New Cake Åik is a utility e-bike capable of long-distance load lugging
Swedish mobility specialist Cake unveils the Åik, a rugged electric urban utility bike designed to deliver right into the heart of town
![Cake Åik Utility Bike](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sXK2NDmxCcyX6T6VYJyTDD-415-80.jpg)
Cake continues its quest to reinvent all forms of urban mobility with its new Cake Åik, a utility bike that’s billed as an SUV on two wheels. With all forms of micro-mobility under increased scrutiny in order to keep urban emission levels and traffic volumes down, cargo bikes are having a major renaissance.
Cake Åik, a modular cargo bike
The Cake Åik is obviously an e-bike, developed using the same modular approach as its successful fleet of commuter machines. The bike’s aluminium frame is immensely strong, with brackets front and rear that enable it to support up to 441lb of cargo. Of course, being electric-powered ensures riders don’t have to be built of pure muscle in order to make the smallest delivery.
Most impressive of all is the 200-plus mile range. This performance comes from the bike’s ability to be connected to up to three 750Wh batteries, one of which slots down behind the saddle to give up to 74.5 miles of range, with two additional battery packs fitted, pannier-style, on either side of the rear cargo bed. Cake has ensured these packs can also be used as mobile power banks, capable of cooling the cargo or powering tools and other kit.
Target audiences are small city businesses, delivery firms, and families, as well as those looking for a durable machine that doesn’t need constant charging. The unrivalled battery life, sturdy build and trademark Cake approach to industrial design all add up to make the Åik the Model T of modern e-bikes.
Other optional fittings include additional passenger seats and trailers, making the Åik the two-wheeled equivalent of a multipurpose vehicle, capable of coping with anything you chuck at it on virtually every terrain. The new machine will join the Swedish manufacturer’s range in 2023, lining up alongside the Kalk off-roader, the Ösa utility bike and our favourite commuter special, the Makka.
Cake Åik, available soon, details at RideCake.com
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Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
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