Details have emerged of a new, user-friendly, low-maintenance e-bike on its way from Decathlon. Significantly, the B’Twin Long Distance 920 E Connected will be the retail giant’s first with automatic gearing.
Details are scant at this point with the announcement having only arisen from Decathlon’s annual Reveal Innovation event which highlights upcoming design innovations.
The bike itself won’t be out until next spring and even then there’s no guarantee of a UK release. The odds are greater than for the Elops R500E e-cargo bike though as it’s very definitely being set up as an e-bike with broad appeal, whereas e-cargo bikes are still unfortunately a pretty niche market in the UK.
The one thing we do know is that Long Distance 920 E Connected will have a new automatic gearing system which has been developed in partnership with Belgian firm, e2Drives.
This is a pretty big deal as it’s a high-end feature that could become available to a much greater number of people if Decathlon’s usual hard-to-beat pricing comes into play.
And it’s the kind of e-bike that will appeal to casual riders.
“Removing gears removes a constraint,” B’Twin product designer Cyrile Rouffiat told French site cleanrider.com. “We also remove a derailleur, which eliminates maintenance to have a more durable product.”
Other than that, all we really know is that the Long Distance 920 E Connected will have a mid-motor and an integrated battery, which, going by the name, will presumably be a relatively large one.
Imagery we’ve seen also shows integrated lighting, mudguards, a rack and a stand.
All in all, simplicity seems to be the watchword.
“The strong point of this bike is the ease of pedalling,” said B’Twin product director, Frédéric Jung. “At the slightest pedal stroke, the bike reacts instantly and super fluidly. We are talking about a technically very advanced and very innovative bike that will simplify the life of a cyclist.”
