Raleigh today announced its new Trace Lightweight electric bike, an ultralight electric bike with a hidden motor and slim design, weighing just 16,5kg.
This slim city bike is Raleigh's lightest and one of its best e-bike models to date, with a 35W Ebikemotion X250 battery that delivers around 80 miles of travel on a single four-hour charge. All electrical assistance is hidden inside the frame using the Ebikemotion iWoc controller hidden in the top of the frame, much like other e-bike manufacturers like the Ribble use.
However, the frame's slim design makes the Trace look almost exactly like a traditional analog bike to the untrained eye. It has a nine-speed shifting system for a drivetrain and almost none of the traces of the usual chunky battery protrusions other e-bikes are loaded with. In fact, it wouldn't even register as a motorized vehicle if someone didn't know how to look up the iWoc driver.
Weighing 16,5kg, it's easy to climb up a flight of stairs and store in an apartment hallway or balcony, or on and off a train, which is remarkable for a frame that incorporates electronic components. While frame-integrated electronics and lightweight e-bikes are nothing new, an impressive 50-mile range on under 17kg, in a frame that doesn't even look like an e-bike, is a nifty little package.
It retails for €2,199.00 in the UK (opens in a new tab) as of today, and while there are currently no details on future pricing in the US and Australia, we want to see more e-bikes from these regions adopting this minimalist design philosophy.
Because? Because, despite being on the lower end of the power scale, a reasonably priced thin and light electric bike opens the door for more people to buy and ride one. Electric bikes are about to become much more popular transportation tools as people move away from fossil fuels and expensive cars, but they are still in the "early adoption" stages in many places.
Most electric bikes either sacrifice range and power for weight or opt for a bulky, powerful build that resembles the motorized vehicles they are, which can often end up looking quite unsightly.
A slimline electric shuttle model with a 50-mile range is a good starting point for downplaying the tech: After all, the Dream is something with a 100-mile range that still looks indistinguishable from a push bike. Is it really that far fetched, when you know how quickly smartphones evolved in the mid-2000s?
Creating cheaper, lighter and more attractive versions of electric bikes will increase the rate of adoption everywhere, leading to more infrastructure and the production of better bikes at more affordable prices. If you're currently looking for an alternative mode of transportation to this lightweight Raleigh, you can always check out the best folding electric bikes.