Electric bikes are an excellent invention that massively increases the accessibility of the sport, and there are a vast range of worthwhile electric bike brands.
If you’re not sure you can go on longer rides on a mechanical bike due to injury, illness, or lack of fitness, then an electric bike can allow you to experience the joys of cycling.
The first decision you need to make is the type of electric bike you want: whether you want an electric mountain bike, road bike, gravel bike, urban bike, or hybrid; you can decide this by thinking about the types of rides you’re interested in.
Of course, there are other considerations, such as the range, power of the assistance, and importantly, the brand of the electric bike you’re after.
There are many different available brands of electric bikes and some have an excellent reputation for reliability and quality, and it can help you to narrow your search if you have some brands in mind before you start.
But what are the best electric bike brands?
Between all of us in the BikeTips team, we’ve had the chance to try out a vast range of electric bikes – and we’ve selected seven of the best eBike brands, from A-Z.
Let’s dive in!
Aventon
- Founded: 2012
- Origin: Ontario, California, United States
- Known For: Electric bikes for everyday cycling
Originally, Aventon’s bike production was limited to fixed-gear bikes, aimed at the everyday cyclist.
However, in recent years, they have pivoted their production to be mostly electric bikes, also aimed at the everyday cyclist, with commuter, urban, and folding electric bikes.
Aventon’s newer bikes include flagship-level features such as automatic power assistance, whereby a power meter in the bottom bracket will sense how much power you’re putting through the pedals and adjust the assistance accordingly.
The range stats aren’t quite as impressive as other brands perhaps, but 80 km is more than enough for the average city cyclist.
The Aventon Sinch is an incredibly unique model, being an electric fat tire foldable bike that suits the average commuter, perhaps with a penchant for the occasional off-road adventure.
Canyon
- Founded: 2002
- Origin: Koblenz, Germany
- Known For: Innovative performance electric bikes
Canyon hasn’t had a huge amount of time in the market but has established itself as a leading bicycle manufacturer through innovation and consistently well-designed bikes.
Canyon is a bike brand that works on a direct-to-consumer model, which means that although you’re likely to have to wait a bit for your new machine to arrive, you’re not paying a third-party markup when buying it.
Canyon makes a range of electric bikes, which fit in their usual ranges of urban, gravel, mountain, and road bikes, but with the “ON” tag.
One bike for which they are particularly well-known is the Canyon Grail:ON CF 8, a mixed-terrain electric gravel bike with 120 km range that weighs just 16 kg.
It is known to be one of the most comfortable gravel bikes on the market, with a proprietary “split” seatpost and handlebars to increase compliance.
It is exactly this kind of innovation that Canyon includes on their electric bikes that makes Canyon one of the best electric bike brands on the market.
Gazelle
- Founded: 1892
- Origin: Dieren, Netherlands
- Known For: High-quality Dutch-style city bikes
Gazelle are veterans in the world of urban bike manufacturing, playing a major role in the modern design of the upright “Dutch bike”.
In recent years, the Dutch outfit has shifted its focus largely to electric city bikes, with many different designs from the traditional step-through upright Dutch style to a more modern fixed-gear urban bike.
Some 130 years of experience in the bicycle manufacturing industry have left Gazelle with an excellent global reputation, with the company voted the “Most Trusted” bike brand by Reader’s Digest in 2010.
They bring the same experience and know-how to their electric bikes, with Gazelle already regarded as one of the most reliable brands for a power-assisted machine.
The Gazelle Ultimate C380 is widely regarded as one of the best choices for an all-round electric commuter bike.
Supposedly a happy combination between a touring bike and a city bike, the Gazelle Ultimate is capable of essentially any type of casual riding, for up to 155 km! For such an incredible range, a price point of $4000 is an incredibly reasonable ask.
LeMond
- Founded: 1986
- Origin: Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- Known For: High-quality racers endorsed by Tour de France icon Greg LeMond
LeMond bikes, haven’t been around for a particularly long time, but have gained respect and trust in the bicycle industry quickly through producing high-quality bikes and through the status of their founder, Tour de France legend Greg LeMond.
LeMond founded the company after his first Tour de France win in 1986, but the bikes didn’t really make a splash until his stunning comeback win in the 1989 Tour de France after he nearly died just over a year prior to the race in a shooting accident.
The American’s status in and out of the sport increased exponentially after winning the Tour by the smallest margin ever, and so, his company, LeMond Bicycles, also managed to take off somewhat.
Since then, they have become known as a trusted manufacturer of racing bikes, and in recent years have dipped their toe into the electric bike game, and rather successfully, too.
The LeMond Prolog, an all-carbon electric hybrid racing machine, is unlike any other electric bike on the market. The unbelievably lightweight frame is finished with a beautiful matte paint job and it comes equipped with reliable Shimano GRX components.
Ride1UP
- Founded: 2018
- Origin: San Diego, California, United States
- Known For: Some of the best-value electric bikes on the market
One of the newest arrivals to the electric bike market, Ride1UP has established itself very quickly by producing affordable electric bikes accessible to many more people in an attempt to “get more people on e-bikes”.
Regardless of their generally low price point, Ride1UP bikes are certainly not lacking in their quality, especially on the battery side.
The Ride1UP Prodigy is an example of their excellent value as a mid-drive electric bike, available in step-through, step-over, or step-over with front suspension models for just a hair over $2000.
The only thing that could be considered somewhat of a compromise, however, is the lack of high-end components, with the groupset of the Ride1UP Prodigy being a haphazard mix of microSHIFT and lower-end Shimano components.
However, the 80 km range and 40 km/h top speed definitely aren’t a compromise, and the bike represents excellent value for money in the electric bike world.
Specialized
- Founded: 1974
- Origin: San Francisco, California, United States
- Known For: A diverse range of high-quality electric bikes
Founded during the US bike boom, Specialized is perhaps one of the most recognizable names in cycling.
Producing a wide range of bikes to suit all disciplines and budgets – like many other bike boom brands – Specialized has, like Canyon, made an electric version of many of the most successful lines of their bikes.
Specialized has a reputation that precedes them, and their bikes are well-known to be extremely reliable and high-quality, with their flagship sub-brand S-Works producing many of the bikes ridden in the pro peloton.
The Specialized electric bikes are no different, already held in high regard by many.
The Specialized S-Works Turbo Creo SL EVO is one of the best electric gravel bikes on the market. With truly flagship features such as the Eagle XX1 drivetrain, fully carbon design, and a weight of just 12 kg, it is essentially a power-assisted pro-standard bike.
It comes equipped with Specialized’s own superlight SL 1.1 motor, capable of nearly 130 km between charges, one of the furthest of any bike made in the industry.
However, it doesn’t come cheap, of course, at nearly $14000, so it’s really aimed at the keen amateur electric cyclist.
Tern
- Founded: 2011
- Origin: Taipei, Taiwan
- Known For: Excellent quality electric bikes for everyday use
Tern, another newcomer to the industry, specializes in the manufacturing of high-quality, reliable electric bikes for the everyday user, such as commuter, urban, and foldable bikes.
The name “Tern” was inspired by the rare bird, the Arctic Tern, due to it traveling the farthest of all migratory animals, and that it’s so light and small, qualities they attempt to channel into their electric bike design.
One of the major strengths of Tern’s electric bikes is their range. Even their folding bicycles, for example, have a range of up to 100 km at 30 km/h – an impressive capability for such a small bike.
The Tern Quick Haul bicycle is the lowest priced in the small list of 10 Tern bicycles, and represents good value, too, at under $3000. With a range of up to 100 km, 270% power assist, and a top speed of 32 km/h, the Quick Haul is a great option for a long commute.
