Skip to main content

Surf legend Jeff Clark helps Vintage Electric design a new ebike

Vintage Electric has tapped an unlikely partner to help design its latest ebike. The company that brought us the adventure-oriented Scrambler is collaborating with legendary surfer Jeff Clark to create a surf-oriented bike built for commuting to and from the beach. The bike includes Vintage’s signature retro styling, mixed with high tech components and other added features.

Dubbed the Jeff Clark Signature Cruz, the new bike comes equipped with a 52-volt, 702-watt-hour lithium-ion battery that provides a range of up to 35 miles on a single charge. That same battery powers the rear-mounted direct-drive hub system which is capable of reaching speeds of 36 miles per hour while in “race” mode, which puts it head and shoulders above most other ebikes currently on the market.

Other components include a Shimano hydraulic disc brake system that works with the bike’s regenerative power feature to replenish the ebike’s battery while on the go. LED lights on both the front and rear provide plenty of illumination when riding in low-light conditions, and a built-in Spurcycle bell gives the rider the ability to send out an auditory alert, too. Vintage has included a leather seat and grips, as well as an Abus Bordo lock to keep the Signature Cruz secure from would-be thieves.

Vintage Electric Bikes - Jeff Clark Signature Cruz

Tapping into his surfing roots, Clark has added some interesting elements to the Signature Cruz’s design as well. For instance, the ebike comes with a removable leather-wrapped surf rack that makes transporting surf boards a breeze. It also boasts a pair of insulated and removable saddle bags that can double as coolers and a custom rear cargo rack that is color coordinated with the frame. As an added touch, Clark has even designed a custom laser-engraved graphic that is found on the vintage-looking battery case.

Priced at $5,995, Vintage Electric is taking orders for this ebike on its website now. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one, don’t expect to run into too many other Signature Cruz owners on your way to the beach. The company says it is only making 20 of these bikes and once they’re all sold out, they’re gone forever.

Kraig Becker
Kraig Becker is a freelance outdoor writer who loves to hike, camp, mountain bike, trail run, paddle, or just about any other…
Goodbye, coolers. The EcoFlow Glacier doesn’t need ice — it makes it
The EcoFlow Glacier is a fridge shaped like a cooler with its own battery,

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.

Read more
I was wrong. E-bikes are so practical, they’re a transit cheat code
An Aventon Level 2 ebike sits outside a grocery store.

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?

Read more
Upway launches one of the best marketplaces for certified e-bikes, new or not
Man holding ebike from Upway in a field, lifestyle image.

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:

Read more