EvNerds
It seems that Ruff Cycles had perfect market timing to present new cool kids & adults E-bike LIL’BUDDY! The e-bike was inspired by seventies minibike design & style, the designer of this bike is a legend and the manufacturing & production is not Chinese!
Ruff Cycles just presented on Eurobike 2019. neweset creation called LIL’BUDDY!
“It’s gonna get wild! The LIL’BUDDY is our homage to the crazy bicycles and minibikes of the seventies, that were widely popular due to their extreme level of fun.
Get close to this bike, its your best friend, homie and bro – all in one! It does not judge you, no matter if you take it offroad, to the urban city or on a date. Where ever you go, the Lil’Buddy will stick to your side and make sure you will never forget your ride.” RUFF CYCLES
Ruff Cycles got the EU message right and created LIL’BUDDY
Ruff Cycles got the EU message right and created LIL’BUDDYWhile others were nagging about EU China imposed tariffs for e-bike import ( Up to 80 percent ), Ruff Cycles used that information to establish even better distribution position for themselves on the market. By presenting a new type of e-bike as an addition to existing Ruffian cruiser e-bike the company opened a wider market for future distributors. Ruff Cycles manufacture their frames in Bosnia and Herzegovina and they buy Bosch parts made in Hungary for LIL’BUDDY. The assembly is done in Ruff Cycles headquarters – Regensburg. By doing so, the company has now a better end-consumer price in EU than most of the China importers of Super73 clones or the ones who manufacture their original designed bikes in China or Taiwan! They lowered the price, but kept the quality and mid-drive parts!
Buying a quality e-bike under 2000 Eu in Europe is almost impossible, so EU made LIL’BUDDY IS GOING TO SCRATCH THAT SURFACE and possibly dominate the market with the minibike design. Companies that start at €2,890.00 like UNIMOKE are going to have a hard time with this bike prices. Companies in the USA will also increase Ruff Cycles imports because the USA imposed tariffs are gone wild as well. That is why Ruff Cycles made the right move to do all that they can to bring a perfect design of their vision to wider market. They hired Aaron Bethlenfalvy to deal with the esthetics of the bikes colors and form. Aaron has been designing bicycles since 1994 and was the former Global Vice President of Design for brands like GT, Cannondale, Schwinn, Nirve, Felt and Mongoose.
“We designed the Lil’Buddy together with Aaron Bethlenfalvy, also known as DYNO daddy and the man responsible for many felt cruiser designs as well as the Nirve Switch blade.” – Ruff Cycles
This is what Aaron Bethlenfalvy says about the Lil’ Buddy:
“After 25 yrs of designing bicycles, I can finally say I’ve designed the bike that I want. I’ve spent the past 10 months developing the Lil’ Buddy with Ruff Cycles and can’t say that a single day seemed like “work“ and has truly been one of the highlights of my long bicycle design career. The Lil’ Buddy redefines fun and the journey taken to develop it did as well. The opportunity to create a modern version of the minibike I wanted as a child for a company that embraces non-competitive cycling culture as its core value has been more fun that I could begin to express.
The Lil’Buddy takes fun to an all new level. I can’t wait to get one!” – Aaron Bethlenfalvy
LIL’BUDDY E-bike Design and Specifications
LIL’BUDDY features double wall 20 inch tires, BOSCH active components ( 250 watt mid-drive pedalec motor that fits EU REGULATIONS), Shimano Altus 7- gears shifter, 300 or 500 Wh Battery. There are few extra parts that one can buy in Ruff Cycles online shop to customize the E-bike.
Full specifications:
| eBike Frame | RN Frameworks Steel w/ Powdercoating |
|---|---|
| Tank | No tank |
| Handle Bar | Ruff Cycles BMX Bar – Black |
| Fork | Lil Buddy Fork |
| Drive Unit | Bosch Active Line with 40Nm |
| Battery | 300 Wh Bosch (500Wh optional) |
| Max. Speed | 25 km/h |
| Saddle | Lil Buddy Saddle |
| Rear Light | Supernova N-TK2-BLK-OE (Optional) |
| Headlight | Supernova V521S-MBLK-BC1400 (Optional) |
| Brakes | Shimano BR-MT201 Hydraulic |
| Shifting-System | Shimano Altus 7-Gear |
| Wheels | Double-Walled Aluminum 20“ 100mm |
| Tires | Kenda Krusade Sport 20″ x 4.0 |
| Dimensions | 165 x 74 x 112 cm |
| Color | Azurblue RAL5009 |
| Color Rims | Jet Black (RAL9005) |
EvNerds Opinion:
We think that Ruff Cycles slick designed LIL’BUDDY will be sold in the USA market in near future since they are not present enough there with E-bike models. This is a perfect position to upgrade to 500 and 750 watt power and to bring the bike to American market and compete with Super73. This information is not confirmed by Ruff Cycles, it is only an observation of EvNerds.
If you want to know more about Ruff Cycle bikes, go here
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