Silverback have a four-strong line-up of Starke city bikes but only one has power assistance – the top-of-the-tree Starke 1, shown here. Its motor, stowed in the seat bag, puts out 100w as standard. However, there’s an extra 100w on tap, activated by holding down a button on your handlebar for five secondsJohn Whitney
The Silverback Starke 1 comes with lime green, silver and black paintjobs. It’s fairly lightweight for an e-bike, at 14.1kg all in. No UK pricing was available at Eurobike but the Starke 1 is $2,999 in the US. It has a mountain-bike-like spec, with Shimano XT nine-speed gearing and Shimano hydraulic disc brakesJohn Whitney
The Starke 1 and 2 models come with a USB port that uses power generated from a dynamo front hub to provide a charging point for gadgets like GPS units and smartphonesJohn Whitney
The dynamo front hub on Silverback’s Starke 1 and 2 is used primarily to power the Supernova lighting systemJohn Whitney
The Supernova hub in the front wheel of Silverback’s Starke 1 and 2 generates power whenever the wheel rollsJohn Whitney
The Supernova E3 Pro LED light has a maximum brightness of 280 lumens and weighs around 110gJohn Whitney
All bikes across the Starke range are one-size-fits-all, with the stem offering adjustment for different rider heightsJohn Whitney
Silverback haven’t missed out on the 29er bandwagon, launching the 100mm-travel Storm hardtail range for 2012. Fresh out of the factory, the Storm 1 and 2 are all-carbon in construction, with a tapered head tube (1-1/8 to 1-1/2in) for increased stiffness. The 1 – shown here – weighs a claimed 10.6kg with a RockShox SID SL fork and Stan’s NoTubes Crest custom wheelsetJohn Whitney
The triangular down tube on Silverback’s Storm 1 is said to increase steering stiffness while also improving comfort at the rearJohn Whitney
The top tube and seatstays on Silverback’s Storm 1 almost merge into a continuous tube. No UK price was available but look to pay around $1,800 for the Storm 1 and $1,700 for the 2 in the USJohn Whitney
Silverback don’t shy away from the road side of things, and the top-end Space looks to be no slouch. Pictured is the Space Concept, designed as an all-rounder that’ll take you as fast up the climbs as it will on the flat. Internal cable routing, tapered head tube and full Shimano Dura-Ace adds up to a classy-looking package. The range-topping Concept weighs in at a claimed 6.9kg, and is joined by the Space 1 (Ultegra Di2, 7.7kg) and Space 2 (Ultegra, 7.8kg)John Whitney
The seatstays on Silverback’s Space road bikes are designed with comfort in mindJohn Whitney
An integrated seatpost and natural carbon finish contribute to the Space Concept’s good looks. In the US, expect to pay $2,755John Whitney
Silverback Technologies are relative newcomers to the bike making business, setting up shop as recently as 2004. Their bikes, which we were given a run through at their Eurobike booth, are now being brought into the UK and Ireland by North Coast Leisure.
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Catching our eye were the Starke 1 e-bike with built-in USB port for charging your gadgets on the move, the all-carbon Storm hardtail range and the top-end Space road bike. Check out our image gallery for BikeRadar’s closer look at all three.
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We grabbed a few minutes with Silverback’s head of innovations, Raoul de Villiers, to find out more about some of the key models. You can check out what he had to say in the video below:
Cycling Plus Section Editor and tireless domestique John has been putting in a shift for the magazine for seven years. Despite having been a ‘proper’ road cyclist for the last decade, he still can’t work out what his main motivation for punishing all-day rides is. A freewheeling attitude towards cake is the popular theory, however.
