"When Rivian-spinoff Also announced its first electric bike recently, I was stoked - a Rivian in bike form? Yes please! - but also had some doubts. The design was, shall we say, polarizing, and the whole thing was powered by software, which raises the specter of outages, glitches, and other assorted crashes. I could already hear the grumbling from purists: bikes are supposed to be simple, and this was anything but."
"A quick glance at the spec sheet confirmed my fears: zonal architecture; series hybrid powertrain; pedal-by-wire; custom vehicle software; BLE anti-theft. These are not the type of specs you typically see in any bike, let alone an e-bike. I was blown away by how much stuff Also had crammed in. It felt like the company was throwing down the gauntlet to the bike industry, challenging the very notion of what makes a bicycle. And it left me wondering: who is this for exactly?"
The Also TM-B combines advanced technologies including zonal architecture, series hybrid powertrain, pedal-by-wire, custom vehicle software, and BLE anti-theft. The design is polarizing and emphasizes software control, introducing potential risks of outages, glitches, and increased maintenance complexity. The listed price starts at $4,500, positioning the TM-B well above the most popular US e-bikes that sell for under $1,000. The bike delivers exceptionally strong pedal assistance with a "10x" assist multiplier that enables rapid acceleration and the ability to outpace nearby cars in urban traffic. The TM-B reframes expectations for what a bicycle can be by integrating complex systems and prioritizing performance over minimalism.
Read at The Verge
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