Specialized Launches New Brand, Globe, High Quality Electric Bike That Can Replace Cars

Specialized launched a new sub-brand called Globe. (photo: specialized)

JAKARTA - Specialized launched a new sub-brand called Globe which is dedicated to building high quality utility electric bicycles. This electric bicycle is specially designed to replace car travel.

“Globe will be an extension of the Specialty brand that will focus on bringing more fun to local life while reducing the number of car, truck and SUV trips required for everyday transportation,” the company said in a release.

Reported pule by The Verge, E-bikes are unique among two-wheelers, thanks to their very real ability to replace car trips for most owners, especially trips that are under five miles.

Cargo and utility electric bicycles in particular excel at reducing car use thanks to their rugged design and payload capacity. Specialized, the third-largest US bicycle manufacturer by market share, said it wanted to accelerate e-bike adoption, and the Globe would be the company's vehicle to make that happen.

“We live in the last generation capable of making a difference in the fight against climate change,” Saul Leiken, global category leader for the Globe, told The Verge by email.

“Electricity has revolutionized the way we travel, and to offer bicycles the ultimate climate-friendly solution for everyday commuting, Specialized expands on our traditional notions of how and why we ride,” said Leiken.

Details are still a little thin, but Specialized says that, in addition to manufacturing and shipping Globe-branded e-bikes, the sub-brands will also be the company's way of communicating with its e-bike customers, whether through marketing or customer service interactions.

“The Globe's e-bikes will be some of the highest performance bikes Specialized has ever brought to market to serve the everyday rider and performance to the utility they need,” said Leiken.

“Cargo and child carriers are two of Globe's many uses, as we take the 'everything bike' concept literally. Globe is not incorporated into any particular rider experience. "said Leiken.

“Globe will also emphasize a commitment to lifetime value and affordability with the products we make,” the company said.

Most interestingly, this new unit will serve as the face of Specialized's partnership with an independent local bike shop. "Currently they are not benefiting from the growth of exclusive direct-to-consumer brands," the company said.

In many ways, the e-bike revolution is being led by direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies, such as Rad Power Bikes, VanMoof, and Super73, thanks to their ability to focus exclusively on manufacturing and selling battery-powered bicycles.

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a long time ago, such as Giant, Specialized, and Trek, emphasized their partnerships with local bike shops as a way to highlight the differences between their DTC rivals. Through its new Globe division, Specialized appears poised to make that difference even more tangible to customers and other stakeholders.

The inclusion of “value and affordability” in the Globe creed is interesting, especially considering the Specialized price tag. Specialized makes fantastic e-bikes with the best components and they can be quite expensive. That's the case with the new Turbo bikes, which range from $3,250 to $5,500. Rad Power Bikes, by comparison, typically sells its bikes for $2,000 or less.

Leiken says that the Turbo Specialized e-bikes will coexist with Globe-branded bikes. "Globe is separate from Turbo and Turbo isn't going anywhere," he said. “Specialized continues to invest in both e-bike experiences.”

Specialized will begin taking orders for its new e-bike in late 2022, with the aim of starting customer deliveries by early 2023. The Globe e-bikes will be US-exclusive when it launches.