Novel coronavirus has taken over the world with its notorious infection rate and it won’t be long before the number of cases reach 10 million worldwide with nearly 500,000 deaths. As of yet, no country in the world has developed a vaccine for the disease, the only proven method, to avoid getting infected is by maintaining good hygiene standards and social distancing.
As the world starts to accept the new normal of coronavirus / COVID-19 and slowly resumes day-to-day life after lockdown restrictions are relaxed, personal transport is one of the key elements that automatically ensures social distancing. Having said that it is also impractical to travel in a 5-seater vehicle all by yourself which not only adds to the world’s carbon footprint apart from the added load on the city traffic system.
Iconic motorcycling brand, Triumph has killed two birds with one stone by launching a new pedal-assisted electric bicycle dubbed the ‘Trekker GT’ with a sticker price of USD 3,750 in the North American market and GBP 2,950 in the UK and other European markets, except Germany and Austria. The Trekker GT is designed in the UK and it is the first e-bicycle in Triumph’s 118-year history and benefits from the brand’s world-renowned quality, styling, comfort and finish combined with the latest e-drive bicycle technology making it an ideal blend for the everyday commute, fitness and riding fun without emitting harmful gasses in the environment and automatically practising social distancing.
The Triumph Trekker GT features a lightweight hydro-formed 6061 aluminium frame with a front down tube integrated lockable lithium-ion battery, an ergonomic Selle Royal Vivo saddle, Triumph branded Lock-On grips, straight handlebars, e-bike specific Alex Volar rims with Shimano hubs shod in 27.5-Inch x 2-inch Schwalbe Energizer Green Guard tyres that maintain the balance between road grip, durability, rolling resistance and a 3mm Green Guard that protects against punctures from everyday riding.
The e-bike also features RockShox Paragon telescopic front fork with 65mm of travel, and an adjustable with lockout RockShox Turnkey damper, Shimano Deore M6000 brakes with 180mm/160mm discs and Shimano Deore Shadow rapid-fire plus shifters and 11/36 Shimano Shadow 10-speed cassette with a long cage rear derailleur. The Trekker GT also features an LCD information display which shows speed, distance, trip time, clock, gear, estimated range and battery level. Trekker GT also features LED lighting, side stand, ABUS Proshield integrated lock, a blacked-out luggage pannier on the back and matte-black finish fenders.
The Triumph Trekker GT is powered by a Shimano Steps E6100 250w motor paired with a Shimano E8035 504Wh battery pack that combine to deliver an electric motor-driven boost of up to 60 Nm torque with a range of 145 km (90 miles) and the lightweight electric-assisted bicycle tips the scale at 24 kg (53 lb).
Triumph has still not finalised if the Trekker GT will be launched in the Asian market and if the e-bike comes to India it is expected to be priced around the INR 3 lakh mark.