This full-suspension electric moped-style e-bike is a masterclass in high performance electric bike design. Sure, it’s an obvious SUPER73 imitation, but it’s a really well done imitation. I love the $3,299 Priority Current electric bike so much that it has become one of my daily riders. It’s the one I grab when I’m doing city riding and I know I want to be pedaling.
The XPeak takes the form of a typical adventure-style fat tire electric bike. It features a hardtail design with a suspension fork, high volume tires, hydraulic disc brakes and a relatively large battery that is certified by the Swiss testing agency SGS to meet UL 2849 standards. Tern is renowned for building high-quality electric bikes that double down on utility features. The newly updated Tern HSD is the company’s more affordable utility e-bike, offering many features you’ll find on its higher end GSD but at a price that more riders can stomach. It’s a perfect commuter e-bike for someone that wants high quality parts like that German mid-drive motor with 90Nm of torque, hydraulic disc brakes, bright LED lights, included fenders, rear rack, and a very comfortable saddle.
The sporty tires and two choices of frame style (step over or step through) give riders plenty of options to use this bike on the trails or the streets. I love that it includes full metal fenders as well so you don’t have to spend extra on those. I’d definitely recommend spending an extra $50 for the rear rack though if you plan to use the bike as a commuter, since you never know when you’ll need to toss something on the back. With the exception of the Rock Lobster (a superb bike in its own right), they all made fantastic touring bikes, and I put in many off-road miles on each over the years. But, by modern mountain biking standards, they’re all on the gravel end of the spectrum.
The $999 JackRabbit OG is in one of these fuzzy areas between e-bikes and other e-rideables. In this case, it straddles the line between an electric bike and an electric scooter. There are some things that you give up with this model, such as that the fenders aren’t included free. But for just $799, you’re still getting built-in lights, a hidden battery, large LCD display and a lightweight folder. The Lectric XP LITE is likely the latest king of bang-for-your-buck electric bikes. The lack of anything fun to ride locally and my deep desire to ride the bike all the time instilled a sense of being lost and bored, which seemed to always result in play.
It uses Greyp’s own in-house developed 700 Wh battery combined with a mid-drive motor to offer a hardtail trekking e-bike. In addition to the awesome bike design, the built-in tech is what really opens people’s eyes. Integrated cameras at the front and rear of the bike can serve as dash cams or livestream your rides.
After three weeks, I took it out for the first time on a familiar route to try to ride it up and down some sets of stairs or to drop off street furniture to get a feel for it before taking it out on trails. This might mean that I have never owned a mountain bike because a mountain bike, in modern times, is so separate from the uncomplicated machines of the ’90s that I grew up riding. The mountain bikes that I have owned have mostly functioned as off-road tourers. Most notably, a 1998 Specialized Rockhopper (on balance, perhaps the best bike ever made), a Rock Lobster Team Tig 853, a first-generation Surly Krampus, and a slew of other bits and bobs I made myself. I was a bit surprised by this because the manufacturer should have sent us the part since the bike was just ordered brand new and we had the order number and receipt.
But for anyone that doesn’t mind pedaling as long as you get a decent electric boost, the Propella Mini is a great option for you. Below are some of the top e-bikes I’ve hand-tested for every price range, current as of May 2024. Spring is finally upon us (at least, here in the Northern Hemisphere) and riding season is gearing up! Just like the ultra-competitive e-bike selling year in 2023, this year has turned into the year of the e-bike sales. So check out the awesome e-bikes below, any one of which could become your next electric bike. I’ve spent countless hours here at Electrek doing detailed hands-on testing of hundreds of electric bikes.
High quality parts like hydraulic disc brakes complete the package, and the included fenders and rear rack increase the bike’s value. The bike is also tested to higher standards for ruggedness of the frame hyper bike and fork than most e-bikes in this price range, meaning it’s likely going to last longer too. As far as fat tire adventure-style e-bikes go, there’s no better bang for your buck than the Lectric XPeak.
Rad Power Bikes has one of the widest arrays of e-bike accessories on the planet. And I’d highly recommend adding the rear rack ($79) to the RadRover 6 Plus, at the very least. It simply adds even more utility and turns an adventure bike into an adventure/hauling bike. The impressive performance comes from a powerful 1,000W motor that actually hyper bicycles puts out closer to 2,000W of peak power. It can be limited to 20 mph if you’d like, but I got it up to 36 mph in unlimited mode. But the bike ships in Class 2 mode with a 750W limit and 20 mph (32 km/h) maximum speed, meaning you’ll have to contact the company to request an unlock for the bike to be used above Class 2 speeds and power levels.
That’s why this is the bike I used when I worked undercover as an e-bike delivery rider. Second, many newcomers to the e-bike industry just aren’t prepared to drop several thousand dollars on a brand-new concept, making this price range critical for many first-time e-bike shoppers. The Radavist is a group of individuals who share a love of cycling and the outdoors. Remember, we’re all ambassadors for cycling, so be polite on the road and the trails and observe the leave no trace principles.