July 7, 2020: The day after I posted my opinion of the Bosch Urban Sports Cruiser (below), TechRadar came out with their own press release rewrite. The story pretty much follows my story adding that Bosch feels “e-bikes [need to] shed their clunky, unstylish image and become more accepted as a convenient and green means of travel.” I’d have to argue that Specialized has already done that with their Turbo Vado SL. But the Vado SL doesn’t use a Bosch power source and it is available right now (if Specialized hasn’t sold out of them).
July 6, 2020: It sometimes feels like there are more “concept” e-bikes than production e-bikes. Bosch rolls out another concept into the already crowded field and describes it as an “Urban Sports Cruiser.” Bosch feels this unique category is best served with a carbon frame, integrated front and rear suspension, their Performance Line CX motor, their PowerTube 625 battery and Bosch e-bike ABS brakes.
Bosch says their concept is for “city adventures, commuter trips and off-road trails.” There is a major catch. You can’t order one. There is no price. There is no estimated delivery date. Such is the disappointment of getting excited about a “concept” anything. It’s a concept for Pete’s sake! So saddle up the unicorn and let’s go for a ride together.
