Blix Launches an E-Bike Designed for Both On- and Off-Road Fun

When I recently rode Tern’s new Quick Haul e-bike, I couldn’t stop raving about the joys of practical bikes and accessories that are designed from the ground up for daily commutes and shopping trips, not messing about in lycra. And while Blix's design approach and price points are somewhat different to Tern, this is the same reason I’ve enjoyed riding both the Blix Aveny e-bike and the Blix Packa Genie e-cargo bike. 

There’s just something refreshing about bikes that seem designed to be primarily a car replacement, not a piece of recreational or exercise equipment. 

So I confess I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it when I heard that Blix was introducing the Ultra—a new all-terrain fat tire e-bike designed for both on- and off-road capabilities. After all, as someone with a near-zero interest in mountain biking, my gut reaction was these bikes are more about having fun and messing about in the woods than they are at getting the kiddos to and from school or hauling the groceries back from the store. 

But then I looked at the product shots: 

Here’s how the press release describes the Ultra’s versatility: 

“Built with a modular design, the Ultra can be customized with Blix accessories for off-road adventure riding or everyday on-road riding with practical utility features and loading capacity of up to 200lbs, 150lbs in the rear and 50lbs in the front. The Ultra is equipped with several high-performance features, including dual batteries with up to 1,344Wh capacity for a range up to 80 miles per charge, a strong 750w rear hub-motor with 90Nm torque making it one of the most powerful hub-motors available, 5-level pedal assist, throttle and a top speed of 28mph.”

It seems to me that you could actually haul an awful lot of groceries with that. And once you get home, you could offload them and then go run around in the woods too, if that happens to be your thing. 

Treehugger Design Editor Lloyd Alter has been on this same thought journey before me. When he reviewed the Boar electric fat bike, he was baffled why someone would want such huge tires in the city. He soon came around to the fact that fat tires offer advantages when it comes to obstacles, curbs, streetcar rails, or ice and snow—all of which can confront a rider in the city.

And once you add electric assist and decent battery capacity, the problem of rolling resistance from the tires becomes much less of an issue. I’ve yet to get my hands on the Blix Ultra, but I suspect the lesson might be a similar one for this bike. 

Here’s how Blix founder and CEO Pontus Malmberg describes the genesis of their latest offering: “The Ultra concept was to design an all-terrain ebike that is practical enough to fit into your day, furthering our mission to integrate health and activity into everyday life. This is the most capable and versatile ebike we’ve built, and it will bring a lot of value and differentiation to the table.”

Interestingly, Blix is also touting the fact that the Ultra will come with Blix Connect, a new connectivity app that links via Bluetooth to offer features such as ride data, community feed, and over-the-air firmware updates when needed. It will also offer quick access to support, which I for one would appreciate. At least here in Durham, N.C., it can be hard to find a bike shop willing to work on e-bikes, which can cause challenges if you have technical problems.

On my rides with previous Blixes, I have experienced some minor issues with loose connectors, sensors, and cabling. But Blix’s customer support team has so far been responsive and helped to diagnose those issues quickly. Assuming this app works as advertised, it would provide another channel for keeping these bikes on the road. 

Currently accepting pre-orders, Blix expects to start shipping these beasts in July. The launch price is being advertised as $2,399 for the dual battery option and $1,999 for the single battery version, making it a considerably more affordable option than many of the other bikes on the market.