The pricing on bicycles has always been a bit insane. While it’s easy to find deals on bikes for under $1,000, it’s also possible to spend over $10,000 on a high-end road bike. Electric bikes, while not quite as extreme, have a broad spread. At the low end, they’re pretty much commoditized, with lots of companies offering similar options that provide basic e-bike functionality. The differentiation really happens at the high end, where prices can easily clear $5,000.

We recently got a chance to test-ride a new offering from a company called Civilized Cycles, a new company based in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Its launch model, intended for availability late this year, aims squarely at the high end, with plenty of carefully thought-out features and a clear sense of design. You get quite a bit that’s not available from commoditized alternatives, but the price for the extras is going to be $5,500.

Getting civilized

Ars met with Civilized Cycles founder Zach Schieffelin in the Navy Yard. That’s when we talked about what informed the Model 1’s design, which ranged from his own experience as a cyclist to his ownership of a Vespa scooter dealership. Overall, that’s led to an e-bike that’s positioned somewhere between the two.

That experience is clear from the Model 1’s design, which involves a U-shaped frame that allows for a rider to step through before getting on rather than forcing them to raise their leg over the bike. There’s also an extended, padded area behind the rider’s seat that’s meant for passengers and reminiscent of some scooters. Other features, notably the pedals and front suspension forks, are straight out of the cycling world.

But what stood out was the careful attention to design, which produced elements I’d not seen on anything previously. For a passenger, the hard-covered casings on either side of the rear wheel keep their legs and any clothing safe from the spokes and chain. But the casing also opens up to create two cargo areas, with softer fabric forming the front and rear walls. The casing also forms the floor but gets rigid support from metal platforms on either side of the wheel—which double as passenger foot rests when needed.

When unfolded, the cargo areas are wide enough to hold a backpack, bike helmet, or grocery bag. These are some of the more common cargoes for this kind of bicycle. They have some kind of elastic fabric wall inside the hard shell, which can hold any items close to the frame if they don’t fill the cargo area.

All of this seems carefully thought out and functional. The design elements that Civilized hopes make paying a premium worthwhile.

Not bells and whistles, but lights and pumps

With onboard power, most e-bikes have a significant amount of electronics. The Model 1 is no exception. The bike’s main interface is built-in (others work via cell phones) and largely utilitarian. It shows your speed and the level of electric assist you’re getting (there are five options). The interface lets you set a pin code to unlock the bike, but it doesn’t go much beyond that. Schieffelin said that the interface will gather a lot of performance metrics but those will mostly be useful from the perspective of servicing the bike.

The front headlight sets its brightness using an ambient light sensor, and it has the ability to automatically switch on a high-beam illumination when it doesn’t detect oncoming riders. Right- and left-turn signals are also integrated into the handlebars, as is a control that lets you work through the options on the bike’s main screen.

Perhaps the most intriguing bit of hardware is the rear suspension, which might need to handle anything from a single rider up to two riders and a load of groceries—the bike is rated up to 180 kg (400 lbs) of passenger and cargo.

To deal with these differences, the Model 1 has an air-based suspension hooked up to a compressor. Before you start riding, you can use the controller on the handlebar to reset the suspension. The Model 1 will let all the air out and then start reinflating until it hits the right level of support for its current load. (Schieffelin told Ars it works this out by tracking the angle of the wheel supports relative to the frame.)

This is a handy feature, and it worked well when I tested it over rough pavement with and without Schieffelin riding as a passenger.

More about the ride

All the extras and the battery to run them are heavy, as is the robust aluminum frame to someone more familiar with road bikes. Overall, the bike weighs in at a bit over 40 kg (90 lbs)—and that’s before you consider its 180 kg carrying capacity. Schieffelin said that’s about at the limits of the components (suspension and disk brakes).

That’s also a lot to keep balanced, especially at the low speeds when first starting. Part of that’s helped by the relatively wide tires on the bike. But to get up to a speed where the tires’ rotation helps with balance, Civilized has included a power start, which gets the bike moving without pedals. But this powered assist tops out at a pretty low speed—to go faster, you have to pedal.

From there, riders get a fairly standard e-bike experience. The Model 1 has an internal rear hub with five different gearing ratios. Five levels of power assist are also available (six if you count shutting it off). These range from a “my pedaling feels strangely effective” up to “my pedaling is only providing a vague hint of how fast I’d like the onboard motor to move the bike.” As with other e-bikes, these power levels reach speeds that range from “a bit unnerving” to “positively dangerous” depending on the context.

If you use one of the higher levels of assist, the Model 1 is rated at about 30 miles of range, although its “eco mode” will get you further. If you have reasons to regularly use it for longer trips, the Model 1 has space for a second battery that will double that range.

Overall, the Model 1 comes with the same benefits and caveats that other e-bikes come with. It won’t get you as much exercise as pedaling, and it could let inexperienced cyclists hit speeds that make them a hazard to themselves and other bicyclists. But the Model 1 can also be a way for people who find cycling difficult to keep with the activity or to expand the type of trips they’ll use a bicycle for. And even a hardcore cyclist might benefit from a commuter bike that doesn’t leave them sweaty and steaming when they reach the office.

Are we ready to be civilized?

Given that the performance felt typical of a good e-bike, Civilized seems to be betting that design features are going to be enough of a draw to justify the Model 1’s high-end price. And, to be clear, the bike seems to be an excellent design—I was genuinely impressed with how well thought-out some of the features are. One of Schieffelin’s goals is for the Model 1 to be used for trips that might otherwise require a car—and the Model 1 really seems like it’s got what’s necessary to get the job done.

But for many people, price is the issue. For the cost of a Model 1, a consumer could buy a decent bike and a scooter. So I’m intrigued by what Civilized has planned for the Model 2. Schieffelin said that the company went for the high end first and plans on filling out a range of models (although Civilized has no plans on competing at the low end). Schieffelin did not, however, detail which aspects of the Model 1’s design might be sacrificed to move into the midrange.

https://arstechnica.com/?p=1775207