In arguably the biggest test to the general classification of the 2024 Tour de Romandie so far, the best any of Team Visma | Lease a Bike's riders could manage was 28th, 59.86 seconds down through Koen Bouwman on the stage 3, individual time-trial."In terms of results, we might have expected a bit m...

Ever since electric bicycles hit the market, we have witnessed a real struggle to offer increasingly powerful motors and higher capacity batteries.However, the second generation of eBikes bets on more compact batteries and motors that, even being less powerful, offer cyclists a series of advantages that super powerful eBikes are far from reaching.So, if you want to know what advantages and disadvantages lightweight eBikes offer vs super powerful electric bikes, you've come to the right place. In today's article, we'll take a look at what the differences are between them and how they affect riding.Are you up for it?Main differences between Lightweight eBike vs powerful eBikesThe main differences between a lightweight eBike and a powerful electric bike lie mainly in three aspects: design, performance and riding experience.Lightweight eBikes focus on providing a smoother and more comfortable ride with an emphasis on portability and maneuverability. While more powerful electric bikes focus on providing greater power and speed.Would you like to take a closer look?Powerful eBikes featuresPowerful eBikes are equipped with motors that allow them to reach higher speeds and climb steep slopes more easily.In other words, this is a type of ebike that can be very useful for those cyclists looking for strong thrills and greater performance in terms of acceleration.However, this effort to increase the power of the bikes translates into an increase in the dimensions of the tubes, an excess of wiring and weights that can reach up to 25 kg.So, despite offering higher power, they also force you to ride weighted down by your bike's weight when you ride above 25 km/h (15.5 mph).In addition, bikes with high-power motors and high-capacity batteries have moving parts inside them that involve a rotating mass that must be moved with pedaling effort when the battery is off, making riding more difficult.Lightweight eBike FeaturesThe main characteristic of lightweight eBikes is that they are built with lighter materials, such as aluminum alloys or carbon fiber, which facilitates their transportation and maneuverability, especially in difficult terrain where you need to make more precise turns or avoid obstacles more easily.Another advantage of lightweight eBikes is that they are usually designed with the rider's comfort in mind. They feature ergonomic frames that offer a more natural posture and, because they are lighter and use more elastic materials, they better absorb impacts from bumps to provide a smoother and more comfortable ride.Moreover, although lightweight electric bicycles tend to have smaller batteries than more powerful eBikes, this does not always mean that they have a shorter range. For, today, we can find new types of integrated motors and batteries that offer adequate power and autonomy at a low weight.Such as, for example, the Fazua removable motor, a motor that offers 58 Nm of power at a weight of only 1.8 kg (3.96 lbs). Unlike super powerful motors that offer up to 85 Nm but weigh almost twice as much.How to choose your ideal eBike wisely?Beyond the considerations you may find in any eBike buying guide, when choosing between a lightweight ebike and a powerful electric bike, you should take into account your personal preferences and the type of routes you plan to use it on.For example, if you intend to use your eBike to get around town or take your weekend rides on the road or mountain trails, a lightweight ebike may be the right choice for you.While, if you prefer strong thrills and a pedal assist that allows you to reduce the time on the climbs to enjoy more of the descents on rough terrain, a powerful electric bike would be the right choice.If, on the other hand, you are looking for an eBike to accompany you on your bikepacking trips, you have probably thought that the only option is to go for an electric bike with a high-capacity battery.However, we must not forget that pedal assistance can only be used when you ride under 25 km/h (15.5 mph) and having to deal with such excess weight for the rest of the time can be a real agony. That's why our recommendation is that, in these cases, go for a lighter electric system and take a spare battery just in case.And finally, there's the riding feel.Powerful eBikes allow you to ride more aggressively to climb challenging terrain in a more explosive manner.But if you're looking for a more natural, efficient and virtually frictionless riding experience, you can only get that with a lightweight eBike.If you've chosen the latter option, you might be interested to know that Crow bicycles are super-lightweight electric bikes that you can convert to a conventional bike whenever you want to further reduce their weight in a single move.Would you like to take a look at them?Visit our online store

A few weeks ago we made time to chat with local podcast hero and all round great guy Gareth who started the MTB TRIBE Podcast just a few years ago.Gareth comes from a place very fond to our hearts here at Fustle, and knows all about the rugged and beautiful landscape that has so heavily infleunced the products and brand that we have today.Sit back, relax, and enjoy Episode 144 with Alastair and Julie.Visit the MTB-Tribe website hereMTB TRIBE Podcast - Episode 144On episode #144 we are chatting with Alistair and Julie Beckett about designing and building their new bike brand called Fustle, how the idea came about, why they decided to go the gravel direction, the advantages of having a gravel bike in your garage and why the Fustle ride is that little bit different from other brands out there (in a good way!). This is not Alistairs first time designing and building a bike brand. Anumber of years ago he set up his own company calledRedburn Design, pulling on his experience with being involved in the industry and designing the Nukeproof bikes.He has also helped design the Forbidden and Privateerbrands,so when I heard that Alistair was designing his own brand and that he was going down the gravel bike route, I had to get him and Julie back on the show and find out what it was all about.Find Out:How Alistair helped design the Forbidden and PrivateerbikesOther projects his company Redburn Designare involved withWhere the idea to start his own bike brand came fromWhy Alistair and Julie decided to design a gravel bikeWhy a gravel bike is easier to design that a full suspension mountain bikeThe challenges that come with designing a gravel bikeWhy Fustle has got mountain bike design elements and how this makes it strongerWhat type of trails the Fustle is designed forHow the production process worksWhy Alistair and Julie decided to go down the Build It Your Way route and why this makes it better for the customerThe different ways you can purchase your FustleWhy Alistair and Julie aredetermined to make customer care and feedback a top priorityWhat future projects are planned for FustleHow you can purchase and follow FustleAlistair and Julie have been planning and working on their own brand for a few years and it has changed a number of times fromtheir first conceived idea, but this is how things work in the fast moving bike industry and nobody knows that better than Alistair and Julie. But it was their own personal circumstances that changed their design ideas andpushed them down the gravel bike route. They moved house over Christmas to be closer to the trails, they had their second child and time was at a premium. So the days of driving an hour to your favourite mountain bike trails and taking up half your day was just no longer possible, but riding the gravel roads closer to home was. Alistair loves bikes, all bikes, so whenhe was looking for something to fill this gravel gap hecouldnt really find the type of gravel bike he wanted, so as a bike designer he took the bike by the bars and designed his own, Fustle was born.What frustrated Alistair the most was the fact that you couldnt build the bikewith the components you wanted, loved and trusted, so Alistair decided that his would have to be a top priority for Fustle, you could purchase a frame and fork set up, choose from a number of different component options (the best that worked with the bike), make your decision on what suited you and what you would prefer. Now, this is a massive decision and a huge undertakingfor a new business. You have to deal with more brand partners, you have to have more components on offer and available, which means carrying more stock.You cant have completed bikes built at the factory and shipped directly to the customer, you have to have the bikes builtat home after you know what the customer wants.This adds a huge number of steps that Alistair and Julie have to organise and manage,all addingto costs. Not to mention that you will have towork closely with the customer (emails, phone calls etc..), but this is how Alistair and Julie wanted it. They wanted this interaction with the customer, they wanted to know what components customers would most like to have on their bike and they wanted that all important feedback that only a paying customer can provide. And this is the beauty of runningyour own company and doing it this way, a way that the large brands struggle with. You can build and supply the customer with what they want and what they want to spend their hard earned money on. All this feedback is invaluable for future builds, future projects and the future expansion of the brand.Alistair has added an awesome facility on their website where you can design and build your own ride, by simply adding the available components to the frame and fork, they call it Build It Your Way, and that is exactly what happens, you decide whatyou want on your bike and Fustle build it for you. Its very simply and easy to use, and to be honest I think it is something a lot of the brands wished they could do.So whether you're not sure about the whole gravel thing or you are looking for that do it all ride, tune in and hearthe story ofFustle and how it may just be the ride you have been looking for.Thanks for being here. Enjoy the ride!

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