Bird Cruiser

Electric scooter startup Bird has unveiled the two-seater Bird Cruiser minibike. As a company, Bird is no joke. The multibillion-dollar outfit helped kick-start the micro-mobility movement globally — it even regards itself a “disruptor.”

But the Bird Cruiser shows it adapting a more familiar, less innovative idea. The ride boasts padded seats, hydraulic disc brakes, and an LCD matrix display — additions meant to address the general apprehension toward purchasing electric bikes. Bird is coming out with two versions: one comes with a throttle, where you’ll place your feet on pegs to advance forward. The other is a pedal-assist variant, which works more like a traditional bike.

Essentially, the Bird Cruiser is a sophisticated mix between a bicycle and a moped. It also marks Bird’s first move outside of the kick scooter space. The ride is also part of the startup’s shared vehicles fleet. And also its Bird Platform program where it lets enterprise users run their own businesses using Bird’s vehicles.

The bike is launching this summer in select territories; Bird will distribute the peg and pedal-assist variants according to market. Both bikes boast a 52-volt battery, which is typical of e-bikes these days. It can track hills without a hiccup, just so you know.

“Bird’s introduction of shared e-scooters spurred a global phenomenon and mode shift away from cars,” said Bird founder and CEO Travis VanderZanden. “Starting this summer, people can move about their city and explore new neighborhoods together, without a car. Designed and engineered in California, Bird Cruiser is an inclusive electric-powered option that is approachable, easy-to-ride and comfortable on rough roads.”