Specialized today announced a new ‘business unit’ aimed at eliminating short car trips. The spinoff, Globe e-bikes, arrives with affordability as the focal point.
Globe states its take on short car trips in no uncertain terms: “Most everyday car trips are short, joyless, and bad for your wallet and the planet.”
But instead of just passing bad gas, the brand introduces a solution. Globe focuses on making bike commuting more accessible and decreasing our dependence on cars, trucks, and SUVs for everyday transportation.
The brand announcement arrives under the sustainability banner of the parent company Specialized.
“Specialized’s purpose is to harness the power of the bicycle to pedal the planet forward,” the company asserted. “Globe will help us deliver on that promise in a new and accessible way.”
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How “accessible” (or, in other words, low-priced) will Globe bikes be? At the moment, it’s unclear, as are most other details about the new bikes. For now, the kit and kaboodle include only some broad-stroke language from Specialized, a few teaser photos, and approximate ordering and release dates.
According to Specialized, Globe will “commit” to lifetime value and affordability in its products. As you might think, Globe will benefit from the company’s substantial existing infrastructure (or “ecosystem”) to give riders “the widest nationwide network of sales and service opportunities.”
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Finally, the brand says Globe is part of an ongoing effort to partner with independent and local retailers who “don’t currently benefit from the growth of direct-to-consumer exclusive brands.”
Translation? It looks like Globe is poised to be an affordable, widely available e-bike platform with bulletproof backing from Specialized. The sub-brand will only include a few select products at first, but the parent company says it will include “a growing number” of e-bikes and the accessories that go with them.
Globe E-Bikes Arrival Timelines and How to Keep Track
The new brand plans to start taking preorders in late 2022. Specialized hopes first deliveries will land in riders’ garages in early 2023. At first, Globe will be available exclusively in the U.S.
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