Also's TM-B E-Bike Delayed Again: Supply Chain, Novel Drivetrain, and Regulatory Hurdles Pile Up

Rivian's micromobility spinoff Also has pushed back delivery timelines again for its TM-B electric bike. Product manager Saul Leiken posted a 661-word apology on Reddit to reservation holders, acknowledging both the delays and the company's poor communication around them. Also told TM-B Launch Edition reservation holders in early September 2026 that bikes were "now shipping," with deliveries expected to arrive "in waves" between that time and early November (Electrek).

The company originally targeted spring 2026 for customer deliveries, then moved the window to summer. By late July, Also said first deliveries would begin the following week (TechCrunch). Neither target held. No TM-B units had reached customers by the time fall arrived, prompting Leiken's Reddit letter (The Verge).

Leiken attributed the delays to what he called "significant supply chain challenges" tied to the AI boom, specifically shortages of printed circuit board (PCB) and integrated circuit (IC) materials. PCBs are the flat boards that hold and connect the electronic components inside a device; ICs are the chips themselves. The component squeeze forced Also's engineering team to source substitute materials that deviate from the TM-B's original design, triggering additional engineering and testing cycles before production could proceed.

The supply chain disruption is one of two compounding problems. The other is the bike itself. The TM-B uses a DreamRide pedal-by-wire drivetrain with no mechanical connection between pedaling and bike movement. In a conventional e-bike, a chain or belt physically transfers your pedaling force to the wheel. DreamRide removes that mechanical link entirely, relying on sensors, firmware, and motor control to translate rider input into motion. Leiken admitted that DreamRide requires high-precision manufacturing, leading to a slower production ramp-up to ensure quality. That architecture demands tighter manufacturing tolerances than a conventional drivetrain, and any deviation in sensor calibration or motor response could produce a riding experience that feels wrong in ways that are difficult to diagnose.

The TM-B also pushes past existing regulatory boundaries. Its 240W power delivery exceeds current regulatory guidelines, forcing Also to work with standards groups to establish new safety and testing protocols. This is not a matter of certifying an existing design against an established standard; it is closer to writing the standard alongside shipping the product. That work adds another layer of dependency outside Also's direct control.

On the specification sheet, the TM-B offers battery packs in 538Wh or 808Wh capacities, with a stated range of up to 100 miles. The bike is positioned as a premium, software-defined vehicle rather than a conventional e-bike with bolt-on electronics.

Leiken acknowledged that Also could have communicated the delays better and apologized for the lack of communication. The September Reddit letter is the most detailed public explanation the company has provided across the delay period, breaking down the supply chain, manufacturing, and regulatory factors individually rather than offering a generic statement about production challenges.

The broader context here is that the AI infrastructure buildout has consumed PCB and IC capacity at a scale now reaching well beyond data center hardware. E-bikes, consumer electronics, automotive subsystems, and industrial controls all draw from the same supplier pools for multilayer boards, power management ICs, and microcontrollers. When hyperscaler demand absorbs available capacity and suppliers prioritize high-volume contracts, smaller companies like Also find themselves redesigning around alternate components mid-production. The substitution is not trivial. Changing an IC or PCB material spec can affect thermal characteristics, signal integrity, and compliance certifications, each of which requires re-testing.

The combination of factors facing Also is unusually dense. A novel drivetrain architecture demanding precision manufacturing, a power delivery system that outstrips existing standards, and a supply chain being squeezed by an adjacent industry's demand all converge on a single product from a first-time manufacturer. Any one of these issues would extend a timeline. All three together make the sequential delivery slippage from spring to summer to fall less surprising than the company's silence between those slips.

Also's current guidance places deliveries in waves through early November. Whether that window holds will depend on whether the substitute components pass their remaining test cycles and whether the DreamRide manufacturing line can scale precision output at volume.