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This Bluejay Beach Cruiser Is the Most Charming Ebike I’ve Ridden in Years

You know those Classic Hollywood-era cars with modern technology hidden beneath their vintage good looks?

By Matt Jancer | Reviewed by Ysolt Usigan

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My career as an ebike tester stretches back to the earliest days of the Covid-19 pandemic. I was living in New York City, ebikes had exploded in popularity because everyone was stuck at home, and I needed an excuse to get the hell out of the apartment. Being that the ebike industry was in its infancy (it still is, just less so), all kinds of weird, wild, wonderful designs were debuting, striking gold or striking out.

Creativity in the young ebike industry is still in full blossom, and for all of the technical excellence of the Specialized Turbo Vado SL2 5.0 that I recently tested or the funky personality of the Buzz Drone parked in the bike garage right now it’s been a long, long time since an ebike made me break out in a smile that way that the delivery van did when it dropped off a fully assembled, “Sunkissed Ivory” Bluejay Premiere Lite.

TL;DR – My Quick Verdict

The Bluejay Premiere Lite isn’t a value ebike. It’s more like a classic car. Stylish, with a riding experience that stands out from the modern competition. It’s a class 1 ebike, meaning that its electric motor will help push you to a 20 MPH top speed as you pedal. You’ll still breeze past non-ebike riders, as the typical analog bike moseys along at 12-14 MPH.

It’s a $4,000 ebike that sells more often for $3,200 to $3,300. Still, it’s a pricey ride, and you’re paying for its low-volume production and its style. But that beach cruiser vibe normally comes in the form of a steel-frame, non-electric bike. Hiding modern ebike internals, such as an electric motor, aluminum frame, removable battery, hydraulic disc brakes, and 10-speed mechanical gearset, is a subtle stroke of brilliance.

Premiere Lite (opens in a new window)

Luckily for me, and unluckily for everybody else who isn’t a masochist ebike tester with an ass made out of indestructible wrought iron, the streets not far from my New York City neighborhood are what Mad Max would’ve called a hellish moonscape.

I won’t name the Brooklyn neighborhood where I took the Bluejay riding, because who wants the shame. But I will say that I rattled my bones into Pixi Dust powder passing over railroad tracks, potholes, blizzard-induced cracks, curbs, and broken glass as I dodged obstructions in the bike lanes, tried to keep up with traffic in the road, and panicked stopped a few too many........

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