Any kid who ever watched The Great Escape on a summer afternoon immediately went out and pretended he was Steve McQueen, and that his bike was a stripped down motorcycle.
The new Scrambler S ebike from Vintage Electric knowingly pays homage to one of moviedom’s most iconic scenes, and also to one of the coolest cats in the history of American cinema.
Vintage Electric reworked their popular Scrambler model and beefed it up with a 1123 watt/hour battery, off-road-ready inverted suspension fork, and burly knobby tires, then dressed it up with a matte black finish and retro yellow headlight for style.
Despite the cool factor, the massive lithium battery is the real story here. Enclosed in VE’s signature aluminum battery box, the 1,123-watt/hour unit can provide power with range up to 75 miles on a full charge (in Street mode). It’s paired with a thumb-activated throttle and five levels of pedal assist, which in Race mode can reach speeds of up to 36 MPH (“for use on private property only,” according to the VE disclaimer).
“Let’s not beat around the bush,” said Scott Brown, CEO of Vintage Electric. “The Vintage Electric Scrambler S is a wolf in wolf’s clothing. It looks like it can go like hell…and it goes as fast as it looks! It is our most capable bike and holds a special place in the Vintage Electric lineup.”
The Scrambler S is designed for use on pavement and on dirt and gravel. Components like the dual-crown, inverted suspension fork and Schwalbe knobby tires provide traction on mixed terrain, while hydraulic-disc brakes help you stop quickly when you need to. And, the regenerative rear brake simultaneously returns power to the battery.
You can watch a two-minute video of this bike in action right here.