The first brief glimpse of the 2020 Jeep ebike came in a Super Bowl ad last month, which was quickly followed by a few details from both Jeep and manufacturing partners QuietKat. Now the e-mountainbike has gone up for pre-order, and as we suspected, it's not cheap.
Actor Bill Murray revisited his role in the hit movie Groundhog Day for Jeep's Super Bowl ad this year, which mostly focused on the 2020 Gladiator pickup. But Murray briefly swapped four for two wheels, and we got a quick first look at a mystery ebike. A landing page subsequently appeared and the Jeep ebike was officially born.
Details were scant at the time, but now that the fat-tired ebike has gone up for pre-order, more specs have been revealed. To recap, the range was given as 40 miles (64 km) per charge, rocked a 750-W mid-drive motor, rode on 4.8-in fat tires and featured Fire-link suspension.
Now we know that the Class 2 ebike is being pitched as a special edition of QuietKat's RidgeRunner electric mountainbike, and is being offered in two frame sizes – 17 and 19 inches (43.18 or 48.25 cm). The battery hidden in the downtube is a 14.5-Ah/48-V unit that's reported good for between 30 and 60 miles (48 - 96.5 km) per charge, that mid-drive motor offers 160 Nm of torque and can provide pedal assist or thumb throttle drive, the ebike has 10-speed gears, and stopping power comes from 4-Piston hydraulic brakes sporting 203-mm rotors.
The suspension system is confirmed as an inverted air fork with 150 mm of travel and RockShox Monarch RL rear shock (with 120 mm of travel) combination. The 26-inch rims are indeed wrapped in 4.8-in CST Roly Poly fat tires, the ebike tips the scales at 79 lb (35.8 kg) and can handle load weight of up to 300 lb (136 kg). A mid-handlebar display shows ride info.
The Jeep ebike – or RidgeRunner Jeep Edition if you prefer – is available from June. The standard seatpost flavor is priced at US$5,899, while a version with a remote dropper seatpost installed will cost you $278 more.
Source: Jeep