Why aren't any prices listed?

The Geographic Availability of Smart Ebikes

Smarty Bikes is an international site, read in over 90 countries on every continent. The models I select come from all over the world, and they aren’t distributed everywhere.

Prices vary enormously from one country to another, from one region to another (US-EU-EMEA...): between the manufacturer, resellers, and marketplaces, it all depends on where the e-bike is being sold. There's a wide price variation due to local, continental, and international taxes. For this reason, it's impossible for me to list a fixed starting price, as my site speaks to a global audience.

The Fluctuation of Technology in a Short Timeframe

This second reason is tied to the rapid evolution of technology. The prices of some smart bikes remain fixed for years, while their technology—even if it was excellent just two years ago—may be outdated today. (e.g., dot-matrix LED HMIs have been abandoned, cf: Acer Ebii, Urtopia...).

These ebikes might be beautiful and well-designed, but their smart electronic components may no longer receive updates. A cutting-edge technology from one era can become obsolete. It's similar to smartphones that stop receiving updates after a certain time.

Bringing an e-bike to market can take up to two years, from concept and prototype to production and shipping. In that time, sensors, connectivity modules, and safety technologies evolve in price and performance, requiring significant software support for user safety and comfort.

All of this inevitably affects the price. You might find an extremely well-manufactured smart e-bike, only to realize it's already three years old, its batteries are still the 18650 format and not 21700, or its BMS (Battery Management System) isn't receiving any updates (sometimes due to a lack of Bluetooth or eSim. This means no connection to a manufacturer's server, or the server itself might not even exist). It is crucial for safety that the BMS is kept up to date.

Innovation is constant. In just three years, the power of torque sensors has gone from 35-45 Nm to an incredible 240 Nm! Fortunately, the e-bike industry has become wiser and more realistic; today, it tailors torque sensors to the e-bike's category (folding, eSUV, commuter, speedbike...). This is a serious effort in transparency for the potential buyer's final choice.

In this technological universe, some manufacturers update essential modules or even allow for the replacement of certain electronic components with new generations. This is very intelligent, as the e-bike is kept and preserved while becoming upgradeable.

A Choice Based on Everyone's Freedom

Therefore, the choice of providing a price isn't mine to make. It is up to you, the readers, to get that information and judge if the investment is worth it by comparing it with the other models I present. Aside from my desire to classify models by technology levels (connectivity, motorization, design, materials, or smart transmissions), I cannot create a "value for money" ranking like other specialized websites do!

I don't think I will ever write an article titled "The Best Smart Ebikes of 2025" or "The Top Smart Ebikes for 2026." Personally, that kind of rat race doesn't interest me. Besides, you often find that those rankings feature ebikes equipped with technology that's over two years old. How could they possibly be the "best"?

Many websites rely on these types of rankings, mainly favoring the model that will bring in the best commission. I know this field well, and for Smarty Bikes, I choose not to play that game.

Constant Evolution: An Endless Variable

Everything is evolving: battery capacity and technology, frame design... Take magnesium frames: it's a delicate material. They have the distinction of being fragile and biodegradable over the very long term. It's a technology still intended for very compact and reinforced models, which in their limited use won't suffer too many shocks.

Faced with this perpetual motion, it is out of the question for me to recommend "The Best Bike of the Year" when its technology has either become commonplace, become obsolete, or remains one-of-a-kind.

No Direct Ties with Brands

I do not wish to favor any particular brand, especially since the ones I feature are often very interesting niche products. We will see over time which ones will endure and best adapt to the market, and which ones will give up or already have... Smarty Bikes is independent in its editorial line. The only contact I have with brands is related to the need for press kits, iconographic materials to illustrate the article, or additional technical information.

Each article requires a lot of investigation. Spreading information requires multiple sources, and even in the age of AI writing assistance, it remains a long process of verification.

(If an e-bike brand were ever to offer me a free bike, I'd have a real dilemma on my hands. Good thing that hasn't happened yet...)

Independence Also Means Paying My Own Way

This is one of the last reasons, and it's not the least: my site generates absolutely zero revenue. I have no affiliations and no sponsorships. I am the one who chooses the models, who judges their qualities and flaws based on my experience. Since I don't generate revenue, I don't display prices. The act of providing a valid link to the manufacturer's official website is already a generous gift I give to these brands. In exchange, I can use their photos to illustrate my articles, which seems like a fair principle to me.

As long as my site is not monetized, I will not list prices. Listing rates would require me to do constant comparisons to find the cheapest option, which represents a colossal amount of work, especially with no pay. And even if that can be automated today, it's just not my philosophy.

Just the Pleasure of Sharing

My goal is, above all, the pleasure of the eyes and the mind, intended for the reader who is passionate about smart ebikes. I present very beautiful, functional e-bikes, designed by passionate people, that deserve to be seen, tried, or purchased. In my eyes, this is the best of what is currently being made in the world in terms of design, onboard technology, and engineering.

Of course, well-known, historic brands are at the forefront and provide ebikes equipped with the best components, but here [on this site], we are dealing with qualitative and quantitative productions that are in a league of their own.

Respecting Our Environment and People: Is That a Tough Gamble When You Love Technology?

It is (ab)normal in today's commerce that ebikes become obsolete after just two or three years. Unfortunately, without the possibility of standardizing the evolution of electronic components, they will become unsellable. Even if there is some hope when we see one brand absorb another's model, giving it a second life... Who would trust a used ebike with 10,000 km and a nearly dead battery, with no updates to its BMS? It is an enormous waste of resources, energy, and technology, and a lack of environmental respect.

A Personal Approach

Finally, accessing a website that isn't plastered with advertisements is also a sign of respect. Money isn't everything, and as a primary reader of many specialized sites, I am bothered by all these ads; my reading experience is affected by them.

If I ever put advertising on the site to generate revenue, it will only be in a dedicated section, not across the entire site.