Super73's dirt loving R-series electric bikes are shipping now

Super73, the electric bike company that’s now synonymous with the lightweight “scrambler” design, is now shipping its offroad R-series bikes. The Super73-R and -RX were announced in January as the new top-end models in Super73’s lineup, coming in at $2,495.00 and $2,995.00 during “pre-order pricing,” respectively.

The company has deviated slightly from the urban-centric design of its past models. Both R-series bikes eschew clean lines for a beefy full suspension, larger 960 watt-hour battery, and 1200 watt motor. As I said in my Vanmoof S3 review, a full suspension or even just front suspension, like Super73’s S2, is a must-have for cities with huge potholes, which is… all of them. The R series bikes also have slightly knobbier tires, and together these riffs on the original design create an urban and suburban bike that looks a lot meaner and can take on tougher paths and sandy beaches.

According to Super73’s press release, R-series bikes are being delivered now and the S2, Super73’s update mid-range bike, will begin shipping at the end of June. The company also described an upcoming IoT module that it says will enable “remote anti-theft security, geolocation tracking, and crash detection,” which would put these bikes in direct competition with some of Vanmoof’s more high-end features.

The company also made some noise about a custom “flat track” version of its RX bike, pictured below. The company said it “fitted a shorter rear shock and lowered the front of the bike to give it a meaner stance” and used “lower and wider handlebars set the rider into a more aggressive position.” Super73 also added custom racing body panels, a protective battery cage, and a bigger skid plate to make the whole thing a little more durable.

We would have to review the RX to know for sure, but on paper a 1200 watt motor that can peak at 2000 watts, plus a full suspension, puts the Super73 R-series into an interesting (and my personal favorite) product category; powerful electric bikes with some off-road capabilities. As frequent readers know, I had a Sur Ron bike until very recently, and I sold it specifically because it was overpowered for my situation. The Super73 RX has a battery that’s about half the size of the Sur Ron’s, but the bike also weighs around 40 pounds less.

There aren’t many (mass production) bikes in this category, especially here in the U.S. High-end mid-drive bikes are designed with Europe's stringent electric bike law in mind, so they're both mechanically and electronically limited. Super73’s R-series bikes are powerful but street legal right out of the box, and with demand for electric bikes booming, that’s exactly what we need right now.