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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.

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The observation of the week benchmarks Bosch powertrains. This week’s featured vehicles are a cruiser-style cargo bike, three commuters, and a cruiser.

Observation of the Week

Benchmarking Bosch Powertrains

Flywheel will soon start cataloging vehicle components to unpack the micromobility supply chain and get a more analytical perspective of its supplier base. To kick off this new effort, what better place to start than micromobility’s 800lb supplier gorilla: Bosch.

Bosch already dominates the secondary ebike market, 28.7% of all listings have a Bosch powertrain. As mentioned in previous Flywheels, most incumbent ebike brands rely on Bosch powertrains, and most bike shops prefer to sell ebikes with Bosch systems. Bosch’s massive maintenance network and impeccable quality and reliability make the supplier a truly challenging behemoth to dethrone. As per the CEO of a major dealer-network OEM and a reader of Flywheel, “we offered our dealers one of our bikes with a non-Bosch powertrain for several $100s cheaper, and they still didn’t want it because of how integrated they are with Bosch and their maintenance program.”

Unsurprisingly, Bosch’s premium parts come at a premium price. The average new ebike with a Bosch powertrain retails for $1K+ more than its counterparts with a non-Bosch powertrain, selling at an average MSRP of $3,203 vs. $2,071.

This price difference is similarly reflected in the secondary market. The average resale price for used ebikes with Bosch powertrains is $2,529, which is also $1K+ more than the $1,440 average resale price of used ebikes with non-Bosch powertrains.

That being said, the premium quality of Bosch powertrains means that vehicles with their systems see significantly higher utilization. The average mileage of a used Bosch ebike is 457mi, while used ebikes with non-Bosch powertrains clock in at 263mi.

A breakdown of used ebike listings with Bosch powertrains by region shows that almost half of them (44%) are in the SF - Bay Area. This is in track with the fact that SF - Bay Area generally has the highest average resale price as well as the fact that it skews towards premium, dealer-network ebike brands.

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Featured Vehicles of the Week

1. Tenways CGO600 | $795 | SF - Bay Area

The Tenways CGO600 is an agile and ultralight class-1 commuter. Stealth is the common theme behind the CGO600’s design. It’s hard to even tell that the CGO600 is an ebike given the integrated battery pack and the small hub motor, and its 33lbs weight gives it the feel and presence of a bike messenger-style pedal bike. Its powertrain features a 35Nm rear hub motor and a 252Wh battery pack made of Samsung cells. While these are modest components, what’s impressive about the CGO600 is the other parts it packs in given its MSRP. The CGO600 boasts a torque sensor, a carbon belt drive, and hydraulic brakes, all of which are ultra rare at this price range and make riding the CGO600 silky smooth and highly responsive. The belt drive and hydraulic disc brakes in particular also lead to lower maintenance requirements, which is a key benefit for a vehicle that is meant to be your every day commuter. This listing has a mileage of 11.6mi yet is retailing for less than half the original MSRP. Listing can be found here.

2. Xtracycle Edgerunner eSwoop | $3,500 | Denver

The Xtracycle Edgerunner eSwoop is a class-3 longtail cargo bike known for its approachability and stability. Its best-in-class powertrain features an 85Nm Bosch Performance Line CX mid-drive motor and a 500Wh Bosch PowerPack battery, with mountings for an optional second PowerPack. What sets the eSwoop apart is its frame. Its low-step frame makes it easy to get on/off and plant your feet when stopped, and the strong double tubing the frame is made of gives it a cargo capacity of 400lbs and an extremely solid feel when loaded. The eSwoop also features a smaller rear tire than front tire (20” vs 26”), which keeps the vehicle’s center of gravity low while maintaining a high attack angle and pairs with the vehicle’s 180° turning radius to make the eSwoop one of the easiest cargo bikes to maneuver in tight spaces. This listing has a mileage of 1800mi and comes with rear passenger accessories. Listing can be found here.

3. Gazelle Arroyo C8 | $1,900 | Washington DC

The Arroyo C8 is a premium class-1 cruiser by renowned Dutch manufacturer Gazelle. Gazelle is a 130+ year old ebike manufacturer that has a reputation for building some of the highest-quality ebikes in the market, and the brand even received the prestigious “Koninklijk” title from the Royal Dutch family in 1992. The Arroyo C8 is the latest in their long line of ever-popular cruisers that blends a sporty ride with the comfort of a stepthru frame. In fact, unlike most stepthru ebikes that have a substantial amount of frame flex, the Arroyo C8 has an extra stiff frame that gives it significantly better handling and stability. Its powertrain features a 50Nm Bosch Performance Line mid-drive motor and an integrated 500Wh battery pack, and is paired with the low maintenance 7-speed Shimano Nexus hub. The vehicle is rounded out with a suspension seat post, puncture-resistant tires, and a built-in rear wheel lock. Although the Arroyo C8 is more expensive than the average cruiser, it's a vehicle that packs exceptional componentry and quality. And, as the seller points out, “Any major shop will service this bike.” This listing is a 2018 model and has a mileage of 152mi. Listing can be found here.

4. Butchers & Bicycles MK1 | $5,000 | Seattle

The Butchers and Bicycles MK1 is a Danish pedal cargo trike that reimagines traditional cargo bikes, offering riders the feel of a two-wheeled commuter while accommodating payloads of approximately 200lbs on a stable three-wheel chassis. Trikes are tricky and often feel like they’ll tip over when cornering because they cannot lean like a traditional two-wheeler. The MK1 solves this problem with its innovative tilting mechanism, which combines with the vehicles low center-of-gravity to allow for sharp, tight turns while maintaining stability. Another notable frame design feature is the MK1’s pickup truck-esque front cargo bin, which can accommodate various accessories like plastic doors, bench seats, and seat belts. This listing has been retrofited with BionX’s D-500 conversion kit to make it a class-2 etrike. The BionX powertrain features a 55Nm geared hub motor and a 557Wh battery pack, and is capable of regenerative braking. Listing can be found here.

5. A2B Alva+ | $1,400 | Miami

The A2B Alva+ is a class-2 mid-step frame commuter with a unique rover-esque design. Its powertrain features a 35Nm rear hub motor and a 486Wh battery pack made of Samsung cells, and can be controlled by both a torque sensor and a throttle to give riders a top speed of 24mph. The Alva+ also has a front suspension fork and wider 24” by 2.35” tires, which help bring the cushion and mechanical advantage of fat tires on a smaller commuter-focused frame. A2B is owned by Hero Electric, a subsidiary of one of the world’s largest two-wheeler OEMs. While Hero has discontinued the Alva+, they’ve released several models since (i.e. the A2B Speed and the Kuo Boost) that draw inspiration from the Alva+. This listing is in like-new conditoin with a Flywheel estimated mileage of 186.49mi, and features a “$600 overhaul: tune up, new tires, new metallic hydraulic brakes, chain, and gear cassette.” Listing can be found here.

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

- Puneeth Meruva

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