Honorable Mentions
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Photograph: Adrienne So
Radio Flyer Via Pro for $2,909: Editor Julian Chokkattu could not have had a better experience than this easy-to-use and easy-to-assemble class 2 electric cargo bike. For more info, check out our guide to the Best Electric Cargo Bikes.
Aventon Level 3 for $1,899: The new Aventon Level 3 is an easy to ride ebike that features a clean, step-though design and every feature you could possibly want in a standard-sized ebike for riding around town. There are built-in fenders and lights, and a big color display shows you how much of the up to 70 miles of advertised range you have remaining. I have ridden it up to about 25 miles at a time with my heavy 6’2” frame easily ending my rides with 20 percent of battery left.The frame feels comfortable and sturdy, thanks to a double-walled construction and improved shimano gears and brakes. The front suspension fork and semi-hidden suspension seat post add to comfort relative to other bikes I’ve tested in this price range, and I like that the Aventon app lets you set up things like remote locking a geofencing, so you can keep an eye on your expensive bike from afar. The built-in turn signals, which use the bike’s rear lights, are another added bonus when riding in cities at night. —Parker Hall
Tenways CGO9800S for $1,999: This is a budget step-through city ebike. It boasts of up to 50 miles of battery life, and I got more than 30. The torque sensor is smooth and responsive to pedaling at various speeds. However, there’s no throttle and because this bike is meant to fit riders of a huge range of size (they say 5’1” to 6’3”) the frame was not as comfortable to pedal for me (5’11”) as some large-size bikes. —Martin Cizmar
Engwe LE20 for $1,599: The selling point of this bike is that for $1,500, you get a cargo bike with room for a massive payload and two high-capacity batteries, which is theoretically able to traverse 211 miles while carrying a 165-pound rider. The batteries only carried me about 80 miles on a single charge (I weigh a lot more and didn’t pedal as much as I could have) during three days of testing on America’s longest rail-to-trail project but still, that’s a wow stat. This is the roughest assembly job I’ve had with a DTC ebike and I ultimately did take it into a shop where the owner congratulated me on the wise decision to not ride it as-is. With weight pushing 100 pounds it’s not easy to load up for travel—you’re not putting this thing on a rack. It carries cargo with ease and with the $170 fast-charger upgrade you can cover serious mileage in a day. —Martin Cizmar
Aventon Ramblas for $2,599: Aventon made a mountain bike! It’s a lot of bike for an affordable price, but just a little too heavy to take it out for its intended use case. It makes a nice rugged commuter, however.
Linus eDutchi for $1,799: Need a comfy cruiser? The Linus eDutchi is a comfy class 1 ebike with beautiful colors and loads of proprietary accessories.
Photograph: Electra
Electra Loft Go! for $1,500: I also love the Electra Loft Go!, which is another comfy sit-up beach cruiser, but the Priority has a slightly more powerful motor for the same price.
Xtracycle Estoker for $4,499: This is probably the bike that I see most often in my Portland, Oregon, neighborhood. It has a durable, sturdy Chromoly steel frame and larger 24-inch wheels along with a Shimano mid-drive motor that make it perfect for more grueling conditions. Unfortunately, you do have to be over 5’6″ (which I am not) to ride it.
Gazelle Eclipse for $5,999: If you want to know just how great the Bosch system can be, the Eclipse (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the more expensive version of the Radster Road above. It has a nicer shifter, a smarter motor—even the paint job is nicer. It is much more expensive, however.
Heybike Tyson for $1,399: You get a lot of stuff for not very much money with this fat-tire, folding ebike (6/10, WIRED Review), including suspension, blinkers, a throttle, and one of the most obnoxious horns I’ve ever heard. The components are not super-high-quality, but it’s an affordable, comfortable way to dip your toes into ebike waters.
The Gocycle G4I+ for $5,999: Gocycle’s high-end, fast-folding luxury bikes are designed by a former McLaren engineer. This quieter, lighter iteration has better torque, a new carbon-fiber front fork, and an even more painful price.
The Bunch Original Electric Cargo Bike for $5,799: I didn’t care for the Bunch, but my family did. It’s a standard if slightly expensive, box bike as you might see in Europe. It’ll work well if you live in a flat area and don’t have to go very fast.
Bikes We Dislike
Pass on the left.
Photograph: Civilized Cycles
Niu Electric Bike BQi-C3 Pro for $1.599: Commerce director Martin Cizmar tested this bike and had a litany of complaints. The riding position is too aggressive, and the bike frame doesn’t fit common components like a water bottle and his pannier. The disc brakes weren’t suited to stopping it from 28 mph.
The Retrospec Jax Rev for $1,000: We wanted to love this sleek, stylish folding bike, but we couldn’t help worrying about its durability.
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