When Rivian spun off its micromobility arm into a standalone company called Also, it wasn’t content to re-skin a commuter e-bike and call it innovation. What the Palo Alto outfit unveiled in October felt, in equal parts, like a tech demo, a camping gear catalog and a small-vehicle manifesto — a modular, software-defined machine that tries to rethink what “bicycle” means in 2026. Meet the TM-B (Transcendent Mobility — Bike), its four-wheeled cousin the TM-Q, and the Alpha Wave helmet — a trio that aims to knit hardware, software and services into a single riding experience.

A new language for pedaling

The headline trick here is a drivetrain, Also called DreamRide — a pedal-by-wire system that decouples the physical act of pedaling from the wheel. Instead of a chain and gears translating your leg power directly to the wheel, your pedaling spins a generator that helps recharge the battery; a software-driven traction motor then turns the rear wheel through a Gates Carbon belt. The result is a gearless, digitally controlled ride where cadence, assistance and resistance are tuned by algorithms instead of derailleur adjustments. It’s equal parts mechanical rethink and software playbook.

That’s not just clever engineering for its own sake — DreamRide is pitched as a way to make the bike adaptable to different rider tastes (more resistance, less assistance, or a fully automatic mode) while simplifying maintenance and making the bike feel more like a “software product on wheels.” Early riders found that the system can be tuned to feel very different depending on your preferences, from natural to almost fully powered.

Hardware that behaves like a platform

On paper, the TM-B is packed with headline specs: 24 × 2.6-inch wheels, Class 3 pedal-assist capped at 28mph (45kph), a throttle where regulations allow up to 20mph, and an eye-watering 180Nm of torque — numbers that promise hill-flattening acceleration even with cargo aboard. There are hydraulic disc brakes and a regenerative braking system that Also estimates can extend range by roughly 25 percent under certain conditions.

The removable battery comes in 538Wh or 808Wh flavors — Also claims up to roughly 100 miles of range depending on configuration — and these packs are designed to be USB-C charged at up to 240W, letting the smaller and larger packs top up in about two hours 20 minutes and three hours 45 minutes, respectively. The batteries double as portable power banks (two USB-C ports and an E-Ink state-of-charge readout), which squashes one of the more irritating e-bike rituals: finding a proprietary charger.

If you’re picturing a single rigid frame, think again. The TM-B’s top frame is modular — you can swap it out without tools to convert the bike from solo commuter to cargo hauler to kid carrier or bench-seat cruiser. The cockpit centers on a 5-inch circular touchscreen console that’s also used to unlock the seat post, tweak DreamRide settings and pair the Alpha Wave helmet. Inverted front fork travel and an air shock are there to keep the ride civilized for riders from about 4’11” to 6’8″.

Security, connectivity, and automotive DNA

Also leans on Rivian’s automotive background for service and logistics: the TM-B includes proximity-based locks that secure the battery, rear wheel and frame and send tamper alerts and live location to the rider app. There’s an explicit push toward making the product serviceable — spare parts, modular components and a distribution channel anchored to Rivian’s existing infrastructure are part of the pitch.

The helmet that wants to be more than a hat

If the bike is Also’s statement about what a modern e-bike can be, the Alpha Wave helmet is its safety brief. The company says the helmet uses a Release Layer System (RLS) — a technology designed to reduce rotational forces on the head during crashes — and bundles integrated lighting with a multi-speaker, wind-shielded audio setup and noise-canceling mics for hands-free calls and media playback. The helmet pairs directly with the TM-B’s console so music, calls and navigation cues can be controlled without fumbling with your phone. (Also hasn’t finalized broad retail pricing for the helmet at launch.)

The TM-Q and the delivery play

Also didn’t stop at two wheels. The TM-Q is essentially the TM-B concept stretched into a pedal-assisted, four-wheeled quad designed to carry heavier loads and operate in bike lanes for last-mile deliveries. Also says there will be both commercial and consumer variants; the commercial angle already has weight behind it — Amazon is reported to be buying thousands of Also’s pedal-assist cargo vehicles for deliveries in the U.S. and Europe, an endorsement that could accelerate fleet adoption if trials go well.

Also opened preorders for a $4,500 launch/performance edition of the TM-B, with a $4,000 base model promised later in 2026; deliveries for the early edition are slated for spring 2026. Those aren’t cheap numbers, but they’re squarely aimed at buyers who want a long-term, serviceable, software-backed vehicle rather than a bargain commuter e-bike.

Why this matters

E-bikes are simultaneously a hardware problem and a consumer product problem: you need durable mechanics, real-world utility, convincing safety, and the sort of ownership experience that keeps people paying for upgrades and service. By folding modularity, high-rate USB-C charging, helmet integration, security and a delivery-ready quad into one platform, Also is trying to sell not just a bike, but a whole mobility ecosystem — and it has the manufacturing and dealer muscle of a carmaker standing behind it. That’s both an advantage and a risk: scaling automotive-grade support for relatively low-price micromobility items is expensive, and success depends on whether customers value repairability and software polish enough to pay a premium.

The TM-B is the kind of product that makes the industry divide itself into “before” and “after” conversations — not because every rider will want a DreamRide bike, but because it reframes what an e-bike company can offer: hardware designed to be updated, software that defines your ride, and an ecosystem that tries to make ownership seamless. Whether Also can translate that mix into mass adoption — or even steady niche success — will come down to how real the promises feel after the first winter, the first long climb, and the first theft attempt. For now, though, Rivian’s little spin-out has made one of the boldest e-bike opening acts of the decade.