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After skipping a year due to the pandemic, Eurobike 2021 returned to Friedrichshafen, Germany, nearly two years to the day after the previous rendition of one of the world’s largest and most important bicycle trade shows. The show was immeasurably different (much like the world itself over the last 18 months), but it still hosted some of the most interesting new updates to bicycle tech we’ve seen in years.

And as e-bikes have exploded in popularity since the pandemic, so too has the proportion of e-bike companies to pedal bikes at the show. While 2019 saw closer to an even mix between electric and acoustic bikes, Eurobike 2021 was absolutely the year of the e-bike as electrically-powered two-wheelers dominated the show.

Eurobike 2021 returns to Friedrichshafen

Interestingly, one of the biggest changes other than the increased dominance of electric bicycles was the growing number of cargo e-bikes.

Perhaps buoyed by a larger number of commuters seeking to replace more car trips than ever with alternative transportation, the sheer volume and diversity of cargo bicycles was immediately apparent throughout the show.

Other notable standouts included new electric bicycle drive systems, increasingly bizarre forms of electric bicycles and a host of accessories designed to make e-bikes even more useful for various daily uses.

You can see all of these and more in our Eurobike 2021 compilation video, where you’ll follow the Electrek team around the show floor and test grounds as we check out all of the coolest e-bike tech.

Below is a selection of notable companies and products that were on hand at the 2021 Eurobike show.

We’ve also got a poll going to see what your favorite item from the show is. Make sure to come back up here to the top of the article to vote once you’ve finished the article!

Heinzmann Schaeffler ‘Free Drive’ e-bike system

One of the first new advancements I sought out at the show was a fascinating new electric drive system for e-bikes that completely removes a mechanical connection to the drive wheel.

Instead of using a chain or belt – the two most common drive systems for bicycles – the Free Drive unit generates electricity from the rider’s pedaling action via an electric generator mounted at the bottom bracket of the bike. It then feeds that power to the motor to propel the bike. If any extra energy is generated above what the motor requires, it is stored in the e-bike’s battery.

I covered the system in detail last week, and it’s definitely worth a closer look.

I also had the chance to take a spin on an electric cargo bike outfitted with the Free Drive system, and I’ll have a complete first ride write-up along with a video of the experience coming to Electrek soon.

Greyp unveiled new G6 e-bikes

Greyp took advantage of the Eurobike 2021 show to unveil a series of new ultra-premium carbon-fiber electric mountain bikes as part of the G6 full-suspension line.

I tested out the original G6 e-bikes when they were first unveiled. Even two years ago, they were high-tech, and now they’ve only gotten better.

The new models include the G6.4, G6.5 and G6.6 full suspension electric mountain bikes.

The bikes include large 700Wh batteries, mid-drive motors with 90Nm of torque for powerful hill climbing, embedded tech include built-in eSim cards and 1080p front/rear cameras capable of live-streaming rides, high-end components like Fox Float suspension and of course Greyp’s signature carbon-fiber frames.

We’ll have a deep dive into these new e-bikes coming up soon, so consider this a teaser for some of the most tech-savvy premium electric mountain bikes on the market.

Rayvolt’s beautiful (and high tech) electric bikes

Barcelona-based Rayvolt had on display the latest update to their beautiful electric bike line. From the Catalonian leatherwork to the steampunk brass accents, these e-bikes are second to none when it comes to class.

Rayvolt isn’t just about building attractive bikes, though. They design all of their tech in-house, from modified motors to custom software. That allows them to add interesting features that you won’t find elsewhere.

For example, one of the innovations found in all Rayvolt bikes is variable regenerative braking based on reverse pedaling speed. Instead of pulling the brake levers when you want to stop, you can just pedal backwards. A slight backwards turn of the pedals gives light regenerative braking, but a quicker spin activates stronger regenerative braking in proportion with the reverse pedaling speed. It’s the equivalent of one-pedal driving in an electric car, except with bike pedals and almost no need for hand brake levers.

That same technology also allows for another cool feature called RegenFit. You can put your e-bike on a roller or trainer and pedal it like an exercise bike, with the motor providing regenerative braking resistance to charge the battery.

CEO Mat Rauzier explained that in a half-hour fitness session, he can add around 23% charge to his battery.

The system was developed by Rayvolt’s CTO, Jaime Pla. When I last saw Jaime over two years ago, he was a bigger guy. Now seeing him for the first time after the pandemic began, he’s 17 kg (37 lb) slimmer. As it turns out, it’s largely from developing the RegenFit system.

He had to use the feature in order to test and debug it over several months, which led to him shedding those extra pounds along the way! He admits that a healthier diet played a role, but daily fitness riding on an electric bicycle charging a battery was a big part of this weight loss success.

Tern shows off highly capable e-bikes and accessories

Bicycle maker Tern showed off their line of bicycles, including two of my favorites, the GSD and HSD electric cargo bikes. Both offer serious cargo-hauling capacity but in a smaller package that resembles the size of a typical bike.

The two cargo bikes can also be parked standing up on their tail, making them great for apartment dwellers with limited space.

Tern also showed off the company’s latest accessory line, including a neat rear rack accessory that allows riders to transport their kids inside of a waterproof canopy. That way, moms and dads can take their kids to school on the bike, rain or shine, without the little ones getting wet (or sunburned!).

Bosch electric bike Smart System

Bosch took to Eurobike to show off its Smart System, which is the latest update to its extensive line of electric bicycle drive systems.

Unlike in previous years, where we’ve seen incremental updates to motors, the Smart System offers a new software approach that allows Bosch to implement several new features.

Part of the system is Bosch’s new Flow App. The app is designed to digitize the e-bike ownership experience. Instead of needing to bring the bike into an authorized Bosch dealer for minor updates, riders can now perform over-the-air (OTA) updates themselves via the app.

That will allow riders to take advantage of new Bosch features as they are continuously developed and deployed.

The app is also useful for customizing riding modes, recording riding activities automatically, and integrating with fitness apps. The automatic riding activity recording is particularly convenient as it uses the bike’s sensors to begin the activity recording automatically, meaning riders won’t need to pull out their phones and manually click “record” to track each ride.

Bosch also plans to integrate Bike-to-X communication as part of the internet-of-things (IoT) framework, which would allow for interesting features to be added. By connecting with other cars and trucks, the e-bikes could give early warning signals that help to better protect riders.

Along with the new software, Bosch also rolled out a larger 750 Wh PowerTube battery that hides away inside a bike’s downtube, plus a new Kiox 300 display with updated remote.

We also had the chance to see the Bosch Smart System installed on several of BULLS’ new electric bicycles. BULLS came prepared with a giant booth complete with dozens of models of e-bikes.

Few companies can match the sheer breadth of models, and it’s quite impressive to see so many different types of e-bikes all under one roof.

Coleen electric bicycle

This is the first time I’ve ever seen this bicycle, and it’s an absolute beauty. The Coleen electric bike does a stunning job of incorporating old-school design features like rotary switches into a retro-modern-looking electric bicycle.

The exposed chrome accents and the sleek full-carbon frame play well together, especially combined with the leather saddle and bar grips.

The 250W and 25 km/h (15.5 mph) EU version doesn’t seem to do the beautiful bike justice, but they also have a 750W and 45 km/h (28 mph) model, which seems much more up to speed for a bike that looks this good.

The French-designed and built electric bicycle is hand-made, with over 50 hours of labor going into the manufacturing of each bike.

There wasn’t a price listed on the bike, but I’m guessing it’s one of those “If you have to ask…” situations.

Super73 moped-style e-bikes

Super73 had an awesome booth decked out exactly how you’d expect, with retro-themed motorbike awesomeness.

On display were their three main models, the Z, S and R lines.

The company recently launched a new Super73-ZX e-bike to update the most affordable e-bike in the lineup. And shortly before that, the R and RX lines were released with better suspension, higher-spec components and more power than most people would ever need. Or perhaps the perfect amount of power, depending on who you ask.

Super73 let us borrow a couple of their e-bikes to zip around Germany on. We’ve since taken them to Munich for the IAA Mobility show, where they became our main rides around the city. The bikes turn heads everywhere we go and are instant conversation starters. They also happen to be our favorite way around the city (and usually the fastest way around the city too).

We’ll have more on that experience coming up soon!

Manta5 hydrofoil water bike

I’ve covered the Manta5 hydrofoil electric water bike before, but that was several years ago, and I’ve never seen it in person.

Now, the team at Manta5 has returned to Eurobike with an updated model, and I immediately fell in love with it.

Seriously, just watch the first three seconds of the video below.

That’s what I want to be doing right now. Sign. Me. Up.

It’s basically an electric bike built on top of a hydrofoil, and the pedals (plus the motor) power a propeller instead of a rear wheel. You ride up on the foil, which helps you use less battery, just like a hydrofoil electric boat.

The whole thing looks incredible, and I’m already talking to the company about getting a test ride soon to bring you guys a video review. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Electric bike startup section

There was a fascinating section with all sorts of bike-related startups, each with an interesting idea to show off.

Some were more prototype-y, while others were already in production. Below are the neatest ideas we saw.

Hopper Mobility electric bike car

The Hopper Mobility bike car was one of those larger-than-life entries that grabs your eye from across the exhibit hall.

The German-made electric tricycle is shaped like a car but uses an electric bicycle drive-system to provide a more efficient alternative to conventional cars or even electric cars. It’s also a lot more nimble than cars, thanks to a rear-wheel steering mechanism that gives it a tiny turning radius of just 2 meters (6.5 feet).

It can legally travel in bike lanes, though I’m not sure you’ll make a lot of friends that way.

An included solar panel in the roof offers 5 km of range for every hour of sunlight. That means riders likely won’t even have to plug it in to charge most of the year, assuming they park outside.

Sunbike

Speaking of solar power, the Sunbike team showed off solar panel wheels that could be used to charge an electric bicycle in motion. The DC-DC system uses an MPPT setup for the highest efficiency charging system.

The design was still quite early stage, but the idea could be promising. Plus, it gives you some awesome bling in your spokes!

The Sunbike team claims a max power of 120W, counting 30W on each side of the wheel. Considering you’re not likely to see the same amount of sun on both sides of the bike at the same time, I’m not sure the 120W is really doable. But they also quote a max daily charge of around 500 Wh on a sunny day or 250 Wh on a cloudy day. Those figures sound a bit more realistic.

Rain Rider

This one technically isn’t an e-bike product specifically but could apply to any bicycle. The Rain Rider cover is an easily installed and removed canopy and shield that can protect bike riders from the rain.

It pops on and off in just a few seconds and can also quickly fold in half to take up less space in your garage or at work. If you have a minute and want it to take up even less space when not in use, you can disassemble it down into something the size of an umbrella.

There are plenty of rain canopy concepts out there, but the execution of this one just seems really slick in how easily it mounts and dismounts from the bike.

Arosno E-Trace snow bike

There are electric snowmobiles out there already, but this is something a bit different.

It has tracks like a snowmobile, but the Arosno E-Trace is more of a snow bike. It’s not for blasting around like a snowbound motorcycle, but rather for a more leisurely ride like a bicycle.

It uses an electric bicycle drive system tied to an Enviolo bike transmission to regulate the “gears” to create what I’d call more of a snow transporter. It’s not particularly fast, but it does look like a fun way to get around. And if you actually had a cabin in the Arctic circle somewhere, it might even be a realistic way to get down to the local trading post or last remaining Blockbuster video rental.

Gleam tilting cargo trike

The Gleam tilting cargo electric trike has two major things going for it: It features a modular cargo system for swapping in various boxes and flatbeds, and it actually tilts at the rear so you can ride it harder into turns without flipping over like a typical trike would.

They’ve got a slick system to quickly remove and swap various cargo accessories on the back, making this an interesting option for commercial customers.

The electric trikes are made in Europe, which should already clue you in to their high prices. Starting at around €7,000, these aren’t cheap options. But they’re also quite sophisticated electric trikes, so you’re getting a lot for your money.

OKAI

We’ve only begun covering OKAI recently, but we’ve actually seen plenty of their vehicles in disguise. That’s because until recently, the company mostly supplied other micromobility companies like Bird and Lime with products such as e-bikes and e-scooters.

Now, the company is branching out into its own lines of electric rideables while still continuing to supply the major shared electric mobility companies.

That means we’re likely to see several new OKAI-branded products, some of which may share similarities with common electric scooters and bikes already cruising around the world’s major cities.

Blubrake

The order of advancements in motorized transportation has always been cars first, then motorcycles, and eventually bicycles. The trend can be traced across components like tires, batteries, lights and more — basically just about any other shared component. Now we can add anti-lock brakes to the list.

Blubrake makes anti-lock brakes specifically designed for bicycles. While they can be mounted on traditional pedal bicycles, electric bicycles are prime candidates due to their onboard power to run the electronics and the lack of a weight penalty for the added mass of the hydraulic actuator.

We had the chance to check out Blubrake’s braking system that is neatly hidden away in the top tube of an electric bicycle and interfaces directly with the hydraulic braking system on pretty much any e-bike. It doesn’t even require its own proprietary brakes. Instead, it can be installed inline with brakes like those from Shimano, Tektro and Magura, to name a few.

While it might sound like overkill to some, the few times people have locked up a front tire and lead to a crash on an e-bike (I can, unfortunately, count myself in that group) are a few too many. Anti-lock brakes could save some skin the next time someone grabs a little too much brake.

eChecker e-bike testing equipment

Call me a nerd, but I think this is really cool (and I proudly wear the ‘e-bike nerd’ designation). The eChecker diagnostic tool suite is a line of electric bicycle testing equipment that can basically simulate a rider and run all sorts of performance tests on any e-bike.

Throttle-enabled e-bikes can easily be tested on nearly any dynamometer. That’s simple. But the eChecker can run the same tests on pedal-assist e-bikes, which is a much harder feat. It does it by using a robot to activate the pedals and simulate a rider.

That simulation means the tool can be used to compare various electric bicycles in a uniform fashion.

My first thought was, “Great! Finally, a tool that can perform accurate range tests to compare different e-bikes against each other and determine real-world range ratings!” As it turns out, that is possible but not a common use. That would require some testing agency to invest the approximately €40,000 for the machines and run the tests. Instead, most of eChecker’s customers are e-bike manufacturers that want to verify their own e-bikes and run tests on competitors’ e-bikes to benchmark their performance.

Oh well, maybe someone will step up and buy one of these to start publishing real range data for each e-bike. I’d do it myself if I could afford it.

Nicolai Motors Eboxx Ultra electric motorbike

This one is going to be divisive, but let’s check it out anyway.

Nicolai has built what is, for all intents and purposes, an electric motorcycle with pedals. There’s a footpeg version for realists, but the pedal-version was on display at the show and looks as ridiculous as it sounds.

If you forget the pedals and focus on the electronics, you’ll find a 15 kW continuous and 35 kW peak motor. That’s fairly comparable to a Zero FXE electric motorcycle, to put that in perspective.

It’s so powerful that they used two Gates carbon belt drives in parallel. That also seems a bit silly, especially since Gates makes motorcycles belts. They have Gates motorcycle belts installed on the Harley-Davidson LiveWire and Zero SR/F electric motorcycles, each of which puts out around 80 kW of peak power. So I’m not sure why Nicolai went with a pair of belts, but at least it adds to the overall ridiculousness of the bike!

Flyer Tandem e-bike

This was a fun one that we actually got to test out.

The Flyer electric tandem bike offers a pair of batteries, a pair of belt drives and a pair of seats.

My publisher Seth took the driver’s seat, and I performed the role of back seat driver slash dead weight.

The ride went surprisingly well, though, like all tandem bikes, it can be weird riding back seat and having no control over anything other than propulsion.

It could be a great couple activity — depending on the couple. If you’ve got the kind of relationship that can survive two people hurtling through traffic while only one gets to makes all the decisions, then I can definitely recommend the Flyer tandem as a well-made and sufficiently powerful e-bike with plenty of battery for a long and surely argument-free ride.

Bird Bike

Electric mobility sharing company was on the scene at Eurobike as well. While they’re best known for their shared electric scooters, it was actually the company’s new consumer-focused electric bicycle that was on prime display.

The company showed off the new e-bike in both frame styles (step-over and step-through), where we got our first chance to see it in person.

There’s no dancing around the fact that the bike obviously looks like it was heavily inspired by popular Dutch bicycle company VanMoof. And Bird’s reps didn’t shy away from it either, suggesting that the design has differences but conceding that VanMoof’s signature bicycle frame design is not patented.

But hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And it’s not like Bird is the first to copy VanMoof’s frames, either.

Ducati e-bikes

Ducati’s e-bikes were also on display, but not in a Ducati booth. Instead, they were shown off at the THOK booth.

To anyone in the know, that makes good sense. THOK is the actual producer of Ducati’s e-bikes, as the pair have operated a partnership for several years now.

This isn’t just a sticker bike, though, and Ducati’s electric mountain bikes actually have several unique features compared to other THOK MIG-R electric bikes.

But the similarities are also glaring, including those underslung batteries that are a favorite of THOK.

THIMM bicycle packaging

Alright, so technically, this one isn’t an e-bike. And it’s not even a bicycle. But this bike packaging is pretty darn cool.

Nearly every e-bike I’ve ever unboxed and re-boxed for reviews (and I’m talking literally hundreds of them over several years) has had some level of foam packaging. I don’t have to tell you how bad unrecyclable and non-biodegradable foams are for the planet.

And that’s exactly why THIMM’s foam-free bike packaging is so cool to me. They’ve designed these boxes to use only cardboard, which can be produced from recycled material and also recycled itself.

This is the way I hope all e-bikes get packaged in the future.

What was your favorite thing at Eurobike 2021?

So that’s it, folks! Those are the coolest e-bikes, accessories and other assorted bicycle-industry innovations we found at Eurobike 2021.

Let’s hear what you enjoyed the most. Either let us know in the comments section below or vote in the poll at the top of this article. Or both!


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Upskirted, assaulted, accused of faking their music skills: Why female DJs need to be ‘bulletproof’

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Upskirted, assaulted, accused of faking their music skills: Why female DJs need to be 'bulletproof'

To see Koven’s Katie Boyle perform live is beyond impressive. Hailing from Luton, she is one of the most influential women in drum ‘n’ bass today, an artist who pioneered the art of singing live while DJing. 

Although she’s now been doing it for 12 years, her vast knowledge doesn’t silence the trolls online.

“There is a real bad misogyny online against women,” she says of the industry, with plenty of critics refusing to “believe they’re doing what they say they’re doing, and that’s been quite a hard thing to combat”.

Koven is a duo. In the studio, Boyle collaborates with producer Max Rowat; live, she performs and mixes alone. They have just released their second album, Moments In Everglow.

Koven's Katie Boyle
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Koven (L-R): Max Rowat and Katie Boyle

While both Boyle and Rowat are equally involved in making tracks, a minority of very vocal fans still refuse to accept she does anything other than sing.

“I will always be accused of the male half doing more on anything to do with technology,” says Boyle. “The amount of comments [I get] to say, ‘she didn’t make this’. No explanation as to why they think that it is, just purely because [I’m] a woman, which is just mad.”

Koven (L-R): Max Rowat and Katie Boyle. Pic: Koven
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Koven’s Katie Boyle says she has had some ‘awful incidences’

While Boyle loves performing live, there are moments, she admits, where being one of the few women on the scene can feel unsafe.

“I’ve had some awful incidences,” she says. “I had someone run on stage and completely grab me, hand down my top, down my trousers, while I was on the stage, which is crazy because you think that’s happening in front of an audience. I mean, this guy literally had to be plied off me.

“That was when I did think, ‘I need to bring someone with me to most places’. I didn’t feel safe travelling around by myself.”

‘You get trolled for everything’

DJ Paulette. Pic: Paulette
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DJ Paulette. Pic: Paulette

Sadly, Boyle isn’t alone. Over a 30-year career, DJ Paulette has scaled the heights of dance music fame, playing throughout Europe, with a residency back in the day at Manchester’s Hacienda.

“Let’s just say I have two towels on my rider and it’s not just because I sweat a lot,” she jokes, miming a whack for those around her.

“I’ve spent time in DJ booths where I’ve had a skirt on and people have been taking pictures up my skirt. People think upskirting is a joke… and I got fed up with it.” Wearing shorts, she says, she still ended with “people with their hands all over me”. Now, she sticks to trousers. “But we shouldn’t have to alter the way we look for the environment that we work in.”

She admits, in order to stick it out, she’s had to bulletproof herself. “You get trolled for everything, for the way you look – if you put on weight, if you’ve lost weight.”

Not only is the discourse towards female DJs different online, she says, she has also been repeatedly told by those working in the industry that because she’s a woman, she has a sell-by date.

“I went for dinner with three guys… one of them said to me, ‘you know Paulette there is no promoter or organiser who is ever going to employ a black female DJ with grey hair’, and they all laughed.

“That was them saying to me that my career was over, and I was in my 40s. At the time, I felt crushed… I think it really does take women who have a real steel will to make their way through.”

‘I will not stop talking about it’

DJ Jaguar at the International Music Summit in Ibiza. Pic: Ben Levi Suhling
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DJ Jaguar at the International Music Summit in Ibiza. Pic: Ben Levi Suhling

As the great and the good of the dance world gather in Ibiza for the industry’s annual International Music Summit, with dance music more popular than ever there is of course much to party about.

But for BBC Radio 1 broadcaster and DJ Jaguar, one of this year’s summit’s cohosts, some serious conversations also need to be had.

“You can get off the plane and look at the billboards around Ibiza and it’s basically white men – David Guetta, Calvin Harris, and they are incredible artists in their own right – but the women headliners, there’s barely any visibility of them, it’s awful.”

She adds: “I will not stop talking about it because it is the reality.”

Trolling and safety are also big concerns. “You’re in these green rooms, there’s a lot of people there, drinking and doing other things… and I’ve walked into green rooms where I felt incredibly uncomfortable, especially when I was a bit younger. I was on my own, it’s like 2am, and you have to watch yourself.”

Male DJs don’t have the same stories

International Music Summit in Ibiza
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The International Music Summit in Ibiza

She says she has female friends who have had drinks spiked when they were DJing. But her male friends? “They don’t have the same stories to tell me.”

Creamfields, arguably the UK’s biggest dance festival, is emblematic of the gender imbalance. It remains one of the least representative festivals in terms of female artists, with last year’s line-up more than 80% male.

Read more from Sky News:
Why gaming still has a women problem
‘There is no HR department in the music industry’

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Laila MacKenzie, founder of Lady Of The House, a community that supports and tries to encourage more women into dance music, says the talent pipeline problem isn’t helped by the current discourse online.

“There is a real damaging factor how people can be really nasty online and really nasty in the media and how that actually may discourage and demotivate women from stepping forward into their talent,” she says.

In reality, for so many women working within dance music, the trolling can be so unpleasant that it’s drowning out the good.

“There is so much positivity and so many lovely and supportive people,” says Boyle. “But unfortunately it feels like the negative and the toxic energy is just louder sometimes.”

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Kim Kardashian’s Paris robbery trial: Everything you need to know

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Kim Kardashian's Paris robbery trial: Everything you need to know

In October 2016, Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint – with jewellery worth millions of dollars stolen during the audacious heist in Paris.

It was the biggest robbery of an individual in France for more than 20 years – and made front pages around the world.

Now, almost a decade on, the case is finally coming to court.

Why has it taken so long? Will Kardashian give evidence? And who exactly are the “grandpa robbers” facing trial?

Here’s everything you need to know.

Pic: Rex Features
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Kardashian at the Siran Presentation on the day of the robbery. Pic: Rex Features

What happened?

Two years after Kardashian and rapper Kanye West tied the knot in an ostentatious week-long celebration spanning Paris and Florence, the Kardashian-West clan were back in the French capital for Paris Fashion Week.

More on Kim Kardashian

Her then husband had returned to the US to pick up his Saint Pablo tour – but Kardashian, along with her sister Kourtney and various members of their entourage, remained in Paris, staying in an exclusive set of apartments so discreet they’ve been dubbed the No Address Hotel.

Nestled on Tronchet Street, just a stone’s throw from Place de l’Opéra, and close to the fashionable Avenue Montaigne, the Hotel de Pourtalès is popular with A-list stars staying in the French capital.

A stay in the Sky Penthouse, the suite occupied by Kardashian, will currently set you back about £13,000 a night.

Kardashian was staying at the Hotel de Pourtales
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Kardashian was staying at the Hotel de Pourtales

On the evening of 3 October, after attending a fashion show with her sister, Kardashian remained in the apartment alone while the rest of her convoy – including her bodyguard Pascal Duvier – went out for the night.

At about 2.30am, three armed men wearing ski masks and dressed as police forced their way into the apartment block – and according to investigators, they threatened the concierge at gunpoint.

Two of them are alleged to have forced the concierge to lead them to Kardashian’s suite. He later told police they yelled at him: “Where’s the rapper’s wife?”

Kardashian said she had been “dozing” on her bed when the men then entered her room.

She has said she believes her social media posts provided the alleged robbers with “a window of opportunity”.

“I was Snapchatting that I was home, and that everyone was going out,” she said in the months after the incident.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star vividly described the attack in a police report, as reported in the French weekly paper Le Journal du Dimanche.

“They grabbed me and took me into the hallway. They tied me up with plastic cables and taped my hands, then they put tape over my mouth and my legs.”

She said they pointed a gun at her, asking specifically for her ring and also for money.

Police guard the entrance to the building where Kim has been staying
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Police guard the entrance to the Hotel de Pourtalès the day after the robbery

Kardashian says they carried her into the bathroom and put her in the bathtub. She said she was wearing only a bathrobe at the time.

She had initially thought the robbers “were terrorists who had come to kidnap me”, according to a French police report taken in New York three months after the robbery.

Kardashian told officers: “I thought I was going to die.”

According to police, the robbers – who left the room after grabbing their haul, escaped on bicycles with items estimated to be worth about $10m (£7.5m), including a $4m (£3m) 18.88-carat diamond engagement ring from West.

After they had left, Kardashian said she escaped her restraints and went to find help. After speaking to detectives, she immediately returned to the US on a private jet and later hired a completely new security team.

Kim Kardashian shows off a ring on Instagram
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Kardashian shows off her $4m ring on Instagram

What was stolen?

As well as her engagement ring, Kardashian said the thieves took her large Louis Vuitton jewellery box, which she said contained “everything I owned”.

In police reports given to the French authorities at about 4.30am on the night of the alleged robbery, Kardashian listed these items as having been stolen:

• Two diamond Cartier bracelets
• A gold and diamond Jacob necklace
• Diamond earrings by Lauren Schwartz
• Yanina earrings
• Three gold Jacob necklaces
• Little bracelets, jewels and rings
• A Lauren Schwartz diamond necklace
• A necklace with six little diamonds
• A necklace with Saint spelt out in diamonds
• A cross-shaped diamond-encrusted Jacob cross
• A yellow gold Rolex watch
• Two yellow gold rings
• An iPhone 6 and a BlackBerry

Police recovered only the diamond-encrusted cross that was dropped by the robbers while leaving.

It’s likely the gold in the haul was melted down and resold, while the diamond engagement ring that is now so associated with the robbery would be far too recognisable to sell on the open market.

Kardashian at the Siran Presentation on the day of the robbery. Pic: Rex Features
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Kardashian at the Siran Presentation on the day of the robbery. Pic: Rex Features

What will happen in court?

The hearing will begin at the Court of Appeal of Paris – the largest appeals court in France – on 28 April and is scheduled to last a month.

It will consist of a presiding judge, two professional assessors, and six main jurors.

The hearing involves more than 2,000 documents and there are four civil parties.

Kardashian at the Balenciaga show on the day of the robbery. Pic: Rex Features
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Kardashian at the Balenciaga show on the day of the robbery. Pic: Rex Features

Who is being tried?

There were initially 12 defendants in the case, but one person has died and another has a medical condition that prevents their involvement. This means 10 people – nine men and one woman – are standing trial.

Five of them, who were all aged between 60 and 72 at the time of the incident, face armed robbery and kidnapping charges. They are:

• Yunice Abbas
• Aomar Ait Khedache
• Harminv Ait Khedache
• Didier Dubreucq
• Marc-Alexandre Boyer

Abbas, 72, has admitted his participation in the robbery. In 2021, he published a book about the robbery, titled I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian. In 2021, a court ruled he would not benefit financially from the book.

Aomar Ait Khedache, 69, known to French crime reporters as “Old Omar”, has also admitted participating in the heist but denies the prosecution’s accusation that he was the ringleader.

The remaining five defendants are charged with complicity in the heist or the unauthorised possession of a weapon. They are:

• Florus Heroui
• Gary Mader
• Christiane Glotin
• François Delaporte
• Marc Boyer

Among those, Mader was a VIP greeter who worked for the car company Kardashian used in Paris, and Heroui was a bar manager who allegedly passed on information about Kardashian’s movements.

With many of the accused now ageing and with various serious health conditions, and some having spent time in jail following their arrest, all are currently free under judicial supervision.

If found guilty, those accused of the more serious crimes could face 10 years to life imprisonment.

Pic: Rex Features
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Kardashian at the Off-White show three days before the robbery. Pic: Rex Features

Will Kardashian give evidence?

Yes.

Lawyer Michael Rhodes said Kardashian has “tremendous appreciation and admiration for the French judicial system” and “wishes for the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case”.

A trainee lawyer herself, Kardashian has become a high-profile criminal justice advocate in the US in recent years.

(R-L)Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kris Jenner. Pic: Rex Features
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(R-L) Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kris Jenner in the front row three days before the robbery. Pic: Rex Features

Why has it taken so long to come to court?

There was initially a manhunt after the robbery, with French police under pressure to prove that Paris’s security was not in question.

Just the year before in 2015, the capital had been shaken by terrorist attacks by Islamic militants, in which 130 people were killed, including 90 at a music event at the Bataclan theatre.

French police initially arrested 17 people in the Kardashian case in January 2017 – three months after the robbery – assisted by DNA traces found on plastic bands used to tie her wrists. Twelve people were later charged.

It was ordered to be sent to trial in 2021 – at a time when limited court proceedings were happening due to multiple COVID lockdowns, and France was holding its largest ever criminal trial over the November 2015 terror attacks.

Kardashian at the Givenchy show on the day of the robbery. Pic: Rex Features
Image:
Kardashian at the Givenchy show on the day of the robbery. Pic: Rex Features

What has Kardashian said about the incident?

Kardashian has described the robbery as a “life-changing” moment. She took three weeks away from filming her reality TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and took a three-month break from social media.

In a March 2017 episode titled Paris, Kardashian first spoke publicly about her ordeal.

She described first hearing a noise in her apartment, and calling out, thinking it was her sister and assistant: “At that moment when there wasn’t an answer, my heart started to get really tense. Like, you know, your stomach just kind of like, knots up and you’re like, ‘OK, what’s going on?’ I knew something wasn’t quite right.”

She went on: “They asked for money. I said, ‘I don’t have any money’. They dragged me out to the hallway on top of the stairs. That’s when I saw the gun, clear as day. I was looking at the gun, looking down back at the stairs. I was like, I have a split second in my mind to make this quick decision.

“Either they’re going to shoot me in the back or if I make it [down the stairs] and the elevator does not open in time or the stairs are locked, there’s no way out.”

Three months later, she told a Forbes Power Women’s Summit she had changed her approach to posting on social media: “They had followed my moves on social media, and they knew my every move and what I had.”

She added: “It was definitely a huge, huge, huge lesson for me to not show off some of the things that I have. It was a huge lesson to me to not show off where I go.

“It’s just changed my whole life, but I think for the better.”

West and Kardashian at the Off-White show three days before the robbery. Pic: Rex Features
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West and Kardashian at the Off-White show three days before the robbery. Pic: Rex Features

In October 2020, Kardashian told US interviewer David Letterman she feared she would be raped and murdered during the heist, and that her sister had been at the forefront of her mind during the incident.

Speaking on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Kardashian said: “I kept on thinking about Kourtney, I kept on thinking she’s going to come home and I’m going to be dead in the room and she’s going to be traumatised for the rest of her life if she sees me… I thought that was my fate.”

When speaking to French police about the impact the robbery had had on her three months after it, Kardashian said: “I think that my perception of jewellery now is that I am not as attached to it as I used to be. I don’t have the same feeling about it. In fact, I even think that it has become a bit of a burden to have the responsibility of such expensive jewels.

“There is nothing of sentimental value to compare with the act of going home and finding one’s children and one’s family.”

She went on to describe Paris as “not the right place” for her, and didn’t return to the French capital for two years following the robbery.

Kardashian has since said in a 2023 episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians that she did not purchase any jewellery in the seven years following the robbery, kept no jewellery at her home and only wore items that are either borrowed or fake.

She said the realisation that material items don’t matter has made her “a completely different person in the best way”.

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The Magic Circle’s first female member fooled them into believing she was a man – how did she do it?

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The Magic Circle's first female member fooled them into believing she was a man - how did she do it?

How did one woman fool the most famous magic society on the planet?

Back in 1991, Sophie Lloyd pulled off the ultimate illusion, tricking the Magic Circle into thinking she was a man.

But over 30 years after being unceremoniously kicked out, the Circle has tracked down the former actress to apologise and reinstate her membership.

She told Sky News how returning feels like the society has “made good on something that was wrong”.

Sophie Lloyd, who tricked the Magic Circle into believing she was a man
Image:
Sophie Lloyd, who tricked the Magic Circle into believing she was a man

How did she infiltrate that exclusive group that nowadays counts the likes of David Copperfield and Dynamo as members?

In March of that year, she took her entry exam posing as a teenage boy, creating an alter-ego called Raymond Lloyd.

“I’d played a boy before,” she explained, but “it took months of preparation” to secretly infiltrate the Circle’s ranks half a year before it would officially vote to let women in.

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“Really, going back 30 years, men’s clubs were like, you know, just something you accepted.”

The men-only rule had been in place since the Circle was formed in 1905. The thinking behind it being that women just couldn’t keep secrets.

Aware of the frustration of female magicians at the time, Lloyd felt she was up for the challenge of proving women could be as good at magic as the men.

The idea was, in fact, born out of a double act, thought up by a successful magician called Jenny Winstanley who’d wanted to join herself but wasn’t allowed.

She recognised the hoax would probably only work with a much younger woman posing as a teenage boy, and met Lloyd through an acting class.

Sophie Lloyd as teenage magician Raymond Lloyd. Pic: Sophie Lloyd
Image:
Sophie Lloyd as teenage magician Raymond Lloyd. Pic: Sophie Lloyd

Lloyd said: “We had to have a wig made… the main thing was my face, I had plumpers made on a brace to bring his jawline down.”

To hide her feminine hands, she did the magic in gloves, which she says “was so hard to do, especially sleight of hand.”

The biggest test came when she was invited for a drink with her examiner, where she had to fake having laryngitis.

“After the exam, which was 20 minutes, he invited Jenny and I – she played my manager – and I sat there for one hour and three quarters and had to say ‘sorry, I’ve got a bad voice’.”

Raymond Lloyd passed the test, and his membership certificate was sent through to Sophie.

Then, in October of the same year, when whispers started circulating that the society was going to open its membership to both sexes, she and Jenny decided to reveal all. It didn’t go down well.

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Rather than praise her performance, members were incandescent about the deception and, somewhat ironically, Raymond Lloyd was kicked out just before women members were let in.

Lloyd said: “We got a letter… Jenny was hurt… she was snubbed by people she actually knew, that was hurtful. However, things have really changed now…”

Three decades later the Magic Circle put out a nationwide appeal stating they wanted to apologise and Lloyd was recently tracked down in Spain.

While Jenny Winstanley died 20 years ago in a car crash, as well as Sophie receiving her certificate on Thursday, her mentor’s contribution to magic is being recognised at the special show that’s being held in both their honour at the Magic Circle.

Lloyd says: “Jenny was a wonderful, passionate person. She would have loved to be here. It’s for her really.”

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