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eMobility silver Bullets

The move is on as the e-mobility revolution is capturing the imagination of more and more people and businesses around the globe. Cycling and e-bikes are the silver bullet for the world of transportation. Sharing the stage are e-cargo bikes, poised to reach an unprecedented 500,000 units in Europe. Then there’s Canadian global leader Bombardier Recreational Products, acquiring Pinion GmbH and effectively entering the bicycle and e-bike markets worldwide.

EDITORIAL Meanwhile, Porsche has finalized its takeover of Fazua and plans to develop powerful e-drive

systems. German robotics manufacturer TQGroup launched its new HPR50 e-drive system with patented harmonic pin-ring technology, touted as the smallest, lightest and quietest in its class. Don’t miss our Gear 2023 for the latest innovations, new e-bikes, e-systems and e-accessories coming soon to local bike shops in your neighbourhood. Plus, check out our indepth e-bike and e-cargo bike test reports. Then take a spin and enjoy the fabulous fall colours as another season winds down and we get ready for some amazing new opportunities on two wheels in the new year. – BAS

EDITORIAL

Pinion GmbH Acquired by Canada’s Bombardier Recreational Products

Canadian global leader Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP) has acquired German drive system manufacturer Pinion GmbH and effectively has entered the bicycle and e-bike market worldwide.

Pinion’s innovative gearbox system is used by over 100 bicycle brands.

Stromer ST7 is the world’s first e-bike with Pinion’s Smart Shift.

Founded in 2008 by Michael Schmitz and Christoph Lermen, Pinion GmbH quickly established a following. By 2015, around 50 bicycle manufacturers were using their 9-, 12-, and 18-speed maintenance-free gearbox systems.

In 2018, Thomas Raith joined the company that is currently based in Denkendorf near Stuttgart as the third managing director. At this point, more than 100 bicycle manufacturers from around the world were on board.

In mid-July, Stromer, based in Switzerland, introduced the ST7 as the world’s first e-bike with Pinion’s Smart Shift Technology.

BRP employs nearly 20,000 people worldwide, and its portfolio includes Rotax and Great Wall Motor Austria powertrain systems, in addition to snowmobiles (Skidoo), personal watercraft, on- and off-road vehicles, as well as pontoons and boats. With annual sales of CA$7.6 billion in more than 120 countries, BRP is now the new majority shareholder, alongside Pinion’s founders and managing directors. “Beyond our existing powersports and marine products, we are expanding our addressable market and entering untapped categories such as urban mobility and services,” said José Boisjoli, President and CEO of BRP. “This acquisition is strategic for us, as it enables BRP to leverage Pinon’s unique, S state-of-the-art technology in order to spur the development of new electric human-assisted products. We are pleased to welcome the Pinion team.”

tromer my European Cargo Bike Survey 2022 Projects Sales of 500,000 Units

The second annual CCCB Cargo Bike Manufacturers and Operators Survey suggests that up to 500,000 units are estimated to sell across Europe in 2022. The survey covered around 20% of the European cargo bike market, which anticipates sales of almost 100,000 cargo bikes this year.

Survey respondents indicated that the average number of cargo bikes in commercial fleets has more than quadrupled since 2019, generating €400M in revenue, employing 28,000 people and saving some 50,000 tons of CO2 per year.

Projecting across Europe, CCCB suggests that the segment generated €2.5B in revenue, employed 170,000 people and on average saves 302,000 tons of CO2 annually. With this kind of footprint, the cargo-bike sector could become one of the largest growth areas in green mobility — and the potential for expansion is far from being fully exploited.

Montréal’s Bixi Acquired by Lyft

In late April, Montréal’s legendary Bixi bike-share system, operated by PBSC Urban Solutions, a global supplier of bikeshare equipment and technology, was acquired by Lyft. This huge move is part of Lyft’s micromobility expansion in North America.

PBSC has 7,500 stations and 95,000 bikes in 45 markets across 15 countries; the acquisition will roughly double Lyft’s scale in micromobility.

In 2018, Lyft entered the bike-share market through its acquisition of Motivate. With systems in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, it has since doubled the size of its flagship New York City bike-share system, Citi Bike, from 12,000 to over 24,000 bikes.

Established in 2008 under the name ‘Société de vélo en libre-service’, Montréal’s Bixi was launched in 2009 with great fanfare and initial success. The new bike-share system came to Toronto as well, but in 2014, the parent company filed for bankruptcy protection amidst controversy. Soon after, PBSC was formed.

France Unveils €5 Million Cycling Rebate Program

Effective Aug. 15, the French Ministry of Transport’s new €5 Million cycling subsidy program will come into effect. This eco-friendly and mobility-forward program offers €400 for the purchase of new e-bikes and up to €2,000 for e-cargo bikes. The rebates cannot exceed 40% of the retail value.

The program includes up to €3,000 per household, and up to €4,000 for lower-income households, for the purchase of new or used e-bikes for all family members in exchange for scrapping a polluting vehicle.

Lithuania has introduced a similar scrap-vehicle initiative over the last couple of years that has proven to be very popular.

While pundits support the overall rebate program, they note that at the same time as these subsidies were approved, the French government created a €4bn package for car users, including a €0.30 subsidy on fossil fuels.

The new Galerie Moustache a 10 Ans also celebrates the company’s French “Art de Vivre”.

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Moustache Celebrates 10th Anniversary with New Gallery in Frankfurt

Moustache Bikes recently celebrated the company’s 10th anniversary with the opening of their first “Galerie Moustache a 10 Ans” at the Alte Textilfabrik in Frankfurt, Germany, July 2-26, during Eurobike 2022.

Constantly supporting and working with artistic projects to promote art for all, the company’s French “Art de Vivre” led to some major artistic collaborations over the years with artists such as Philippe Starck, Lucas Beaufort and many others. Moustache’s co-founders, Greg Sand and Emmanuel Antonot, had a cycling vision, and over the years the brand has seen big success and multiple awards from its humble beginnings in Les Vosges, France.

With a strong conviction for e-bikes and leaving the car at home, the company formed a long-standing partnership with Bosch, who helped the new start-up when Moustache couldn’t attain the quantity for a minimum order. Now 10 years later, the collaboration has been a success with 250,000 e-bikes being sold worldwide.

Jérôme Gilloux Gilloux & Göldi Defend Titles at eMTB World Championships 2022

Reigning UCI eMTB World Champions Jérôme Gilloux (FRA) and Nicole Göldi (SUI) defended their rainbow jersey titles on Aug. 26 at the fourth edition of the eMTB event at the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships held in Les Gets, France. In the men’s 7-lap race, Gilloux opened a gap on the first lap and kept extending it by 29 sec. over his compatriot, Hugo Pigeon (FRA), who won the silver, while Joris Ryf (SUI) took the bronze. Gilloux’s victory marked the first win for the host nation France.

New to the eMTB format, Peter Sagan (SVK), the triple UCI Road Worlds Champion, battled well but crashed and then slid out in a corner on the final lap to finish 16th overall. Göldi was never challenged in the 6-lap women’s competition, winning comfortably over Justine Tonso of France in second at 1:15 back, with Nathalie Schneitter of Switzerland in third, another 10 seconds in arrears. It was Switzerland’s third world title at the 2022 MTB Worlds.

Taubik E-Bikes Now Available in Canada

Taubik has arrived in Canada, featuring different models from folding, stepthrough, mountain and fat bikes, all designed with quality aluminum frames and brand-name components at affordable prices. Taubik is the brainchild of Gord Fawcett, and the company name comes from the word “tau” meaning torque in physics. Fawcett owns and operates several businesses in Ontario that are complimentary to e-bike distribution.

Current Taubik models include the new Blackburn step-through, the entry-level Innsbruck step-through, the Bolt 2.0 folding model, the Westride 4.0 for trail riding, the Peak full suspension e-bike and the Soho 2.0 “Grocery Getter”.

All new models arriving feature hydraulic brakes — except the Innsbruck, which is designed for the price-conscious buyer. Taubik’s goal is to offer models in every category, with an emphasis on the step-through and folding markets.

All Taubik e-bikes feature rear hub-motor drive systems, with Bafang Electric on the Blackburn, and Sutto (sister company of Bafang) on the Bolt 2.0 and Peak mountain-bike models, while the Innsbruck is equipped with Jiabo’s rear-hub motor.

Taubik’s e-bikes are available exclusively at authorized dealers. For more information please visit www.taubik.com.

Porsche eBike Performance GmbH Launched

Porsche AG continued its expansion into the e-bike segment, establishing Porsche eBike Performance GmbH as a joint venture with Dutch company Ponooc Investment B.V. Following its acquisition of Fazua GmbH in June, the new venture based in Ottobrunn Porsche expands its (near Munich) e-bike footprint.will develop powerful e-drive systems under the Porsche brand name in addition to distributing che S systems to e-bike por manufacturers worldwide. Fazua will now be merged into Porsche eBike Performance GmbH.

Porsche’s Stuttgart-based P2 eBike GmbH plans to launch a new generation of Porsche e-bikes by 2025. In March 2021, the company launched the Porsche eBike Sport and the Porsche eBike Cross.

Jan Becker, the former CEO of Porsche Lifestyle GmbH & Co. KG, takes over as chairman of the management of Porsche eBike Performance GmbH. His counterpart at P2 eBike GmbH will be Moritz

TQ-Group Unveils New Harmonic Pin-Ring eBike Drive Systems

The big news behind Trek’s new Fuel EXe eMTB is its compact and lightweight HPR50 drive system with patented harmonic pin-ring technology pioneered by the TQ-Group, a multi award-winning German robotics manufacturer.

TQ-Group’s new HPR50 motor with harmonic pin-ring tech is the smallest, lightest and quietest e-drive system in its class.

A new breed of eMTBs that look, feel and sound like normal bikes but take you farther.

TQ’s novel harmonic pin-ring concept, first introduced back in 2012, does away with cogs, belts and planetary gears in favour of a more refined system that includes an elliptical wave generator and two gears — internal and external — that sit on a central axis and are connected by a flexible pin-ring transmitter. The unique e-drive system can achieve the required reduction between the RPM of the rider and the motor in just one step, with a reduction ratio that is about 1/3 of other systems, which need several steps. With 50Nm of torque, the HPR50 motor boasts a torque density of 82Nm/dm³, touted as the highest e-bike torque density on the market. Claimed as the smallest, lightest and quietest e-drive system in its class, the HPR50 tips the scales at just 1,800g, and it pairs with a 360Wh high-density battery that uses 50% less space for a 3.9kg package.

Integrated into the frame, the TQ display provides battery status, riding mode and available range. With ANT+, you can connect your smartphone or bike computer.

The Remote allows you to switch between the three power-assist modes without taking your hands off the handlebars, and a walk mode is also available. For longer rides a lightweight 160Wh Range Extender fits into any standard bottle cage. The HPR50 tucks neatly behind the front chainring, similar to a regular bike. Its small size allows for a traditional 135mm Q-factor delivering the same comfortable riding position as a non-electric bike, according to Trek. Thanks to the HPR50’s integrated freewheel, the Fuel EXe can be pedalled like a bike as no internal components run when the drive is switched off.

With roots in the aerospace and robotics sectors, TQ’s harmonic pin-ring precision systems have been used in the aviation, medical and space industries. The release of TQ’s powerful HPR 120S, which delivers 120Nm of torque, means we can expect to see more from this innovative company in the world of e-bikes. Failenschmid, who is also the Managing Director at Focus Bikes.

Independent of the joint venture activities, Porsche is continuing to work with its long-standing partner, Rotwild, on its current e-bike models. In addition, Porsche Digital GmbH offers a platform for cycling-related digital services under the Cyklær brand. The multi-award-winning Cyklær Bike was developed together with Fazua and Greyp Bikes, a Croatian e-bike manufacturer. Porsche acquired a majority stake in Greyp back in Nov. 2021, while Porsche Ventures has held a stake of around 10% in the Croatian company since 2018. It invested in Greyp at the same time that it invested in its sister company, Rimac Automobili.

Timeless eBikes Launched in Canada and USA

In 2018, Ruff Cycles Inc. was established by Ruff Cycles GmbH to build the brand in North America. Following four successful years, the company is now operating under Timeless eBikes LLC in the USA and Timeless eBikes Corp. in Canada, to better serve their customers in both countries.

“I’m happy to add that these two new corporations will continue to be headed by Daniel “Dan” Gelinas, our partner and friend since we embarked on this electrifying journey,” commented Pero Desnica, CEO and founder of Ruff Cycles GmbH in Regensburg, Germany.

Established in 2012 with a vision for bold, iconic and unconventional bikes built with true craftsmanship, Ruff Cycles has grown its passion to become a hip-hop street culture lifestyle brand around the globe.

Giant Shell Oil Set to Launch eBikes via New Shell RIDE Subsidiary

While not yet officially announced, Shell Oil has entered the e-mobility market, following the release of two e-scooters. Shell is soon set to launch new e-bikes as well under its new Shell RIDE subsidiary via its licensee Lotus, reports Zag Daily.

With three models planned for the US market, the Shell RIDE SR-3B,