Lauva, the Ultra Classy e-Bike That Seems to Have Disappeared Like a Magic Act

Ladies and gentlemen, what you see in the cover photo is known as the Lauva e-bike. It’s one of the most beautiful e-bikes I've come across, but at some point, it just vanished. Why? Sadly, there are so many reasons why a product never takes off these days that it’s hard to pinpoint one or two reasons why this bike was never seen again.

Nonetheless, through the magic of autoevolution, you’ll still get to see one of the cleanest cut e-bikes that could have been. Heck, maybe this piece of not-so literature falls into the proper hands, and someday you can buy the Lauva again. Here’s the story.

Back in 2017, there was a campaign on Kickstarter regarding an e-bike inspired by the city of Barcelona, the Lauva. Once funded, however, it looks as though the bike just went poof. We weren’t able to track down any source where the bike is discussed. So all we have for you is the video below, the gallery, and this text.

If you take a look at the frame construction, you’ll be able to quickly recognize an urban bike geometry made only for flat surfaces. That top tube offers no clearance whatsoever in case of sudden dismounts, and the lack of suspension is absolutely perfect for city terrain. This sort of geometry guarantees that your wheels will offer maximum traction and propulsion against the ground.

Into the frame’s construction, the team at Lauva used 6061 aluminum alloy. Nothing too fancy, but light and rigid enough to offer the bike you see. To top it all off, this bike came in with a total weight of only 14.5 kg (32 lbs), components included. That’s pretty good even compared to today’s standards.

Now, remember, this is an e-bike, so in case you’ve forgotten what was possible back in 2017, it's time for a refresher. As with most e-bike designs, the battery is hidden in the down tube. The e-bike was supposed to pack a Samsung cell 6.8 Ah battery able to be recharged in just three hours. That’s downright awesome even compared to e-bikes of today.

The planned motor was a rear hub unit rated for 250W of power. It remains a mystery how much torque it was projected to push out, but the range was 70 km (43 miles), more than enough to cruise around town on a Saturday or getting to work during the week. The motor also came equipped with five levels of assist and functioned on a single-speed setup. To slow you down, a pair of caliper brakes are found on the front and rear tires.

Other noticeable features of the elusive e-bike are the handlebar and saddle. A flat and straight handlebar is wound tight with natural leather grips, while the saddle too is completed with genuine leather. Wait, now I get it. Back in 2017, PETA was making a big fuss about stuff like this, maybe this is why the bike remains under wraps.

One thing is for certain, this bike was able to be acquired with a pledge of €1,485 ($1,801 at current exchange rates). If that could happen again, it would be great, thank you very much.