ 2

You might not think adding a throttle to an e-bike is a big deal but for the bigger established manufacturers with a sporty ‘serious’ biking reputation to protect it has certainly proved so in the past – hence Momentum’s announcement that that is what they have just done is attracting some attention (Momentum being Giant’s ‘lifestyle’ brand selling slightly lower priced ‘street, utility and commuter’ e-bikes).

The new Momentum Cito E+ looks an interesting e-bike throttle aside, being a capable load-carrying beast with a total payload capacity of 408 lbs (the frame-integrated rear rack alone accounts for 130lbs of that total). And as with more and more e-cargo models these days, there’s a huge array of carrying options from passenger seats and footrests to bags and wheel guards. Power comes courtesy of a 750W rear hub motor and a sizable 780Wh battery.

The default Class 2, 20 mph limit can be unlocked to 28mph (though the throttle is only available up to 20mph to keep the Cito+ within the widely accepted Class limits).

The Cito+ is on sale now and its most basic iteration starts at $3200

The trend of ‘old school’ bike manufacturers adopting throttles is good news for the buying public as throttle e-bikes account for most e-bike sales in North America and they are an especially useful feature on load carriers like the Cito+, where instant power is needed just to start your heavy load moving. They are following in the footsteps of other brands that previously resisted throttles like Specialized (Globel) and Trek (Electra Ponto Go!).

Are Shimano Developing a New Mid-drive?

Shimano mid drive patent

According to Velo ‘A recent patent from Shimano, published to the USPTO database ….. reveals a new, more compact e-bike motor system. The drawings depict a motor that appears to have a smaller footprint than any of the EP8 and EP6 series motors that are currently powering a swathe of eMTBs, and perhaps even smaller than the STEPS E7000 motor that powers some gravel e-bikes.’

It would certainly make sense for Shimano to release such a motor in the future as it would be keeping up with competitors’ recent lightweight mid-drives such as Bosch’s Performance Line SX, Fazua’s Ride 60 and TQ’s HPR50.

EOVOLT

Eovolt new range

European and UK readers may well be interested to learn of forthcoming developments at French-based brand Eovolt that specialises in folding and smaller wheeled e-bikes.

As Cycling Electric reports:

‘Cycling Electric has now seen and ridden a pre-production prototype that is likely to become available across Europe in the spring next year for a target price of around £3,000. Benchmarked against Eovolt’s current catalogue, which ranges £1,799 to £2,199 in price, that’s an investment; yet not only for the end user, but also for the brand itself. There are six new patents in process, three of which have been granted already, plus no less than 39 advances in design be they component changes or refinements to the design on the drawing board.’

The article lists some handy new features that will feature on at least some of the revised 2024 range:

A new Bafang automatic two gear rear hub motor
An Abus key protected battery lock
A new asymmetric double kickstand for added stationary stability
An SP Connect phone mount built in to the stem
A one piece, sweep back stem and handlebar
The new patented magnetic and physical clasp to hold the front and rear wheels closed when folded
A shift to a belt drive versus chain
A slot on the frame for the user to hide a GPS tag
An upgrade to Schwalbe tyres
A built in light on the battery seat post and a 70 lux front light as standard

If you want to take a closer look at the range here’s a video from an industry event recently held at Eovolt in Lyon, France.

REMCO Tools Bike Lift System Takes up to 100lbs

E-bikes at the heavier end of the spectrum can be difficult or impossible to lift up on a workstand to maintain and a new breed of motorised workstands have come along in the wake of e-bikes to help keep the heavier ones in tip-top shape.

Bicycle Retailer & Industry News (BRAIN) report on one of these – REMCO Tools Bike Lift System hydraulic stand can handle bikes up to 100 pounds.

According to BRAIN it is ‘Designed for shop or home use, the lift features a motorized column with a vertical adjustment range from 33.75 inches collapsed to 59.75 inches extended. It has a starting MSRP of $555.’

Rad Power Shutting New York Store

BRAIN again:

‘Rad Power Bikes will close its New York-area Rad Retail location as part of necessary organizational changes, according to a company spokesperson.’

Rad Power has had a turbulent time recently including a withdrawal from the EU market, company layoffs and involvement in court cases – but still has retail outlets in Seattle; Denver; Salt Lake City; St. Petersburg, Florida; and California stores in Berkeley, Santa Barbara, Huntington Beach, and San Diego. One Rad Retail location is in Vancouver, British Columbia.’