Specialized turbo electric bicycle

One of the world’s biggest bicycle brands has launched what it claims is an entirely new category of e-Bike: a speed-focused, high-tech urban bike that just happens to have an electric motor.

The Specialized Turbo boasts beautifully-clean lines and a frame unencumbered by clunky-looking batteries or unsightly cables, but it is not quite as ground breaking as the company might claim; its top speed of 45kph, whilst fast and more than enough to keep up with most urban traffic, has been bettered by other e-bikes More interesting than its design and performance is the decision by a big player like Specialized to move into this area of the market.

High-performance e-bikes offer a fascinating new mode of transport that is faster than a bicycle but greener and cleaner than a moped. Like a push bike, an ebike can be carried inside any building for storage. Unlike a scooter, it makes no noise.

Many cycling organisations lobby against regulations that might blur the line between push bikes and e-bikes, but the vehicles may yet provide a cleaner and more practical alternative to the affordable electric cars we are so often promised.

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