10 Best Electric Bikes of 2023 Tested by GearLab

This budget-friendly bike surpassed several more expensive models in our review, earning it a top rating. With a powerful 750W motor, this Class 3 model accelerates quickly up to 20 mph with the throttle and as fast as 28 mph using pedal assist. The sleek and stylish frame includes a 614 Wh battery that provides a respectable range. The 27.5-inch wheels are fast, and the high-volume tires offer a smooth ride with vibration damping. It has a comfortable position, adjustable seat height, and quality seat and grips. Additionally, the bike is available huffy electric bike (ST/step-thru and XR/step-over) frame styles.

The Lectric XP 3.0 is a folding electric bike that will fit in the trunk of your car, next to your office desk, or in the hall closet for storage. Despite its compact foldable design, the bike features loads of adjustability to suit a wide range of user heights. It has user-friendly features like a cargo rack, fenders, lights, a comfortable seat, and ergonomic grips. Lectric sells additional accessories, even a passenger seat if you want additional conveniences. With a robust 500W motor, the XP 2.0 packs a lot of power in a small package and can speed up to 28 mph using pedal assist and 20 mph with the throttle. A 500Wh battery integrates into the folding frame, which provides a respectable range given its smaller capacity (a long-range battery is also available for an additional fee).

Our team is led by Senior Review Editor, Joshua Hutchens, a lifelong cyclist and bike nerd. Hutchens has spent his life imparting his two-wheeled passion to others as a coach, racer, mechanic, guide, shop owner, and consultant. Long-time Tahoe resident and occasional pro racer Jeremy Benson also contributed huffy mountain bike his time and knowledge to this review. Benson has been riding bikes for over 30 years and has authored a book on bike trails in and around the Lake Tahoe basin, Mountain Bike Tahoe. Smaine was a South Lake Tahoe native, World Champion skier, talented rider, and a meaningful contributor to our reviews.

Items like front/rear baskets, bike trailer attachments, child seats, and mounts for pannier bags can add space and customize cargo-carrying capability. This larger hauling capacity and extended length can mean trickier handling and a much heavier bike. These models are not very portable and they’re best suited to those who can ride them straight out of the garage. Specialized found the perfect balance of power vs. natural handling in the Turbo Levo Comp e-mountain bike. The latest Turbo Full Power 2.2 motor system is well refined and boasts a whopping 90Nm of torque, more than enough power to propel you up hills that would be unconquerable on a standard bike.

We believe bikes and cycling are for the whole family, that’s why our cycling range has something for everyone from toddlers through to adults. Help your kids have as much fun as possible out of their first years on two wheels. Look out for bikes that allow you to adjust the seat and the bar so their bike can grow along with them.

However, their single-gear ratio makes them less efficient, and it’s more difficult to change or repair tires. Mid-drive motors are located in the bike’s center, usually around the pedal crank, and deliver power to the wheel through the chain. They’re usually pricier but also more refined, using the bike’s gears to maximize efficiency, and they better balance the weight of the motor.

Commuter bikes are purpose-built and can potentially replace cars for some riders. They often have quick power output and may operate at higher speeds to keep up with city traffic. Depending on your commute length, you may want to look for a commuter bike with a larger battery to boost the range you can travel.

These models are not very portable and they’re best suited to those who can ride them straight out of the garage. Maybe want to explore trails that are just out of reach on a standard mountain bike. huffy trail runner An electric bike can put a little more oomph in your pedal and help you get around town or the trails faster while still allowing you to move your legs and get as much of a workout as you choose.

While this is undoubtedly one of our favorite electric bikes on the trail, there are a few areas where the Levo was not the top performer. The SRAM Code R hydraulic disc brakes on this bike are far from our favorite, and the non-e-bike specific Fox 36 Rhythm fork also leaves a bit to be desired. The only information immediately available to the rider are the LEDs on the frame’s top tube showing the current support setting and remaining battery life. If you value having lots of information available at a glance, more expensive versions of the Levo come with a digital display, or you can purchase one as a separate accessory. However, we wouldn’t let either of these drawbacks deter you from the Turbo Levo Comp, and we recommend it to anyone looking for a refined and highly adjustable electric mountain bike.

We found the Vika+ Flex to be our test group’s most well-rounded folding model, but it still has some minor drawbacks. With a rigid frame and comparatively narrower tires, it sometimes feels less forgiving over rougher terrain. Of course, the nature of its folding design and smaller wheels means it doesn’t have the same composure as the larger wheeled, non-folding competition. It has a respectable range, but it was bested slightly in that metric by bikes with bigger, heavier batteries. Those concerns aside, the Vika+ Flex proved to offer a high level of performance in a convenient folding package, making it the best folding model we tested. While the Revv 1 impressed us in almost every way, the headlight mounted directly to the frame compromised its night riding abilities.