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UBCO’s 50-mph Freeride Trail Bike is the rally car of the e-bike world

UBCo's latest is more motorcycle than e-bike, so get ready to tear up the trails

By John Elkin Updated July 27, 2023

New Zealand-based UBCO Bikes has revealed the UBCO FRX1 Freeride Trail Bike, the latest newcomer to the e-bike market. This is the first new EV from UBCO since its 2X2 Electric Farm Bike, and it won’t be the last. The official launch for the FRX1 will be at the AIMExpo on September 26 in Columbus, Ohio.

What makes the FRX1 unique is its almost motorcycle-level performance. The motor reaches 20 horsepower (15 kilowatts) at its peak, and is liquid-cooled and mid-drive. The motor can be controlled either by the twist throttle or via pedal assist. UBCO claims the FRX1 comes with a nine-speed gearbox for pedaling, which makes it more pedal-friendly than other e-bikes.

The UBCO FRX1 features a 2.2-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that the company claims has a maximum range of 62 miles. It has the ability to regain up to 10% of its expended energy via regenerative braking. Charging up the battery takes just 2.5 hours from a household electrical outlet.

The suspension features 8 inches of travel front and rear, with adjustable compression and rebound. This is mounted to a lightweight aluminum frame weighing just 115 pounds. This dramatically increases the “fun factor” on the trails. Braking is provided by four-piston hydraulic disc brakes in the front and dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes in the rear.

The price of the FRX1 has not been announced, but the new technology features mean this will not be your run-of-the-mill $500 e-bike. This is closer to a motorcycle than it is to a bike, despite the pedals and the seat.

Between human imagination and constantly evolving technology, there is no ceiling for e-bikes. Better batteries will extend range and speed, while suspension will inevitably get to motorcycle-like levels, around 12 inches. UBCO announced that there will be more new reveals over the next year, whetting the appetite of e-bike enthusiasts worldwide.

UBCO now has a distributor in the United States located in Eugene, Oregon. There is an already impressive list of agents throughout the country anxiously awaiting this newest e-bike. The U.S. has seen a resurgence of bicycle use not seen since we thought Lance Armstrong rode clean.

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Goodbye, coolers. The EcoFlow Glacier doesn’t need ice — it makes it

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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.

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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?

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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: