For most people, bicycles are a tool—something to get them from A to B quickly, efficiently, and conveniently. E-bikes, in particular, have become pretty popular across Europe and Asia, with folks turning to these easy-access vehicles to navigate the urban jungle.
In the US, e-bikes are finding their place, too, with folks using them for both commuting and recreation. And manufacturers are taking notice of this, and are now producing e-bikes that are so much more than just bicycles with motors on them.
Take, for example, the Centauri II from Portland, Oregon-based e-bike specialist Vvolt. At a glance, this thing looks like your run-of-the-mill step-through bicycle designed for riding around parks and neighborhoods. But if we look a little bit deeper, we’ll find quite a bit of tech that makes it a fairly well-rounded commuter—one that might actually be the ultimate urban runabout.
For starters, Vvolt has built this thing for maximum convenience. It ditches the traditional “manual” drivetrain of a bicycle for an automatic shifting geared hub dubbed “Autoshift3.” It’s essentially a three-speed geared hub that automatically changes gears as you accelerate and decelerate. It has far too few gears to make sense for a non-electric bike, but for an e-bike with a substantial amount of torque, this goes a long way in boosting efficiency.
