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

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The observation of the week breaks down high-utilization ebike (1000+ miles) listings. This week’s featured vehicles are a commuter, two adventure bikes, a compact fat-tire, and a neighborhood cruiser.

Observation of the Week

Breaking down high-utilization ebikes

The average mileage for ebikes in the US secondary market currently stands at 326.83mi. This is a low figure given that ebikes are built to last several thousand miles, and it’s an indication that the US micromobility market still has work to do in terms of moving from a recreational form factor to a true transportation method.

Although a majority of the current used market features vastly under-utilized vehicles, there’s still a sizable number of listings in the market with meaningful mileages. This week’s observation will break down these high-utilization listings and examine the differences between them and low-utilization listings. For the purposes of this exercise, high-utilization is defined as any vehicle with a mileage greater than or equal to 1000mi.

Approximately 7% of the US secondary market consists of high-utilization vehicles:

Unsurprisingly, high-utilization ebikes tend to be more premium and expensive vehicles:

The average MSRP of a high-utilization ebike is $3,073.72, while the average MSRP of a low-utilization ebike is just shy of $2,500.

Similarly, the average resale price for high-utilization ebikes is also higher.

The average resale price of high utilization bikes is $2,020.31, about ~$355 more than that of low-utilization bikes.

While it may seem like larger batteries would correlate with higher utilization, the data suggests otherwise:

In fact, both high-utilization and low-utilization ebike listings have approximately the same average battery capacities (650.48Wh vs. 632.24Wh). While battery capacity is certainly a factor in range, the quality of ebikes, the motors, the transmissions, and how efficient they are at sipping power and translating that to work are arguably all more important factors.

From a safety perspective, about 62.8% of high-utilization ebikes have safety credentials (as defined by the Flywheel Vehicle Safety Guide) while only 36.5% of low-utilization ebikes have safety credentials. Digging into this further, 55.4% of high-utilization ebikes have UL certifications while only 30.2% of low-utilization ebikes have UL certifications.

In regards to Brand/OEM type, 66.3% of high-utilization ebikes come from dealer-network brands. For low-utilization ebikes, the split between dealer-network brands and D2C brands is approximately even. 54.1% of high-utilization ebikes use Bosch powertrains, while a much smaller 27% of low-utilization ebikes use Bosch powertrains.

A breakdown of high-utilization ebikes by form factor:

Commuters are the most common form factor amongst high-utilization ebikes, making up 43.1% of listings. Note that Cargo bikes make up 7.38% of high-utilization listings despite only making up 3.3% of the overall secondary market.

A breakdown of high-utilization ebikes by class:

Class-2 ebikes are the most common class amongst high-utilization ebikes, making up 42.2% of these listings. This is yet another testament to the fact that throttle = utility, and that vehicles aiming to maximize transportation utility provided to riders need to feature a throttle.

The top 10 OEMs with the highest number of high-utilization listings are:

1. Trek

2. Rad Power

3. Specialized

4. Aventon

5. Giant

6. Riese & Müller

7. Gazelle

8. Haibike

9. Ride1Up

10. Magnum

Lastly, the top 10 ebike models with the highest number of high-utilization listings are:

1. Rad Power RadCity

2. Trek Allant+ 7

3. Haibike Sduro Trekking

4. Gazelle Arroyo C8 HMB Elite

5. Trek Verve+

6. Rad Power RadRover

7. Rad Power RadMini

8. Aventon Aventure

9. Spezialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0

10. Lectric XP 2.0

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

Featured Vehicles of the Week

1. Velotric Discover 2 | $1,699

Announced at the end of March 2024, the Velotric Discover 2 is a comfortable and affordable class-2/class-3 stepthru commuter. An update to the original Discover that is popular amongst value-minded customers, the Discover 2 has a more powerful motor as well as several drive and UX related improvements. Its powertrain features a 75Nm rear hub motor (controlled by a torque sensor) and a 705.6Wh battery pack. The ebike systems are UL 2849 certified, and the battery pack is UL 2271 certified. Paired with this competent powertrain are an 8-speed Shimano transmission, hydraulic disc brakes, and a front suspension fork, all of which make the ebike highly responsive yet easy and smooth to ride. The Discover 2 has a 440lbs max payload capacity, but this is not a baseless rating claimed by the OEM. Velotric has tested the Discover 2 to ISO 4210 standards and found that it meets 150% of the requirements. For context, ISO 4210 is a standard that primarily tests the strength and reliability of non-electronic components on an ebike like its frame and transmission. Lastly, the Discover 2 has integrated lighting (headlights, taillights, and turn signals), Apple Find My location tracking, and a USB-C port to charge your phone or other devices. All of these are seemingly obvious UX features, but are somehow still not found on most ebikes. Velotric is a convenient hybrid OEM that ships vehicles D2C but still has a network of 1000+ partner bike shops nationwide for easy servicing and maintenance. The Discover 2 is available for pre-order on the Velotric website, and shipping is expected to begin in the coming two months. Listing can be found here.

2. Magnum Summit | $1,550 | Denver

The Magnum Summit is a class-2/class-3 hardtail mountain ebike. It’s the latest in Magnum’s performance biking lineup and is an upgrade to their previous Mi6, featuring improved brakes, drivetrain, suspension, and battery pack. The Summit’s powertrain consists of a monstrous 95Nm Das-Kit rear hub motor and a 614Wh battery pack made of Samsung cells. This is paired with a 24-speed Shimano Acera drivetrain, ebike-specific hydraulic disc brakes, and a front fork suspension to make the Summit ultra responsive yet comfortable on even the most advanced mountain biking trails. Despite all these high-quality and high-performance components, the Summit is still surprisingly light (60.1lbs) and affordable. Magnum is another example of a hybdid OEM that ships D2C while still having a large physical retail presence for easier maintenance. These OEMs tend to be the best options for customers looking for affordable yet reliable bikes. One thing to keep in mind is that many mountain bike trails limit ebikes to class-1, if they even allow ebikes to begin with. If you’re considering buying the Summit, make sure you check to make sure that it will be legal on the trails you frequent. This listing has a Flywheel estimated mileage of 327mi and has always been stored indoors. Its disc brakes were serviced ~6 months ago and the “tires are in OK condition for this year.” Listing can be found here.

3. Juiced RipRacer | $899 | Seattle

The Juiced RipRacer is a class-2/class-3 BMX-style fat-tire ebike with an exceptionally compact design. A notable deviation from the typically bulkier fat-tire ebikes, the agile RipRacer has a short wheelbase measuring just 40.3”. This gives it excellent maneuverability and makes it convenient to store in the back of your SUV or in small spaces within your home. The RipRacer is also highly comfortable and efficient to ride for both daily commutes and off-road adventures due to its comfy 20”x4” knobby fat tires and robust hydraulic disc brakes. Its UL 2849 certified powertrain features an 80Nm rear-hub motor and Juiced’s advanced 800Wh G2 battery pack. The RipRacer’s battery pack is UL 2271 certified and is also designed to be compatible with Juiced's much anticipated charging dock, which doubles as an AC and DC powerbank. This is a pioneering feature that is starting to become more popular for electric cars, and Juiced is the first to bring it to the ebike segment. This listing has a mileage of 250mi and the seller estimates that the fat tires have 75% tread life remaining. Listing can be found here.

4. Lectric XPeak | $1,300 | Washington DC

The Lectric XPeak is a recently launched all-terrain off-roading class-2/class-3 adventure ebike. Its powertrain features an 85Nm custom Lectric Stealth M24 rear hub motor and a 672Wh battery pack. This motor is designed to be “400% quieter,” and is controlled by Lectric’s innovative PWR motor controls schema that provides torque-sensor like responsiveness using just a cadence sensor. Lectric designed the XPeak to meet several rigorous safety standards. The ebike systems are UL 2849 certified and the battery pack is UL 2271 certified. Even the frame has been tested to meet the ISO 4210-10 eMTB safety standard. Rounding out the impressive powertrain is a 7-speed Shimano transmission and hydraulic disc brakes to make the XPeak even more responsive and agile. The XPeak is also extremely comfortable to ride on rough terrains. Its 26” by 4” fat-tires eat up most bumps, and the trail-ready premium Renegade RST suspension fork is an expensive high-end component that is normally only found on much more expensive ebikes. The XPeak is without question the best adventure ebike in the budget price range. This listing is brand new and is being sold because it’s larger than the seller expected. New XPeaks on Lectric’s website are available for $1,399 and come with a spare 672Wh battery pack and starter package (fenders, headlight, rear rack), so there’s likely room to negotiate the price of this listing down. Listing can be found here.

5. BESV CF1 | $999 | LA

The BESV CF1 is an approachable and affordable class-1 neighborhood cruiser. Its powertrain features a compact 250W rear geared hub motor and a 302.4Wh battery pack, both of which are stealthily integrated into the frame. Paired with this powertrain is a 10-speed Shimano Deore transmission, which helps offset the weak torque rating of the hub motor. It’s obvious that the CF1’s designers obsessed deeply over the each and every detail of this vehicle. The internally routed cabling and stealthy powertrain make it hard to even tell that the CF1 is an electrified bike, and the vehicle’s stepthru frame design, wide saddle, and ergonomic grips make it highly comfortable to ride. There’s even a set of integrated lights and fenders that come standard with the vehicle, both of which were rare inclusions on ebikes back when the CF1 first launched in 2017. The CF1 is fairly lightweight (50lbs) compared to other cruisers, but that’s primarily because the powertrain and drivetrain components are on the smaller side. Although they may not be powerful enough for hilly riding or for heavy-duty commuting, they’re more than sufficient for casual neighborhood cruising. This listing is brand new and sold by LA bike shop 562 Ebikes Specialty Store. Listing can be found here.

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

- Puneeth Meruva