These electric BMX bikes have me ready to lose some skin

We’ve seen sleek electric road bikes, rugged and futuristic electric mountain bikes, and sub-motorcycle electric bikes, but an electric BMX bike? That’s a new one.

Zooz Bikes is an upstart electric bike company that just announced its Urban Ultralight series with three models; the Urban Ultralight (UU) 250, 750, and 1100. All three use Zooz’s signature BMX-style frame, but unlike most BMX bikes, Zooz has opted for a "classic style" moto seat that we're seeing more often these days, which also cleverly houses the battery. To Zooz's credit, it does look tidy.

Speaking of the frame, Zooz has made some unique choices. As with many BMX bikes, Zooz is using a hard frame with no suspension in the front and rear. The bikes do, however, come with chunky 2.5-inch tires (in the mid- and top-tiers configurations) which should give you a bit of cushion. I am surprised that Zooz decided not to go with wider tires given how popular they seem to be with this style of frame, but I’m assuming the designers wanted to keep the bike spry and agile given the BMX roots at play.

The frame on all three UU models is made out of Chromoly steel, which is also an interesting choice. Many bike companies use aluminum because it's light, stiff, and cheap to machine, but a well-constructed steel frame will be stronger and slightly more flexible which presumably aligns with the rowdy riding style that BMX necessitates.

In terms of power, Zooz is using hub motors at Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 power levels on the UU 250, 750, and 1100, respectively. This shakes out to a nominal 250 watts for the UU 250, 575 watts for the 750, and 728 watts for the 1100 model. The UU 1100 model, Zooz’s highest-tier model, comes with just a bit less power than Super73’s R-series bikes, and for now at least (until the pre-order period is over), Zooz’s are just a bit less expensive at $2,500. Still, even with marginally fewer watts under the proverbial hood, the UU 1100 should still be able to hit the 28 mph legal limit without a problem.

There are a lot of comparisons one could draw between Super73’s product line and what Zooz is now offering, but there are also a number of subtle differences. Both have classic moto seats and boxy frames, but Zooz’s steel bikes are lighter. Zooz’s bikes come with no suspension just like Super73’s more affordable Z1 and S1 lines, but Super73 uses much fatter tires. Battery life between them is also comparable, but Zooz is giving you just a bit more. If you're in the market for this type of bike, you've a whole new matrix of options to think about.

Frankly it’s exciting to see competition in this particular corner of the electric bike ecosystem. Expensive electric mountain bikes are great for people who actually carve up the trails, and electric road bikes have their place for long office commutes (if those ever come back), this category of pseudo sub-motorcycle electric bikes keeps getting bigger and bigger, and it’s not hard to tell why; they just look fun as hell.