The Honda EV Outlier Concept, unveiled at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show, is a futuristic electric motorcycle concept that embraces bold design and new riding experiences. It’s built around a dual in-wheel motor layout (front and rear) and eliminates a conventional drivetrain to give riders more freedom with weight distribution. No information on whether the Outlier will become a future production motorcycle.
Kyle
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PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — This Philly nonprofit is teaching girls how to know their worth.
The organization focuses on empowering youth through their programming and mentorship.
“Know Your Worth Girls Inc. is about providing a safe haven. We’re a nonprofit organization…Philadelphia based, helping those at-risk girls that really need it. Being able to give them that love and teaching them about self-love,” said Assistant Director, Kyasia Bess.
They hopped on bikes this morning for their “Cycles of Healing” event.
While riding through nature, they also stopped at their own stations to receive affirmations and process emotions.
For more information, check out the video above.
Also, check out their website.
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Nick Iadonisi
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New York City’s elected activists can’t stop micro-managing app-based food delivery.
It’s an obsession driven by economic ignorance that harms the low-wage, unskilled workers the left claims to care about so deeply.
In 2023, the City Council imposed new minimum-wage regulations on apps such as Uber Eats or Doordash, which employ bicycle deliverymen to pick up food from restaurants to deliver to customers: It hiked wages to above $20 an hour, forcing the apps to do strict recordkeeping to track time on-call and time making deliveries.
The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection correctly predicted that wages — and prices — would rise, yielding fewer deliveries as some customers decided that paying an extra 10 bucks to get sandwiches delivered wasn’t worth it.
And, in fact, the “reform” drove thousands of delivery workers out of the industry, while those who remain are working much harder.
And now the City Council thinks it can stop that job-killing effect . . . by giving app deliverymen job protections that most American workers can only dream of.
New York, like almost every other state, follows the doctrine of “at-will employment,” meaning that (with limited exceptions) you can be fired for any reason, or no reason, at any time.
But progressives’ new bill would prevent the apps from “deactivating” delivery workers without “just cause.”
Being extremely slow in completing deliveries, for instance, wouldn’t be sufficient reason for termination.
Plus, the company would have to give workers 15 days’ notice and written explanations of which rules it believes they violated. And in the event of “bona-fide” economic distress, it would have to give 120 days’ notice.
More, the apps couldn’t deactivate any delivery worker unless they could prove he knowingly violated the rules.
Prove to who? The law prescribes an arbitration system that could occupy a team of labor lawyers for years, and requires back pay, lawyers’ fees and thousands of dollars in penalties and fines if the worker’s termination is found to be “without cause.”
Food delivery is casual labor, done mostly by undocumented people with few options or skills beyond knowing how to ride a bike.
Nobody wants these folks to be exploited, but it’s beyond nuts for the City Council to devote so much of its attention to imposing some supposed “perfect justice” on a minor service that’s worked well enough for decades with basically no oversight at all.
Over the past few years, electric bikes have skyrocketed in popularity (conscious decision not to use the word exploded there), with some estimates saying that ebike sales in the US grew tenfold over the last decade. Whether you are in the market for your first ebike or are borrowing one from your local lending library, you might be wondering what an ebike’s class denotes.
There are three designations of ebikes in America—Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3—that are defined by a small handful of characteristics. While most ebikes have a maximum power output of 750 watts, it’s a combination of a bike’s top speed and how that speed is achieved that puts each ebike into its correct class. The three classes also determine where you can ride your ebike.
Laws vary state by state, but there is enough crossover to make some general points about how and where you can ride your ebike, depending on its class. “When it comes to ebike classes, the laws are really similar across states,” said Doug Dahl, communications lead at Target Zero, a division of the Washington Traffic Commission in Olympia, Washington.
Updated September 2025: We broadly updated this explainer.
Jump To
Photograph: Adrienne So
Photograph: Adrienne So
Photograph: Adrienne So
Photograph: Adrienne So
Class 1 ebikes use only pedal-assist technology. In other words, a rider has to be powering the bike’s pedals for the electric motor to kick in. In some instances, Class 1 bikes also have a handlegrip-based or thumb-activated throttle. However, those can only be activated when the rider is pedaling the bike.
Additionally, Class 1 ebikes have a top speed of 20 miles per hour.
In most places, a Class 1 ebike is legal to ride just about anywhere you can ride traditional bikes (which are coming to be known as “analog bikes” or the even more annoying “acoustic bikes”), such as on greenways, bike lanes, and park paths.
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Rad Power Bikes
In addition to pedal assist, Class 2 ebikes are equipped with throttles that a rider can operate even when they aren’t pedaling. Think of a small moped or a very, very slow motorcycle. So slow, in fact, that their top speed is legally regulated to 20 miles per hour.
Like Class 1 ebikes, Class 2 bikes are permitted just about everywhere. In other words, the only difference between Class 1 and Class 2 ebikes is a throttle that can be operated independent of the pedal-assist mechanism.
Photograph: Parker Hall
Photograph: Parker Hall
Photograph: Parker Hall
With a top speed of 28 miles per hour, Class 3 bikes are the most powerful of all. However, given their speed, most states impose heavier restrictions on where you can ride a Class 3 ebike. Like any bicycle, riders can operate a Class 3 ebike on roads, in traffic lanes, and in road-adjacent bike lanes. However, Class 3 bikes are typically prohibited on greenways, paths, and in parks.
Some ebikes offer riders the ability to toggle between Classes 2 and 3, offering more options as to where and how you might ride your ebike.
Before going any further, let’s jump back to where I made mention of a small moped or a very, very slow motorcycle. As electric technology develops rapidly, and states and municipalities aim to keep up, there is a lot of gray area as to what is and isn’t an ebike, how those things differ from scooters, and whether or not any of them are mopeds.
An easy way to determine whether your ebike is truly an ebike, thereby requiring no additional licensing such as a motorcycle license or a driver’s license, is to note the bike’s top speed. If the machine’s electric motor is capable of speeds in excess of 28 miles per hour, it is not an ebike, regardless of what state you’re in.
Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
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Lefferts Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue.
Google maps
An e-bike rider was killed after recently slamming into an open car door on a Queens street, police announced Saturday.
According to law enforcement sources, officers from the 102nd Precinct responded to a collision near Lefferts Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill at around 8:25 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 25. An initial investigation determined that a 32-year-old man from Queens, named “Vikas,” was riding an e-bike southbound on Lefferts Boulevard when he collided with an open car door.
Police determined that a 46-year-old man, sitting in a 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC, opened the driver’s side door that Vikas slammed into. Upon the horrific impact, the cyclist was thrown off the device and forcefully landed on the roadway, sustaining a head injury.
EMS immediately responded and rushed the victim to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Meanwhile, the man in the Mercedes-Benz remained at the scene.
No charges have been filed against the driver so far, but the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad is continuing its inquiry.
Police reported that e-bike collisions citywide have been increasing this year.
According to the latest traffic statistics from the NYPD, e-bike collisions throughout the boroughs are up over 30% year to date, with 540 incidents this year, compared to 414 during the same period in 2024.
The NYPD statistics reflect a significant increase since July 23, when amNewYork reported that e-bike collisions citywide are up a whopping 21.5% year to date, with 401 crashes compared to 330 during the same period last year, per the traffic data.
Meanwhile, the latest NYPD data also shows that overall collisions involving motorized two-wheeled devices (including mopeds and e-bikes) are down over 13% year to date this year compared to the same period in 2024.
Barbara Russo-Lennon
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-24R_mOTP_rOTP_eBFCB_SP6_50T_SADW_TYG1_EG-2.jpg)
I just had fun riding a Brompton. Actual, smile-inducing, adrenalin-fuelled fun, on a fold up bicycle. I’ve ridden many Bromptons and find them to be ingeniously portable feats of commuter engineering, but never especially fun. But here I am, careering along muddy forest paths, flying up hills and bouncing over tree roots … on a Brompton.
My grin comes courtesy of the new Brompton Electric G Line, the most radical redesign in the brand’s 50 year history. It’s still unmistakably a Brompton; it still folds to a third of its size, can be carried (just), and pushed around train stations and subways with ease. But instead of the usual asphalt-friendly, weight-saving 16-inch tires, the G Line has 20-inch cushy Schwalbe G-One tan wall tires. For all intents and purposes, it’s a big wheel folding all-terrain gravel bike.
The handlebars are wide, like a regular hybrid bike, and there are disc brakes (the first time on a Brompton) and a Shimano 4- or 8-speed gear system. It is available in electric and non-electric models, in Forest Green, Adventure Orange and Traildust White, both with and without rack and mudguards. There’s also a choice of small, medium and large sizes. With the standard Brompton you can choose the style and height of handlebars, and adjust the seat height accordingly, but with the G Line, the ergonomics are tweaked to offer better balance depending on your height. Just. Like. A. Regular. Bike.
I’ve been riding the Electric G Line for two weeks, and it just doesn’t handle like a Brompton. The wibble-wobble steering has gone, as has the bone-shaking ride over anything but smooth tarmac. London streets are not forgiving, but the G Line soaks up every bump with ease.
That’s only enhanced further by the 250-watt rear-mounted hub motor (15.5-mph limit), which pushes hard when needed and removes any effort on the flat. According to Brompton, the new motor was put through its paces on a 24/7 durability rig, with more than 20 motors going through a combined mileage of over 1,000,000 kilometers (62,137 miles).
I didn’t quite manage those numbers, but in real-world conditions, the motor kicks in smoothly and helps glide you along with minimal effort. There are three levels of power assistance, each impacting on the bike’s range, but for me, the mid-power option offers all the help I need, and makes for a fun ride—both on and off road.
The redesigned battery pack clips neatly into the front bracket, and offers 345 kWh of power and a range of 20–40 miles (30–60 kilometers). It ejects easily, and takes around four hours to fully charge. There’s also an app, and while it wasn’t ready for my pre-launch test, it will include over-the-air updates, power mode controls, distance tracking and battery life information.
On the Electric G Line, a nine-watt front light and one-watt rear light do a good job illuminating the road or trail ahead. There are mounting points on the elongated front set and forks for water bottle cages and packs, while the rear rack has ample space for more luggage. There’s also a range of luggage options, including generous satchels with battery storage built in. It will be interesting to see if this bike can carry enough for a bike packing or touring weekend.
Until now, Brompton built bikes for cities. It has sold over a million since 1975, and the combination of teeny wheels and peerless folding mechanism makes them unbeatable for final-mile commuting. They also fold up small enough to be taken with you wherever you go. And they need to, because a Brompton chained up in London won’t stay chained up for long.
But the G Line isn’t designed for commuters; it’s built for trails, and while the ride off road is assured, well balanced, comfortable and stupid amounts of fun, the bike is heavier as a result. A small-frame eight-speed non-electric G Line Brompton weighs from 30.6 pounds (13.9 kilograms), which is six-and-a-half pounds (three kilos) heavier than a standard model (24.2 pounds / 11 kilograms). The standard electric model weighs from 36.6 pounds (16.6 kilograms), and the design I’ve been testing clocks in at 42.9 pounds (19.5 kilograms), including the battery.
Photograph: Chris Haslam
Photograph: Chris Haslam
That means carrying it for any length of time has the potential to be hernia-inducing, and makes the Electric G Line a chunk to carry up and down stairs. The way the folded frame is engineered means the weight is at least evenly distributed, but there’s no doubt that it’s heavy. Sensing this, Brompton has redesigned the rolling wheels to include bearings, making it significantly smoother to push (or pull) than a standard Brompton. If you are going to be taking your Electric G Line on public transport, be prepared to mix up carrying and wheeling to save your arms.
That said, for a folding electric bike, the Brompton’s weight is in line with the competition. The £2,899 Volt Lite weighs a little less (39.6 pounds / 18 kilograms with battery), as does the £1,299 ADO Air 20, although ADO does have a sensationally light Carbon model that weighs just 27.5 pounds (12.5 kilograms). None of these bikes fold as elegantly as the Brompton though, nor offer the same big bike ride experience.
While still champions of the folding bike sector then, Brompton is playing catch up with the electric market. And while I’m not faulting the performance, the battery pack design feels something of an afterthought. I look forward to a purpose-built electric Brompton (in Titanium) when it happens though.
On first impression I thought the G Line was unacceptably bigger than a traditional Brompton. The tires are larger and wider, and the frame is chunkier, but when placed side-by-side (see photos below) there’s not really a huge amount in it—which is remarkable. I was worried about having to store the bike at home and take the G Line into an office or pub (see earlier comment about London) and while it is heavier to lift, I don’t think anyone will really notice much of a difference in small doses.
Photograph: Chris Haslam
Photograph: Chris Haslam
It is unquestionably the most capable Brompton ever built, and an absolute blast to ride, especially off-road. I’m keen to ride the lightest non-electric version too, and see if the eight-speed gearing and smaller wheels do enough for a serious gravel ride. I suspect it might, but whether it’s enough to tempt serious trail riders is another thing entirely.
Which brings us on to who precisely is the Brompton G Line for? It’s certainly a premium proposition, with pricing from £2,395 (my test version costs £3,495), but it is a Brompton, so many people won’t flinch at these prices. For comparison, the cheapest standard Brompton costs from £950, the lightest Titanium option costs from £4,250 and the flagship electric version, the P Line, costs from £3,695. So it’s in good company.
I suspect the all-terrain fun will tempt many existing fold-up riders off their tiny 16-inch wheels. There might be a compromise on weight, size and transportability, but the ride and handling is beyond comparison.
For the first time a fold-up bike has been as enjoyable to ride as a full-sized design, while still being able to fold down and fit in the trunk, or under the stairs. It’s a superb upgrade and should bring the brand to the attention of a whole new audience.
Chris Haslam
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Most people think I bike with my kids because I like exercise or because I want to combat climate change. Neither is true (or, the entire answer, at any rate). No, it’s just that sitting in pickup or drop-off lines in a car makes me want to yeet myself straight into the path of an oncoming 18-wheeler. Now that my kids are 7 and 9, and old enough to bike with me, it’s also much more fun to watch them hop curbs and swing their legs and shout, “We live in a jungle!” than it is, again, to wait for traffic lights to change.
The WIRED Gear team has many children, and we enlisted many of them to test these kids’ bikes on rides to school, on the trails, or around the park. These are our top picks for every age and size. Don’t see a bike for your kid here? Let us know, as we will continue to test and update these picks. And if you’re looking for a bike for yourself, check out our Best Electric Bikes, Best Cheap Ebikes, and Best Electric Cargo Bikes for Families guides.
Updated September 2024: We added the Early Rider Bella Velio, the Linus Lil Roadster, and the Cleary Meerkat, and added a slide on balance bikes. We also updated links and prices.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
Bikes are expensive. It’s tempting to future-proof your purchase by buying a bike a size or two bigger, for your child to grow into. Do not fall into this trap! Not only is it uncomfortable, it’s unsafe. How would you expect to control a bike that was two sizes too big for you?
Sizing by age range is also risky; for example, my 9-year-old daughter is half the size of some of her peers (sorry, sweetie). To find the correct size, you’ll either have to measure your kid’s height or their minimum inseam length. Children’s bikes are measured by wheel size, so a 12-inch bike refers to a bike with 12-inch wheels, and so forth. When you get the bike, see if your child can stand over the frame with flat feet comfortably on the ground. Make sure your child can get on and off easily and that their hands can reach the brakes and shifters if the bike has them.
Other factors you might want to consider:
Adrienne So
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Nonnative species like Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine were often favored, because of their qualities as a timber crop. Trees would be planted in “coupes”—areas of several acres—at the same time, “and they would plant them in straight lines, so that they’re easier to harvest.” All of this led to a forest that was “genetically very undiverse, and a really bad habitat for wildlife,” Astley explains, with trees of a uniform height blocking light from the forest floor, preventing other species from thriving.
If this plantation-style forest was bad for biodiversity, Astley and his cofounders quickly realized it was bad for their business too. “The two things are just not good bedfellows, commercial forestry and a mountain bike park,” he says. Mountain bike trails—narrow slivers of dirt rarely more than a meter wide—don’t cover much actual surface area. “In terms of the percentage, we’re probably using 1.5 percent of the site,” Astley explains. But the longest trails snake for 5 kilometers back and forth through the woods, so they do require a lot of space.
“If you cleared one coupe of trees, you might have to close 10 trails for six months, and the impact on our business would be huge,” Astley says. In the 11 years the bike park had been in operation, he says, NRW had managed to avoid felling any coupes in the “core area” of Gethin Woodland—the 120-hectare zone where their current trails lie. “But we got to a point where NRW said, ‘We can’t allow you to develop any more trails on the hill because it just makes it harder and harder for us to extract any timber.’” It was clear something had to change. And rewilding—actively helping the forest around the trails return to its pre-plantation state—seemed like an ideal solution.
Astley, a zoology graduate, has always been “ecologically minded,” he says. “Morally, I think businesses have a role to play in the fight that we’ve got on our hands, with climate change and biodiversity loss and so on.” At the same time, he and his partners realized that a mixed forest made up of native species would be more resistant to a whole range of threats that might endanger the future of the park.
“Before we started our works here to build the trails, in 2013, there was a large outbreak of a disease called Phytophthora ramorum, which infected larch trees across the UK,” he explains. “There was a lot of larch here, maybe 30 percent, and luckily the predecessor to NRW removed it all just before we opened, because they knew we couldn’t take on a site with all of these dangerous dead trees,” he says. But similar businesses haven’t always been so fortunate. “Revolution Bike Park in mid-Wales has just been closed for more than a year because their hill caught Phytophthora ramorum,” Astley says. “They’ve had to clear-fell the whole hill.”
As well as being more vulnerable to outbreaks of disease, single-species forests, with the trees arranged in straight lines, are also less resistant to wildfire, Astley explains. “Last July there was a huge fire on the backside of our hill, and the wind was blowing it towards us,” he says. “For about a week our uplift road was covered in smoke, and the fire brigade were dropping water from helicopters to try and put it out. It was really scary.” The more they thought about it, Astley says, the more he and his partners realized rewilding made sense—both from a business and an environmental point of view. Compared to the current monoculture, a natural forest would be “just much more resilient in every way,” he says. “We realized there was an opportunity to try and win on two fronts.”
Tristan Kennedy
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Earlier this month, the Houston BCycle bike sharing service announced that it would be closing on June 30. As that day approaches, the City of Houston has begun the process of collecting all the bikes.
The service started back in 2012, when the City of Houston began a contractual agreement with Houston Bike Share. The bikes were funded by a grant from former Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s Office of Sustainability through the Environmental Protection Agency.
The program started with just 18 bicycles across three stations in Downtown Houston, and eventually grew to over 150 stations. Despite such rapid expansion, the company announced plans to shut down back in September of 2023. Houston City Council approved a $500,000 lifeline to keep the company afloat for nine months, but it was still unable to overcome its financial woes.
“Going forward, the city will work with Houston Bike Share to remove stations and bikes over the next couple of months. The city owns much of the equipment, which will be sold to other bike share systems or through the city’s public surplus auction process,” City of Houston communications manager Elise Marrion tells KPRC 2, in reference to a recent news release.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
Michael Horton
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The new Scrambler CR24I from Ducati is a cutting-edge motorcycle that blends retro design with modern technology. It delivers breathtaking performance and an exhilarating ride that surpasses the competition. The Ducati Scrambler CR24I is geared towards thrill-seekers and adventure minded riders looking for a high-performance bike to indulge their fantasies.
Kyle
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McLaren, known for producing some of the world’s most astounding super cars has now entered the electric bike market with the all-new McLaren Electric Mountain Bike. This cutting-edge piece of engineering combines McLaren extensive experience in building racing cars with ultra-modern e-bike technology. The result is a bike that is beautiful to the eye, yet rugged, durable and able to tackle any trail on the planet.
Kyle
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Mark Oprea
After nearly a century-and-a-half in business, Fridrich Bicycle, Cleveland’s oldest continuously-owned bike shop will be going out of business this year.
For all the change it has seen over the past 141 years it’s been in business in Ohio City, there’s been one throughline of consistency: Fridrich Bicycle has focused on making friends across Cleveland a little more than making tremendous profits.
“We give, to my knowledge, the best customer service in the entire bike industry here in Northern Ohio,” owner Charles Fridrich told Scene from a chair in his shop on Thursday. “That’s my belief. Because I insist upon it.”
That warm impression on many long-time Clevelanders’ hearts is why, according to Fridrich and his fans, 2024 is a somber year. As sometime in the next few months, after nearly a century and a half selling everything from discounted Schwinns to toboggan sleds, Fridrich Bicycles will be no more.
Well, at least that’s a possibility. Ever since the start of the pandemic years, Fridrich said he’d been contemplating retirement, a move beckoned by his wavering health and trouble with staffing since 2021. While Fridrich had 15 employees pre-Covid, these days he only has about five.
“I’ve thought about this thing every which way, and sadly, I have no choice but to sell,” Fridrich, who’s 83, said. “We are going to be going out of business… the most honest word I can use for you is, well, eventually.”
Fridrich’s decision to close up shop is also, in part, a reaction to an evolving Ohio City, a neighborhood enamored with a future dotted with more development. One of the three owners Fridrich’s “in talks” with, he said, hinted at tearing down the bike shop to make way for apartments and ground-floor retail. (A similar fate that befell the Old Fashioned Hotdogs diner a few blocks west, in 2020.) Others might try to keep the shop open.
It’s also a wonder to Fridrich how, in the era of four-figure e-bikes and bike lane obsession, a legacy, no-bull cycle shop like his can once again turn great profits.
Hundreds of similar shops across the country, responding to a December survey by Bicycle Retailer, said that final-quarter 2023 was their worst for sales in recent memory. More than half blamed the Amazons of the industry—the direct-to-door, assemble-it-yourself bikes with West Coast aesthetics that, more often than not, pale in quality compared to traditional competitors.
A trend that is at odds with Cleveland’s current zeitgeist. Just like Slavic Village’s Fleet Bike Shop closing after 53 years in business, Fridrich shutting his doors this spring or summer puts a dent in a local industry that’s been increasingly lobbying, with success, for safer streets. And, after 13 years of advocacy, the Lorain Midway cycle track will be, if all goes according to plan, opening right outside Fridrich’s door later this decade.
Ironically enough, Midway hype or protected bike lanes doesn’t change Fridrich’s mood: “Honestly? I’m rather apathetic about it.”
A Gilded Age business venture at the height of the American bicycle craze, the original Fridrich shop grew out of a partnership between German immigrant Joseph W. Fridrich and coal entrepreneur August Schmidt. The Fridrichs, according to Cleveland Historical, were eager to tap into a growing market, and opened up a small store on Lorain Avenue. (In 1909, Cleveland Historical suggests, not 1883.)
Come the 1960s, the Fridrichs had solidified their reputation as budget-friendly pals to all. Joseph J. Fridrich, known as “J.J.,” even created, in the shop basement, a competitor to the Schwinns, Columbias and Murrays that dominated the national market. But his was $29.95, half the cost. J.J. called it, probably with a wink, the “Fridrich Cadillac.”
“It was a total value bike,” Charles Fridrich recalled. “Nothing fancy. Just in red or blue. And we sold hundreds of them.”
Mark Oprea
Charles “Chuck” Fridrich, 83, the owner of Fridrich Bicycle since his father died in 1992. After 141 years in business, Fridrich said he’s looking to sell.
Mark Oprea
Fridrich’s shop had long valued customer service over a clean, crisp image. “People just see an old shop,” Charles Fridrich said. “They see this creaky floor. It’s part of the ambience of the place.”
J.J. died in 1992, above the shop he ran with Charles’ occasional help for three decades. Charles, on the other hand, had just gotten married a second time, and had a pretty passionate career in professional bowling. But his father had died. His four siblings had all moved out West. He had no choice.
“The company attorney came along, and dumped a big wad of keys in my hand, and said, ‘You got to run this place,’” Charles said. “And that was not my plan.”
Fridrich himself, a white-haired man with a calm demeanor, seems to have shaped his cycle shop to echo his own personality. Bikes are lined carefully parallel to children’s sleds. A framed article in the West Side Sun hangs in front of a random pair of cleats, next to a note to customers that reads, “Take care of your bike.” Everyone who wheeled their Fujis or Raleighs into Fridrich’s on Thursday were greeted on a first-name basis.
It’s why everyone who’s dealt with them has walked away with fond memories.
“One of the last great stores in Cleveland,” Shannon Richey, a former Ohio City resident, wrote to Scene. They “always gave top quality work with fair pricing. Never tried to overcharge or do unnecessary work. A great ethic—and I referred many customers there because of it.”
Yet, is it time for Fridrich to move on? Most of the store’s brick-colored floor looks like it had been beat up by a roller derby. Out-of-order candy dispensers sit next to two-for-$1 water bottles. Giant white tarps hang close to chipped ceiling tiles, tarps that funnel rainwater into orange Home Depot buckets. “It’s like Swiss cheese up there,” employee Chrystal Smith told Scene, looking up at the roof.
All charm, according to Fridrich.
“People just see an old store,” he said. “They see this creaky floor—it’s part of the ambiance of the place. And they’re just kind of like, ‘Oh, my God, they’re still here. I got my first bike when I was 14.’ Or this or that. And you hear this from so many.”
As Fridrich took a call from the city—his sidewalk outside was in bad need of repair—Dennis Marin walked into the shop. He looked around, and said to clerk Rodger Zanny with his hand at his waist, “Wow, I haven’t been in here since I was this tall.”
When Marin was told that Fridrich, after 141 years in business, would be closing this year, his excitement turned to sadness-tinged nostalgia. He thought of the purple Cool Ghoul bike his dad bought him as a kid.
“I don’t know how else to say it,” Marin, 57, said. “It’s just sad. Sad to see the mom and pops go out of business. And everything just goes more Walmart, Walmart, Walmart.”
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Mark Oprea
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The Seattle ebike company Rad Power Bikes has announced four new ebike models, all of which have the very important distinction of being unlikely to have their batteries suddenly burst into flames.
The company says its new Safe Shield Batteries—which come standard on all four new bikes—have been certified at UL-2271, an industry standard ranking for battery safety. That means the batteries on these models of Rad Power’s bikes won’t be nearly as susceptible to the kinds of battery fires that have been plaguing low-end ebikes and scooters and have led to injuries and nearly 20 deaths in the US.
Rad Power had 30,000 of its RadWagon 4 ebikes recalled in 2022 due to misaligned tires, an issue the company has apologized for and says it has fixed. There’s been one reported case of a Rad Power bike catching fire, but other than that the company hasn’t contributed to the wave of cheap ebike battery fires. We tend to like Rad Power’s bikes quite a bit here at WIRED, so this increase in battery safety is welcome news, especially because of the added emphasis on the whole “not exploding” thing.
Rad Power’s new bikes come in a few forms. There’s its Radster commuter bike, which comes in Road and Trail models for different terrains. Both start at $1,999. The company also announced the RadExpand 5 Plus, an $1,899 folding bike, and its new iteration of the cargo-oriented RadWagon 5, which starts at $2,199.
Here’s some other consumer tech news from this week.
Ask Wendy’s Anything
Reddit is trying to make itself friendlier to marketers. This week, the company announced a new suite of tools, called Reddit Pro, that will be available to businesses for free.
Reddit Pro offers brands a variety of ways to engage with the platform’s users, in service of helping advertisers better pour themselves into every eyeball remotely possible. For instance, Reddit will offer “AI-powered insights” that the company says will sift through the site’s 17 billion posts to find relevant threads and topics that companies can then use to “join or start conversations” (aka deploying their deeply cringe marketing tactics). That means when you write a comment about, say, Wendy’s, in a thread way down on a tiny subreddit, the brand’s social media team will have an easier time finding it and spouting off some sassy brand banter in the replies.
It’s the latest move in Reddit’s slow, controversial quest for profitability (and possibly enshittification). Reddit filed to take the company public in February, which will enable it to sell stock to shareholders. The company, which has never proven profitable, is eager to make its platform more appealing to advertisers who can spend money in its forums. This is likely why Reddit has made moves like charging an exorbitant amount of money for the tools developers use to access the platform’s data, effectively killing third-party apps. This move of giving brands and advertisers an easier portal into every segment of the site is another stab at those ambitions.
Dodge This
There’s a new Dodge chargin’ onto the scene. Yes, it’s a Charger, the beefy, grotesquely fuel-inefficient muscle car that’s been roaring across roads for the better part of the past century. In 2021, Dodge announced it would ditch its gas-powered Chargers in favor of electric variants. This week, the first stage of that rollout has officially begun.
Billed—somewhat arguably—as “the world’s first and only electric muscle car,” the Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack EV is an absolutely juiced-up road-rage machine that’s bound to be the closest thing you can get to driving a Transformer. It boasts up to 670 horsepower and has a quoted zero-to-60 time of 3.3 seconds. The car also comes with an array of features meant to make it easier to mainline high-octane driving adrenaline. There are dedicated performance modes for rubber-burnin’ excursions like Drag, Track, Drift, and Donut modes. Another setting, called PowerShot, increases horsepower by 40 hp for 15 seconds. It’s like injecting your car with nitrous oxide but keeping it street legal.
Nikon Takes a Red Eye
Camera manufacturer Nikon announced this week that it is scooping up the cinematic camera company Red. Red’s professional digital cameras have a long reputation in cinematography circles for pushing the boundaries of what camera sensors and optics can do. They’re traditionally expensive, beefy devices aimed at professionals producing cinema-quality content. If you watch any big-budget shows or movies on network television or the streamers, you’ve surely seen something shot on Red.
This move by Nikon points to the company’s video ambitions. Nikon makes very good photography cameras but has struggled to compete with the likes of Canon when it comes to video. Buying a premium video-camera company may certainly give the brand a leg up.
Hey Google, U OK?
There’s always lots going on at Google. As one of the biggest tech firms in the world, the company often attracts a lot of scrutiny and criticism, much of it warranted. But Google’s been on a roll lately, with problems stemming from its rush to push out AI products, its recent rounds of layoffs, and internal discrimination against its own employees. All of this makes for a very chaotic time for the company, which raises the ultimate question: Is Google OK?
This week on WIRED’s Gadget Lab podcast, we talk about the online uproar about Google’s Gemini AI going “woke” and all the internal turmoil roiling the big Silicon Valley company.
Boone Ashworth
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A once in a lifetime collaboration between Bentley and Ducati has created the limited-edition Ducati Diavel for Bentley. This stunning blend of British luxury and Italian engineering draws inspiration from the legendary Bentley Batur. The new 2024 Diavel is a 740 hp bike that will be produced in a limited-edition batch of only 500 units.
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Kyle
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Mahindra Group-owned Classic Legends’ motorcycle brand BSA has recently unveiled a new Scrambler concept-based bike, which is based on BSA’s neo-retro roadster Gold Star 650. The new BSA Scrambler concept, which is an off-roader and comes with a Ducati-inspired christening, features long-travel suspension and dual-purpose Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR rubber.
BSA, which was originally founded as Birmingham Small Arms Company Ltd. in the manufacturing of firearms, now offers Brit-based bikes and carries forward its legacy of classic rides.
Both young and old motorcycle enthusiasts across Europe were excited about the launch of BSA Goldstar 650 as Birmingham Small Arms Company is one of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers in Britain. Interestingly, Classic Legends also revived Jawa and Yezdi brands in India.
BSA’s new concept bike features a longer suspension with dual shock absorbers, a fresh coat of paint, and dual-sport wire-spoke Scorpion Rally STR tyres. However, no specific date has been announced for the release of this bike yet.
As per media reports, the new bike is expected to be out in 2023/2024 and will go up against the likes of the Royal Enfield 650.
BSA’s new Scrambler concept is expected to feature the same 652cc single-cylinder engine that was offered in the recently revealed Gold Star. The power unit churns out around 45hp of power and 55Nm of torque.
However, BSA still hasn’t revealed any plans to enter the Indian market, but it could be bringing its Gold Star 650 to India soon.
WE START TONIGHT WITH THAT BREAKING NEWS CHARGES FILED IN A MILWAUKEE CASE INVOLVING VIDEO THAT GOT NATIONAL ATTENTION. THAT VIDEO SHOWS A WHITE MAN WITH HIS HAND ON A BLACK MAN’S THROAT. LET’S GO AHEAD. RECORD. LET GO OF HIS NECK. HE’S NOT GOING. STOLE A BIKE. READ OUT OF A FRIEND ON MY YARD. LET GO. I DID. IN THE LAST HOUR, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARGED 62 YEAR OLD ROBERT WALSER KOSKI WITH DISORDERLY CONDUCT. A BYSTANDER SAW THE CONFRONTATION CALLED POLICE AND STARTED RECORDING. IN THE VIDEO WAS A KOSKI IS ALSO CALLING POLICE SAYING HE BELIEVED THE YOUNGER MAN’S FRIENDS HAD STOLEN A BIKE. THE COMPLAINT SAYS TWO DAYS LATER, THE YOUNGER MAN’S MOTHER CALLED POLICE, SAYING THAT THERE WERE TWO BIKES AT HER HOME THAT DID NOT BELONG TO HER FAMILY. THE MOTHER SAID HER SON IS 25 BUT HAS THE MENTAL CAPACITY OF A FIVE YEAR OLD. SHE TOLD POLICE, QUOTE, SOME KIDS ON HIS BLOCK ASKED HIM TO COME WITH THEM SO HE COULD GET A BIKE. SHE HAD BEEN ASKING THAT WAS KOSKI
‘Hand on neck’ viral video leads to criminal charge
The video, which shows a white man with his hand around the neck of a younger Black man, drew national attention and calls for prosecution.
Prosecutors filed a criminal charge Thursday against a white man captured on camera with his hand around the neck of a Black man, who relatives said has developmental delays.A video, which has now gone viral, of the incident shows Robert Walczykowski, 62, with his hands around the neck of Trevon Burks. Walczykowski is heard accusing Burks of stealing a neighbor’s bike days earlier.In the video, Burks denied the theft.Walczykowski is charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct, according to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Thursday.”My son didn’t do anything wrong and, if I was to get justice, I would want him to pay for what he did,” Burks’s mother, Tracey, said during a news conference this week. “That was very wrong for him to do that and he could’ve come at my son a different way. He didn’t have to choke my son. It was a hatred thing, what he did.”The video has drawn support for Burks from across the country.Walczykowski is due in court Wednesday, Nov. 2 for an initial appearance, according to court records.
Prosecutors filed a criminal charge Thursday against a white man captured on camera with his hand around the neck of a Black man, who relatives said has developmental delays.
A video, which has now gone viral, of the incident shows Robert Walczykowski, 62, with his hands around the neck of Trevon Burks. Walczykowski is heard accusing Burks of stealing a neighbor’s bike days earlier.
In the video, Burks denied the theft.
Walczykowski is charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct, according to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Thursday.
“My son didn’t do anything wrong and, if I was to get justice, I would want him to pay for what he did,” Burks’s mother, Tracey, said during a news conference this week. “That was very wrong for him to do that and he could’ve come at my son a different way. He didn’t have to choke my son. It was a hatred thing, what he did.”
The video has drawn support for Burks from across the country.
Walczykowski is due in court Wednesday, Nov. 2 for an initial appearance, according to court records.
Recumbent Cycles is happy to host and celebrate Ride With Mike on September 12 through Lancaster, PA.
Press Release
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Sep 1, 2015
Lancaster, PA, September 1, 2015 (Newswire.com)
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Recumbent Cycles of Lancaster, the region’s premier provider of recumbent cycles and specialty bikes, is hosting a 30th anniversary celebration ride to commemorate the achievements of local legend Mike King. King, an elite wheelchair athlete, wheeled from Fairbanks, AK to Washington, DC after a motorcycle accident left him paraplegic 30 years ago. His amazing 5,600-mile journey inspired millions of differently-abled individuals around the globe to push their limits and stay physically fit.
King has invited the local community to join him on a five-mile loop through downtown Lancaster, after which snacks and beverages will be provided to participants. The ride will begin at 10:00am at Recumbent Cycles of Lancaster, on 2207 Marietta Avenue in Lancaster. Participation in the ride is free of charge, but participants are required to register at www.lancasterrecumbent.com.
“It’s our honor to be able to host this event marking a momentous occasion. Mike’s incredible journey over the past three decades has served to motivate many with physical and developmental disabilities to get moving and live with hope and vision.”
Scott Barrows, Owner of Recumbent Cycles of Lancaster
The event will also benefit King’s organization, Powered to Move, which was founded in 2013 to encourage those with disabilities and other life challenges to stay active and live with courage, hope, and purpose. To support the “Feet N Wheels Virtual Race,” the public is encouraged to register at www.poweredtomove.com/feet-n-wheels. Racers will receive finisher medals and have the opportunity to win other prizes, including King’s new book Powered to Move: The Mike King Story.
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