Bicycles reviews

We dare you to name a car that looks, drives, and sounds more American than the Shelby Cobra. We’ll wait. In the meantime, boutique electric bike maker Vintage Electric was busy working with Shelby USA on what is touted as “the perfect take on an electric bike.” It comes as a limited edition model that complements Vintage Electric’s current lineup, which means it won’t last forever on the online shelves. It’s not a slouch either, as it can reach a Vmax of 36 miles per hour in Race Mode. Did we get your attention? Good. Here’s all you need to know about the Vintage Electric Shelby Cobra limited edition bike.

To become a worthy successor of the great Bugatti Veyron, it takes a great deal of commitment and sacrifice, even by the people who made it in the first place. Luckily, the French chaps have pulled off a great feat and gave the world the Bugatti Chiron. A car, a piece of machinery that has no comparison to anything on the road. And also that it proves that the wealthy live a different way of life than the rest of us.

The French brand is at it once again in reminding us that we’re still peasants. But this time it has nothing to do with horse-power or four wheels. Instead, it is a two-wheeled cycle that Bugatti is making in collaboration with PG, the premier cycle guys from the Netherlands. It does, however, share a few things from the car – It is a piece of art, has a lot of carbon fiber and it costs money. Sh*t loads of it.

Triumph Motorcycles never fails to surprise us whenever there is a new launch and this time it was an all-new hardtail mountain bike. No, it is not a motorcycle, and it’s not even an e-bike. But is all powered by proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

Why are they making one? Maybe they just got bored of churning winning combinations of modern-retro motorcycles under their Bonneville banner and thought of having a new challenge to conquer.

In the always - or maybe somewhat - exciting world of bicycles, there have been a lot of steady improvements made throughout the years that have dramatically changed our perception of this type of transportations. E-bikes, in particular, have dominated the scene recently so it’s no surprise that I’m here to talk about a new entrant into the market that’s made by engineers who are promising to revolutionize how people perceive bicycles.

The bike is called the European Trefecta and according to the people behind its development, this bad boy is the bicycle of the future. Without drowning in the sea of hyperbole and aggrandized rhetoric, I did find myself somewhat intrigued about the Trefecta. It’s hard not to when phrases like “aerospace engineering” and “hybrid propulsion” are being thrown out to describe the inner workings of this e-bike.

The people behind it - a mixture of Dutch, German and Swiss engineers - claim that the Trefecta fully justifies all the claims being made on its behalf. Certainly, the $28,000 price tag given to the Trifecta makes you wonder how in the world did the creators of the Trefecta get to that number.

Click “continue reading” to read more about the European Trefecta.

Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary celebration has featured some pretty interesting special-edition vehicles, highlighted by the three-off, ultra expensive Veveno supercar.

But the Italian automaker isn’t done with its celebration because they have another special-edition vehicle on the horizon, albeit one that only comes with two wheels and no engine.

In collaboration with Swiss bicycle brand BMC, Lamborghini is proud to present the BMC Lamborghini 50th Anniversary Edition Impec bicycle. And it retails at €25,000, which is about $32,000 based on current exchange rates.

There are two ways to look at this bicycle: it’s either one of the most expensive bicycles in the world, or it’s the cheapest new Lamborghini in the world.

Either way, the BMC Lamborghini 50th Anniversary Edition Impec is inspired by the Aventador and is based on BMC’s carbon-fiber-framed Impec bicycle. It also has a unique yellow finish to go with some Italian components and the same leather treatment used in the Italian supercar

If not for that astronomical price tag, we’d consider the BMC Lamborghini 50th Anniversary Edition Impec as a value purchase. BMC and Lambo are only building 50 units so you know that it lives by its special edition designation.

As is always the case when a brand like Gucci is part of a project, you know that there’s going to be a whole lot of piggy bank breaking.

The Italian style icon recently put that notion to the test once more with the introduction of its own bicycle that was built in collaboration with Bianchi. The bike, itself, was customized by no less than Gucci’s creative director Frida Giannini. The material used on the bike, not surprisingly, is carbon fiber and it also comes with a custom leather seat, front and rear disc brakes, and just in case you forget the name attached to this bike, Gucci’s trademark red and green stripes on the frame and its very own logo on the seat.

Bianchi’s range of bicycles is topped out by a model that retails for $3,500. Sounds expensive? Not when you find out that this product of the Bianchi-Gucci collaboration retails for $14,000.

$14,000.

Hard to wrap yourselves around that number, huh?

We can’t blame you.

In the years that we’ve known AC Schnitzer, the German tuning company has released some pretty impressive tuning packages, most of which involve a steady diet of BMW vehicles. But like everyone else, we were a little bit caught by surprised when they decided to unveil their latest program. Oh, it’s a BMW, alright...except that it’s not the kind of BMW we expected.

This is the BMW M Carbon Racer, a specially-designed carbon fiber bicycle that only weights 6.9 kg, thanks to the work done on it by AC Schnitzer. In comparison, the standard Carbon Racer weighs 7.9 kg. The reduction of weight can be attributed to AC Schnitzer’s tuning capabilities, which included fitting the bicycle with a variety of carbon fiber components including the saddle and the saddle support that now comes with a carbon crank. The German tuner also replaced the wheels, opting for a new set of carbon wheels that the company co-developed with Xentis. As for the icing on the cake, AC Schnitzer dressed up the bike with it’s own paint finish and special livery. Taking a page from the car tuning playbook, right?

No word yet on how much the M Carbon Racer is going to cost with all the modifications given by AC Schnitzer. What we do know is that it’s going to cost quite a little more than the standard $3,579 price tag the standard bike goes for.

Audi chose the Woerthersee Tour to unveil one of the most impressive bikes we have ever seen. The Audi e-bike Woerthersee Concept is neither a pedelec nor a conventional bike, so it can be easily described as the bike of the future. It is made of carbon fiber ensuring a very low weight; the 26-inch wheels weigh just 1.32 lbs each and the frame just 3.53 lbs, while the entire bike weighs just 46.30 lbs.

An electric motor sends its power to the rear wheels and delivers a total of 3HP and 184.39 lb-ft of torque. The engine takes its power from a lithium-ion battery housed in the frame that can be recharged in two and a half hours.

The bike can be driven in three modes. In "Pure" mode, when the rider only propels the bike by means of the pedals, the bike can hit a top speed of 50 mph and has an autonomy between 31 and 44 miles. Then, there is the "eGrip" mode, which is when the electric motor is providing all the necessary power. In this version, you can hit a top speed of 31 mph. Finally, in "Wheelie" mode, the power flow is electronically controlled in order to assist the rider when the front wheel is in the air.

Next to this impressive electric system, the new e-bike has also been equipped with a nine-speed hydraulically actuated gear shift, LED Lights, and an on-boar computer located in the frame top tube and operated using a touchscreen.

We can only hope that this concept will become reality at some point!

There might come a day when shelling out over $20,000 on a ridiculous purchase might not be a big deal for us. Unfortunately, today isn’t one of those days. That’s why as much as we’re intrigued about it, we’re not about to spend €20,000 - $26,300! - on a bicycle.

In defense to this product, though, it’s no ordinary bicycle. It’s commissioned by Lamborghini and comes with plenty of carbon fiber components. It’s also fitted with low-profile performance tires and has tight gearing ratios. Plus, only 30 will be made by Italian manufacturer BMC, which makes it a limited quality item.

But...it’s still a bicycle.

Paying that much money for a bicycle isn’t exactly our definition of a sane purchase. Even more so when you consider that for that price, you can actually a buy a sports coupe like the Scion FR-S. Add on a few more thousands and you can score an entry-level Ford Mustang!

We have no doubts that there could very well be a market for a bike like this - limited as it may be. But take us out of that small population, because as much as we’re enamored by the way it looks, we’re not about to spend $25,000 on a bicycle.

EH Line has unveiled the new Street Racer e-Bike, promising that it will be the most impressive electric bike you have seen and calling it "the Ferrari of all electric bikes." The new EH Line Street Racer e-Bike can hit a top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph) - an impressive top speed considering that a standard electric bike can hit an average speed of 15 mph.

The new EH Line Street Racer e-Bike is powered by a 250 watt motor, but in training mode, the e-bike uses a BionX engine that has the capacity to learn the power of the rider’s foot as it pushes the electric pedals. The new bike weighs just 35 lbs and features an aluminum monocoque.

The EH Line Street Racer E-Bike is priced at 6,990 euro, or approximately $9,250 at the current exchange rates. It’s kind of expensive, but it may be totally worth the price considering it will offer riders the most amazing electric ride.

Recently, electric cars have conquered the market, and now it seems as though the same thing may happen for bikes. Electric bikes are becoming more and more popular, but just as their electric car counterparts, they are not as fast as we would like them to be so companies are now working on producing bikes that are as fast as possible. The new Specialized Turbo electric bike is the perfect example of the new generation of electric bikes, built for speed. It was designed to hit a top speed of 24 mph - an impressive increase over the average 15 mph speed of existing e-bikes.

The Specialized Turbo Electric Bike is powered by a direct-drive 250W motor in its rear-wheel hub, while the rear wheels work as a regenerative braking system. This braking system can be switched on and off offering riders the chance to save some energy. The bike will also be equipped with a carbon fiber disk brake and custom alloy frame for safety at high speeds.

The new Specialized Turbo went on sale in April 2012 and is priced at €5499 - or about $7200 at the current exchange rates. For that price, we may have to just stick to a little muscle power.

Hit the jump to watch the bike in action!

When it comes about sports cars Porsche is no doubt the maker that makes the best impression on us. But sometimes, the German brand forgets about building sports car and is focusing on something else. This time on bikes. Their new RS (Rennsport) Carbon Bicycle is priced at $7,900 and can be offered in sizes S, M and L.

The new RS Carbon Bicycle exterior is painted in very cool carbon grey metallic combined with a black interior. The bike’s frame is made from carbon fiber, and so are the forks, handlebars, stem and seat post. The bike is equipped with 29in Crank Brothers Cobalt wheels - a very popular choice among off-road mountain bikers. Customers will also get 20 speed Shimano XTR and new the latest generation hydraulic Magura disk brakes. The bike also weights just 13 lbs.

Of course you won’t be able to hit the same speed you will hit while driving a sports car, but you will speeds you won’t while riding another bikes.