Overview:
Imagine having an electric bike with components designed and built by the same company that makes motors for NASA’s Mars missions
Swiss high-end bicycle manufacturer Thömus hosted an international unveiling event at its new store on Montana Ave on Thursday evening. A sizeable crowd of invited guests from the world of cycling, local businesses, media, the odd celebrity or two, and even the Swiss Ambassador, gathered at the 1314 Montana Ave store for cocktails, canapés and the unveiling of the Swissrider, a lightweight electric bicycle that’s only 25 years old pounds, making it the lightest e-bike currently on the market.
Swiss precision engineering is already legendary with its history of extremely high-quality wristwatches. What makes this bike special is that Maxon – the same Swiss company that has been making the electric motors used by NASA for over 30 years, including the Mars Perseverance Rover and Ingenuity Helicopter, along with the InSight Lander – designed and produced the motor for it new range of electric bikes. Pretty impressive stuff. No wonder, then, that these bikes start at around $6,000 and each is built on-site specifically for the customer’s needs.
“We firmly believe that the market in Switzerland and in large parts of Europe, such as Denmark or Belgium, where people commute every day, is very similar to the one here [Santa Monica] It’s also perfect for commuting, with good bike paths and even some small hills,” said Berni Gonzalez, partner at Thömus USA.
“People here want to be healthy, they try to be healthy. And that’s why we’re here. We are not just a sports brand, we are not just a performance brand, we are also an urban mobility brand.”
In addition to Gonzalez, the event was attended by Thömu Binggeli, CEO of Thömus, Group CEO of Maxon, Egen Elmiger and NASA Associate Administrator and CTO Thomas Zurbuchen.
“The Swissrider is an e-bike for life and light enough to effortlessly carry up the stairs and hang on the train, but with enough power to be easy to ride,” says Binggeli.
“We are convinced that lightweight e-bike drives have a lot of potential in urban life. This Swissrider relies on sleek design, super light construction and electric tailwind from Maxon, a promising package for this market,” said Elmiger.
Thömus developed the Swissrider at its headquarters in Oberried, Switzerland, around 110 miles northeast of Geneva, where Binggeli started bicycle production on the family farm over 30 years ago. In July 2022, the company launched the Lightrider E Ultimate, the world’s lightest dual-suspension electric mountain bike, which also marked its first collaboration with Maxon.
If a purchase price of 6,000 dollars is a bit too much at the beginning, you can also rent your bikes from Thömus in the store on Montana Ave. Just visit or contact the store and provide some basic details such as: B. what type of bike you want to rent, z. size and they do the rest.
