Top 5 Urban E-Bikes of 2023

The rise of e-bikes has completely transformed the urban environment, and bicycle commuting is as popular now as it ever was! But with some many options on the market, it can be tough to decide which bike is best suited for your needs, budget, and of course, style. Let us know in the comments which urban e-bike is your favorite!

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:38 Best Do-It-All Bike
03:39 Best Cargo Bike
06:06 Best Lightweight Bike
09:35 Best Drop Bar Bike
12:05 Best Budget Bike

#ebike #cycling #commuterbike

Commuting by bike is far from New but recent technological advancements have transformed what was once a stagnant sector of the cycling industry into something fresh exciting and you could even say electrifying but the sheer amount of urban ebikes on the market can make it Prett difficult to choose which

One is best for you so in this video we’ve chosen our favorite bike across five different categories versatility cargo lightweight drop bar and budget friendly but before we get started started take a second to subscribe to the 99 spokes YouTube channel where we upload a new video every Friday now on

To our first winner which is going to be awarded the best doit all Urban ebike and the winner here is the specialized vad 4.0 this bike cost $4,000 and weighs 58.2 lb or 26.4 kg and while that does make it the heaviest conventional bike on our list it’s also the most feature

Packed and we’re going to get into those featur features in just a second here but let’s start by talking about the frame the frame is available with either a traditional high top tube design or a low slung step through the bike comes in sizes small through extra large and

Features upright geometry with a 68° head tube angle 75.5 de seat Tu bangle and a very high stack of 652 mm on the size large that same size large also has a reach of 464 mm making it plenty stable even for no Riders moving on to the electrical components and it’s here

That the turbo Vado 4.0 really starts to shine it features specialized 2.0 250 W Mig Drive motor that is capable of delivering up to 70 newm of torque as a class 3 ebike that motor will provide assistance all the way up to 28 mph making it a great choice for riders with

Longer commute speaking of long commutes the v’s 710 W battery is the largest of any on our list and is capable of a claimed range of up to 90 Mi the E system is controlled by a remote on the left side of the bars and displayed in

Detail on the stem mounted monitor but this powerful motor enlarg battery is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the v’s versatility it also features an 80 mm coil sprung Sr Suntour fork and while this adds weight to the bike it greatly opens up the amount of

Train that the bike can handle as do the 650b by 2.3 in tires next the the aado comes with a 40 mm suspension seat post that should all but eliminate Road vibration and take the edge off of those harsher hits like many of the bikes on today’s list specialized has cleanly

Integrated lights into the included fenders and rack both lights are wired directly to the bike’s battery so you never have to worry about charging or swapping extra batteries rounding at the spec is an 11-speed Shimano drivet Trin with an 11 to 42 Toth cassette these are paired with stram level hydraulic disc

Brakes at the end of the day these specialized turbo V 4.0 ticks a lot of boxes for a lot of people making it an extremely versatile bike the robust power delivery system dialed spec and reasonable price are all reasons why I’m going to have to give the turbo Vado 4.0

4.5 out of five stars my only real complaint is the bike’s Hefty weight of nearly 60 lb which of course is a tradeoff for all the cool features and large battery that the bike has but it will make it relatively difficult for smaller Riders to manhandle this bike

Around and of course if you are regularly having to move your bike in and out of a rack this might not be the best option for you now though let’s move on to our second category of bikes and that is the best cargo Urban ebike which is going to the Yuba spicy curry

Class one which lists for $4,999 and weighs 60.2 lb or 27.3 kg the bike is rated for a very impressive of 440 lb of cargo or up to two additional passengers on its 950 mm long rear rack the bike is built around a 26-in wheel in the front to Aid in rolling over

Rough terrain and a 20-in wheel in the back to keep the center of gravity low it’s also only available in one size but Yuba claims it can fit Riders ranging from 5’1 to 6’4 moving on then to the E system and the spicy curry comes with a

250 W Bosch cargo line mid Drive motor motor this cargo specific motor offers an impressive 85 newm of torque which is critical when considering the Hefty load the bike is designed to haul the motor is paired with a 500w battery that sits on top of the down tube and provides a

Claimed range of up to 70 Mi the system is controlled by what’s arguably one of the best units on the market the Bosch kioo this full color monitor is by far the most sophisticated display on today’s list and is capable of displaying Maps tracking Fitness data and of of course monitoring the bike’s

Various parameters at any given moment transferring the power to the pedals is a Shimano 10-speed drivetrain with a 10 to 32 to cassette this is paired with some mura mt32 hydraulic brakes with an especially powerful four piston caliper in the front the spicy curry also comes with integrated fenders and lights but

In this case the rear light actually serves as a brake light activating whenever the brakes are engaged it also has a super clever twin kickstand that can be deployed with the flip of a lever on the front of the bike lastly it’s worth noting that Yuba sells a variety

Of cargo specific accessories allowing you to customize your bike for your specific needs and it’s for this design as well as the class leading Bosch motor that I’m going to have to give the spicy curry four out of five goats my only real complaint comes down to the price

Which at almost $5,000 is nearly double that of most of its competitors but if you’re looking for the ultimate feature filled e cargo bike then the Yuba spicy curry is going to be hard to beat now the winner of our next category which is the best lightweight Urban ebike also

Happens to be my favorite bike on today’s list and speaking of favorites if you are liking this video so far you can go ahead and let us know by hitting that like button down below now on to the winner of said category and that’s going to the lamad Prue this super Sleek

Race inspired ebike lists for $5,595 and weighs just 26 lb or 11.8 kg if the name lamod sounds familiar to you that’s because the company’s owner Greg leemon was the first American to ever win the Tour to France this absurdly low weight of his design comes largely to

The fact that the bike is almost entirely built out of carbon fiber the frame Fork seat post bar stem combo and even the fenders are all made out of carbon fiber this not only saves was weight but leads to an exquisite looking bike that most definitely speaks to Lem

Man’s racing history and speaking of racing the prologue has some pretty racing geometry for a commuter with a steep 71° head tube angle 73° seat tube angle a stack of 635 mm on the size large and a reach of 420 mm on that same size that combined with some

445mm chain stays gives the size large a wheelbase of 1100 mm which should make the bike feel plenty agile when winding through the city this class 1 ebike is built around a 250 W Molly M1 Hub Drive motor that puts out a maximum of 40 newon m of torque and while Hub Drive

Motors may not be the most sophisticated option on the market these days it definitely leads to that Ultra refined Sleek look that the prologue has and speaking of sleek it’s got a 250 hour battery that is stored in the down tube and is not removable lemon claims that

This gives the prologue a a range of up to 46 Mi but can be extended by way of an additional 250 range extender that fits into a standard bottle cage moving on then to the rest of the components and thankfully the leemon prologue didn’t cut any Corners here either for

Starters the bike comes with shimano’s grx 800 drivetrain with an 11 to 4 to cassette the bike also comes with shimano’s RS 405 hydraulic disc brakes 38 mm pan eraser gravel King slick tires and an in-house 1 piece bar stem combo sadly the cockpit length is not

Adjustable and every size is going to come with the same 100 mm stem but the bar width does change by 20 to 30 mm as you go from size to size and something I really do like about said bar stem combo is the integrated light in that stem

This as well as the similarly integrated tail light on the seat stays have got to be some of the cleanest takes on onboard lighting I’ve ever seen once again speaking to the passion and crafts manip that went into this bike all in all the lemon prologue is a breath of fresh air

And what can otherwise be a not so beautiful slightly unrefined world of urban ebikes there really aren’t many other companies making bikes like the prologue and while it’s relatively expensive we still think that that super lightweight well-designed frame paired with a pretty decent part spec is

Deserving of a perfect five out of five goats and like I said at the beginning of the video this also happens to be my favorite bike on our list today just seems like it would be a ton of fun zipping through the streets on my

Commute to work and if you like the racy looks and geometry of the lemon prologue then you’re going to love our next category which is the best drop bar Urban ebike and the winner here is the Santa Cruz sketch Apex which weighs 30.1 lb or 16.6 kg and at $

6,299 is the most expensive of any on our list for that you’re going to get a full full carbon fiber frame and fork as well as a very gravel bike inspired geometry the Skitch has a 69° head tube angle 74° seat tube angle and the size

Large has a reach of 420 mm and a stack of 596 mm this bike also features some super short 430 mm chain stays putting the wheelbase on a size large at a spritely 1,092 MM the Skitch is a class 3 ebike powered by one of the most

Discret ebike Motors on on the market today the FAA ride 60 as the name implies the motor delivers a maximum of 60 new M of assistance and is paired to a 430w battery hidden in the down tube that gives the bike a claimed 60 M range similar to The prologue the system is

Controlled by a Sleek button on the top of the top tube that displays the current mode and battery life moving on then to the non electrical components and it’s here that the Skitch really stands out from the other bikes on this list and it becomes clear that this bike

Was designed and speced by a group of passionate cyclists starting with the drivetrain it’s going to have a 12-speed ram Apex drivetrain with a 10 to 52 to GX cassette it also has Shams Apex hydraulic disc brakes some dial dtswiss 370 hubs laced to WTB rims and some 700x

45C Schwab G1 Overland Evo tires though the frame and fork have clearance for up to 50 mil tires lastly as the category would suggest the sketch that we’ve chosen for this list comes with some alloy zip drop bars but the bike is offered with flat bars if that’s more

Your style all in all the sketch feels a very unique niche in the Urban ebike Market but if you’re looking for the sportiest way to get around town then it’s pretty hard to beat and for that reason we’re going to give it four out of five goats Santa Cruz claimed that

They built the Skitch to be the type of bike they would want to ride and this really does show through with the Sleek minimalist frame design and high quality part spec that said though the high price is going to be a hard pill for a lot of riders to swallow moving on then

From our most expensive bike on the list to our cheapest and that’s going to be the Co-op City e 1.1 which is the winner for the best budget Urban ebike the city e 1.1 lists for just $1,299 and tips the scale at a surprisingly lightweight 48 lb or 21.8

Kg this bike is sold at exclusively through the outdoor retail store REI which should make it pretty easy to get your hands on if you live in the US but near impossible if you live anywhere else the city e 1.1 frame has a 70° head tube angle 73° seat tube angle and is

Available in three sizes the size large has a very short reach of just 390 mm and a stack height of 604 mm giving the bike the most relaxed and upright riding position of any on our list that is paired with some 400 50 mm long chain

Stays that in total give the size large a wheelbase of 1,079 mm while this is still a far cry from the micro ebikes that have kind of been on Trend lately it’s still going to make it a good bit easier to move around than a more portly bike like that

Specialized V we talked about earlier powering the Co-op City e 1.1 is a 250 W buang Hub Drive motor that’s capable of producing up to 45 newm of torque this is hooked to a 450 wat hour battery located on top of the down tube that gives the bike a claimed range of just

40 Mi the shortest of any on our list the class one e system has an impressive and arguably redundant five pedal assist modes plus one walk mode and is controlled and monitored by bar mounted units despite its low price the city e 1.1 has an adequate part spec

Highlighted by the inclusion of a pair of Tetro hydraulic disc brakes a feature not found on many other ebikes at this price it also has a 7-speed Shimano alus drivetrain with a 14 to 34 tooth cassette this limited gear range will be especially noticeable for Riders living

In Hillier areas the bike also has an integrated front light that does run off of the bike’s battery as well as a seat post mounted light that takes traditional standard household batteries lastly the bike doesn’t include any racks or fenders but the frame does feature brons if you choose to buy your

Own down the road another thing worth mentioning is that if you do buy this bike from REI it’s going to come with one year worth of free tuneups and that’s especially noteworthy when you compare it to the notoriously poor customer service that comes from these lowbudget mail order ebikes that the

Co-op e 1.1 is probably going to be competing against in total the co-op e 1.1 represents an exceptional value for Riders looking for the cheapest way to get into the urban ebike scene it’s part speec and honestly more importantly that dealer transparency and service that

You’re going to get from REI is a big reason why we’re going to have to give the Co-op City e 1.1 4.5 out of five goats the only real thing holding it back here was both its battery range and The Limited gear range coming from that seven-speed cassette I think that will

Hold back some of the more dedicated cyclists doing the longest commutes and speaking of dedicated cyclists if you’re still watching this video I can tell that you’re one of them and I want to hear from you let me know down there in the comments what type of video you’d

Like to see as next in addition if you have any questions about the bikes we talked about today you can leave those down there in the comments as well while you’re there please go ahead and subscribe to the 99 spokes Channel if you have not done so already and

Remember that bikes are for everyone have fun out there