Two of the hottest trends in cycling the past couple of years has been the growing popularity of electric bikes and the emergency of gravel bikes as an alternative to traditional road riding. Many cyclists have come to appreciate the pedal-assisted features that an ebike brings to the table, both while commuting and on traditional road and trail rides. Meanwhile, gravel bikes offer a similar level of speed and agility as a road bike, along with improved durability and suspension for handling rough gravel roads. Naturally, it would be only a matter of time before someone brought these two styles of riding together, which is what Yamaha did with its latest creation.
At last week’s Interbike show held in Reno, Nevada, Yamaha revealed a new prototype model called the Wabash, which joins its existing lineup of Power Assist bikes. The current models all occupy more traditional cycling market segments, however, with commuter, road, and mountain biking options already available. The Wasbash marks Yamaha’s entry into the gravel/adventure space, delivering an ebike that is built to handle the rigors of long-distance riding on gravel roads.
In a press release announcing the new model, Yamaha’s sales and marketing manager Drew Engelmann said, “The Wabash is the best new gravel ebike designed and developed for cycling adventures over whatever terrain you come across — hard surfaces, dirt, and gravel.” He went on to add, “You’ll be able to take this Wabash adventure gravel bike just about anywhere, and we expect riders will really appreciate the versatility and performance that make this a popular and rapidly expanding segment.”
While pricing, availability, and final specifications have yet to be revealed, Yamaha promises that we’ll learn more about the Wabash soon. The company has been showing off images of the prototype on its Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts, giving cyclists an intriguing look at what the Wabash can do. An electric gravel bike offers a lot of promise, particularly if it lives up to the performance of the existing Yamaha Power Assist models.
We’ll have to wait to a bit longer to learn more about the Wabash. For now, we have to settle for the photos and short video posted above.
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