E-bikes

E-bikes aren't one category. They're four:

E-commuter — your daily transport. Step-through frames, integrated lights, racks, fenders. The Trek FX+ and Orbea Optima Hybrid are the most-asked-about bikes in this segment.

E-road — drop bars, lighter motors, longer range. For riders who want road-riding feel but with a tailwind on the climbs. Trek Domane+ SLR and Orbea Gain are both excellent at this.

E-gravel — drop bars, knobby tyres, motor enough to make Royal National Park accessible mid-week. Trek Domane+ ALR Gravel, Orbea Terra Hybrid.

E-MTB — full-suspension, 90Nm+ motor, 600–750Wh battery, designed to do real off-road work. Trek Rail, Orbea Wild.

The honest pitch: e-bikes get more use than acoustic bikes in the lifestyle category of riders. If you're choosing between a $4,000 acoustic and a $4,000 e-bike for commuting or weekend rides, the e-bike will almost always log more kilometres. The motor lowers the barrier to actually riding.

NSW road rules: pedal-assist e-bikes ("pedelecs") with motors capped at 250W and cut-off at 25 km/h are classified as bicycles. Throttle-only bikes aren't road-legal in Sydney and we don't sell them.

Mid-drive motors (Bosch, Shimano) hold their value better than hub motors and feel more natural on hills. Worth the spend if you're choosing.

These bikes feel very different on the road than they look on paper.