One of the Best eBike Brands Just Launched a New Premium Line, and They're Already Having a Black Friday Sale - VICE
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Heard of Lectric eBikes? There’s a good chance you’ve been next to one at some point. They make America’s best-selling ebike, the XP-series of folding ebikes, after all. Rising to particular prominence during 2020 and 2021, Lectric has been on a tear lately, acquiring the once-shuttered rival Juiced Bikes and now launching an entirely new brand.
Monarc Bikes slots in above the Lectric brand as a more premium option, although all Monarcs slot in under $2,000 by a hair. From today through December 31, you get an extra $100 off, and if you order by December 16, Monarc guarantees it’ll arrive before the holidays.
Monarc is a young brand. Its first bikes only just began shipping to customers in July 2026. As a young brand, its stable includes two models. The Monarc Tracer is an urban commuter, what we call a city bike that’s useful as a do-everything mount for joyrides, commuting, running errands, and with a bag or two mounted to the included rear cargo rack, carrying up to 59 pounds of cargo. It retails for $1,899 ($1,799 if you buy on this sale before the end of the year).
The Monarc Marker is for all-terrain minded. Its 26″ by 4″ all-terrain tires and four-piston hydraulic brakes give it more capability for light offroading; not as off-road focused as a mountain bike, but more capable of tackling dirt and gravel paths than a standard commuter bike. It can still handle all the city and suburban tasks of a commuter bike, too. It retails for $1,999 ($1,899 on sale).
Both models are available in step-through and step-over variations, and every Monarc comes with a Monarc Smart Helmet, a rear-vehicle alert system that warns you when a vehicle is approaching the bike from behind, and a tire pressure monitoring system that stays attached to the bike’s tires and automatically tells you when the tire pressure is low enough to require refilling. Altogether that’s $407 worth of spare gear.
That doesn’t count the extra battery that comes standard with every Monarc. Both models feature removable batteries so that you can pop them out of the bike’s frame to take the battery inside to charge. I’ve tested many ebikes over the years without removable frames, and it’s a burden to carry an entire bike upstairs and indoors to charge it. Much easier to just separate it from the battery. The free second battery alone is worth another $579.
Earlier this year, ahead of Monarc’s launch, I was exchanging emails with Monarc’s media rep, and I asked him how Monarc would be positioned differently alongside Lectric. “The Monarc brand is definitely a higher end bike,” he wrote.
“Lectric has always been known for high value, low prices. The Monarc brand will have much more tech and refinement that will require a higher price point, but still come with value and tech you can’t get at the $1,999 price compared to other bike brands. Also, they’re coming out the gate with a five-year warranty that is standard with every bike, which is unheard of in the industry, and every bike will get a second battery—not just in this launch phase but that will always be standard with every bike model.”
Stay tuned for a full review, when we (hopefully) get our hands on one of these bad boys.
