Electric Bikes: Brand Focus – Cake

Bikes

Part of the problem with electric bikes is the way they look. Even the most forward-thinking motorcyclist will have, at one time or another, fetishised the visible mechanicity of a motorbike. It’s the simple fact that the engine is out on show that has been responsible for so many people getting into motorbikes – and it is the tactile nuts and bolts appeal that has seen a generation going back to motorbikes – despite unsustainable, carbon-emitting dirtiness that these machines encompass. 

A part of the answer to this problem comes in the form of the vehicles made by Swedish manufacturer Cake. With a trademark Scandinavian sense of stripped-down simplicity, their range manages to circumvent any aesthetic problem we may have with electric bikes by looking, well, super cool. And more importantly, functional. Led by Niclas Ihren – a thought-leader in the field of sustainable manufacturing – the real difference that Cake make is not only in the functionality, repairability and recyclability of the products they make. It is in the way they look. But this aesthetic appeal is part of a full encompassing system at which the product is just above the parapet appearance. The company sees itself as an essential part of the journey toward a vehicular economy that doesn’t destroy the planet – or at least slows down that process. Explore and have a look around. These guys make lovely products.

The Osa

The Osa is the pure utilitarian model in Cake’s range and in many ways makes most sense. With a modular construction, endless customisation is possible, making it compatible with every sort of trailer, rack and practical strap-on you could ever want or need. And for us, there is beauty in the simple utility of the design, whether or not it sets your heart racing in terms of aesthetic. It is a moving, electrically driven work bench. And boy does that look and feel good.

The Kalk

If you stripped down the form of a dynamic off-road motorcycle, what you would be left with is the Kalk. The range encompasses six different bikes, from street-legal commuter crossovers to full on race-spec MX bikes. The rationale is that if you want to ride out on the trails, you should do so without disturbing others, and look damn good while you do it.

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