Ariel Motor Company announces the new vehicle Ariel Dash e-bike
The Ariel Dash e-bike is designed, engineered and tested to automotive standards and available in two distinct forms – the Dash Urban and the Dash Adventure – both feature titanium / carbon frames. Different frame geometry, drivetrain, and specifications are employed to suit the handling characteristics, riding positions and use scenarios of each model. The Dash Urban is a city-focused road bike that uses single speed, belt-drive technology to deliver a simple and easy riding experience with a power-assisted range of up to 45 miles, or 80 miles with the range extender.
The Dash Adventure is a go-anywhere road / trail / gravel bike fitted with chain-drive and 12 gears to enable riders to tackle any terrain. The Adventure will deliver around 50 miles of power-assisted riding and 95 miles with the range extender. The frame weighs just 1.3 kilos and is made from a mix of titanium tube and carbon fibre with 3D-printed titanium nodes at every joint.
Hand-welded and chemically-bonded, the frame exemplifies the unique Ariel mix of cutting-edge technology coupled with handmade skills and craftsmanship. Ariel’s ‘Less is More’ approach is underlined by there being no visible wiring, hydraulic hoses, or cables on the bike. All brake, gear and control systems are routed through the frame internally, as well as through the forks and handlebars, resulting in an ultra-clean and efficient design.
The multi-material frame is coupled with carbon fibre forks and lightweight components throughout. 
The Dash Urban and Dash Adventure both use Mahle powertrains, of different specification, with 250W rear hub motors, internally mounted 36-volt battery packs and the option of additional range extender batteries. The Dash will be made to order for each individual customer.
Built alongside the Atom and Nomad cars at the Ariel factory in Crewkerne, Somerset, each bike – as with the cars – will be made by a single technician, who will place their nameplate on the bike only when they are satisfied with the build. This tailored and hand-made approach enables Ariel to focus on skilled craftmanship and personalised service, staying true to the company’s reputation as the ‘Savile Row of the Automotive World’. At just 10.9 kilos and with an almost 100-mile range the Ariel Dash sets new standards in usability, comfort and performance for e-bikes.
The result of five years’ research & development, intensive design and automotive-level engineering, the Dash was developed by the same in-house Ariel team responsible for the iconic Atom and Nomad cars, the Ace motorcycle and the Hipercar EV. Drawing on 25 years of high-performance automotive expertise and utilising technologies that evolved from Ariel’s engineering innovation, the Dash is a completely new, ground up design. The bike showcases ultra-lightweight materials, state-of-the-art technology, and reflects Ariel’s obsessive attention to detail in every part of the design.
With an ethos and history of delivering deeply involving driving experiences on four wheels and two, the Ariel Dash embodies Ariel’s core principles of functionality, performance, and hand-built quality to give the best and most enjoyable riding experience possible. As with all Ariels, the Dash reflects the company’s core values of Serious Fun.
Ariel Bicycles – the world’s first production vehicles
The Ariel Dash e-bike celebrates not only the first Ariel, but the very first series production vehicle in the world – the Ariel Ordinary – introduced more than 150 years ago in 1871. Known now as a Penny-Farthing or High Wheel, the Ordinary was designed by engineer and entrepreneur James Starley and had a 48-inch front wheel, revolutionary tensioned wire spoked wheels, a lightweight hollow steel tube frame, and was the first to use rubber tyres.
At just 23 kilos the Ariel was both fast and light. Acknowledged as the father of the bicycle industry, Starley went on to develop and patent the tangentially spoked wheel still used today, the differential and rack and pinion steering, as well as developing and perfecting chain drive. The Ariel Ordinary was at the very beginning of a revolution in transport that quickly developed through bicycles, powered tricycles, quadricycles and into early cars.
Simon Saunders, Director of Ariel: The importance of the Ariel Ordinary cannot be underestimated. It is essentially the first mass production vehicle of any kind and marked the very beginning of the automotive industry.
We’re lucky to have Ordinary number 47 in our collection, from the first year of production in 1871, and I think Starley would be impressed by the technology used in making the Dash, particularly printing titanium from a computer. From the very first Ordinary, Ariel continued bicycle production for more than 60 years with gents, ladies and racing cycles, breaking many records along the way. In 1873, the first ever hour speed record, possibly the first speed record, was set by James Moore riding an Ariel Ordinary 14 1/2 miles (23.33 kilometres) in an hour at the Molineux Grounds (now the Molineux Stadium) in Wolverhampton.
By 1893 Ariel factory rider J W Stocks had become the first rider to exceed 25 miles in one hour on an Ariel, then increasing the world record to 32 1/2 miles in an hour in 1897, as well as winning the Catford Gold Vase with a score of 296 miles 1,715 yards in 12 hours averaging nearly 25mph. The last Ariel bicycles were manufactured in 1932 when Ariel turned their attention solely to motorcycle production. Today, the return by Ariel to bicycle manufacture after a break of 92 years marks the completion of an engineering circle that stretches back more than a century and a half.
Despite the passing of time the same principles of innovation, engineering, and lightweight manufacturing remain, bringing one of the most revered and historic names in cycling back into production. Source: Ariel Motor Company
Here is the complete series of more detailed articles of the new Ariel Dash e-bike
Ariel Motor Company announces the new vehicle Ariel Dash e-bike[1] The frame of Ariel Dash e-bike[2]
The Ariel Dash drive system[3]
Controls and options of the Ariel Dash e-bike[4]
Technical specification of Ariel Dash[5]
References
- ^ Ariel Motor Company announces the new vehicle Ariel Dash e-bike (www.electricmotornews.com)
- ^ The frame of Ariel Dash e-bike (www.electricmotornews.com)
- ^ The Ariel Dash drive system (www.electricmotornews.com)
- ^ Controls and options of the Ariel Dash e-bike (www.electricmotornews.com)
- ^ Technical specification of Ariel Dash (www.electricmotornews.com)