Lake Dunstan Trail – why not go by boat?

Lake Dunstan Trail is the most talked about of the Great Rides. Now you can get transported by boat too and add another dimension to your day out.
Read moreLake Dunstan Trail is the most talked about of the Great Rides. Now you can get transported by boat too and add another dimension to your day out.
Read moreThis is a new range from Wisper and distributed in New Zealand by the good folks who bring us Smartmotion – this means an experienced team who provide good support. They will complement the Smartmotion range and add some additional choice to their retailers and customers. There are mid-drive and hub-drive options, but I expect that the mid-drive will be
Read moreTrek’s Rail was introduced for the 2020 season along with the Bosch Performance CX Gen 4 motor. This enabled a more aggressive and modern geometry (compared to Powerfly LT) and got rid of that annoying tiny front chainring that messed with full suspension. The motor is lighter and more responsive and — to my ear at least — quieter. The
Read moreLabelled a Step-Through mountain bike, the Ascent MD is another in the super-popular and versatile cross-over ebikes that 90% of buyers seem to want. This one is a good option… The MD stands for mid-drive which is really what you want in this style of bike. Power is from a Bafang M400 motor and 630Wh 36V battery. Tick there, all
Read moreThe demand in the market is for an ebike that can be used for a spot of commuting and heading down to the cafe for a coffee and a croissant, and can also do a light bit of trail riding. Oh, and can you make it step through because I don’t like swing my leg over. Easy right? No so
Read morePossibly the most comfortable urban ebike I’ve ridden, this is a reboot of the popular Metro Plus. It has a companion step through companion named Navigator, which is identical apart from the frame design. I predict that both will be hugely popular. I’d probably buy the Navigator because I don’t always feel like swinging my leg over and it’ll likely
Read moreIn New Zealand and Australia we are compelled to wear a helmet and most of us will have a few for different purposes, so let’s not pretend that a helmet has to be fit for all purposes. This Livall BH51M Neo is an urban commuter helmet. It’s a dome style with a nifty little peak that will stop drops of
Read moreI’ll say it straight: this was one of the most enjoyable day rides I’ve done — and I’ve done most of them. It’s a 30km Grade 3 ride through stunning scenery with glimpses of waterfalls, massive pools, the great lake Taupō, an echoing rock and finishing on a lake beach. Then the uniqueness of hopping on a boat with your
Read moreThere are internet forums dedicated to Black helicopter sightings, and our whole nation whips itself into a frenzy over black jerseys and black caps, now here is the Black ATB to get behind. Black is the new home brand by Electrify, and the ATB is a mid drive all-terrain bike. Michael Tritt from Electrify explained it as the bike that
Read moreLake Garda in northern Italy may be a bit out of the way for the long-weekend, but highly recommended if you are anywhere nearby. It’s not far from Milan or Verona, and lies in the southern end of the Dolomites. Ski areas like Val di Sole — home to MTB World Cup races — and Mt Baldo are nearby. It
Read moreThe UCI held the first ever eMTB World Champs at Mont St Anne, Canada. You may know that it was won by Alan Hatherly from South Africa on a Specialized Levo, who described it as one of the tougher races he had ridden. Think about it – the field is levelled by a 25kph speed limit, so the way to
Read moreI tend to get a bit frustrated with facebook groups at times because there is no order to them and it’s hard to find information through search, or simply to go back to something you saw before. Also, there are related and duplicate groups springing up here there and everywhere and I tend to get FOMO (fear of missing out).
Read moreBam! and they’ve done it again. Specialized has created a genre-busting ebike and done it incredibly well. They have engineered their own motor and battery system (Creo in Latin means ‘create’). It is stealthily integrated and also nicely compatible with their Mission Control app, allowing infinite tune options. The clevers in Switzerland have added only 3.7kg including battery, allowing the
Read moreEvery time I ride a Riese & Müller bike I think to myself, ah, so that’s how a bike in that category should ride. Unfortunately they cost more than most though, but other bikes simply aren’t as good, in most cases. So if you want great, you’ll have to pay for it. This is a cargo bike of note, and
Read moreI reckon it would be easy to convince someone who isn’t particularly bike-aware that this is an unpowered bike, and that they are simply riding down hill. Depending on your perspective you may think that is bad, but to me that is a great compliment. Hop on the Cube and it’s just like riding a bike. Cube bikes are big
Read moreOutside of the main cities, eMTB is the hottest ticket in ebikes. If your goal is to be able to go up any mountain in sight (Queenstown), ride longer and higher without shuttles (Rotorua) or simply keep up with your stronger, fitter, younger or less-injured mates, an eMTB might be for you. It’s a great equalizer for a couple too.
Read morePivot is known among MTB enthusiasts as being top-end. They use the very best carbon fibers throughout (unlike most brands including ones that rhyme with Fanta Blues and Betty), and are very committed to R&D. Their DW-Link suspension is highly regarded as efficient and responsive. They have race teams including our own Ed Masters, Matt Walker and Cole Lucas. So
Read moreThis is not your average ebike. It has been designed for a particular set of riders in mind, and I suspect that is quite a large group. It’s special skill is a “one size for all” approach which actually works, with it’s laid back geometry, 20″ fat tyres and raked back seat meaning it gets bigger as the seat goes
Read moreLiv is the women-specific sub-brand of Giant bicycles. I had the pleasure of catching up with Nikki Jan and Cassandrou Chou from Liv based in Taichung City, Taiwan. They were in Aotearoa to better understand our market, meeting dealers and Liv ambassadors around the country. We started with a passionate explainer from Nikki about why they have the Liv brand.
Read moreYou may recognise KTM as an Austrian boutique motorcycle manufacturer, the sort that teenage boys of my generation had posters of in their bedrooms. The bike manufacturer shares these roots, but today is a separate business, still manufactured in Austria. The Kapoho is a burly eMTB featuring 160mm of fore and aft suspension, and in intentions is definitely not a
Read moreSmart businesses have started to look to ebikes as a way to get around more efficiently. Electricmeg has helped many businesses to get staff onto ebikes safely, but this story is a bit different. It involves cute dogs, so do read on… Auckland Council is one of those smart businesses that has invested in fleet bikes and importantly, on training
Read moreI try to review bikes that are a bit different to provide some interest for you the reader (and for me the rider), so when Nelson from Zurk Bikes asked me to review one of his I thought “Heck, why not?” It sure looks different and I had been wondering what’s it all for. I was hoping for the Peter
Read moreI was quite excited about doing a review on an e-trike, having seen a good few in Hawkes Bay and the fact that they seemed to be a good option for mobility impaired riders. The trike in question looked nice in red (reminded me of the trike that I had as a child and my kids did too) and was
Read moreThe Como is Specialized’s ‘cruiser’ ebike, built on the same electric platform as the Vado and Levo, with frame geometry from the Roll. It is simple to use, friendly to ride and more versatile than you might think. There is no front suspension to worry about or maintain; instead the long curvy forks and balloon tyres soak up the chatter.
Read moreI haven’t had much time to do full reviews lately, but Auckland Transport has put on some great community events, so here are some bikes I have ridden when I got the chance: Riese & Muller Tinker – A compact 20″ wheel bike with folding stem. The version I rode had a Bosch Performance motor with 45km/h. This is a
Read moreI did it, this ebiker rode 360km over 4 days of racing. Yes, this is my blog and I’ll brag if I want to. In reality, it was harder than I anticipated and the level of rider ability was really high too. I guess I should have expected that – not everyone is going to enter a stage race. But
Read moreI have asserted before that riding an ebike regularly keeps you fit. It’s true, I am quite fit. But am I fit enough for a 4-day cycle race? That’s an interesting question… My Challenge I have entered BDO Tour of Northland, a 4-day stage race over 360km going Whangarei-Russell-Paihia-Opononi-Dargaville-Whangarei. Apparently it’s fun, but my bike won’t have a motor. Eeek!
Read moreThe trail is part of the Nga Haerenga/NZ Great Rides network going between Greymouth in the North and Ross in the South, taking in Kumara, Hokitika and Cowboy Paradise in between. It has a diverse mix of trails, from roadside, coastal, gravel rd, tramline and even sections of singletrack. You can find more including places to stay on their website.
Read moreYes, but… This is one of the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ in the current ebike market. A nice eMTB costs upwards of $6k and most now can do 32km/h which is a perfectly respectable commuting speed. They generally have big comfortable tyres, around 500Wh of battery and enough grunt to get up any hill. So comfortable, fast enough, powerful. And anyway,
Read moreLiv is the female-specific sub-brand of Giant, and as such the two bikes are close to identical. ElectricMeg and I (along with friends to make it even better) decided to take the review bikes on the Timber Trail, which is a magnificent forest trail west of Lake Taupo in the Pureora forest. For model-year 2019 Giant announced a large range
Read moreFrom what I see in Woodhill Forest, the Specialized Levo is the most popular “real” eMTB in New Zealand. When it came out three short years ago, it was groundbreaking. At the time most eMTBs were horrid; either with hub motors or earlier Bosch and Yamaha motors from fringe brands (at the time) like Haibike and Moustache. Nobody here (myself
Read moremidCity is Smartmotion’s new generation update to bring the venerable eCity — NZ’s most popular ebike — into the current era of mid-drives. It is a ground-up redesign that achieves its goals. This is a sophisticated bike that can at least match the Euro rivals, and go a bit faster too. They’ve done some work on the graphics and colours,
Read moreHigh end bikes are almost all made from carbon fibre – not just for light weight – but because it gives the designers more flexibility to get exactly the ride characteristics they want. There is no reason why this shouldn’t apply to high-end ebikes too. In this case, it does lend lightness – it was noticeably lighter than the Levo
Read moreOne of the best ways to discover a destination is to take a bike tour, an ebike tour is even better. You can cover a lot more area. For around five years, Brian from Fishbike in Napier has been taking tourists out on bikes from his base on Marine Parade. When I last looked three years or so ago there
Read moreA year ago I wrote a retrospective. That first year involved lots of learning and discovery. The second year has been more of a ‘business as usual’ period, but I still enjoy every day as much. For me the benefits are fun, no frustration, fitness, friendliness (of other riders), freedom. Maybe financial too. Summary: f’ing good. Lately the bottom bracket and
Read moreWhile outside Aucklanders were rushing around in their cars in increasing numbers, getting frustrated with traffic, yelling at cyclists, and generally getting stressed, I was learning about the future… and that is eMobility. I met with Catrin and Timo visiting from Germany — who look after international markets for Riese & Müller. They were visiting Maurice from Electric Bike Team, their dealer in New Zealand. The company was
Read moreThe Gepida Reptila 1000 is one of the first commuter bikes available in NZ with the Bosch Active Line Plus in a 32km/h format. This ‘breakthrough’ comes after years of insistence by Bosch that we should only have ‘safer’ 25km/h bikes like Australia and Europe, when they made 32km/h versions for the North American markets and we’ve had hub motor
Read moreThis is a Grade 1 ride from Ngaruwahia in the North to Hamilton Botanic Gardens, all on sealed or concreted surfaces. It’s a pleasant ride alongside the Mighty Waikato. In theory it continues to Karapiro, but there are road sections south of Hamilton at this stage. Further info can be found on the Te Awa website. The start is at
Read moreWhen I first reviewed an eZee Sprint in the early days of this site, I likened it to a Hilux Ute. To extend that metaphor, the Hilux just got an automatic gearbox and aircon. It’s still the lovable tough ute, and just as the Top Gear crew tried to destroy a Hilux, my review bike survived a similar attempt at destruction
Read moreThe first thing to note is that ebikes are bicycles. Generally, you don’t need special tyres for ebikes. But because you have the assistance, you can tolerate special tyres that are a bit heavier and give you puncture protection. That’s a really good thing for commuting! For eMTB, that means you can go wider, 2.6″ or 2.8″ being de rigeur.
Read moreBigger bike brands have R&D, manufacturing and marketing resources that smaller ebike brands struggle to compete against.
Read moreThe xCity – the “Landrover of ebikes” according to one of the dealers – is the ebike that will boogie its way off the showroom floors this summer. In many respects, it is the ideal ebike, these are xCiting times! Smartmotion is New Zealand brand that actually designs their bikes here, and the ‘old’ eCity has become one of those
Read moreI have been reading NZ ebike-related websites for a few years, and every time I see it, I am shocked and surprised at the unprofessionalism of it. Trash-talking a brand that has ceased their supply to you, that is. Some links have since disappeared or been edited, possibly due to legal actions, and some more possibly will as they read
Read moreWhen the Italians do the handling and the Germans do the electronics, you have it the right way around. Add in cycling brand history dating back to 1924 — including the fact that Greg Lemond won the 1989 Tour de France on a Bottecchia — mix in the model name Newton from the guy who invented gravity(*), and you’ve got
Read moreI spend a lot of time zipping around Auckland on two (self-powered) wheels. I am a daily cycle commuter covering around 30km a day to and from work, doing an extra-long loop in the mornings to spend a bit more time in the saddle. My weekends also generally involve at least one outing on a modern velocipede. So what would
Read moreKia ora, my name is Nic Bishop. I bought my first ever bike myself at age 39, so that I could live – not so that I could die. Recent days and weeks have seen multiple stories of tragic near misses and fatalities of people getting on with their day by bike. I’m not going to focus on the tragedy
Read moreI’ve been hearing all manner of myths and rumours about “what is imminent” mostly originating from a few retailers who have a certain thing to sell, and are intent on spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) on everything else. Here is what I believe to be true, from reliable sources: There is currently no progress on LEV legislation at NZTA
Read moreThis day was full of best evers….best decision to enter, best ebike for me to use (Moustache Trail 5), best scenery, mountains and valleys not normally open to the public, best company and camaraderie out on the trail, best backflip off the ebike on one of those annoying “little pinch hill climbs”, little or no previous rain meant the trail
Read moreTLDR: ebikes make up 1/4 of the fatalities. People over 65 make up 2/3. via More cycling fatalities than deaths in cars
Read moreWhile I have a few reviews in the pending state including some co-branding initiatives due, I thought I’d offer some benefits of my experiences. Tyres I have been running Schwalbe Marathon Plus and Energizer tyres on my commuter. These are amazing in that you are unlikely ever to get a puncture, and they wear really well. I got over 10,000km
Read moreThe ProUser Diamant is a high quality European rack that can handle ebikes (or any bikes for that matter). What separates high quality from the rest is its compactness, ease of mounting to the vehicle tow ball, built in lights and number plate holder, and all-round quality of the materials used. It can handle 60kg all-up. Two 25kg ebikes are
Read moreElectricMeg, ElectricBazza and AcousticRobin were all at Crankworx Rotorua. Most of the manufacturers had ebikes on display. Notably Specialized didn’t have any bikes on display at all, and Giant didn’t bring any ebikes. Electrify.nz had an ebike display and so did Bosch. In fact it was Bosch who did a media ride attended by AcousticRobin and had a range of
Read moreThe Smartmotion HyperSonic is a true full-suspension eMTB developed in New Zealand. It plays happily beside other major MTB brand bikes costing thousands more. I have to be honest and say that I wasn’t expecting much from this bike. After all, what does Smartmotion know about mountain bikes? It was with some nervousness that I headed into Riverhead Forest just
Read moreThis loop is around 40km long and takes in 3 coasts (Waitematā downtown, Manukau at Onehunga and Upper Waitematā at Waterview), and 8 volcanic cones, while having an opportunity to consume an ice cream cone along the way too. It’s a great combination that takes in some of Auckland’s best sights. ElectricMeg and I have designed this loop based on
Read moreThe European Union styles itself as “The Masters of Regulation” and continue to over-regulate and under deliver on ebikes. In New Zealand, we are largely free of such political meddling and will come up with our own sensible approaches. I’ve often heard people say: “Why do we need our own regulations for ebikes? The Euros practically invented the ebike, make
Read moreThe Auckland Coast-to-Coast walk is a hidden treasure to add to your bucket list. It is free apart from any transport back to your start. We are researching an awesome ebike loop route that we will post when we are happy with the route safety and variety. We enjoyed the slower pace and little things that we saw on foot
Read moreIf you have ever tried to hoist 25kg of ebike onto a regular ‘prong’ or clamp style rack, you will know why this product is the answer. If you plan to do any sort of road trip with your ebikes then this really is what you need. The bikes are easy to get on and off — there is even
Read moreWai Won Ching is the enigmatic and offbeat founder and CEO of eZee Bikes. He was in Auckland for a few days so I took the opportunity to interview Mr Ching. Learn why bigger is better with batteries, why power ratings are nonsense, why throttles rule, and why you should invest in Bitcoin (I just put that in for the
Read moreThis is the best value ebike in New Zealand right now. At $2799 for a bike that can climb like a champ and cruise at 40km/h with a good parts selection, it carries a strong “buy” recommendation. There are two models in the new sixth-generation Magnum “Metro” range. This is the ‘plus’ with a traditional diamond frame and 700c (road
Read moreI leapt at the opportunity to ride and review the Stromer ST1x – a new model for 2017 being distributed by electrify.nz The original ST1 is one of the bikes that popularised ebikes in its native Switzerland, in many cases as a car replacement. The ST2 was more of a beast, priced ‘from’ USD7000. The ST1x is not an updated
Read moreThe Onya SH-1 is ecyclesnz’s latest user friendly ebike
Read moreThere are not many Euro-spec 45km/h bikes available, but NZ importers are slowly waking up to the fact that commuters want speed, and that 25km/h is just too slow. This is evidenced by the number of dongled bikes being sold (a dongle tricks the bike into thinking it is going slower than it is, typically limiting speed at twice the
Read moreThis is a guest post by ElectricMeg. The Moustache Lundi (Monday) is intended to be a city bike; well engineered and more versatile than it looks, handling roads, paths and gravel with ease. From initial looks I thought that this would be a quirky bike that compromises for form over function, and dismissed it as a serious modern bike because
Read moreQueenstown has built some brilliant MTB trails for all abilities, and Campbell from Chargeabout Bikes in Queenstown encouraged us to try their eMTBs on the trails around from home base at Kelvin Heights to Jacks Point. “Sounds like a good idea”. It was. When I first saw that Chargeabout was renting bikes from near the Hilton I was wondering why
Read moreWhen I mention step-through frames to people, I can see their brains ticking over pictures of nanna-on-a-bike, and men in particular get a look of revulsion… If I showed them a picture of this Riese & Müller, I think I’d get a very different reaction! ElectricMeg and I were talking to the head of R&D from a major bike corporation the
Read moreI was lucky to be able to preview the new Pacer GT – an update to the Pacer with a mid drive motor, belt drive and Nuvinci continuously variable gearbox. The bike I rode is a prototype so details may change when it goes to production. The first batch are rolling out more-or-less as tested. Smartmotion explained they are looking
Read moreThis is eZee’s first bike with a torque sensor and an LCD screen, welcome to the new generation! It’s a departure from previous (and still current) eZee designs in that it does away with the mid-mounted black-tower battery and uses the popular Reention design on the downtube that you see on many bikes including Magnum, Smartmotion Pacer, Juiced, indeed many
Read moreIt looks to be interesting times in the ebike world with most manufacturers launching new models. I attended EV World recently where a few wholesalers were showing their wares, and a Specialized product launch. I’ll be covering these in some more detail with actual reviews including my now famous hill climbing mega test! Here are some impressions. Smartmotion – the
Read moreI don’t often get abused by motorists (thanks Auckland!) but it does happen, and I know there are frequently head shakes and tut tuts going on. If we can establish two things as fact: (a) the infrastructure we ride on is mostly not well designed for us, often hostile; and (b) the laws favour motorists and typically treat cyclists as
Read moreIt’s available on the NZTA Website https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/research/reports/621/
Read moreIn July 2016 I plonked down several thousand dollars on a bicycle from Saint Cycles in Takapuna. For the same money – as people pointed out – I could have bought quite a nice motor scooter. My justification was that I was commuting in a car for 46km a day, at 40c/km that was $3680 a year. So in my
Read moreThis trail–part of Nga Haerenga–has been a long-time coming. The first sections opened in 2013, the final ones in early 2017. Wrangling over access slowed it all, but happily for us it’s all done now and quite successfully. Let me say that I haven’t ridden this on an ebike, and you probably don’t need to either. If you go from
Read moreI accepted a challenge posed by Maurice from Electric Bicycle Hub who has an eZee 34Ah (1224Wh) battery – could I even go far enough in a day to deplete this battery? The question has been answered, read on to find out what happened… I picked up the eZee Forza with the legendary 34Ah battery as Maurice opened his shop
Read moreRecently I have seen distributors trash talking other bikes because they are ‘low quality’, I’ve seen others proclaim their bikes as the best because they have Engine X. Meanwhile, I’ve ridden lots of different bikes and spoken to real owners, and guess what? For the most part they like their bikes, and I liked the bikes I rode. How can
Read moreThe Warburton Trail is in the Yarra Valley on the fringes of Melbourne running between Lilydale (the current rail head) and Warburton. As you would reasonably expect of Australians it is often referred to as “The Warby”. It’s a 40km rail trail so has a mostly flat grade. It is best done as a one-way ride so you need some
Read moreThe Haibike SDURO is a premium German MTB-style ebike featuring a Yamaha motor. Most of the Haibike range sports Bosch excepting the SDURO range (Xduro is Bosch-powered). The Yamaha system is a bit rarer but also used by Giant and other brands we don’t see much of in the NZ e-scene. I first heard about the SDURO when I watched
Read moreThe 3.0 version of the new Vado is the ‘City-tune’ version in the Vado range. That means it is optimised for range, assistance up hills and everything you need up to 32kph (20mph). It has been a while in gestation – around 2 years in development and 9 months since announcing to the world that Specialized’s European team were having a new baby, we now have one we can buy and ride.
Read moreI believe we deserve a better and more liberal regulatory framework for ebikes in New Zealand – one that perhaps leads the world in its progressiveness. My Bias Let me get it out there – I dislike slow ebikes on the road. They mean that you are forced into being a slow bicycle, even in situations where on a regular bicycle
Read moreThis is overall the nicest ebike I have ridden, and the current leader of my standardised hill climbing tests. This review was inspired by a reader who asked via Twitter if I do requests. Apparently, I do now! The ride was arranged by the distributor Campbell from eBike Studio in Queenstown and courtesy of the bike owner Matt who graciously allowed
Read moreA world premiere – 13 different bikes with different drive types being tested on one hill.
Read moreYou probably haven’t heard of the Kreidler brand before (sounds like Chrysler). It is a German brand that makes motorcycles and bicycles imported into NZ by Electrify.NZ who also bring in Magnum, Prodecotec and Bottecchia. I first saw and loved a Kalkhoff Agattu in their Auckland shop, and this is an equivalent bike but powered by a Bosch Active motor
Read moreThis popped up on my email today, and I thought wow! only $1099! I should buy that! NO, I DIDN’T! It is being sold at $1099, “elsewhere up to $3999*”. No, it is not $3999 elsewhere. Not even close. Now I don’t know if I’m crossing some sort of professional line, either moral or legal, but I feel like I have
Read moreThe Reid Urban+ is a nicely put together ‘street’ bike featuring the Shimano STEPS drive system. It’s a quality-built bike with smooth welds on the main parts of the frame, a svelte grey colour scheme with subtle highlights and a nice parts selection. The geometry is ‘racy street’ bike (think NY City messenger) with rigid forks and fairly narrow handlebars – good
Read more“Please don’t be dicks out there” was the message of a tweet I was mentioned in the other day (not in an accusing way I might add). Apparently two guys had been racing one another on a bike path and nearly cleaned someone out. As it happened, I had been trying to keep up with another fast ebike rider so there
Read moreIt’s great to see that we have some genuine local ebike businesses in lil’ol’ NZ, and I don’t mean importers, but actual innovators and designers. It’s a hard road in such a small market and with limited access to capital, not to mention being able to flick off a quick mil’ or so in pre-orders on Kickstarter based on some
Read moreI’ve got helmets for every occasion — commuting, MTB, Enduro — old ones, new ones, even ones with cracks in that ElectricMeg uses for safety demos. I also have a bit of a light fetish – I have all sorts – and often attach a Gloworm X1 and battery for added effect. So do I need a helmet with flashing
Read moreOriginally published on electricbikereview.com forums – reposted with permission. This ebiker from San Diego tells his story about ditching the car: Hello James… Great write up and review and a great thanks for taking the time and effort to put this together. I bought a [Specialized] turbo in January of 2016 and took a vow to ride it for a
Read moreYour first e-bike is a big investment. Someone will probably say: “But you could have bought a car for that money!” So it’s worth getting it right. Also see “You get what you pay for, it is that simple“. Step 1 – Understand what you will use it for If you don’t really know, then you probably shouldn’t buy one.
Read moreAsk almost anyone in ebike sales and they will tell you ‘torque sensors are more sophisticated/ more expensive/ more better’. It is partially true (i.e. not an overt lie) but it doesn’t mean that a bike with torque sensor is the best for your needs. Anyway, what’s the difference? A cadence sensor detects if you are pedalling, tells the controller, which then
Read moreI described another bike I reviewed in car terms; this one is a Hilux Ute – a workhorse ebike with no pretences that simply does what you want it to.
Read moreThis is a really popular bike from a German manufacturer, and there is a lot to like about it.
Read more[Edit May 2018: Turned out the naysayers were right, and these bikes are presenting all manner of issues, ultimately resulting in the importer going out of business after losing a lot of money. I’m only saying this for the benefit international readers, not to depress existing owners. Later models including Crosscurrent S seem to be no better. Sad that poor
Read moreWe’ve got smart watches, smart cars, smart bikes… does a smart helmet make sense? Actually yes. We all know that our ‘smart’ tech will become obsolete fairly fast, so the smart bike is not something I’d put money into (not an ebike – that’s different). We need a helmet anyway in New Zealand, so we want it to be comfortable
Read moreI had the pleasure of meeting Emma Coote on the road with her two thrilled daughters. She wrote about her experience for Bike Auckland. https://www.bikeauckland.org.nz/bicycle-built-three-e-bikes-changed-one-familys-commute/
Read moreElectricMeg and I recently spent a holiday in Vietnam, a country that was known for bicycles but is now well known for motorcycle chaos. What we did notice was the number of people riding ebikes and escooters. Mostly it is high school girls riding them, because you need to be 18 to get a scooter licence but anyone can ride
Read moreOh ye seekers after perpetual motion, how many vain chimeras have you pursued? Go and take your place with the alchemists. — Leonardo da Vinci, 1494 I keep on seeing articles referencing a new (proposed) ebike on Kickstarter that can “charge itself while you ride” and it drives me insane. I also field lots of questions about ebikes from people who
Read moreYou experience so much more when you are on a bike than in a car or bus https://get.google.com/albumarchive/101082131501061770948/album/AF1QipPSkjaiLLVrm0iytC49dafu0AAi2HYiI3fezib4 Here is another clip featuring the Wisterias in bloom
Read moreThe Onya F-19 is a perfect “light quaxing”, campervan or boat ebike suitable for the whole family.
Read moreIn the year 2026 (10 years from when I make this prediction), in 1st world countries, more than 50% of bicycles sold will have a battery built in. It may just be to change gears (eg Di2) or power a light, but will likely power the bike. eMTBs will be available with smaller less-powerful motors and batteries than commuter and
Read moreThis is one of the nicest looking commuter style ebikes in the NZ market, and along with its good manners and good entry-level price at $2499 it is reportedly selling like hotcakes.
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