Tony Ellsworth is something of a legend in the mountain bike industry; his brand, Ellsworth Bicycles, was the first to drop a sub 22lb full suspension mountain bike as an early adopter of EPS carbon molding. In 2018, ASG Group bought the brand and Tony moved on. But, that wasn’t to be the last we heard of the legendary mountain bike designer. He’s back in business with new brand TheRide, debuting a radical e-bike; The Radiant Carbon.
Tony Ellsworth’s e-Bike: TheRide Radiant Carbon
TheRide describe the Radiant Carbon as “The World’s most advanced e-bike for commuting and cruising”. Their design goal was to pack new technology such as auto-shift, electric-assist and asymmetrical universal fit geometry into an attractive, modern-integrated design, that is as easy to ride as it is to maintain.
TheRide Radiant radical drivetrain
Aesthetics aside, they do look to have achieved their goal. TheRide Radiant Carbon is powered by a Shimano Class 1 Centre Drive motor, with hub internal automatic shifting delivered by a Nuvinci Enviolo hub.
The Enviolo is a rear hub that uses continuously variable transmission technology to create stepless automatic shifting.
A 50,000 mile lifespan Gates Carbon Belt Drive propels the Radiant Carbon. A 630Wh battery sits inside the tube just behind the bottom bracket area, delivering a claimed range of over 100 miles.
Asymmetrical Universal Fit Geometry
One bike to fit them all. Basically. TheRide claim that this one-piece carbon frame will cater to riders from 5ft to 6ft 4″. And what a frame it is. Starting from the front end we have a single-sided (left) fork. OK, it’s not exactly common but there’s nothing too out of the ordinary there. From the headtube back, things start to require a second and third glance.
The headtube flows back into a very chunky top tube and a very, very chunky downtube. That flows into a single-sided chainstay on the driveside, whereas the toptube flows into a single-sided seatstay on the non-driveside.
Sadly, we don’t have geometry figures to share with you. But, can we all just take a moment to appreciate that unfathomably slack seat tube angle. Coupled with the severe backsweep on the handlebar, it should create a very laid back seated pedaling position for cruising around town, or down the beach front.
Radiant Carbon Details
Tony Ellsworth’s Radiant Carbon e-Bike features an integrated front and rear light. A rear mud guard is mounted to the seat post. The grease-less belt drive will also ensure commuters arrive at work clean and fresh.
Though they will certainly provide ample power, we can’t help but feel the Magura MT-30 4-piston brakes with 180mm rotors are a little out of place on a commuter bike.
50mm internal width alloy rims are fitted with 2.8″ plus sized Schwalbe tires.
Pricing & Availability
Only 360 units of Tony Ellsworth’s e-bike will be produced. Get it in Radiant Red, Obsidian Metallic or Cobalt Blue. TheRide are running an Indiegogo campaign to fund the first batch of TheRide Radiant Carbon bikes, with the first due to ship in January 2021.
Back the project for $4,995 to join the First Riders Club, or pay $6,495 to get one in June 2021. Either way, you get a video call with Tony Ellsworth. Check out our podcast with the man himself from 2009.
