Birmingham’s NEC once again opened its doors for the ever-popular Cycle Show over the weekend.
The e-bike village exhibited bikes from A2B, Ansmann, Batribike, Byocycles, Cyclotricity, EBCO, FreeGo Wisper Group, Gazelle, KTM, Momentum, Powabyke and RooDog – to name just a small handful – with many displaying their updated and new models for 2015. The area also featured a dedicated outdoor test track and ramp, which proved very popular, with all ages trying out the bikes.
The show was touted as the largest and busiest to date. Following on in that theme, the largest e-bike stand was the long, rectangle of show space on entering the e-bike village that was home to the different FreeGo Wisper models being exhibited this year.
Taking the shape of a busy street lined with the now-familiar Solex and 2014 FWG models, the stand also showed the forthcoming 2015 905 and 29R models, with details on the new technology incorporated in these latest models being announced soon. Dave Miall commented to Pedelecs that the show had been an “exceptionally busy one, with a great deal of interest in the new models”.
Alongside the familiar brands were newcomers, Madhog. Displaying their Californian-designed, blue-tooth enable ‘db-07’ alongside their 13Kg ‘Street Carbon E-bike’, the company told Pedelecs their 30 year’s retail experience has inspired them to bring something new – and a bit different – to the electric bike world.
This year, RooDog’s stand also grew in line with the growth in their range for 2014. The eye-catching Polka Dot bikes were joined by the light-weight Striker, the integrated-battery Avatar and low-step through Chic for city use. The company told Pedelecs that they’d had a ‘”fantastic year and a fantastic show.” Trade day saw the company attracting swathes of interest from dealers around the country.
Powabyke are shortly to launch a full-suspension, folding electric mountain bike which was being shown on their stand this year. The company said the bike, being compact and easy to fold, “is ideal to take away on holiday in the camper van.”
Momentum Electric were promoting their Model T and Upstart. Andreas Toerpsch told Pedelecs of a new model in development: “The Concept V project; it will be one of the lightest crank driven e-bikes, with a weight of 15kg. The motor we are using is from Nidec Copal, which is very light at only 3kg and very powerful with up to 95Nm power. The bike will have a Continental belt drive, Shimano disc brakes and automatic shifting as well. Plus it can be controlled by a sophisticated Smartphone app.”
KTM showcased their Macina Force mountain style e-bike and Macina Cross 9 (hybrid), both featuring the Bosch 2015 Centermotor Activeline and both new for 2015. Louise Johnson said:”The interest around them at the show was great and people were amazed at the quality for the price.”
Alongside their performance range of electric bikes, Cube’s stand also showcased its flagship ‘Elly’ e-bikes from their Cozy Ride series. The integrated modular carrier frame is a new development, with the rigidity offering the bike more stability, says Cube. The model was displayed in the Sunset Blue.
Cube also told Pedelecs that they have the Bosch Nyon ‘e-bike controller’ display in stock. As well as adjusting assistance level and checking battery life, Bosch describe it as ‘navigation device and fitness trainer all in one.. and at the same time providing smartphone features and music control’. The Nyon was launched at Eurobike last month.
Cyclotricity also exhibited this year, the stand featured a demo where visitors could see the conversion kit in action. On the Cycle Show itself, Rami Akily told us: “The show was an amazing success, especially the trade day. We just had dealer after dealer after dealer non-stop, with immense interest in the conversion kits in particular.”
It was the first Cycle Show for Royal Dutch Gazelle. Their e-bikes met with a very positive reaction, according to their new Head of UK, Justin Rodley. He told us: “The Nuvinci gearing with the Bosch motor had rave reviews. Also coming in for much attention was the Orange C7 (7 speed) with impulse motor and battery. Consumers stated how happy they are to see a great brand like Gazelle in the UK.”
The industrial corrugated style of the Moustache stand showcased the MASS range, designed by Philippe Starck. The range consists of bikes designed to tackle different terrains, mud, asphalt, snow and sand with each styled to suit the different surfaces they’ll be ridden on. The snow ‘fat’ e-bike comes with its own faux fur gillet – while the glad rags certainly make the bike stand out, the practical reasoning is protection of the battery from plummeting temperatures.
