Bicycle

This week, Mahle launched its lightest electric bike drive series yet. The new XS system shaves over a pound off Mahle's previous lightweight champion while also freeing up more latitude in ebike design.

Sometimes a cyclist needs a big, old basket. Sometimes a big, old basket is the last thing they need. The new Allpacka One ensures they're happy in both cases, riding as a flat rack on regular commutes and fast-folding into a 30-L basket on demand.

ZF is best known as an auto tech and supply company, but it's ready to grow its name in ebikes. Its new 48V drive is centered around one of the most compact, inconspicuous electric motors in the bike game and still boasts serious power and torque.

Optimized for the space-strapped needs of RVers and boaters, the new Flatbike Change Adventure folding bike is built to be an untethered force in 2-wheeled escape. Throw it in an RV, 4x4, packraft or train and start an epic multi-vehicle expedition.

While it's always important to accommodate bicycle commuters, bike parking spots on trains can't seat non-cyclists when not in use. An experimental setup currently being trialled in Switzerland, however, may soon change that.

The new Anod Hybrid bike is technically more of a 'tri-brid,' adding supercapacitors to the usual battery plus pedal power equation. This provides quick-bursting power and cuts the battery bulk down to the size of a portable power bank.

The Dutch love to cycle. So much so that there are more than 35,000 km of cycle paths snaking through the Netherlands. Two of those bike routes have now been topped with photovoltaic cells to produce renewable energy while they face skyward.

The Pi-Pop ebike doesn't look like a hotbed of innovation at first glance, but it is. The bike houses a unique electric-assist system that trades out the battery pack mandatory on other ebikes in favor of a more active supercap-boosted system.

Yes, it's a bike. And yes, it's an exorbitantly expensive Lotus ebike, not a cheap Lotus car. But the 21.6-lb (9.8-kg) Lotus Type 136 is so loaded with singular heritage and cutting-edge tech that it could be to cyclists what the great Esprit was to drivers.

Ebikes have come a long way in terms of sleeker, simpler styling, but they still often stick out with odd geometries, bloated tubes and large motors. QU-ET pursues a more classic, understated design direction with the Unfair Advantage city ebike.

Indian’s ebike is made by SUPER73 and branded as an Indian eFTR Hooligan. I took Indian Motorcycles’ ebike for a spin both on and off the pavement and found it’s well-named for what it is: a street-OK electric bike that really shines on the dirt trail.

Core Technologie recently put its 3D printing software to work in creating a single-speed bicycle. The aluminum and carbon bike ranks among the lightest out there, barely pushing the scale needle past the minimum weight of a Tour de France racer.