This Stylish and Efficient New E-Bike Could Save You Thousands on Gas

Walk around any California beach town right now and you’ll see that the new status symbol isn’t a souped-up G Wagon or even the latest Alo set. E-bikes are the new accessory du jour, and the moment feels less like a trend and more like a genuine cultural shift. They’ve stopped being the quirky thing cyclists and tourists talk about and have become the thing your neighbors actually own. And no longer are they just hulking, black-tired beasts. Models like the RetroSpec Chatham Rev+ 2 are downright adorable. And better yet, way easier to charge than an electric vehicle. (See: no belabored visits to the Target parking lot to charge up.)

What makes Retrospec unique is that it was started in California by a team that really gets coastal living, which means they look good (check out the adorable matcha and eggshell colorways); can handle a quick trip to grab coffee just as well as they handle a 30-mile weekend ride; charge seamlessly; and solve a problem that’s been quietly eating into everyone’s budget: the actual cost of driving a car.

Ely Khakshouri, founder of RetroSpec, got into this business by accident. “I didn’t buy my first bike because I was trying to save the planet,” he says. “I bought it because I was broke and couldn’t afford a car. But the math worked out. Gas, parking, insurance, maintenance—it all adds up to a number most people don’t sit down and calculate until they’re done paying it.”

Courtesy of Retrospec

After all, a car costs way more than just the monthly payment, especially in this economy, where gas prices are soaring and insurance bills are an arm and a leg. Not to mention the problem of parking in cities like San Francisco. I’ve swapped in a few trips a week for an e-bike and not only is it a blast to be breezing down the bike path with the wind in my hair, I am already seeing a savings. There’s just something nostalgic about cruising to the farmers market, heading home with my haul in my basket, slowly taking in the scenery. My current mission is to figure out how to attach a longboard rack to the bike to make my morning surf sessions seamless. (Sadly that’s one of the few accessories RetroSpec doesn’t yet offer.)

The RetroSpec Chatham Rev+ 2 has made it so that on some weekends, I don’t even move my car. It’s got a 500W motor, a 48V battery that gives you up to 75 miles of range, and four pedal assist levels, plus a throttle if you just want to cruise. The whole thing hits 20 mph when you need it. Seriously, it’s zippy. It’s got 3-inch tires that roll over everything, full fenders so you don’t come home splattered in mud, lights built in, and a step-through frame that actually lets you get on and off without doing gymnastics. It costs $1,399.99 (currently on sale from $1,499), which sounds like real money until you think about what you’re not spending on gas, insurance, parking permits, and let’s be honest, parking tickets. And many similar models on the market can cost twice as much.

“When I started this company, the problem I was trying to solve was simple: why does good gear have to be so expensive? That’s still the problem we’re solving,” says Khakshouri,. “A lot of e-bikes are priced like they’re for a very specific person with a very specific income. We built ours for everyone else. Same design intention, same ride quality, without the price tag that makes you nervous every time you lock it up outside.”

There’s one thing Khakshouri is adamant about, though: if you’re going to make this work, treat the bike like what it is—which is to say, it’s still not cheap. Get a solid U-lock or heavy chain lock, lock through the frame to something that isn’t going anywhere. If you’re going to be a while, use two. “Treat it like the investment it is,” he says. I’d say it’s one that’s worth making.

Courtesy of Retrospec

We only recommend things we love. If you buy something through our site, we might earn a commission.