Trek and BionX Extend Exclusive e-Bike Partnership

QUEBEC, Canada – BionX (Energy Propulsion Systems Inc.) and Trek Bicycle Corp. are continuing their partnership for electric bikes. This grants Trek for another year exclusive rights to equip their e-Bikes with the BionX hub motor with integrated SRAM 3 speed internal gear hub (the IGH3). “The deal is going to continue because we are really happy,” says Vincent Lamoureux, Bionx’s Director of Global Sales and Marketing.

The IGH3 has been an exclusive product since its launch in 2009, only available on Trek bikes. The arrangement was supposed to last for a year, but Bionx and Trek recently decided to extend the program.
Vincent Lamoureux: “We’ve been approached by several major bike manufacturers in Central Europe, but we want to control the growth of the product and insure top quality and on time delivery. Trek is really happy with it and offered to buy all of our 2011 IGH production capacity, so we’ve decided to go for another season.”

The IGH3 equipped bikes have been a resounding success for Trek, with the full allotment of 2010 bikes selling out in just 6 months. Bionx is now planning a second generation version of the hub, expected to launch in 2012. Lamoureux also sees integrated gear and motor hubs as a natural fit for fleet applications such as public bike share programs, police bike squads, and mail delivery.

“The advantage of course is that you don’t need a derailleur, which makes it simple to maintain,” he says. “Forget about trying to rent a (public) bike with a derailleur. The derailleur would always be broken.”

The maintenance-free IGH3 system consists of the BionX 250 W motor with integrated 3-gear hub, freewheel and disc brake. It represents the first propulsion technology in the context of BionX new PedeleCity concept. PedeleCity focuses on solutions especially designed for city mobility using the BionX drive systems.