We took a quick spin around the demo pavilion at SXSW and stopped by Mod Bikes, an Austin-based e-bike company that just launched its new Groove model. The $2,000 bike has a vintage feel and a step-through frame, with thick enough tires to make any rider feel safe and sturdy. Or so they tell us; we’ll be testing it out Tuesday to confirm and will report back!
But before we do, one interesting tidbit the guys at Mod shared with us: The company assembles its bikes in the U.S., but many of its parts come (as expected) from China. That means the startup is already starting to feel the sting of Trump’s tariffs and has had to get creative to avoid offloading higher costs onto the consumer.
