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The future is e-bikes
➸ in late june, after years of deliberation, the City Council removed restrictions on electric bicycles, making battery-and-motor-powered bikes as legal to ride as a Schwinn. They are faster than regular bikes (for some models, the motor kicks in as you pedal, making it much easier to go much farther), require less of a financial commitment than a car, and, in a moment when hopping on the subway or into an Uber is fraught, have become extremely popular. The best all-around e-bike for city streets, according to Chris Nolte, the owner of the Fort Greene–based bike shop Propel, is easily the Riese & Müller Nevo3 GT Vario (from $5,899 at r-m.de). Though it’s slightly more expensive than your average e-bike (e-bikes range from $1,900 to $8,000), it’s especially durable—meaning lower maintenance costs down the line. It also has wide, “gnarly” tires that make riders feel sure-footed on New York’s complicated, shifting terrain; front suspension, which comes in handy when coasting on cobblestoned streets; and a 500-watt battery, which disappears into the frame—and means it has plenty of oomph for both daily rides around the neighborhood and excursions out of town.