# Rugged Electric Bikes The Third Element eSpire is Built to Take the Road Less Traveled By Michael Hines | Published 2010-10-08 | Autos Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/third-element-espire References: [gizmag](http://www.gizmag.com/espire-hybrid-drive-bicycle/16601/) & [3-element](http://3-element.com/en-us/) The Third Element eSpire is the [electric bike](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dirt-freak-gen3) for people who like to ride along the beaten path every once in awhile. This bike features [aggressive styling](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/electric-scrambler) and an electric motor that can top out at 40 mph. The Third Element eSpire comes in a street-legal and an off-road version. The off-road version can hit 40 mph, providing a wild ride. The battery needs only three hours to recharge, which means more time on the trail and less time waiting around. I suddenly feel the urge to dust off the old helmet and go for a ride. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.4/10 - Popularity: 57% | Activity: 98% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Autos](https://www.trendhunter.com/autos) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Rugged Electric Bikes:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Developing durable electric bikes with aggressive styling for off-road adventures. - **Street-legal Electric Bikes:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Creating electric bikes that can reach higher speeds while still being legal for street use. - **Quick Recharge Batteries:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Designing faster rechargeable batteries to minimize downtime and increase usage time for electric bikes. ### Where This Applies - **Electric Bicycle Manufacturing:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Expanding production capabilities to include rugged and street-legal electric bikes. - **Outdoor Adventure Sports:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporating rugged electric bikes into adventure tourism offerings and outdoor gear stores. - **Battery Technology:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Researching and developing quick recharge batteries to meet the demand for electric bikes and other portable devices. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [All-Electric Dirt Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/everest-electric-bike.md) - [Moped-Style Electric Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ride1up-revv-1.md) - [Fat Tire Urbanite eBikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/engwe-l20-30-series.md) - [Dual-Battery Off-Road Electric Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/allterrain-ebike.md) - [Trail-Ready Commuter E-Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/trailready-commuter-ebike.md) - [Ultimate Off-Road Trail E-Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ecpocalypse.md) - [Endurant Electric Bikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/highperformance-ebike.md) - [Terrain-Traversing eBikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/terrain-electric-mountain-bikes.md) - [High-Power Moto-Inspired eBikes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lyric-cycle-graffiti-x.md)