The PEDAL Electric CORE Bridges the Gap Between On- and Off-Road E-Bikes

Finding the perfect e-bike to suit your lifestyle can be tough. But this bike gives you the best of all worlds.

When it comes to finding the perfect e-bike to suit your lifestyle and budget, your options now run the gamut—from suspiciously cheap Amazon wheels to dedicated off-road beasts like the QuietKat Jeep E-Bike. If you just see yourself picking up the kids from school and running errands around town on paved roads, there'll be no need to overpay for specialized rock-crawling engineering. A strong, yet less-than-nimble Cadillac-style option may be just the ticket. 

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But what if there was a third e-bike option out there that did both things very well—on- and off-road—and in dashingly handsome, true badass style? If you're sensing the end of your long quest for the ideal, all-purpose e-bike coming, we'd now like to introduce you to the PEDAL Electric CORE.

Sporting the look and feel of a vintage-style motorbike, the PEDAL Electric CORE is one sophisticated, versatile set of e-wheels—and it’s damn-good-looking. While we all know that electric components are important considerations when choosing a solid e-bike, so are those oft-overlooked technical hardware specs you won't want to be bargaining with on (or off) the road. 

At 65-pounds, the PEDAL Electric CORE is impressively lightweight for an e-bike while inspiring plenty of compact heft. The bike's dual-suspension size measures a serviceable 45 inches—with a 35.25-inch seat height. 

Power comes from a beastly 750 watt Bafang motor with a 720 watt hour li-ion battery. Top speeds range from 20 to 32 mph—depending on Class-2, Class-3, or Sport Mode options. In other words, this bike has some serious torque. It’ll roll you up steep hills, down dirt trails, over soft sand, and even across rocky terrain without a hitch. Did we mention it's badass? 

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It'll be tough to find a zone in your town—both on and off the pavement—that this beast won't muscle through. And with a range-per-charge stretching from 20-50 miles (depending on your riding style and preferred mode), it'll cover most city distances easily. Toggling between throttle and various pedal modes, we found this e-bike will log a reliable 30-plus miles before needing to juice back up. 

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In the best sense, the bike's extended seat feels like a modern dirt bike's—while offering plenty of extra room for a rear passenger. You can add those pegs and rear cargo rack to suit your daily needs. A full suite of other accessories from PEDAL Electric—headlights, surfboard racks, in-frame baskets, high-quality bike covers, and more—provide additional options.

A front tire moto lock lets you fully secure your ride to a bike rack. You can also fully disable the front end for added security—kind of like having The Club built right into your bike.

Styled with some contemporary café racer swagger, the PEDAL Electric CORE's price point of just over two grand is very competitive in the current e-bike market. All technical and mechanical specs aside, if you’re going to dive into the electric bike world, why not opt for coolest looking ride out there, right? 

The upshot: here's our favorite, all-around e-bike we’ve tested yet, from a brand we can comfortably endorse.

[From $2,049; pedalelectric.com]