New Bikes: Mercedes-Benz Jumps On The eBandwagon
MERCEDES-BENZ
JUMPS ON THE eBANDWAGON
Historically speaking, when it comes to an infusion of Formula One culture seeping into the world of road cycling, until now it’s been Italian car maker and perennial F1 competitor Ferrari making the only inroad through both Colnago and Bianchi sourcing.
Now, thanks to a licensing deal with British-based N+ bikes, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas moniker can be found on a bike in your garage. You might wonder, why is a German car brand’s bike coming from England? Formula One race fans know that like a majority of F1 teams, Mercedes’ gazillion-dollar racing effort is actually based in England.
Mercedes-Benz is putting their name on a series of e-bikes (road and city). Their two new city-focused e-bikes feature a battery hidden in the seat tube, a 250-watt mid-drive motor (they don’t specify brand), a Gates carbon belt drive, 700c wheels, an aluminum frame and a rear hub with internal shifting.
There are two models: The Formula E Team e-bike has a carbon fiber fork, 252-Wh battery, Tektro R290 hydraulic disc brakes, a Sturmey-Archer internal shifting rear hub and retails for $3200. The Silver Arrows e-bike has an aluminum fork, two 252-Wh batteries, Tektro R290 hydraulic disc brakes, an Enviolo internal-shifting rear hub and it sells for $4500.