Urban Transport

Burly new Ristretto ebike delivers a 40-mph electric boost

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The Ristretto 303 FS is presently on Indiegogo
Ristretto
The custom-designed, 3,500-watt, CYC mid-drive motor
Ristretto
A close look at the Ristretto 303 FS' rear suspension
Ristretto
The Ristretto 303 FS' dual headlights work in low- and high-beam modes
Ristretto
The Ristretto 303 FS is presently on Indiegogo
Ristretto
The Italian word "ristretto" refers to a highly concentrated shot of espresso coffee
Ristretto
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While some ebikes are pretty much conventional bicycles with electric-assist motors, others are more like electric motorcycles with pedals. Offering a top speed of 40 mph, the Ristretto 303 FS definitely falls into the latter category.

Designed by Colorado-based startup Ristretto, the ebike is officially named the Ristretto 303 FS Founders Edition, and it's being manufactured in a limited-edition run of 500 units.

Without a doubt, one of its most prominent features is its custom-designed, 3,500-watt, CYC mid-drive motor. It can be set either to Street Legal Mode – in which it boosts the rider's pedalling power up to a not-necessarily-street-legal speed of 28 mph (45 km/h) – or Race Mode, wherein it maxes out at 40 mph (64 km/h).

Motor power is provided by a down-tube-mounted 52-volt/17.5-Ah Panasonic lithium-ion battery, which should reportedly be good for a range of 35 to 55 miles (56 to 89 km) per five- to six-hour charge – needless to say, that depends on factors such as the mode, and the level of electrical assistance selected.

The Italian word "ristretto" refers to a highly concentrated shot of espresso coffee
Ristretto

Some of the 303 FS' other features include an aluminum frame, Shimano 11-speed drivetrain, 26 by 4-inch Teravail Coronado fatbike tires, a Bluetooth-connected waterproof LCD display, dual TRP hydraulic disk brakes, dual LED head- and tail lights, plus Wotefusi front and rear suspension with adjustable preload, compression and rebound.

The whole ebike tips the scales at a claimed 84 lb (38 kg), and can accommodate riders weighing up to 325 lb (147 kg).

Should you be interested, the Ristretto 303 FS is currently the subject of an Indiegogo campaign. Assuming it reaches production, a pledge of US$3,099 will get you one, in your choice of 10 color schemes. The planned retail price is $3,920.

Sources: Indiegogo, Ristretto

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6 comments
guzmanchinky
I'm sure this is very cool but every one of these makes it more likely that all ebikes will be banned everywhere eventually.
Eddy
I hope these are adopted by all the lycra brigade to speed them up especially when they are in front of me on a single lane windy hill road with no hope of safely overtaking given the new clearance rules here in OZ.
Oirinth
Guess it will never be available in the UK. Its too fast to be a road going e-bike (15.5 mph/250w motor), too fast to get classified as a Moped in the UK (30 mph limit) and way to slow compared to real motorcycle, neither fish nor fowl.

George
Yes, as Oirinth, says it's 'neither nowt nor summat' (to use a Northern (UK) phrase!) ? Just like e-scooters (in UK anyway) - can't ride them on pavement, can't ride them on road, can only use them on 'private land' - what on earth is their point (apart from hitting the News for the wrong reasons when some idiot misuses them). Standard bike / eBikes good - pushing the envelope too far will just backfire....
DaveWesely
This is a really cool moped. It is not an ebike. E-bikes are limited to 20 mph and 750 watt motors in the US. Surprisingly cheap. Mopeds do have licensing issues here in the US. Each state regulates them differently. But it should work in street legal mode.
Daishi
@DaveWesely That's partially correct in that most bicycle trails only allow class 1 and class 2 ebikes but not class 3. Class 1 maxes out at 20 MPH and don't have a throttle, class 2 maxes out at 20 MPH but are throttle assisted. Class 3 are pedal-assist and have a top speed of 28 MPH. Anything beyond that is "class 4" which is a moped/motorcycle. But my take is this: My bike is software unlocked and tops out at almost 40 MPH too but I regularly ride it on trails that limited ebikes to class 1 and 2. Why do I do that? Because my bike has 5 modes of assist and I only ever use the absolute lowest mode (ECO) on bike trails which is in line with class 1. Though it's technically illegal because it's capable of higher modes of assist I don't see an issue as long as I'm operating within the rules and speed limit for the trail. I don't view this any different than a Corvette driving the posted speed limit. If it's wrong to ticket sports cars that aren't speeding because they theatrically could they probably shouldn't ticket me while operating within the requirements for the same reason.