Graceful and Wolflike
Germany is at the epicenter of an electric bike boom that is transforming the European bicycle market–and shaping pedelec trends from North America to Asia. In this post we shine a spotlight on two German brands–Grace and Steppenwolf–at the forefront of the eBike movement. Both have launched new 2016 models with Gates Carbon Drive.
Pictured above is the Grace Easy, a sporty urban pedelec kitted out with fenders, rack and lights, a suspension fork and BionX hub motor for fast city riding.Grace is an award-winning electric bike brand that was among the first to integrate batteries into its frames for a seamless style. That intelligent design is shown below on the Urbanic. With its smartly styled step-through frame the Urbanic includes a fast-accelerating GoSwiss Drive rear hub motor and nine-speed Pinion gearbox.
The blue bomber below is the Grace MX II Urban,a supercharged city eBike with a Brose mid-motor drive integrated into the bottom bracket and a NuVinci continuously variable planetary hub for seamless shifting. Gates’ laboratory testing shows that Carbon Drive belts are especially advantageous on mid-drive motor eBikes, which rapidly wear out chains.
Steppenwolf, whose motto is,”The wolf hunts best in town,” is a sister brand of Grace and is owned by the same parent company, Mifa-Bike, headquartered in Sangerhausen, Germany. While Grace makes only eBikes, Steppenwolf is a respected 20-year-old brand that makes both electric and classic pedal-powered bikes with Gates belts. The step-through Talis E 20th Wave below is powered by a Brose mid-drive motor connected to a NuVinci hub via a Gates belt.
The Talis E 20th Menabove has a classic eBike aesthetic and is powered by a Brose mid-drive motor with a NuVinci planetary hub shifting system. Steppenwolf also makes multiple non-electric models with Gates Carbon Drive including the2016 Talis Street 8.5. This practical ride has a Shimano Alfine eight-speed internally geared hub and a full urban kit including fenders and dynamo hub lights for fast and low-maintenance commuting.
Thanks to Steppenwolf, Grace and Mifa-Bike for helping to advance the belt drive revolution by making it easier for people to get out of their cars and into the saddle. Graceful and wolflike: These are the words that describe the clean, quiet, fast and stylish future of advanced pedelecs and commuter bikes.
