Table of Contents
Half the fun of summer is anticipation: stocking up on beach towels and Bluetooth speakers well in advance of all the block parties and beach days. However, right in the middle of summer is also a great time to buy stuff. Anticipation is one thing, but now is the time when we all discover that, hey, that cooler we thought was just fine is leaking. Or your kids’ bikes are too small and need replacing now that they’re being used daily.
Not every bike we like is on Amazon or being promoted as an electric bike deal on Prime Day. However, several companies are running summer deals that we think are worth your attention. If you’ve decided that the last thing you want to do with your one precious wildlife is sit in a car in traffic in the scorching heat of summer and instead want to ride an electric bike in the scorching heat, here are some deals worth checking out on some of our favorite bikes. We’ve also found some great electric scooter deals if you’d rather not pedal at all.
Don’t forget to check out our roundup of the best Prime Day deals and our Prime Day Live Blog for more discounts on our favorite WIRED-tested products.
We test products throughout the year and carefully select these offerings. We will update this guide periodically throughout the sale event.
WIRED Featured Deals
The best deals on electric bikes
Specialized summer sale event has several bikes that we’ve written fondly about. The company’s designs don’t change much from year to year (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it), and if this is the year you’re finally going to cave and buy a new electric mountain bike (eMTB), the Turbo Levo Comp (8/10, WIRED Recommends) should probably be the one to go for. The Levo uses the same frame as the iconic Stumpjumper, except it has a custom-designed and seamlessly integrated motor that allows couples of varying fitness levels to ride together. Riding an eMTB with my husband, who is much fitter and faster, is a way to spend the day together without him having to leave me stranded on beginner trails.
If you are looking for a more versatile walk, the Turbo Tero X 4.0 (8/10, WIRED recommends) is also On sale for $3,750 ($750 off)It has mountain bike features in a frame that isn’t specifically mountain bike—that is, it’s pretty heavy, at 58 pounds, and I’m not sure I’d take it on singletrack trails. But it’s pretty good for rough commuting and would make a great e-bike for bikepacking.
Aventon started out as a stationary bike manufacturer in Long Beach, California, but in 2017 it moved into electric bikes and began making them at sometimes alarmingly affordable prices. Luckily, we like most of what we’ve tested, but probably the best value cargo bike is the one with a 750-watt rear hub motor with a torque sensor. It can also be infinitely customized with Exclusive Aventon accessorieswhich is very lucky for you because Aventon is currently running a flash sale and they are all free. The company is also offering a free battery with the purchase of some of its other older models; we also liked the Adventure.2 (8/10, WIRED recommends it)
Our favorite budget e-bike, the Propella 9S Pro V2, is on pre-sale in August and is $100 off. Propella is a direct-to-consumer company that makes its bikes in batches—the 9S Pro V2 is the company’s best-selling bike—so now is the perfect time to pick one up. It’s one of our favorite bikes that looks and feels practically like a regular bike, with a little boost to help you get home at the end of the day.
It weighs 43.5 pounds, so it’s pretty light (for an e-bike) and it’s one of the easiest direct-to-consumer bikes to assemble. Three things worth noting: It’s a Class 1 e-bike, so it only assists up to 20 mph and has no throttle. Second, the thumb switch on the display is so small and unobtrusive that almost no one I’ve shown the bike to has been able to find it or figure out what it was. And third, if you want a Propella but your budget is $1,000, The cheapest 7 speed transmission It’s also on sale for $100 off.
If you’re looking for a family cargo e-bike and your kids are under 5, I’d recommend the Urban Arrow (8/10, WIRED Recommends). Both the Urban Arrow and Gazelle are part of the Dutch-owned bike conglomerate Pon, and the Dutch know bikes. The Urban Arrow is much more maneuverable and easier to ride than many of the big, front-box cargo bikes I’ve tested. It’s much lower to the ground and has a high-performance Bosch CX drivetrain with an Enviolo variable-drive hub, so it has the power to get you where you need to go and a shifter that won’t leave you stuck (you can shift gears from a standstill, so you don’t have that moment of terror where you think the whole thing might come crashing down if you’re not strong enough). I first wrote about the Urban Arrow in 2020, and I’ve never seen it for sale. If you’re considering one, you might want to take advantage of it.
There was a time when it seemed like you couldn’t look in Rad Power Bikes’ direction without seeing a lawsuit against the company. Those days seem to be long gone; the company has a new CEO who is focusing on safety. The RadRover 6 Plus is part of a clearance sale to make way for the new models; it may not have the new SafeShield encapsulated batteries that help prevent battery fires, but it is UL certified and has a powerful 750-watt battery. The thick tires make for a smooth ride and it helped me comfortably climb the 15-degree hill I’ve dubbed “Battery Killer” without any issues.
If you already have a Rad Power Bike (it’s one of the electric bikes I see most often around my house in Portland, Oregon), the Spectacular summer offer has deals on components and accessories, like SafeShield batteries. For example, if you liked my review of the Radster Road (8/10, WIRED recommends), you can get a free accessory for under $200, like a lockable saddlebag to store things on your bike as if it were the trunk of a car.
The best deals on children’s bicycles
Only a few colors are on sale. We’ll be posting our full review of the Cleary soon and including it in our guide to the best kids’ bikes, but my 9-year-old daughter has been testing it for a few weeks now, and we’re both thrilled. If you’ve been waiting for this day to get your child on a trail ride, I want to make a strong argument for the Cleary. First, the geometry is fun and kid-specific. My daughter was too big for a 20-inch and a bit too small for many 24-inch bikes to fit comfortably, but the Cleary’s bottom bracket is very low. My daughter can ride it comfortably, but the seat also moves back as you move it up, so her reach stays comfortable and consistent.
She’s thrilled to be on a bike that’s almost as big as mine, with big knobby tires that allow her to ride on all sorts of surfaces. While your kid probably doesn’t need suspension if he’s as light as my daughter, you can also customize the Cleary on the fly by adding a kickstand, front fork, and larger tires. It has the requisite disc brakes, but I also love the internal hub. This means less maintenance for us Pacific Northwest folks and our mud issues, but it also reduces the chance of the chain coming off. This is necessary because I’m not quite sure my kids have learned to shift gears yet, and they always sound like they’re furiously shaking dice in a can behind me.
My daughter used this bike from about age 5 until about age 7. The standout feature is the SureStop braking system – as you can see, it only has one handbrake, and the brake cables are threaded in such a way that the rear brake always activates first before the front brake, so your daughter will never slide to the side or flip over. I found the cable more of a nuisance than it should be – it would sometimes get tangled around the wheel when I put the bike in the back of my car – but it does offer peace of mind if your daughter is just getting used to hand brakes.
If your child has had trouble adjusting to a bike without training wheels, you may want to consider getting them a Guardian; it weighs 20 pounds, which is about half of what your average big box store bike might weigh. It’s also one of the easiest bikes to assemble right out of the box. All Guardian bikes for sale At this time, the company offers sizes ranging from a balance bike to a full-size 26-inch bike. To find the right size, use the company’s website. Ridesizer Tool.
The best deals on electric scooters
If you want a cheap electric scooter, this is the best price we’ve found for the Segway E2 Plus. This is the budget electric scooter chosen by WIRED editor Julian Chokkattu, and it weighs just 30 pounds. In his tests, Chokkattu found that it only had a range of about 10 miles. But let’s face it, it’s 6’4″ and weighs 270 pounds, which, as I recently realized, is more than me and my two kids combined. You’ll probably get a longer range.
As someone who has a garage full of e-bikes, I’m all for renting a scooter on a temporary basis (say, during the latter half of summer). Unagi’s membership lets you sign up on a monthly basis, with free shipping, service, and theft and damage insurance included. For Prime Day, Unagi is giving you a free two-month subscription (with a $50 setup fee) that also includes a scooter carrying bag perfect for the last mile (8/10, WIRED Recommends). If you’ve been curious about the scooter lifestyle and didn’t want to shell out $1,500 up front, or if you’re just tired of trudging those last sweaty steps back to your apartment in the summer heat, this is definitely worth a try.
This is our favorite electric scooter right now (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It weighs a reasonable 46 pounds and offers plenty of power thanks to dual 350-watt motors (you get a top speed of 28 mph). It can fit riders up to 265 pounds. It also has extra perks, like a reliable app, turn signals, and regenerative braking. Apollo’s Prime Sale It also gives you 20 percent off two or more accessories, such as a fast charger, air pumpeither phone holder—and free shipping.