Bicycles

Bultaco Albero cruises city center and hops cafes

Bultaco Albero cruises city center and hops cafes
Not so much a cafe racer as an electric motorcycle and city bike rolled into one
Not so much a cafe racer as an electric motorcycle and city bike rolled into one
View 10 Images
The Bultaco Albero is built on the same technical platform as the off-road Brinco "moto bike"
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The Bultaco Albero is built on the same technical platform as the off-road Brinco "moto bike"
The Albero rides on 24-inch wheels with 2.35-inch tires
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The Albero rides on 24-inch wheels with 2.35-inch tires
The Albero benefits from adjustable front fork suspension with 130 mm of travel and a monoshock at the rear with 150 mm of travel
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The Albero benefits from adjustable front fork suspension with 130 mm of travel and a monoshock at the rear with 150 mm of travel
The Albero's 1,100 lumen LED headlight has an auto day/night sensor
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The Albero's 1,100 lumen LED headlight has an auto day/night sensor
The Albero is available in two motor sizes – one rated at 2 kW and capable of a top speed of 45 km/h and a 250 W variant that should get the moto-bike up to 25 km/h
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The Albero is available in two motor sizes – one rated at 2 kW and capable of a top speed of 45 km/h and a 250 W variant that should get the moto-bike up to 25 km/h
The Albero has an independent pedal mechanism and the hub motor is engaged by twist throttle, with three drive modes available
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The Albero has an independent pedal mechanism and the hub motor is engaged by twist throttle, with three drive modes available
The upcoming Albero shares its technical soul with the Brinco, but has been redesigned specifically for city streets
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The upcoming Albero shares its technical soul with the Brinco, but has been redesigned specifically for city streets
Not so much a cafe racer as an electric motorcycle and city bike rolled into one
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Not so much a cafe racer as an electric motorcycle and city bike rolled into one
In Sport mode, the Albero can zip along for up to 50 km (30 mi) before the 1.3 kWh Li-ion battery pack starts to splutter. Tour mode will extend that to 75 km, and rides of 100 km are possible in Eco mode.
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In Sport mode, the Albero can zip along for up to 50 km (30 mi) before the 1.3 kWh Li-ion battery pack starts to splutter. Tour mode will extend that to 75 km, and rides of 100 km are possible in Eco mode.
The Albero rocks a lightweight aluminum frame, 9 gear system, and a rear hub motor available in two flavors
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The Albero rocks a lightweight aluminum frame, 9 gear system, and a rear hub motor available in two flavors
View gallery - 10 images

Spanish motorcycle veteran Bultaco announced a return to manufacture in 2014, after more than a dozen years of silence, with plans to make electric motorcycles. First off the production line wasn't an all electric Rapitan though, it was the first "moto bike" – a cross between an electric motorcycle and a mountain bike called the Brinco R. This edged towards the city with the R-E, C and S variants the following year, and now the company has announced a model aimed squarely at urbanites. The upcoming Albero shares its technical soul with the Brinco, but has been redesigned specifically for city streets.

Bultaco was founded in 1958 and was responsible for Sherpa, Matador and Frontera motorbike models over the years that followed, while adding a number of Spanish and international race trophies to its display cabinet. Then in the early noughties, the company's production line fell silent. The famous "thumbs up" logo rose from the ashes in 2014, with the marque committing to an electric future.

The latest model in its moto bike series is the Albero, which builds on the same platform used for the Brinco electric bikes. It features a brushless AC motor at the rear that's available in two flavors – one rated at 2 kW and capable of a top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph) and a 250 W variant that should get the moto-bike up to 25 km/h. There's an independent pedal mechanism and the hub motor is engaged by twist throttle, with three drive modes available.

The Albero has an independent pedal mechanism and the hub motor is engaged by twist throttle, with three drive modes available
The Albero has an independent pedal mechanism and the hub motor is engaged by twist throttle, with three drive modes available

In Sport mode, the Albero can zip along for up to 50 km (30 mi) before the 1.3 kWh Li-ion battery pack starts to splutter. Charging time is reported to be about 3 hours. Tour mode will extend that to 75 km, and rides of 100 km are possible in Eco mode. A backlit digital display will supply the rider with key info such as speed and remaining charge.

Elsewhere, the Albero rocks a 9 gear system, lightweight aluminum frame, adjustable front fork suspension with 130 mm of travel and a monoshock at the rear with 150 mm of travel. Hydraulic disc brakes front and rear provide stopping power, the moto bike rides on 24-inch wheels with 2.35-inch road tires, and the 1,100 lumen LED front light has an auto day/night sensor.

The Albero will start its bid for street domination after an appearance at next month's EICMA motorbike expo in Milan, Italy. Pricing and availability have not yet been revealed.

Source: Bultaco

View gallery - 10 images
4 comments
4 comments
vince
Knowing them it will cost an arm and a leg--probably in excess of $5,000 which is ridiculous when you can buy a sub-$1,000 ebike that's just as good.
ljaques
I'm seeing a whole lot of these designer e-bikes from big players in all countries, and the common thread is that they're all 10x overpriced.
Take one $150 bike from the Wall, a $170 hub motor kit from the Bay, and a $350 lithium battery from the Bay. Add a few hours to put them together, and you have a $670 bike which looks better than this probable $7k bike from Italy.
I did the whole thing for $350 with a free bike and _heavy_ lead acid batteries, so I won't repeat that mistake. Wow, what a mass to move around!
Daishi
@vince There are eBikes hitting some of these specs now but they are still pretty top end. Juiced HyperFat uses a 1kW motor and a 48v 21 Ah battery. It's one of the cheapest bikes offering specs in that range and the price has been increased to $2,900 and they have seen tons of production delays. A 2kW motor and a 1.3 kW battery is pretty legit. The Luna Apex (recently announced) is one of the only others I am aware of in the ballpark and it's $5,500 from a company that sells really competitively priced bikes. Nobody is shipping similar specced eBikes under $1k that isn't fraudulent and certainly not at respectable build qualities. Price is all relative anyway. Lots of people own (much more) expensive motorcycles and cars which can't really be used anywhere near their potential on public roads. As expensive habits go you could do much worse in life than owning expensive bicycles.
Bruce H. Anderson
I still find it hard to fathom how anyone hopes to market a "city" bike (whether E or Me powered) without proper fenders.