The Best Bike Gets You Out of Your Car

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. How we test gear.

E-bikes democratize the ability to fight climate change, traffic congestion, and unsafe roads.

Ugh. I’m in the car again.

I’m in the car because there's a block headwind. Or maybe temperatures are in the 90s and I don't want to arrive at a meeting a sweaty mess. Or I don't think I can fit all the groceries into the small panniers and I sure as hell can't do a Costco run on this bike.

"This bike" is my 32-year-old Bridgestone MB-1. Set up as a commuter, it has served a long life. No one would fault me for replacing it. And the rise of e-cargo bikes offers a tantalizing possibility: Is that the bike that will finally get me out of the car for my short errands?

I think so. But, I wonder: Am I only justifying the consumerist thrill of New Bike Day under a gloss of environmental do-gooderism? An e-bike is better than a car but still comes with a cost. The MB-1 still rolls fine. Which bike does the most good?

This matters, because climate change is the defining fight of the next 25 years. We need every tool we can get. But we need to look hard at them. Electric vehicles require vast amounts of raw materials, and it's not certain we can sustain the production necessary to change a U.S. vehicle fleet of internal combustion vehicles to electric ones, or that doing so is a net win for the climate. Steel, copper, cobalt, and lithium production and refinement require massive amounts of mostly fossil-fuel energy, create toxic waste, and oppress already struggling people. Finally, batteries are only as clean as the grid that charges them, and ours is still 61 percent fossil fuels. We can't beat climate change by simply switching petroleum for plugs; we have to use less energy, period.

Fortunately, e-bikes do exactly that. The energy capacity in a single Tesla Model 3 battery is enough to power 100 e-bikes. That car will produce 36 tons of carbon dioxide in its total life span, including production. An e-cargo bike will create about 300kg of CO2. That is less than 1 percent of the Tesla's impact. And substantially all of that is from manufacturing, as charging and maintenance are negligible for bikes.

So an e-bike is better than an EV. But is it better than my MB-1? The answer is in what it replaces. If I ride the e-bike the same amount as my Bridgestone, the answer is no. But research suggests e-bike owners ride more often. I need to replace about 1,000 car miles to "offset" the lifetime emissions from making the bike. If, say, half of the short trips I now drive get taken by bike, the math gets pretty good, even if the bike lasts just five years.

About that: I’m demanding, and I want more. My MB-1 is old enough to run for the U.S. Senate and fits most standard parts. It's hard to imagine an e-bike lasting nearly that long. And we’ve already established that making motors and batteries from virgin materials creates harm. So we need to start making new bikes from reclaimed ones.

The bike industry is starting to respond meaningfully: A new nationwide e-bike battery recycling program can reclaim 90 percent of spent battery materials to make new ones. Bosch takes every motor turned in on warranty and reconditions it for reuse. We need all that, and more: fewer disposable motor systems and a true, industry-wide circular economy for e-bike materials—motors, wiring, tires, and metal from frames and components.

The final condition is mine. My new-bike promise is predicated on the premise that I will ride it more. It may not fully replace a car, but it needs to replace car trips—a lot of them. If I don't do that, all this rationalization is worthless. Worse: I’ve forced the consequences of my choice to drive—traffic congestion, pollution, and the lives ended or altered by any crash I cause—on others.

Utility bikes can help us solve all those problems. And the magic of an e-bike is that it democratizes that potential to more people, in a far more energy-efficient way than EVs or even pedal-only bikes. E-bikes change the physics of cycling: That little boost shortens time, shrinks distances, and lightens loads. An e-cargo bike might not just be the best bike you can buy today, but the best bike ever made. Ultimately, a bicycle is just a tool. To realize its potential takes all of us.

There are a ton of great e-bikes available for commuting or hauling cargo, and more popping up every day. E-bikes come in all shapes, from small-wheeled utility bikes to cargo bikes, and even trikes. Below are just a few of the many commuter and cargo e-bikes ridden, reviewed, and recommended by Bicycling's editors and contributors.

Bicycling's 2023 Bike of the Year, the Specialized Globe Haul ST packs 419 pounds of cargo capacity into a surprisingly compact frame. With powerful brakes, dialed geometry, and well-thought-out features, it's ready to tackle commuting, grocery getting, neighborhood errands, or getting a kid to daycare.

Aventon updated its outstanding Level e-bike to have a smoother ride and added visibility. A new torque sensor delivers power to the rear hub motor more evenly than the previous generation bike. The Level.2 has a more natural and intuitive feel when riding. The addition of integrated lights and a smaller, easier-to-use display help make one of our favorite commuter e-bikes even better.

READ FULL REVIEW

The Co-op Cycles Generation e1.1 is an excellent bike for short trips, city use, and around town. It's a solidly-built utility bike and well-equipped with features like hydraulic disc brakes, an SR Suntour suspension fork, and Schwalbe puncture-resistant tires. While the original model suffered from an insufficient gear range, updates to current production bikes resolved this issue.

READ FULL REVIEW

Aventon's Abound is highly capable and competitively priced. And it has the features and power needed for carrying almost anything by bike. The Abound has a zippy ride feel, strong brakes, and optional accessories to customize to your needs.

READ FULL REVIEW

The Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0 e-bike has great design, useful integration, and features ideal for commuting and city riding. The Turbo Power 2.0 motor is tuned for everyday use, with a refined and natural ride feel. While the mid-drive motor only puts out 470 Watts of power, do not be misled by that number alone as the Turbo Vado has plenty of pep and is fun to ride. The well-thought-out parts spec, simple interface, clutter-free appearance, full fenders, rear rack, and lighting combine into a highly refined e-bike for commuting, city riding, or everyday transportation.

READ FULL REVIEW

5 Preride Stretches to Wake Up Those Arm Muscles

How to Take Off on a Bike With Any Kind of Pedals

How To Do a Bent-Over Row

Fezzari's Veyo Balances Performance and Value

The Best Ways to Store Your Bike

This Unbound Gravel Rider is Racing For ALS

Cycling Tips for Older Riders

Eat High-Protein Yogurt to Build Stronger Muscles

Study: Chronic Pain More Common Than Other Issues

6 Exercises to Strengthen Your Chest

How to Set Up Your Bike Cleats

The Best Non-Alcoholic Beers