Yeah very disappointing. I'm e-bike curious but they're all so _ugly_. Something with VanMoof style and a "dumb" drive system would be perfect. Give me a conventional derailleur-and-cassette in the back and an electric drive up front without screaming "this is an bike" in my face and I would be the first in line.

I have a Rad City and I kinda like how stupid looking it is - especially the step through model, which I definitely have. But the nice part is that the bike components are all regular parts. Rad seems to be having serious issues as a company, which is a shame because for the price they’re good frames - but if they go under, it’s not like I relied on them for parts or service anyway.

Anyway digression aside, you might be happiest starting with a bike you like and doing your own conversion - either with a hub motor or a mid drive. Or have a look at REI - their ebike selection mostly look like bikes, with the advantage that they’ll also service them. That’s helpful if the manufacturer kicks it.

Yeah I have been eyeballing the Rad Wagon for a while. Seems perfect for me actually. The styling is very... Utilitarian. Almost to the point of charming.

I have the rad-expand, which also looks 'stupid' but I love it anyways. But yeah it's great that they didn't go the way of vanmoof with an app required to unlock it etc. If they do in fact go under my only concern would be a replacement battery I guess? Or is that all standardized (it looks similar to the batteries on all the rent-to-ride e-bikes I see around).

Yeah I think these batteries aren’t uncommon, as far as the voltage and form factor goes. My understanding is the biggest risk is safety. There’s a lot of junk out there, whereas Rad did a good job ensuring it’s supply chain on these. My battery is nowhere near any noticeable capacity loss so I haven’t really looked hard at batteries yet.

Same both on the concerns. You get stories out of NYC where couriers/doordashers store their bikes in their apartments and during charging their batteries self-immolate. In a few of these stories you hear about guys having done slapdash repairs on their batteries.

Funny you mention Rad, they seem to be another golden-boy eBike company that grew too quickly and is struggling. I have a Rover 6+ and am concerned about being able to get parts quickly in the future...

Is REI known to turn away ebikes needing service that they didn't sell you?

Ebikes are ugly (subjectively speaking) because of the battery, but there are significant trade-offs when you design that away, like vendor-locked designs and energy capacity/performance. Assuming battery technology will improve, which seems likely, ebikes should get nicer looking (again, subjectively) in the future.

The Gazelle Arroyo C8 is a Dutch e-bike (one of the only models available in the USA) with a beautiful design.

I've already commented about it in the past, so I guess I won't worry about outing myself again: Aventure.2 looks sexy enough for me!

Have a look at the Giant Fastroad E+ EX Pro - it's no VanMoof style, but a fairly sleek mid-drive city bike with a frame-integrated battery using a 1x11 Shimano GRX groupset and proper brakes. Depending on region it's also fairly quick - here in NZ they provide electric assist up to 45 km/h.

I don't think a Cube Kathmandu, for example, looks ugly.

Take a look at Riese+Müller; they are a German brand that is also sold in the US: https://flyridesusa.com/collections/riese-muller-electric-bi...

They offer the same theft-protection/tracking/insurance thing Vanmoof had, but use off-the-shelf bike components. The only thing they lack is the "unlock through Bluetooth"-functionality Vanmoof had.

Sadly it is an over-funded (1) company that, it seems, didn't know how to pull back to cash flow positiveness when the music stopped. The bikes, meanwhile, are pretty but aside from the online tracking etc. (now an issue) there are far better options out there, especially for practical day to day travel.

The lesson for the sector is clear - make the economics work because funding rounds need to be based in reality, at least for now.

(1) https://electrek.co/2021/09/01/most-funded-e-bike-company-in...

A bike with VanMoof looks and software, but with standard components, would be a great bike. Maybe the standard components need to be improved to make this possible.