Hey!

Welcome to Flywheel, a weekly exploration of the owned and used micromobility. Each newsletter will highlight an observation of trends emerging in the industry and feature five of the most interesting used vehicles being sold in the secondary market.

If you were forwarded this post and found it interesting, I would appreciate it if you subscribed to Flywheel!

The observation of the week explores average resale prices of ebikes by vehicle condition and introduces Model profiles on the Flywheel Vehicle Values database. This week’s featured vehicles are a commuter, two cruisers, a moped-style utility ebike, and an all-terrain ebike.

Observation of the Week

Average resale price by vehicle condition

The current overall average resale price for ebikes is $1,861.52, which is roughly in line with the average resale price of $1,864.73 at the end of 2022 as reported in the 2022 Flywheel Wrapped report. Lets break down this resale price by vehicle condition:

A few observations on the data above:

• New and Like New vehicles resell for very similar price points, and the difference in average mileage between the two is small.

• There’s a significant drop-off in average resale price between Excellent and Good condition vehicles, even though the average mileage difference between Like New and Excellent vehicles is actually larger than the average mileage difference between Excellent and Good vehicles.

• Salvage vehicles have lower average mileages than vehicles in Excellent, Good, and Fair conditions. This suggests to me that vehicles in Salvage condition are reported as such because of an unrepairable damage/failure early in their lives as opposed to reaching their end-of-life due to how many miles they were ridden/how much they were used.

In general, the secondary market currently skews towards vehicles that are still in a condition similar to when they were purchased. The current average mileage for used ebikes is 339.74mi, which places the approximate condition of vehicles currently in the secondary market somewhere between Like New and Excellent. ~67% of all ebikes listed in the secondary market are in New or Like New condition.

On a related note, I’m excited to announce that the Flywheel Vehicle Values database now includes vehicle model profiles. In addition to being able to click on a brand to view data about it, you can now also click on a specific vehicle model to see its profile and get more details about it. Model profiles currently feature overall statistics and average resale prices broken down by vehicle condition. They will soon expand to include more data, reviews, etc. All data is updated in real time.

To view this data, go to the Flywheel Vehicle Values database, click on a brand you’re interested in, and click on a model to view its profile and learn more about it. For example, check out the model profile for the Rad Power RadRover:

One thing I’d like to note is that some vehicle models don't yet have enough listings data, so you may notice some irregularities in the average resale prices listed in the profile (i.e. some conditions don't have an average resale price, better conditions occasionally have lower average resale prices than poorer conditions). As Flywheel collects more data, these irregularities will eventually smoothen out and normalize.

For more observations and resources on owned and used micromobility, check out rideflywheel.com/resources.

Have a vehicle you'd like to feature and sell on Flywheel? 

Submit vehicle information at submit.rideflywheel.com or click the button below.

Looking for a used vehicle of a specific brand or model?

Fill out the form below to receive weekly Flywheel alerts of all available used vehicles that fit your criteria, directly in your inbox.

Top 5 Vehicles of the Week

1. Charge City | $999 | SF - Bay Area

The Charge City is a simple class-2 commuter. Charge is Cannondale’s D2C brand, launched as an attempt to take advantage of the pandemic tailwinds many D2C brands had and release affordable vehicles for newer riders with a design refresh. Its powertrain features a 45Nm Bafang rear-hub motor and a 418Wh battery pack. The City is optimized for space constrained urban riders, and as such includes folding pedals and handlebars and a removable battery pack. Unlike other ebikes from Cannondale, the City also comes standard with accessories like fenders, lights, and a rear rack that are must-haves for riding in a city. Notably, the Charge also features a throttle vs. its class-1 or class-3 counterparts from its mother brand, which is a further indication that the City is designed for high-utility city riding as opposed to recreational purposes. Since Charge falls under the Cannondale umbrella, Charge customers have access to the dealer-brand’s vast maintenance network and can easily get their vehicles serviced at most bike shops. This listing was bought in June 2021 and only has been ridden for 1,275mi. It provides proof of purchase and mileage, and the seller even makes sure to describe exactly how this vehicle was used (“used as a daily rider to/from school and never taken offroad”). This is a great way to convey the condition of the vehicle that helps prospective riders understand the type of wear and tear the vehicle may have gone through. Listing can be found here.

2. Ride1Up Cruiser | $1,000 | Denver

The Ride1Up Cafe Cruiser is a high-performance class-2/class-3 cruiser. It has all the finishings of a cruiser (i.e. plush wide seat, swept back handlebars, step-through frame), but also has the rideability and utility of a more agile commuter bike. Its powertrain features a 60Nm Bafang geared rear hub motor and 720Wh battery pack. In addition to the front suspension fork and hydraulic disc brakes that make riding the Cafe Cruiser smooth, the vehicle’s slightly wider 3” tires make a significant improvement to the handling and comfort. Lastly, and perhaps most notably, the Cafe Cruiser has a sturdy rear rack that is built into the frame, giving it a 150lb payload capacity. When the Cafe Cruiser’s powerful motor and strong rack is combined with Ride1Up’s $125 Passenger Kit (quick-release rear seat, wheel covers, and foot pegs), the vehicle can even hold a second passenger. It’s one of the few cruisers to have this functionality, and yet another example of how Ride1Up has done an excellent job bringing highly-practical features into the classic, comfortable cruiser form factor. This listing has a mileage of <100mi and is selling for less than its average resale price. Listing can be found here.

3. Fucare Libra | $1,299 | LA

The Fucare Libra is a budget-friendly moped-style utility ebike that effortlessly combines the throttle utility and speeds of a class-2 and class-3 with a comfortable two-seater design. Its strong powertrain features an 80Nm rear hub motor and a 960Wh battery pack, allowing the Libra to reach a top speed of 31mph and an impressive 400lb payload capacity. The Libra is ready to tow two riders right out of the box, thanks to its integrated rear passenger rack, foot pegs, and plenty of torque and payload capacity. To smoothen rides, the Libra combines its 20" by 4" "urban tires" with a full suspension (front suspension fork and a rear coilover suspension). And, unlike other moped or scrambler style ebikes, the Libra is also surprisingly comfortable to pedal. One con for the Libra is its mechanical disc brakes, which are likely insufficient for two-passenger riding. Many existing Libra owners suggest having a bike shop upgrade the brakes to hydraulics. Utility ebikes are starting to gain popularity in the market, offering cargo functionality in city-friendly footprints. While there are other utility bikes in the market at similar price points (i.e. Rad Power’s RadRunner), the Libra has a better payload capacity, powertrain, and accessories than most of its competitors. This listing is brand new and is sold by LA bike shop 562 Ebikes. It comes with a full warranty, and 562 Ebikes even offers the option to purchase the bike fully assembled for an extra $100. Listing can be found here.

4. Pedego Ford Supercruiser | $799 | Santa Barbara

The Pedego Ford Supercruiser is a class-2 chopper-style cruiser. This vehicle was released about 10yrs ago as a joint venture between Pedego and Ford, and was sold at select Ford and Pedego dealerships in North America. While it’s no longer sold or manufactured, it’s an interesting peak into the history of ebikes. Its powertrain features a 600W (~45Nm) Dapu rear geared hub motor and 480Wh battery pack, and the vehicle’s solid build, wide seat, and swept back handlebars make it both fun and comfortable to ride. There’s a few different elements about the Supercruiser that make it less than ideal for daily commuters or power users. First of all, the vehicle’s electric assist is entirely controlled by the throttle, and there’s no pedal assist whatsoever. While most people primarily ride class-2 ebikes with just the throttle, not even having the option of pedal assist is an inconvenience that frankly makes the pedals superfluous. Secondly, the battery is mounted directly to the integrated rear fender, so the vehicle cannot accommodate a rear rack. All that being said, the Supercruiser is still a cool collectible and great for casual riding. This listing is in excellent condition with a Flywheel estimated mileage of 576.27mi. Listing can be found here.

5. Bakcou Mule | $3,000 | Santa Barbara

The Bakcou Mule is a class-2/class-3 all-terrain utility bike. Bakcou got its start building hunting ebikes when hunters began looking to EVs as quieter alternatives to ATVs or side-by-sides. Since then, the brand has evolved into building a lineup of practical, high performance off-roading ebikes. The Mule is their best selling model. Its monstrous powertrain features a 160Nm Bafang M620 Ultra mid-drive motor and a 835.2Wh battery pack, enabling a max speed of 35+ mph in off-road mode. The addition of Bafang’s M620 Ultra system is a great choice by Bakcou; it’s a highly reviewed mid-drive popular with trail bikes due to its impressive power, smooth pedal assist determined by a combination of speed, cadence, shift, brake, and torque sensors, and heavy duty gearing. Additionally, the Mule’s front suspension fork, suspension seat post, 26” by 4” max traction fat tires, and hydraulic brakes give it incredible handling even on the roughest of terrains. Considering all of the above in conjunction with the vehicle’s high 300lb payload capacity, this vehicle is the ultimate mule for your outdoor adventures. This listing was bought in 2021 and is in excellent condition. Listing can be found here.

That’s it for this edition. Thanks again for joining, see you next week!

- Puneeth Meruva

🚲 If you have any suggestions, interesting listings, comments, questions, etc., please email me at [email protected].

🚲 I would greatly appreciate it if you could share Flywheel with your friends!

🚲 Follow Flywheel on Twitter!