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Coleen ebike bridges functional performance and luxury design at a premium price

Coleen, a startup French ebike manufacturer from the Basque region, initially unveiled its unisex luxury design ebike at CES 2019 in January. Today Coleen announced the company is accepting pre-orders for two editions, Mariniere (white with blue stripes on the frame) and Opale (grayish blue with a broad white stripe).

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The two electric bicycles are identical in form, function, and components, but the design colors differ. Coleen envisions the Mariniere Edition for city dwellers “inspired by a maritime environment” and the Opale Edition for those who appreciate “the contrast between wilderness landscapes and modern cities.”

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Coleen’s ebikes have carbon frames, hydraulic brakes, full-grain leather seats and handlebar grips, and a quiet, greaseless belt drive.

The 42-pound Coleen ebikes have a keyless power switch and battery lock, and pair with smartphones via Bluetooth for call and message notifications on a 480 by 800 resolution 3.2-inch, diagonal, transflective display which also shows speed and battery level. The screen is readable in sunlight due to its transflective technology.

When your Coleen ebike is paired with your smartphone the bike’s anti-theft GPS sends an alert if the location changes. With a geolocation feature, you can quickly find out if your bike is stolen, or find it if you forget where you left it. There is also a USB port for charging your smartphone.

Coleen ebikes use a removable 529-watt-hour battery rated for up to 62 miles range before recharging. A full recharge takes about 2.5 hours, with 80% recharging in an hour and a half. The Coleen’s 250-watt rear motor generates 22 foot-pounds of torque with a peak up to 37-pound-feet. Top speed in pedal assist mode is approximately 15 miles per hour. The bike also has progressive regenerative braking to increase driving range by generating power during braking.

You can pre-order either edition of the Coleen ebike for July delivery in Europe. The starting price is a bit over $6,700 and with a one-third deposit required for each pre-order. The bike’s frame and fork have a 7-year warranty, and the electronics are warrantied for two years. All Coleen ebikes come with a 30-day post-delivery return policy.

According to Coleen, 85% of its ebike is made in the south of France. Visitors are welcome at the company’s workshop in Biarritz.

Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown Contributing Editor   As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…
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