eBike News: COBOC Lightweight Hybrid, New Furo & CBT eBikes, Missing UK Bike Links & Much More [VIDEOS] | Electric Bike Report | Electric Bike, Ebikes, Electric Bicycles, E Bike, Reviews

In this week’s news:

• COBC’s New Lightweight Hybrid Due 2021
• Furo Aventa Lighweight Urban Bike
• CBT’s Artik Responds to Your Heart Rate
• Premium Ducati eMTB Announced Featuring Shimano’s EP08 Mid-drive
• Lezyne e-bike LEDS and PED Indicating Pedals
• Lime’s 4th Gen eScooter and Micromobility News from London
• Cycling UK’s Missing Links Campaign
• London 2021 Cycle Show Dates
• All the Latest eBike Biz News

New eBikes & eBike Systems

COBOC Announce Trekking Hybrid Model with Front Suspension

German e-bike manufacturers Coboc have launched their first hybrid bike with front suspension. The Iseo has a claimed weight of 17.5-18kg (depending on frame size), which is pretty light for a front suspended bike with a reasonably-sized 380Wh battery. The suspension gives 60mm of travel and is air sprung. Like all their other models it features a rear hub motor but another difference here is that the torque sensor is integrated directly into the motor rather than in the bottom bracket where it is on othern Coboc e-bikes. Coboc say this offers ‘an even more natural response behavior’. 

Due out March 2021 at €4799.

Furo Aventa Launched

UK-based Furo have just released their latest e-bike the Aventa which complements their existing e-folder and e-scooter models. Claimed weight for the urban-styled e-bike is 16.5kg with a Bafang rear hub motor and a choice of 281Wh, 375Wh or 504Wh capacity batteries. It also features hydraulic disk brakes, an LCD display screen and 9 derailleur gears. Prices for the three options are £1399, £1599 and £1799. Current prices include rear rack, kickstand, mudguards and rear light but Furo say this is a ‘limited offer’.

Furo is also featured in the seed funding story later in this news post in the eBike Biz section.

Italy’s CBT New Smart eRoad Bike

Italy’s CBT describe themselves as ’boutique bike manufacturers and the new carbon-framed e-roadbike from them, the Artik-09, certainly has some unique features. Firstly it has a rear hub motor allied with a relatively large 380Wh battery – this kind of minimalist hub motor system commonly features batteries of around 250Wh. Given the large battery size the claimed weight of 12.6kg s particularly impressive. The Artik is priced at €4700 to €5300 depending on the exact spec.

Even more novel is the fact it comes with a smartwatch that links wirelessly to the motor and lets your heart rate control the amount of assistance the motor, so it can beat at a regulated BPM. There are also gravel bike and urban bike versions.

New Ducatic eMTBs

Ducati’s new TK-01RR e-mtb features the latest Shimnao EP-08 mid-drive and Shimano’s 630 Wh battery placed on the underside of the downtube in the style of Thok e-mtbs who also hail from Italy; not in fact surprising as the Ducatic bikes are builtin partnership with Thok. It also features high quality Öhlins front and rear suspension. Not surprisingly for a bike with such a premium spec it is priced at £6360 / € 6,990.

New Cycling Accessories

Lezyne Exapnds eBike Lighting Range

The UK’s Bikebiz tells us that ‘Lezyne has expanded its range of dedicated e-bike lighting and visibility solutions. Headlined by new high-performance, StVZO-compliant and high-voltage-compatible models, the lineup is designed to pair with most major e-bike powertrains. The coming months will also see the addition of new visibility features throughout the lineup, ranging from Alert Technology-enabled, deceleration-sensing taillights to day/night-sensing headlights with StVZO compliant high and low beams as well as outputs up to 1,000 lumens.’

Although these can be retrofit options note the advice from Lezyne: ‘Proper installation may require some disassembly of the bike and motor (depending on make and model battery type) and additional wiring to connect the light to the motor. Please contact the e-bike or motor manufacturer for installation instructions. It is highly recommended to have a trained e-bike professional install your lights for you.’

 

PED Indicator Pedals

About to launch on Indiegogo are PED indicator pedals featuring some interesting technology; they are batteryless (using the energy from your pedaling stored electrically) and contrlled by a wireless handlebar button.

eMicromobility

Lime 4th Gen Electric Scooter Premiered

E-scooter and e-bike rental company Lime launched its next generation e-scooter in Paris last week.

According to Tech Crunch ‘Lime is focused on deploying the Gen4 (electric scooter), a model that CEO Wayne Ting says will surpass the more than two-year lifespan of its previous generation. The Gen4 will roll out across Europe in early 2021. Much of the Gen4 work was done by engineers at Uber’s Jump micromobility unit. Uber offloaded Jump to Lime this spring as part of a complex $170 million fundraising round.’

The developments concentrate on safety and user friendliness as the new Gen4 ‘features swept-back handlebars that are similar to the design of bike handles, which Lime says allows for a more comfortable grip. The new model also sports an enhanced suspension and larger wheels, a dual hand-brake system, a lower baseboard to optimize the center of gravity on the scooter and a new kickstand with two legs.’

London Update; UK’s Largest eScooter Trials On Way Plus Lime eBike Data

The London Evening Standard reported on plans for the country’s biggest trial of electric scooters in the UK, with a third of the capital’s 33 boroughs expressing an interest in taking part in e-scooter rental schemes, with a year-long trial due to start next spring. According to the article ‘The rental scooters will be able to be used on the road and in cycle lanes but not on pavements – effectively mirroring the “rules of the road” for cyclists.’

The article adds ‘“Geo-fencing” technology will be used to reduce scooter speeds from a maximum of about 15mph down to 8mph in “go slow” areas. The scooters will come to a safe halt as they reach the boundary of each trial area.’

Meanwhile Transport Extra points out that orderly parking is just as much a factor in an e-scooter schemes success as safety concerns whilst riding. Scooter operator Dott is one of the companies targeting London and the article reveals ‘A post published by Zag outlines a Dott study investigating how Paris boosted parking compliance to 97% – and how pairing e-scooters with public transport would reach 98% of inner London.

There certainly seems to be a big appetite for electric transport rental in London at the minute as, according to Cycling Industry News,  Lime are ‘reporting a 127% uptake in e-bike rides between March and October 2020 causing some of the biz to wonder whether UK cyclists are becoming weather hardened. The data showed that the number of trips taken in October this year has increased by 24% compared to the peak summer months of June and July, despite the darker evenings and wetter weather.’

Infrastructure

Cycling UK Launches Missing Links Project

Cycling UK has just launched its Missing Links campaign to ‘make it easier to ride from your door to enjoy England’s fantastic countryside. Often, opening up one short missing link can make the difference.’

There is a handy map tool for cyclists to suggest to local authorities where future improvements could be made to help more people explore their local area by bike.

As the campaign explains ‘It might be a track that isn’t open for cycling because it’s classed as a footpath, or a disused railway line that would form a great link between two towns. Perhaps it’s a boggy route that if resurfaced, could be useable all year round.’

Is the UK Govt Backpedalling on Cycling Infras’tructure and eBike Grants?

Cycling Industry News reports that the UK government’s ‘spending review of the 2021/22 active travel budget took a 15% hit, prompting a handful of cycling orgs to question where the Government’s priorities really lie.

It quotes Cycling UK‘s head of campaigns Duncan Dollimore:

“The £257 million set aside for active travel next year is less than 1% of the £27.4 billion roads budget the Government remains stubbornly wedded to. Reducing next year’s funding by around £45 million makes the delivery of the Government’s own targets to increase levels of cycling and walking almost impossible, without the radical shift in transport spending priorities required to decarbonise transport.”

CIN also carried this recent piece about the possibility of e-bike subsidies being introduced in 2021 and the rather confused picture.

Get Inspired

LAFD Medics Get eBike Donation

The LA Fire Department’s Bike Medic Team was recently presented with four Aventon class 3 (28mph) e-bikes.

Bike Medics routinely provide time-sensitive advanced life support response at LosAngeles International Airport and patrol a broad variety of crowd-filled public events, including fairs, festivals, parades and professional sports venues and also tackle the huge logistical challenge of the Los Angeles Marathon.

UK’s Cycle Show Rescheduled

The 2021 Cycle Show and London eBike Festival will be preceded by a trade day, taking place on June 24th, with three consumer days following reports Cycling Industry News.

The venue is London’s Alexandra Palace and the event ‘will be the first to build in the London eBike Festival, with coronavirus halting progress for the separate event earlier in the year. The merged event had been scheduled originally to run in April this year.

CIN say ‘The Cycle Show Trade Day will be free to attend, but strictly for cycle retailers, plus members of the press only.’

eBike Biz

UK’s Furo Raises £750,000 in Seed Funding

BikeBiz reports that ‘British e-bike manufacturer FuroSystems has raised £750,000 in seed funding, with TSP Ventures, ClearlySo and a number of angel investors participating in the round.’

Furo has seen demand surge since the COVID-19 lockdown from an already high growth rate, with year-on-year sales up fivefold and the funding will allow FuroSystems to accelerate growth and invest in R&D in order to create the next generation of products.

Riese and Muller Look to Better Manage Complex Supply Chains

German manufacturer of premium e-bikes, Riese & Muller, have appointed 40-year old, internationally experienced Alexander Eilhauer to the newly created key position of Head of Supply Chain Management. This new position at the Weiterstadt-based manufacturer, say R&M, ‘not only reinforces the company’s existing claim to be a premium supplier, but also systematically responds to customers’ demands for more flexible and shorter delivery times.’

‘Alexander Eilhauer truly is our ideal candidate. Alexander will enable us to professionally respond to the increasingly complex tasks in the company, which result from the many diverse subdomains, such as digitalisation or internationalisation. One of his core tasks will be the company-spanning and strategic orientation of our entire value creation chain. We wish to further safeguard our growth and expansion to international markets through flexible production tailored to meet market demands”, explained Dr Sandra Wolf, responsible for corporate strategy at Riese & Muller.

China Perspective

‘As companies around the world continue to struggle through the COVID-19 crisis, one sector is seeing an unexpected boom in business: China’s bicycle manufacturers, who say their overseas orders have risen significantly since February….’ says Sixth Tone.

The article adds ‘Sha Li, deputy head of the Shenzhen Bicycle Industry Association, told Sixth Tone that their members — some 120 Chinese bicycle manufacturers — began to see more orders starting in February, and that international orders grew by 50% to 150%. She attributed the uptick in sales to people seeking ways to become more fit and healthy against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their desire for safer commutes.’

Meanwhile the number of e-bikes in China itself has reached around 300 million, with annual sales of more than 30 million units in recent years, according to data from the China Bicycle Association.

Stay tuned for more e-bike news and reviews and thanks for reading!

-Rich

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