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2013 AC e-Bike Concept Anticipated Many Features of Modern Last-Mile Bikes

The e-bike market is one of the fastest-growing in the world, and with such growth, you’re bound to see a lot of different designs. Some make it into a real toy; others, for some reason or another, do not.
AC e-Bike Concept 9 photos
Photo: Alex Casabò
AC e-Bike ConceptAC e-Bike ConceptAC e-Bike ConceptAC e-Bike ConceptAC e-Bike ConceptAC e-Bike ConceptAC e-Bike ConceptAC e-Bike Concept
The concept you see here is known as the AC e-bike, nothing more, nothing less. It is a design springing from the mind of one Alex Casabò of Barcelona, Spain. This industrial designer chose to create a vehicle that could someday be the bike you ride around town.

To kick things off, have a look at the frame. When's the last time you’ve seen anything this odd? Probably never. That’s because this e-bike has not made it into production and probably never will. The AC has been around since 2013, according to Casabò’s Behance page, and eight years later, it remains just a visual design.

However, some design cues on modern e-bikes include some of the geometries found on the AC. For example, quite a few city bikes meant as last-mile solutions include a frame that lacks a top tube. This sort of construction is considered one of the safest because it allows a rider to quickly set their feet on the ground for stability if things get hectic.

AC e\-Bike Concept
Photo: Alex Casabò
The designer makes no mention what sort of material may be used in the build, but looking closely at the images, carbon fiber is pretty obvious. The battery placement is mentioned, though—it's that slightly rectangular block integrated into the down tube. How much power you’ll get from it is, once again, not mentioned. No visible cables tell you that internal cable routing is part of the story.

Since there’s a battery, there has to be a motor as well. Can you guess where the motor is mounted? If you answered that the AC operates on a mid-mounted motor, you’ve had your fair share of run-ins with e-bikes. As for how much torque is exerted or how much assist you’ll receive from this motor, those are left open to imagination.

Something that seems odd on the bike involves the wheels. The last time I saw five-spoke wheels was on high-end road, gravel, or triathlon bikes, rarely a city cruising e-bike. Not only this but what the heck is a full suspension doing on this thing? I can only imagine that the designer wanted to create a bike suitable for as wide a range of terrain as possible.

AC e\-Bike Concept
Photo: Alex Casabò
But instead of creating a bike that offers a solid, handle-it-all feel, the AC looks like it’ll offer more bounce than you could ever want. If you feel it might handle off-road, all I've got to say is I don’t recommend that idea.

The lack of a classic seat tube ends up making things a bit tricky for the rider. First, there’s really no way to adjust vertical seat height, rendering the bike nearly useless to anyone smaller or larger than the geometry allows for. Secondly, that rear shock looks like it might not be enough to keep the tire from smashing into your bottom on the next big drop, even if it’s a curb.

Maybe this is one of the reasons why you won’t ever see this design on real streets. However, seeing as how this bike was designed in 2013, it may have been just a tad ahead of its time as some companies today build e-bikes with similar designs.
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About the author: Cristian Curmei
Cristian Curmei profile photo

A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides).
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