New Caterham Electric Bicycles Offer Good Looks, Range

Source:earthtechling

Caterham Cars, a British company known for its specialist lightweight sports cars, is branching out into two-wheeled offerings, including a few rather good looking newelectric bicycles. These were debuted recently at the International Motorcycle Exhibition (EICMA) in Milan as part of the new Caterham Bikes division.

Both electric bikes will go on sale sometime next year, likely after spring, at what’s dubbed affordable prices. The first offering, simply known as the Classic E-Bike, is said to be a “classically-inspired design” that harkens back to the “golden age of British motorcycling,” but which does not require its rider to have a license for operation in the European Union. It is driven by a 36-volt, 250 watt brushless electric motor that’s powered by a 36-volt, 12 aH lithium battery that can be expanded. The range is said to be between  25-50 miles (40-80 km).

image via Caterham Bikes

Key features of the Classic E-Bike include classic British racing colors detailed with pinstriping, an aluminum frame, leather handle-bar grips, Shimano 3-speed hub gears, a large “fuel” tank that doubles as luggage storage, a three way adjustable seat and a LED dashboard with battery status, speedo, trip meter and range.

Joining the classic design is the more modern looking Carbon E-Bike. It is said to be at “the cutting edge of both design and materials” that’s inspired by F1 technology. It sports a modular carbon-aluminum frame that’s configurable to three different sizes to meet the size and shape of each rider.

image via Caterham Bikes

Powering this electric bicycle is a  36-volt, 250 Watt brushless motor, feeding its power through an eight-speed Shimano Nexus gear hub. No riding range was mentioned, but given that it, like the other bike, is powered by a 36-volt, 12 aH lithium battery, one should expect it will be able to go between 25-50 miles (40-80 km).

Standing out on the Carbon E-Bike are items like a LED dashboard with battery status, speedo, trip meter assistant ratio and range indicator; a three-way adjustable seat and wheels which feature lightweight but strong aluminum rims, laced with stainless steel spokes.

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