The BikeBlacklist
This blacklist of bike brands & companies provides an overview of bike manufacturers I do not recommend.
The bikes listed here are typically characterized by poor or low quality and/or lack sufficient information about the bike, such as the motor brand, which is important for electric bike repairs, among other things. These bikes are mostly sold online (D2C) or in non-specialized stores, such as Supermarkets or Hardware Stores
Many shops can't or won't repair these bikes. This site also informs you about discontinued e-bike motors, in case you're considering buying a used e-bike.
The list is based on information from the platform Greenfinder, the websites of the bikes being sold, magazines, TV reports, online videos, news sources, test results, forum posts and personal experience.
You are welcome to inform me about suspicious brands. Brands that feel misrepresented can contact me as well to provide evidence to the contrary – though a low-budget Shimano gear does not count.
* = some bikes might be illegal in Europe and Australia for public road usage
** = offers own repair service or has dealers.
Also, many brands don't have an imprint that is mandatory in many European countries.
Blacklist (A - G)
ACBest Bike*
Company:
- Smartwift LTD, UK (Since as of 12 Feb 2026)
- June 2025: Wecreate LTD
- May 2025: Ayor Trading Co. LTD
- April 2025: Coobuy Limited
- Before September 2024: Some unnamed company in Ireland.
- March 2024 - January 2025: Emilyma Limited, UK
- In 2023: A&KE Limited, UK
Cheap Bikes - not legal in the UK or EU, despite companies are from there.
ActionBikes*
Company: Actionbikes GmbH, renamed in October 2016 to Miweba GmbH.
Low Quality Bikes. Now, Kids bikes are made under the brand. In the past, E-Bikes were also sold under that name.
Active Cycles (China)
Produces low budget (e-)bikes and unicycles.
ACXA
Company: Arquet Handelsgesellschaft GmbH, GER
Low budget (E-)Bikes, (E)-Scooter, ATVs and Motorcycles. They closed down around 2016. Beside their bikes: Please also don't buy their other vehicles.
ADO
Company: As of 6. February 2026
EU: ADO Germany GmbH
UK:
- February 2026: Swift LH Market LTD, UK (a 100% daughter company of Y HENG CO. LTD. (盈亨商貿有限公司), Hong Kong)
- August 2025: Hong Kong Flybirds International Trading LTD
- July 2025: Hong Kong Flybirds International Trading LTD & KH ENTERPRISE CO., LIMITED
Aenimal
Bike is not bad at all, on the list do to 3D printed frame & parts, 3D printer for repair necessary, company closed in 2023, parts have to be designed by repair shop do to not openly available
Aktivelo
Company: aktiv shop GmbH, GER
re-branded low buget e-bikes. Some bikes that will cost 1899€ RRP, are not worth the money, do to outdated components and no name motors. For that money, a modern Fischer e-bike (see down below) with way better components can be aquired.
An-Bike*
Ancheer*
Company: Teldoo s.r.o, CZ. name before that: Linemart s.r.o
Might be a shell company. 850+ companies can be found at the same address in Prague.
Anjoni*
Company: No company mentioned. Bleongs to Andreas Nickl who owns Fahrrad Keller in Weiden, GER
Handmade bikes from Germany. Normal bikes seem to have a good quality for a "too good to be true" price, or the website is outdated. The website lacks of a parts list of the bikes.
Do to an investigation of the German TV station Kabel Eins, these (e)bikes are not allowed to be sold. Owner claims they are lying about things, but did not deny or disprove the claims made by Kabel Eins and the bike experts that were involved in this investigation.
Apollo (China)
Cheep bikes from China
Achiever
Company: Fanciteck Inernation Ltd. (do to website) / Fanciteck International Ltd., China Parent Company: Achiever China Group
The Bikes had low quality and their own electric system. Founded in 2007 the company closed down in 2024.
AS Bikes
Not the recumbent bike company
Company: AS TOYS LIMITED, UK
Folding bike and scooter company. The bikes don't look like they are supporting the allowed weight of 23 stones - around 150 kg / 330 lbs. Might be a safety hazard when loaded to that weight.
B2G - Back 2 Green
Company: Back2Green GmbH, CH & Back2Green Germany GmbH, CH (Operating in GER)
The original company from Switzerland mistreated the money, sold bikes to customers that never existed, and filed for bankruptcy in 2020. A Swiss company operating in Leipzig, Germany took over but never got off the ground, do to a lack of Investors. The bikes had their own E-Bike Motor, The electric can not be repaired, do to a lack of parts.
Bergsteiger
Company: Bergsteiger Produkte GmbH
low quality bikes
DotBlue / Blaupunkt**
Company: Dot-blue GmbH - before: BAUM & WAGNER GmbH
Only cheap bike company who gives a 5-year warranty on the bike and 12 months on the battery.
Burchda*
Company: unknown, China / BURCHDA LIMITED, Hong Kong / Coobuy Ltd., UK
The brand had a lot of different URLs for different stores with different logos, selling the same bikes. Different company addresses stated in Zhongshan, Guangzhou or Hong Kong. A return address is mentioned as Schierstins 40, Leeuwarden, NL, which is a normal family home. It might be a fake adress. Adresses can be traced to:
* Guangzhou Junxuan Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.
* Guangzhou Stay Real Beauty Products Co., Ltd.
* Zhongshan: shell address a lot of stores uses.
ChamRider*
Company: ???
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 50km/h (31 mp/h) - so illegal in Europe, the UK and the US.
Coppy / Coppi
Company: F.lli Masciaghi - S.r.L. P.IVA
Italian Brand. Has low quality normal bikes.
Coswheel
Company: ???
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 50km/h (31 mp/h) - so illegal in Europe, the UK and the US.
Cyclamatic*
Company: unknown / TheSportsHQ
Normal cheap bikes where a conversion kit was put on and sold as an E-Bike between 2019 and 2022.(?)
Cemoto*
Company: Cemoto LTD, China,
Sells low quality E-Bikes and E-Scooters.
COOBUY Limited*
Bike Brands: Burchda?, Duotts*, website tried to open spam site bfg97h.com; Lankeleisi, Hitway?*, Xtron, Evercross
The company is known for Fake Shops by the German consumer protection center. Ties/part to/of the "Uniqueness Scam Network" with 4000+ fake shop websites. Company gets linked to unauthorized charges & Identity theft. Atm there is an active lawsuit in the US, for patent infringement.
Parent Company: DFENG LIMITED (Hong Kong, China)
Denver Bikes
Italy, haven't even specs, just a picture of every bike.
DOTMALL*
Company: OTTO GmbH & CoKgA
Cheap Ebikes. Some have motors, that are too strong by the EU law of 250W.
Dukaway
DYU
E-Cells*
Company: Ecells Inc. / CEO: David Cleveland
Got out of business on 28. April 2025. Claims to be around since 1977, but the actual site was created in 2019/2020. In the early 2000s, the site belongs to RingTonesKing.com
Bikes have dual motors with a lot of power. Outside the US, the bikes are classified as motorcycles. In the last year of operating around 2500 bikes and at least one boat were ordered from suppliers.
For E parts: Motors and batteries may come from btn holdings group co.ltd. Other companies that may make parts for them are: jinhua holiday e tech co.ltd. And qingdao transea marine co.ltd.
E-Bann
Company: BANN Industrial and Manufacturing Company Limited, Hong Kong - founded in 2008. Bike brand resolved in 2014, the company is still active.
Eahora*
Company: ???
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 53km/h (33 mp/h) - so illegal in Europe, the UK and the US.
EcoBike
Not to be confused with the Polish Bike company.
ECDA
Company: Gimex GmbH, Germany,
The company also deals with paper and tools.
Eco-Flying / Hi-Flying*
Company: Hi-Flying Technology Limited / Hanxiang Industrial Co., Ltd.
( 汉翔实业 ), China
(not to be confused with Shanghai High-Flying Electronics Technology Co., Ltd, wo makes electronics for Canon, Leica and other well known brands.)
Selling E-Bikes with to much power for the European and American market. At least in one incident, a company is using them to give city tours. The company " Established by Since 2012 s.r.o., ID No: 29055148 " is claiming no drivers license is needed, but actually these bikes are classified as a mofa/scooter, and need insurance, a licenseplate, and a drivers license. Driving without these is the same criminal offense as driving a car without it.
Elglide
Company: ???, China
Cheap bikes with questionable quality. Positive to say: beside a missing imprint to identify the company behind the brand, they do list a motor brand and other components at their bike sites.
Emoko*
Company: ???
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 50km/h (31 mp/h) - so illegal in Europe, the UK and the US.
Engwe*
Company: Engwe Intelligent Technology co. Limited, Hong Kong
Beside the low quality, the company has a fake shop problem. Also some bikes drive up to 50km/h (31 mp/h) - so illegal in Europe, the UK and the US.
Energie Cycles
Company: ??? / Rechargeable Power Energy North America (Parent Company) , USA
Low budget bikes, where a motor got inserted and packed either with a battery in a seat bag or behind the seat. Bike Brand resolved in 2019.
Eskute*
Company: Shenzhen Yimei Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Estelle
These bikes belong into a museum
Eusebi
Company: Biciclette Eusebi S.r.l.
Euybike*
Company: QZ-Star Limited, UK
Company: ???
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 45km/h (28 mp/h)
Exte
Company: Zweirad Center Stadler
Fafrees*
Company: ???
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 55km/h (34 mp/h) - so illegal in Europe, the UK and the US.
Fengqs*
Company: Lizhou Trading Limited, HK
Low budget Chinese ebikes. Brand use two different websites to sell their bikes and e-scooters fengqsebike.com and fengqs.com, while the first one did still use example text on some sites. They also recalled every F7 PRO ebike in 2024. The E-Mail address domain for returns being a dead end and is available to buy as of October 2025. This means this mail address did not exist anymore.
Fischer**
Company: Cartrend GmbH, GER
German Bike company known for selling bikes in supermarkets, hardware stores aso. Before the pandemic, they were very low buget. In the last few years (from 2024 onwards) quality of the bikes got way better, but the support is a mess do to customer reviews on Trustpilot.
I do not reccomend buying used bikes before 2023.
Please check BEFORE you buy, where the nearest FISCHER repairshop is, do to many are located outside cities.
Flybike* **
Company: ???
Low budget ebikes.
Forkenow
Company: Xingtai Jinqi Toys Ltd., China
low quality bikes and kids toys.
Frey**
Company BTree LTD., UK, connections to scam firm Coobuy LTD.
Fucare*
Not to be confused with FUKA Bike
Company: Primtech Limited
very heavy bikes, 40+ kg / 86+ lbs - low budget components.
głaz
Brands: CuyBike, Lankeleisi - Website gets blocked by browser do to Malevertising, Philodo.
The return address seems fake, it is just a normal house. Connections to Coobuy Ltd.
Girardengo
Company: F.lli Masciaghi - S.r.L. P.IVA
Once a high quality race bike brand from an Italian driver, the name is used today for low quality bikes. Bikes up till the 1960s are rare collectors items and can cost up to $4000.
GenZe
Company: GenZe Inc., USA.
Closed down. Electric can not be repaired, do to lack of parts.
Gocio
Blacklist (H-N)
Halo Knight*
Company: Company adress is: 14 Avenue du Général de Gaulle 94160 Saint-Mandé, France, which is a rent an office center.
Low Buget S-Pedelecs (up to 45kmh), please get these vehicles trough your local TÜV/inspeciton check BEFORE register these bikes as Scooters/motorcycles. Their website makes different statements about the bikes speed. While their FAQ claims 25 kmh, the specs sheet claims 45 kmh. Their E-Scooters are also not legal in many European countries. Please check you local laws before you buy.
Haoqi**
Germany: Company do to WEEE-Reg.-Nr.: Landbell GmbH / Shang hai Hao qi guo ji mao yi you xian gong si.
The Adress of their repair center is just the address of a dealer. The Company not show up at the address in the imprint.
The US address belongs to OpenE Technologie Inc.
Heybike**
No company stated on it's websites
Company:
Do to tax number on Heybike.eu: Heybike GmbH, GER, - can not be found on Bundesanzeiger, where companies have to publish at least it's year-end report. Before that it was named: Heywheel GmbH
In October the registry court intends to delete the company ex officio pursuant to Section 394 of the German Act on Proceedings in Family Matters and Matters of Non-Contentious Jurisdiction (FamFG). In a nutshell: The company does not have any assets.
The appeal period has already expired. Insolvency / bankruptcy was not claimed by the company beforehand. In the worst case this can be counted as Failure to file bankruptcy in a timely manner.
Heybike responded, after a Reddit post informed users about this, that sales and warranty claims will be still handled over their website. They did not specify over which company sales and warranty claims will be handled by now.
As of November 2025, Heybikes European website(s) violates laws of multiple European countries, including Germany, Austria and France.
Heybike UK LTD, UK - capital of 10GBP.
UK government forces the company to close down on 15 April 2025 do to not fileing yearly statements / paperwork.
Heybike Inc.,USA/CA - BBB Score of 1.38, - F Score
HEYBIKE CA TECHNOLOGIES INC., USA/CA
Heybike (Hong Kong) Co., LTD, China,
DONGGUAN CITY HEYBIKE TECHNOLOGY CO, China
The US company has an active law sued do to intellectual property infringement. Stated addresses turned out to be fake. The law sued was settled out of court, after information given to us.
Hidoes
(what Shidont)
jokes beside, low budget china imports
Company: HongKong Hidoes Limited, HongKong Jiahuihong Technology co. Limited (as of 05/2026)
Hiland / Upland
Owned by Joykie, China
This includes their sub brand BamCBase. Low buget bikes.
HillMiles
Hilltecks
Company: ???, France
Cheap E-Bikes, company closed around 2013.
Hitway* **
Company: Dongguan HITWAY Vehicle Industry Co., Ltd. , China (hitways.com)
The brand changes the companies like pants.
In the UK:
- In May 2024: Morning Go Media Limited
- In December 2024: Bird of Paradise Technology Co, LTD.
- In mid January 2025 - when Bike Blacklist was established - Coobuy Limited
- Late January 2025: Emilyma Limited
- April 2024: Hong Kong Flybirds International Trading Limited
- September 2025: Primtech Limited
- October 2025: Coobuy Limited
- As 6. February 2026 part of Eco Hori Limited
In the EU:
- October 2024: QZ Star Limited
- November 2024: Primtech Limited
- February 2025: HongKong Linemart Limited (Hong Kong, China)
- March 2025: Zongest Limited
- June 2025: Tenoshare (Hongkong) Limited
- Since mid 2025 a brand of Hope Overseas Handels UG (GER) with a registered share capital of only €500, CEO: Zirui Luo (Since 10. February 2025) - but on their German site it's Hardcore Buissness Trade Co., Limited (HK)
- September 2025: Primtech LimitedMay 2026: INNOVATECH POLSKA SPÓŁKA Z OGRANICZONĄ ODPOWIEDZIALNOŚCIĄ )dnaloP(
In the US & Canada:
Hitway is a brand of Hardcore Buissness Trade Co., Limited (HK) & Lumina Tec Limited (UK)
When buying a bike never less: Be aware of Unauthorized Dealers and Counterfeit Sellers
Hitway bikes are low budget e-bikes, that are sold via Online shops and TikTok Shop.
The URL appears on blacklists, like Norton.
HemmingAsia / Yongkang Heming Vehicle Co., Ltd.*
Also sold under many different brand names. Besides, sold by Hangzhou Fanhuang Technology Co.,Ltd , China | Example of brands: Actionbikes, Viron.
Battery of some bikes weighs as much as the bike itself, needs 14h for charging and have a reach of 28km (around 17.5 miles) Bike ink. Battery ways up to 40Kg (around 88lbs). In 2016, the Zedler Institute warned in a German TV documentation about one bike of the company, sold under the Actionbikes brand name.
Hogan
Sold via Amazon
Hofer
Austrian failed brand.
Huffy
Low quality bikes for the US market.
Igus
"Made out of 100% plastic" - "Bike" Magazine 02/2025.
I am personally very skeptical about long life durability.
Isinwheel*
Company: DOUBLE KING INDUSTRY (HK) CO., LIMITED, China, also operates IScooter.
Lists an address in Berlin, Germany in their imprint. Address did not exist.
Despite selling cheep E-Bikes to Germans, these are illegal to use in public and only allowed to ride on private property.
IZIP**
Company: Alta Cycling Group
JasionBikes* **
Not to be confused with Jaison Bikes
No company is mentioned on the website. The return adress belongs to OpenE Technologies Inc., USA
KETELES*
Company: ???
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 40km/h and four times the allowed motor power.
Kingbird
Company: lorego GmbH
Bavarian company with low budget E-Bikes. Closed down around 2016.
Komda
Company:
Komda Industrial (Dong Guan) Co. Ltd.
Komda Bicycles Ltd., China
KOOLUX*
Company: Tenda Handels GmbH (?) - official not mentioned on the website.
Maybe: Hitway(?), also known as Alpshscootz - do to Trustpilot this brand is part of Hitway, has a 2,5 star rating there.
Address in Germany (Siemensstr. 35, 90766 Fuerth) sells same bikes as Hitway, just with a different label. Website in German is badly translated.
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 50km/h (31 mp/h) - so illegal in Europe, the UK and the US.
LAUXJACK
Company: Guangzhou Wandyy Technology Co., Ltd.
Sells via reseller platforms like Amazon, Alibaba aso.
LLobe
Company: Llobe GmbH
Filed for bankruptcy in 2024. Sold/sill sells low quality ebikes to supermarkets (a.e. Aldi, Lidl) and Hardware stores. Their website is still up, but looks like straight from the 2000s.
Masciaghi
Maylerescape LTD.
Brands: Fucare Bikes, Vitilan* **, Yose Power.
Might be a shell company. They have only a postbox address.
The company claims a loss of 3627 GBP every year, accounts are overdue to do to UK database. Company owns scam stores
Meelod*
Company: ???
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 48km/h (30 mp/h) - so illegal in Europe, the UK and the US.
MockWheel*
Company: Unkown (on website) / Shenzhen Fuxingneng, Industrial Co. Ltd, China (do to ADAC) / Mokwheel Shops LLC Ontario, California US? Or Canada? / Mokwheel Bikes Inc., USA (known do to lawsuit Wanda Kayla Blaylock vs. Mokwheel Bikes Inc)
Very heavy bikes (30+ Kg / 70+ lbs), The bikes are not allowed in some countries, because of the bikes can be modified with a few button presses increasing the speed-up to 99km/h. (around 60mp/h, do to YouTube videos) BBB score of 1,28 / 5. A Bike got the worst test resaults by German ADAC E-Bike Test 2024.
Mukkpet*
Company: Guangzhou Youdongli Network Technology Co., Ltd & Shenzhen Ruiteng Zhihui Technology Co., Ltd.
Imported low budget ebikes and rebranded() them. The website claims to be an American brand, but actually a Chinese brand is behind them.
Nakto*
Company: E-Ride, USA, KS(?)
Bikes have 500W+ motors installed, illegal in Europe. Low quality bikes, Some have gas throttles. Companies contact form has expired, do to too much people contacted them. The company Jotform, who runs these forms, cancelled it. Company left Google API text on plain site. Despite claiming to be located in the US, their ToS claims to be under UK law.
The brand has a BBB score of F (1.22 out of 5)
Return address is a bike store in Kansas. The owners may also own the brand. As of January 2026, they have a Google review score of 2,4 stars.
NEXT
Not to be confused with the bike sharing company.
Blacklist (O - Z)
OBike
Was a none ebike rent bike company from Singapore, brand got bankrupt in 2018/2019 and unused bikes were sold for 70€. Used bikes were either stolen or vandalized.
Ouxi*
Company: Shenzhen HTOMT Technology Co., Ltd. , China
Responsable companies: Doree Supplies B.V., NL (Europe), City of Industry (USA)
Founded in 2010, the company produces low budget e-bikes since 2019.
Lacks of a CoC and ABE Certificate. The EU declared the bikes as illegal by October 2024.
The Netherlads Show Boose made in September 2024 public that a retailer sold illegal bikes. The ILT seized 1100 bikes in September 2024, including Ouxi bikes.
Prophete
Company: Prophete GmbH u. Co. KG , GER
See: REX - down below.
PVY Bikes* **
Company: Unknown
Sells cheap folding bikes. Has offices/shops/Addresses in China, Ireland, Italy, UK and UAE on its website.
R-Wind**
Company: R-Wind GmbH, GER
Produced cheap E-Bikes. The Website closed down somewhere in 2018/2019 but the company is still active on paper.
Rad Power Bikes
RadWagon 4 up to 2022. Please do not ride the bike, do to a recall.
Bikes for Europe are cheaply made. Do not state what components are build in - they only give a vague description like 250w motor but does not state which brand. They declared bankruptcy in the end of 2025. In March 2026 they were acquired by Life EV.
Rakxe
Company: Rakxe Electric Co., Ltd., China
Produces different types of electric vehicles, like Scooter, Golf Carts, and Segways. E-Bikes ranges from very cheap (their folding bikes) to actually good quality (1 MTB, 1 Road Bike).
RCB**
Company: as of 14. May 2026: Hardcore Business Trade Co., Limited (HK)
21April 2025: Coobuy LTD (UK)
16 March 2025: ME&D LTD (UK)
24 January 2025: Emilyma LTD (UK)
7 July 2024: Coobuy LTD (UK)
23 May 2024: Wogar Technology (HK) CO., LTD & Jamaya LTD (HK & UK)
March 2024: Emilyma LTD (UK)
Known for E-Scooters, they build very cheap normal bikes. For E-Bikes: they don't specify the motor.
Has one repair shop in Nürnberg, Germany and one in Rome, Italy
REAL
Brands: Germatec, McKenzie, MIG, Vortex.
Sold cheep (E)Bikes by now defunct supermarket chain, produced "Made in Germany" by MIFA.
Riding Time's*
Company: ???
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 50km/h (31 mp/h) - so illegal in Europe, the UK and the US.
Ridstar*
Company: ???
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 58km/h (36 mp/h) - so illegal in Europe, the UK and the US.
Reevo*
Kickstarter backed bike. Only around 150 were shipped out before the company went under. The bike is very hard to service! It has to be taken apart completely. Berm Peak took the bike apart.
Revoe (Mobility)
Company: Revoe SAS, France - ???, China
The original company stopped making bikes around 2014. Later in 2016 low budget bikes were produced under that name. Listings were suspended by Amazon. The website is offline since January 2025. The Revove SAS filed for bankruptcy in September 2022. They had offices in Paris (France), Hong Kong and Kunshan (China)
Rex
Company: Prophete GmbH u. Co. KG , GER
Rex was sold in discounters and hardware stores. The brand was shut down around 2018. Prophete filed for bankruptcy in December 2022. Dutech Holdings from Singapore acquired the shares of Prophete, and it's parent company Cycle Union and continued the production of bikes with some acquired brand names.
SameBike*
Company:
Guangzhou Sameway Electric Bicycle Co. Ltd., China, do to picture on the website
HONGKONG LANLAN TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED, China, do to terms of service.
Schwinn
Company: Pon Holding / Pacific Cycle
The Original Schwinn company went bankrupt in 2001. Under that brand, cheap bikes for Wallmart, Target & co. gets produced.
Their fitness indoor products did get manufactured by BowFlex, Inc.
Scirocco
Company: Unknown / Hervis Sport- und Modegesellschaft m.b.H., AT (?)
Senada Bikes*
Company:
August 2025: Hong Kong Technology Co., Ltd.
October 2023 - May 2025: Hong Kong SHIZE Digital Technology Co., Ltd.
October 2021- May 2022: Magic (Hong Kong) Flute Digital Technology Co., Limited
Cheap E-Bike. Site shut down in Fall/Winter 2025.
Spirit**
Company: Unknown
Netherlands company. They don't have a company name or address on it's a public website
Suncox
Suncox Industrise Co. LTD., China
Mounts E-Bike motors & battery packs to normal cheap bikes and sold them that way. Also produces PC connectors, patio heaters and infra-red heaters.
Swagtron*
Company: ???
E-Bike and E-Scooter Company/Brand. the consumer product safety commission of the USA warns about an E-Scooter, because of risk of serious injury or death.
Has no detailed "parts list" at their bikes side. It seems like they had some internal problems in 2024.
Swyff
Company: Nesco BV, NL
Bike brand, that also sells E-Bike conversion kits and fungi under the Nesco brand. It has 1 million Euro in dept.
Tecnobike
Company: Tecnobike S.r.l.
Italian Company, that does make exclusive cheep bikes for German retailer Zweirad Center Stadler. Has with NSR a good quality brand.
Telefunken
Company: Karcher AG, GER / TELEFUNKEN Licenses GmbH, GER (Since 2024/5?)
Cheap E-Bikes. The Original company went bankrupt in the 1960s and the name used for a whole of different produce by different companies. Karcher produces/produced(?) bikes or imported bikes from China with no name electric parts. Up till 2024 on the website of Telefunken there were only TVs. Bikes were produced since the 2000s under that brand name for supermarkets/hardware stores.
TotGuard / Todguard
Company: Hongkong Wedo ECommerce Limited
Low budget E-Bikes
The brand has one website with the company name and one without. They are using AI faces and "fake" reviews on one. Also sells on Amazon and other marketplaces.
Trax
not to be confused with the Garmin Brand "Tracx" or the bike tow rope company.
Low budget bikes.
Umweltrad
Failed bike company from Germany, bike motors, not available anymore.
Umit Europe S.L.
Produces low quality bikes.
Vankel
Company: ???
Cheap kids bikes and adult E-Bikes. Some Bikes might have an Iron frame instead of steel or aluminum one. They try now to sell the bikes via TikTok shop.
Varun*
Company: HK HIBIKE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED
Velocraft
Company: Intercraft GmbH
Only some of their bikes have tech specs listed. Some bikes have an additional "for buying the bike visit Little Jhon Bikes" (a legit store chain in Germany) link that gives an 404 message. Some specs did not match the advertised bike (example Andana middle motor listed in specs, bike does have a back hub motor)
VICTRIP*
Company: ???
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 45km/h (28 mp/h) - if they are certified, these bikes are S-Pedelecs and need an licenseplace, inshurance and drivers need a license.
Vipcoo*
Company: ???
Cheap bikes with top speeds up to 40km/h and too much motor power.
VIVI
Company: VIVI Intelligent Technology R&D Center (as of their company history) / Eco Hori Limited (as of April 2026)
Previous companies:
- July 2025: Wecreat LTD
Recall of 24.000 batteries sold between 2020 and 2023. Cheap ebikes.
Volksrad
Company: Strike Bike GmbH, GER
Failed German bike company without any good information about. Bikes build have cheap quality.
Wallke* **
Company behind it might be a France shell company, 50+ firms can be found under the return address, address is a normal apartment building , Chez Domidéal 11 Avenue Carnot 25000 Besançon. - can be found only here.
XDS**
Australian Brand with cheap bikes.
X-Treme*
Company: X-Treme Scooters / Taosun Ltd, Honk Kong
Sells Scooters and low budget E-Bikes under x-tremescooters.com
Scooters might be not street legal.
Yatdim
Company: Yatdim GmbH
European Distributor of Chinese Bikes.
Brands: Aairsk, Aniway, Bodywel, Burchda, Cmacewheel, Coswheel, Cyrusher, Engwe, Fucare, Jansno, Kickwey, Lankeleisi, Meetonetrike, Mihogo, Onemile, Randride, simate, Sinohon.
Yazoo**
Company: Zweirad Einkaufs Genossenschaft e.G.
Low budget bike brand by ZEG, known for Bulls Bikes.
Yuebo
Closed down company from China. Mounted E-Bike motors & battery packs to normal cheap $200 bikes and sold them that way. Might be dangerous.
YikeBike*
Company: Project Garlic Ltd. ,NZ
A weird bike with 2 or 3 wheels and a hubless front wheel. The company has a Postbox address in NZ, and the website and social media hasn't been updated since pre-pandemic. Bike doesn't look repairable / serviceable at a normal bike shop. Website broke down on some parts.
Zündapp
Company: Zündapp Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH, GER.
Mostly known for low budget E-Bikes from Supermarkets. Made some good bikes on one year, that are sold out. Most bikes are still sold via Supermarkets or marketplaces. Bike specs not say what exact components are build in. Same with electric system.
Blacklist (Parts)
On the parts list, some known drop-shipping brands will be listed. Some of them may say in advertisements, that they "made" these products. Please also look at the Blacklist of Fake Shops of the German subreddit r/Fahrrad.
Alpensattel
Company: Shop Force GmbH / Logiful GmbH, Germany
The German Bike Subreddit banned threads about the brand, do to self-promotion and many individual complaints/posts. They also being unfriendly to criticism. The Swiss consumer protection have the company listed as problematic. They also make commercials, where they say that driving a bike is unhealthy and can damage the prostate, which does not hold any scientistic value.
BikeHeros
Company: MNM Marketing GmbH (Austria)
Known for selling a 1€ to 2€ seat for 55€. The Swiss consumer protection have the company listed as problematic.
Rockbros-EU
Company: Rockbros Sports GmbH
Does advertise the same saddle BikeHeros sells on their TikTok Chanel. They are selling products from other companies under their own label. A difference between them and Bike Heros reguarding the saddle: it cost only half as much and prices for other products are also fair.
Discontinued E-Bike Motors
Buying (used) E-Bikes with these motors are on your own risk.
- 8FUN
- A2B (went out of business in 2022)
- Acorn / Electragil (bankrupt in 2013)
- ACXA (bankrupt in 2016)
- Apollo (China Motor, set in their own bikes up around 2015)
- B2G (bankrupt in 2020)
- BionX (went bankrupt in 2018)
- Blaupunkt
- BMZ RS
- Bosch BES1 System / Bosch Classic System (First Generation of Bosch Motors, discontinued in 2013 - support ended in 2016)
- Bosch BES 2 System (discontinued in 2024 - support still active.)
- BROSE (sold their E-Bike Motors devision to Yamaha in March 2025. ATM it is unclear how they would deal with parts & support.)
- Continental (discontinued in 2020 - support ended in 2022)
- Crystalyte 400 and 5300 Series (discontinued in 2011)
- Dolphin / Electrically Variable Overdrive (discontinued in 2012)
- Daum
- EVantage DuoDrive (Discontinued in 2018)
- e-novation (discontinued in 2017)
- et Technology
- e-vinci (bankrupt in 2016)
- Gazelle Innergy
- GenZe (went out of business in 2019, services and support ended in 2021)
- Green Mover Motor (ZEG Brand, discontinued around 2018, might be compartible with GoSwissDrive or Alber Parts)
- Groove (Discontinued around 2018)
- GoSwissDrive (discontinued in 2019, company closed in 2020, service still active through Youmo AG & SAS Sandmann do to license from parent company of GoSwiss)
- Impulse (discontinued in 2019 - support ended in 2024)
- Panasonic (anything from 1979 up to 2014 discontinued)
- Reevo
- Revonte (bankrupt in 2023)
- Sunstar (discontinued in 2017)
- Tong Sheng TSDZ2 (Discontinued do to lawsuit by Bafang)
- Volksrad (Discontinued around 2013)
- Vivax / Gruber (closed in 2020)
- Yamaha US (discontinued in 2024 - support will end in 2029)
- ZF (EDU-S, Sachs RS, CentriX - discontinued do to pull out of the ebike section in January 2026)
Frequently Asked Questions
Knowing the quality and repairability of a bike can save you time and money in the long run.
Bikes lacking motor details often leave you stranded as repair shops may refuse service due to unknown parts.
I list bikes with poor quality, unclear specs, or those sold by companies with questionable practices.
Not all budget bikes are bad, but many on our list lack transparency and durability, making them risky buys. At example
Mechanical brakes, specially on ebikes, can be dangerous. Most mechanical brakes are not designed for higher weights (some bikes on this list are 100+ lbs / 45+ kg) and speeds. If a price point, both break types are cheap. A go to hydraulic break is the Shimano BR-MT200 for a cheap but good break.
In general: It is possible to do so, to save money, but please consider, that frames and parts may break earlier. Please look into your local laws which sets you are allowed to buy regarding max speed and power.
For the EU & UK, it is more complex. The E-Mountainbike Magazine published an article about this topic in 2021.
In a Nutshell: It would cost more than €20,000 to get the bike street legal. The person who mount the kit is now the bikes' manufacturer.
The Bike has to be compliant with DIN EN 15194-2017 ISO 4210, Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, EMC Directive 2014/30/EU and EN 15194.
The EMC test costs around €3000, the full bike test up to €25,000.
Such an e-bike is not legal for use on public roads in Europe and Australia, even if the rider does not use the motor assistance function.
As soon as it is technically possible to increase the motor assistance to more than 25 km/h via the menu, the pedelec legally loses its status as a bicycle. For the legislator, the decisive factor is not the actual use, but the design-related maximum speed or the technical characteristics of the vehicle.
Your E-Mail/contact field will reach my e-mail inbox and gets deleted 30 days after the last contact of the mail chain.
Bike Blacklist in diffrent languages:
Schwarze Liste Fahrräder & E-Bikes
Lista nera di bici e bici elettriche
Liste noire des vélos et vélos électriques
Lista negra de bicicletas y bicicletas eléctricas
Lista negra de bicicletas e e-bikes
Zwarte lijst voor fietsen en e-bikes
Cykel & E-Bike / E-Cykel Blacklist
Sykkel & El-sykkel svarteliste
Pyörän ja sähköpyörän musta lista
自転車と電動自転車のブラックリスト