Fuell Flluid-2 and Flluid-3 e-bikes add throttles, auto shifting, crazy range

After Erik Buell took his talents to the world of electric bikes, he gave us the Fuell Flluid-1S. When we tried the bike in 2021, the squatty-framed commuter cost $4,995 and got juiced by two 500-Wh batteries that delivered a range up to 125 miles so long as the rider continued pedaling. The next generation of Fuell e-bikes is almost here, broken into two models that bracket the capability of the earlier model. We say "almost" because the Flluid-2 and Flluid-3 are still in their Indiegogo campaign phase; however, at the time of writing, the campaign has pulled in $272,444 with 40 days left to support a fixed $30,000 goal. With more than 4,000 examples of the first bike sold, we have a good feeling Buell will be able to deliver both of these.

The earlier e-bike was powered by Mid-Drive Bofeili motors at the bottom bracket, its output sent via a Gates Carbon Beltdrive to internally geared rear hubs from either Shimano or Enviolo. These new models are built with a new motor system, the Valeo Cyclee Mid Drive Unit — yes, that's the auto industry supplier Valeo. Instead of putting the motor and/or gears on the rear hub, the MDU combines a 750-watt, 48-volt electric motor and a seven-speed automatic gearbox in one enclosure located where the bottom bracket would normally be. The all-in-one system dispenses with a rear derailleur the same way an internally geared hub does, and also eliminates the need to fiddle with the rear wheel and hub to deal with motor or gear issues. Riders control shifting and motor assist settings using three buttons on the 2.3-inch display mounted to the handlebars. They can choose to shift manually or let the gearbox and its predictive programming automatically maintain a comfortable cadence on any urban terrain.

The same Gates Beltdrive carries over, as do Tektro disc brakes, a Suntour front suspension fork, and Roxim lights. The 27.5-inch tires come from Pirelli again, but this time they're the Angel GT Urban model.