In Germany, it has been patented by Tinbot Technology GmbH, which has a Chinese factory that manufactures electrically assisted bicycles and an electric scooter.

The bike shown here has an aluminium frame and a hefty-looking battery. The ‘3000’ on the side is likely to refer to a 3000-watt electric motor – that’s 3kW.

While there are dozens of similarly powered machines on sale in China, they are rarely exported. The fact that this one has been patented in Germany by a German company shows the bike has international intentions. 

By Ben Purvis