NETJETS US VOLUME 15 2021

If electric car and bike makers seem an
obvious overlap, the world of e-bikes throws
up some more unusual bedfellows.
to find the ideal location to produce his zero-emission e-bike took him
to Vietnam. The result is the aptly named MODMO Saigon+, which
boasts an incredible 125-mile range on a single charge and features a
Gates Carbon Drive System, claimed to be almost maintenance free.
Another cross-continent collaboration has seen Ruff Cycles
(ruff-cycles.com), based in Regensburg, Germany, team up
with Californian Paul Teutul Jr., renowned for his motorcycle
designs and his appearances on the U.S. reality show “American
Chopper.” The PJD-E combines the best of American design and
German engineering, creating a range of bikes that aims to put the
rock’n’roll into the market. The aesthetics of Ruff’s bikes, headed
by The Ruffian, is more motorcycle cool, but the tech, including
Bosch batteries, is very much the latest in e-bike innovation.
TEUTUL JR. IS NOT THE only motorcycling aficionado to see the potential
of the bicycle, and there is no bigger name straddling both genres than
Harley-Davidson. Under its subsidiary Serial 1 (serial1.com), the
iconic brand has produced a series of e-bikes with a particular eye on
the urban cyclist, including the Rush/Cty Step-Thru, which along with
the proprietary H-D battery has four ride modes—Eco, Tour, Sport,
and Boost—and a walk-assist function. It also benefits from the Step-
Thru, the simplest of design features, which allows the rider to quickly
mount and dismount, especially useful on crowded urban streets.
For all these flamboyant versions of the e-bike, there is also a
demand for the more classical look—one that allows the cyclist who
needs a bit of assistance to blend in with the crowd. French firm Angell
(angell.bike) turned to designer Ora Ïto to create a bike with a sleek
and stylish frame that camouflages an array of smart tech, including
an integrated GPS with vibrating handlebars to indicate directions
and security features include anti-theft alarm and light. Meanwhile,
Belgian firm Cowboy’s 3 and 4 (cowboy.com) are perfect examples of
how form and function can come together in an elegant and compact
package. Featuring a battery built into the seat tube and an app that,
among other things, synchronizes with the in-built GPS, the Cowboy
4 also offers intuitive speed adjustment and wireless phone charging.
In the U.S., e-bike sales rose 116% from $8.3m in February
2019 to $18m a year later—and many producers ran low on
stock last summer. It’s the sort of success that ensures creative
companies will continue to produce ever-more inventive versions
of the timeless two-wheeled treasure for many years to come.
MOTORING ON
From top: The RadRover 6 Plus;
the Ruffian Black Redwall.
NetJets
51