Raleigh One e-bike with a touch of VanMoof DNA – good or wickedly risky?

Raleigh One?! Let's face it: if you've ever dreamed of a futuristic, minimalist e-bike, you've probably looked at VanMoof. And then you found out that the company went bankrupt, and spare parts were rarer than honest cryptocurrencies. But VanMoof was never just a company. It was a feeling. Lifestyle. A cry for urban elegance with a touch of digital frustration. As it still is today. And to be honest, the Raleigh One seems like just an expensive copy. The original is still much more beautiful in design.

Well, now we have Raleigh One. It looks like a VanMoof. It rides like one. VanMoof. It even has a built-in alarm and an app that takes away your will to live. The difference? It's not VanMoofThis is Raleigh, an old British brand that once swore that only men with mustaches and a No. 15 wrench changed tires. Now they offer something that looks like the Tesla of bikes – except it has the price of an Audi e-tron and the business model of Netflix.

This is not a bike. This is a subscription to the feeling of freedom.

The Raleigh One costs €2,699. But hey, that’s just the beginning. If you want your bike to automatically lock the rear wheel, send you a notification if someone takes it away, or let you share it with your grandma, you’ll have to pay an additional €7.99 per month. And that’s only until 2026. Then they’ll move all those features into a new, even more expensive package called “Icon.” It will supposedly also include the option for the bike to look down on you if you’re not a subscriber.

Of course, the base tier is free – if you’re happy with the idea of riding a futuristic device with a built-in software lockdown. In other words: you pay almost 3,000 euros for the bike, and then you’re essentially still in the “free tier.” It’s like buying an apartment by the sea, but you can only use the balcony.

Which doesn't mean it's bad. It's just... you have the right to be skeptical.

The Raleigh One has a lot of good things. The battery is finally removable – so you don't have to carry the bike up to the second floor anymore. It has a Gates belt that doesn't rust like a chain. It has a Mivice motor, Tektro brakes, cables that don't stick out of the frame. All of which means: you won't cry if the repairman opens the case.

It's basically VanMoof without VanMoof's flaws. But with VanMoof's people. The Carlier brothers, who created a cult following, are now somewhere behind the scenes of this project. Raleigh officially says it's a product of Accell Group - a serious player with the money, experience and enough sobriety not to send 50,000 bikes with a firmware bug into the hands of consumers.

Subscription cycling – new reality or digital misery?

The e-bike industry is changing. You used to buy a bike and it was yours. Now? You buy access. Bosch is already introducing similar models. VanMoof has them. And now Raleigh. The trends we know from phones are spreading to pedals.

The only problem is that a bike is a mechanical device. And mechanical devices aren't supposed to become useless if you don't pay your subscription by the 5th of the month.

So in two years you might own a great e-bike that you can't unlock because you forgot the password for the app.

Ultimately: The Raleigh One is good. Just remember who we're entrusting the future to.

This is a bike for the urban elite. The ones who wear black ballistic foam bike helmets and know what “touch-and-go unlock” means. It’s beautiful. It’s smart. And if you take the Silicon Valley pricing structure out of the way, it’s even reasonable.

But one thing is clear: The Raleigh One is not just a means of transportation. It's a manifesto. A prediction. And – if you're not careful – the beginning of a subscription era for your pedals, too.

So ask yourself: Are you ready for this? Do you just want to drive to work without paying a digital tax every month for the right to drive?