Is your European Union-built electric bike about to become even spendier? A new EU ruling may price continental assembly lines out of the market, according to some transport experts.

We’ve also got some less depressing news from the world of e-bikes for you in this week’s round-up, including Christmas list-topping e-MTBs from Mondraker and Priority, Santander Cycles’ shiny new app, and London Fire Brigade’s latest flaming battery stats.

Mondraker launches (slightly) cheaper e-MTBs

Just in time for Christmas, Mondraker has revealed slightly cheaper versions of its Zendit e-MTBs. The Spanish mountain bike firm’s Zendit R and Zendit S pair an alloy rear triangle with a carbon front triangle, lowering the cost without affecting the geometry.

The line continues to make use of DJI’s Avinox M2S power system, and you’ll find 165mm travel at the back with a 170mm fork up front. The £5,999 Zendit S includes an SRAM 70 Eagle T-Type mechanical groupset and RockShox forks and shocks, while the £6,799 Zendit R upgrades to SRAM S1000 Eagle AXS wireless electronic shifting and Fox springy bits. The original, all-carbon flagship Zendit RR will set you back £7,399.

Priority’s Saucy new e-bike

Another new e-bike that’s caught our eye this week is the Priority e-Sauce, an electrically powered version of the playful Sauce, described by Priority as a bike for “blasting pump tracks, beer (or coffee) runs, mashing the streets, or whatever you can think of”. The £1,665 electric version boasts a 750W motor (although this can be restricted to comply with UK regulations), 720Wh battery, front suspension, and a zero-maintenance Gates Belt.

Is e-bike assembly under threat due to a new EU ruling?

It could become a lot more expensive to buy an e-bike in the EU, and this may have a knock-on effect on UK sales. Under a new EU court ruling, customs authorities can now group together separate component shipments, such as a frame, a motor, and a battery, and then tax them as complete bikes. The ruling will affect any items assembled in the EU, but e-bikes are particularly at risk because they’re subject to a mega 87.3% total tax, while individual components only attract 2-6% tax.

The ruling follows European Court Case T-529/25, in which a Belgian e-bike builder was found to have assembled parts into complete bikes and subsequently fined €2.9 million. After the ruling, customs will be able to retroactively fine companies who have imported components over the past three years — and you may have noticed that pretty much every bike part comes from China.

“Europe does not produce nearly enough motors, batteries, frames, forks and electronics to supply its own e-bike production”, said Annick Roetynck, manager of LEVA-EU, a trade association for light vehicles in Europe. “Assemblers have no realistic choice but to import a large share of their components, much of it from China. The judgment turns that dependence into a legal risk”.

Although the UK is no longer part of the EU, brands including Mondraker, Cube, Eovolt, Moustache, and Tenways assemble their e-bikes on the continent before shipping them to the UK, but this could be massively disrupted with the new ruling.

There is now a one-month window where the First Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) can decide if the ruling threatens the consistency of EU law, and LEVA-EU is actively campaigning for this review.

You’re hired! Santander Cycles announces new app

Riders in London can start using a brand-new app to hire Santander Cycles. As of 17 November, the e-bikes formerly known as Boris Bikes can be unlocked via QR code, and the app will support Apple Pay and Google Pay. To prepare for the new app’s launch, there will be a four-day service outage from 13 – 17 November. Users can pre-order the new app and get a free ride with the promo code NEWAPP.

“London is a cycling city, with more than 1.5 million bike trips a day last year, the highest number on record, and this shows no sign of slowing down”, said Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner. “The brand new Santander Cycles app has been designed to meet this growing demand, and features major new upgrades including a QR code to unlock your bike in seconds, and smoother payments with Apple Pay and Google Pay”.

The upgrade comes as the scheme announces 7.6 million hires so far this year — up 2.5% on last year — with a 10% growth in e-bike usage. Santander Cycles will also introduce in-dock charging next year to ensure its bikes are always topped up and ready to go.

E-bike battery fires drop in London

More statistics from London, although this time it’s a downward trend: e-bike and e-scooter fires have fallen in the big smoke between January and August this year, with 129 versus 145 in the same period last year. The London Fire Brigade has pointed to its Charge Safe campaign and its Deliveroo roadshow as contributing to the drop — over 3,500 riders dropped into the travelling event to learn about how to avoid rogue chargers and illegal conversions, as well as safe storage methods.