It’s not that you hate your job — it’s that you hate getting there. When telecommuting is oh so much easier than your actual morning (and evening) commute, it’s no wonder that you’d rather stay at home than brave an overcrowded subway, a gridlocked highway, or one of the other urban mobility nightmares we’re facing these days. But before you grumble about how miserable your way to the office will be, you may want to take a look at Elby. Heralded as the world’s first one-size-fits-most pedal-assist hybrid bicycle, this is one ebike that will make getting to work (or just about anywhere else) so much fun that you may actually enjoy the journey more than the destination.
At its core a commuter bike, Elby wants to get you from Point A to Point B without requiring too much exertion on your part. The low step-through frame makes it an accessible bike for folks of a wide range of builds — whether you’re five feet tall or well over six feet tall, you should be able to ride the Elby. The frame is made of lightweight 6061-T6 aluminum alloy, and as such, weighs in at under 50 pounds. That weight includes the high-torque BionX D-Series rear hub motor that helps get you up that pesky hill or through that challenging traffic without breaking a sweat. And better yet, it’s pretty quiet, so you can still get lost in your thoughts.
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The motor is powered by a high capacity, super high output lithium-ion battery with a fully sealed 52-cell structure that promises to take riders up to 80 miles on a single charge. Recharging can either be done by plugging the bike into an outlet, or taking the battery out and charging it separately.
To control the whole bike, there’s an intuitive BionX handlebar control ring that includes an on and off switch, as well as a thumb-activated Assist Level button and throttle. In order to actually get the throttle to work, you do need to have a bit of inertia. This is, after all, a pedal assist bike, and not a motorbike. That said, you should be able to simply push off from a stationary position and then hit the throttle to get the motor to kick in. Top speeds stand around 20 mph if you’re only using the motor, though if you add some pedal power you can actually get faster. Thanks to the bike’s low center of gravity, though, you shouldn’t feel as though you’re hitting dangerous speeds.
If you’re choosing not to bike with the motor, the Elby features a 9-speed drivetrain that should still make for trouble-free pedaling, and to keep you safe, there’s a high intensity Super Nova lighting system on both the front and rear of the bike.
Of course, no 21st-century ebike would be complete without some smartphone integration. With Elby, your mobile device actually turns into a mounted Elby interface. You can check out information about your bike, plan routes, track statistics and speed, or check the status of the entire ebike system.
While the Elby certainly could be the answer to your commuting woes, it’ll come at a price. The 9-speed variant will set you back $3,699 (though it’s currently on sale for $2,999), while the single-speed version is $3,499. But if you’re looking for a way to solve your transportation conundrums, the Elby may be your answer.
Goodbye, coolers. The EcoFlow Glacier doesn’t need ice — it makes it
Every cooler operates on borrowed time. It leaves for your camping trip brimming over with crisp produce and ice-encrusted beer that looks straight out of a Super Bowl commercial, and returns with a soggy block of foil-wrapped cheddar cheese floating in a pool of mustard water. Mother Nature always wins.
Perhaps that’s why I was so enamored when I saw the EcoFlow Glacier at CES 2023. Less a cooler than a mobile battery-powered fridge on wheels, the sleek electric Glacier not only obviated the need for ice, it would make ice for me in 18 minutes. My home fridge can’t even do that, and I didn’t even know I wanted it to until just now. When EcoFlow offered to let me try the Glacier, I envisioned sipping a perspiring glass of whiskey in the tropics and accepted the occupational hazards of my job.
I was wrong. E-bikes are so practical, they’re a transit cheat code
Confession: Despite loving both bikes and gadgets, e-bikes never excited me. Compared to my bicycle, e-bikes seemed unfair. Compared to my motorcycle, they seemed slow. Compared to my car, they seemed impractical.
But with $1,500 federal e-bike rebates potentially on the horizon at part of E-Bike Act, I decided it was past time to reconsider. Not just because 30% off would make them way more accessible, but because the entire idea that e-bikes could be worthy of a rebate changed the way I looked at them: less as toys, more as transit. Had I written off an entire way of getting around because I was looking at it the wrong way?
Upway launches one of the best marketplaces for certified e-bikes, new or not
This content was produced in partnership with Upway.
It wasn't too long ago that e-bikes were a rare sight, but all of that has changed, and rightfully so. Electric bikes are all over the road these days, and there are many brands either venturing into the technology, to launch their own versions of the sustainable transportation option or reiterating existing and traditional designs. From Aventon to Schwinn, or RadPower to Momentum, with so many opportunities, the prevailing question is, where do you go to find the best deals and the best information about these brands and their e-bike models? The answer is Upway, the number one certified electric bike provider and an official partner to many of the aforementioned brands.
What is Upway, exactly? It's a marketplace, specializing in e-bikes, featuring an inventory that's sourced from some of the best brands in the world. There are American brands -- like Specialized, Cannondale, and RadPower -- and European brands -- like Riese, Muller, and VanMoof. The best part is the discounts, offering up to 60% off retail, for a plethora of brands. Upway is on a mission to make sustainable mobility affordable for everyone. It's also one of the best places to go for a new or pre-owned e-bike, and here's why:
