Electric bikes come in all shapes and sizes these days with the vast majority focusing on commuters traveling within larger urban areas. However, those looking to go off-road see a sharp decline in available inventory for their excursions.
Enki Cycles noticed an opening in the market and thus created the new Billy foldable eBike that’s more BMX than commuter. With fat 20-inch wheels and four-inch tires, riders will be getting a rugged build designed for all sorts of terrain. Its initial Kickstarter offering is well underway with early bird pledges starting just over $1,000.
The Billy eBike is powered by a Samsung lithium-ion battery that pushes 13.6Ah when fully charged. Attached to a solid aluminum frame, the 500W rear hub motor provides approximately 41 miles of range with a top-speed of 20mph. Riders will have five different electrical assist modes to provide extra power along the way.
One interesting feature on the Billy eBike is a throttle-only mode, which allows for a motorcycle-style experience. Oftentimes we see these type of two-wheelers limited to electrical assist or fully powered. Billy however offers one of the most flexible riding experiences that we’ve seen to date. Combined with its robust frame, it’s bound to be a versatile star in the city or out on the trails.
Weighing in at 54-pounds, Billy isn’t the most portable option that we’ve seen. The aluminum frame does fold in half, but huffing this two-wheeler up the stairs won’t be the easiest proposition for some. Additional features include BMX-style handlebars, a Gates carbon belt-drive system, and disc brakes. And of course, a USB charging port in case your iPhone hits empty while you’re out riding.
The Billy eBike recently hit Kickstarter with an early bird pledge of $1,290 ahead of its final retail price of $2,490. To date it has raised just over $16,000 of its $55,000 goal with 26 days to go. Additional funding levels are available with the option for extra batteries and accessories.
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Billy ebike: The electric bicycle e-bike redefining joyrides
It’s the excitement we feel when we’re carving through city streets and parkways on our way to the grocery store/cafe/work/school. Whether we’re racing competitively or simply riding just because. It’s this fun that we crave.
The brief for Billy was simple: make it fun. The idea of creating yet another bike just for commuting just seemed boring. And the new wave, the ‘Retro crowd’ scene was, well, crowded.
So, we took a step back and asked ourselves what we really wanted. We remembered what it was that drew us into this two-wheeled world in the first place – that first experience with a bike – the JOY. And that’s where we started. We took the simplicity and pure joy of the BMX riding platform and then added the magic with that little bit of electric awesome.
For the last year we have been designing, prototyping and testing Billy, bringing our vision to life step by step. We have seen many frame and configuration iterations during development but with a meticulous, and sometimes outright obsessive, attention to detail and dedication to our goal we continued to hone the design until we achieved what we believe to be fun unlike any other.
Ride with confidence with our ultra wide BMX bars and hyper responsive twist throttle. Shorty levers connect to disc brakes ensuring you stop on a dime. Billy’s clean, motoX inspired cockpit is a thing of beauty.
Ride like a ninja with our carbon belt drive as used by Harley Davidson and Buell motorcycles. Aside from a smooth-as-butter ride that’ll have you gliding over your terrain, belt drives are maintenance free and clean (no oil or lubrication needed) and are tested to last up to five times longer than standard chains.
At Enki we believe in one thing above all else: That riding should always be fun. Much like our mythological namesake, our team are creative, intelligent, and often mischievous. We are e-bike engineers, designers, inventors and entrepreneurs, and we all live on two wheels. We have been developing bicycles, e-bikes and motorcycles for markets in the USA, Europe, Asia, South Africa and Australia for over 11 years.
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