The LED top tube display; theft-proof parts and replacement service; boost button!
Position of display when riding; occasional clunky transition between gears
Are electric bikes ‘cheating’? Well, it depends on what you regard as cheating. Is getting to work without getting sweaty cheating? Is passing other riders with ease cheating? Riding uphill at a steady 30kmph without getting out of breath? Now that really does sounds like cheating.
WIRED tested the Dutch brand Vanmoof’s Electrified X2 over three weeks on a varied 20km daily commute from Stoke Newington in London to the WIRED offices in the West End. The route took in heavy traffic, a variety of hills and residential streets.
Let’s get this straight from the start, the X2 is cheating, if you’re comparing the physical exertion required to a regular bike. With a power assist that is activated by just turning the cranks, (without a torque sensor) the X2 can comfortably maintain a 17-19mph top speed (even up hill) without the rider applying any significant pressure to the pedals or raising their heart rate.
Journeys to and from the office or to meetings across town can be made in office attire and regular footwear. Add a rack and you’re no longer burdened by luggage either. The X2 is a viable alternative to a moped for commuters happy to cruise at 20mph without paying road tax, petrol bills or suffering scooter parking-bay headaches.
The Frame
Let’s start with the physical bike. The ‘X’ of X2 relates to the X-shaped design of the frame (the S2 being a ‘Standard’ double-diamond frame). The X2 was a ‘Marmite’ bike for most people – they loved it (‘modern’, ‘utility’, ‘innovative’) or hated it (‘delivery bike’, ‘odd’, ‘ugly’). We loved its looks, the easy, ‘hop on, hop off’ dropped top-tube and practical dispatch rider-style front rack. If you’re not keen on the quirky design, opt for the safer S2.
The sturdy aluminium frame is not light. It’s got be stiff enough and strong enough to house the (also heavy) battery, run with a laden rack and take the reliable urban wheelset. The whole bike comes in at an overall weight of 19kg (42lbs), so lifting it up anything more than a small flight of steps is tough. WIRED used the lift (it fits) at the office, parked it in the underground car park or locked it outside. This is not a bike for anyone who needs to navigate a flight of stairs at home or the office (but neither is any e-bike).
The frame has a host of lovely details, arguably the most impressive of which is the 166 LED display on the top tube. All the information on speed, charge, level of pedal-assist and locking/security information (more of that to come) is displayed here. The LED’s are clearly visible even in bright daylight, but their position low down (on the frame) means your eyes really have to leave the road to keep an eye on speed etc. This isn’t as safe as other (less attractive) handlebar-mounted displays.
The frame also features an integrated seat-post bolt at the top of the seat-stays (that takes a security key) meaning it’s going to be tough for anyone to steal your saddle (also fitted with a security bolt). There are no water-bottle mounts, but there are mounts for the full-length mudguards (essential for a practical city steed).
The frame is then powder coated, chose from either Thunder Grey or Fog White - both are chic, modern colour-ways that don’t scream ‘look at me’, or more importantly, ‘please steal me.’
One of the smartest aspects to the quirky X frame design, however, is the range of rider sizes it accommodates - from 155cm to 200cm. This means riders of different heights could potentially share the same bike.
The components
Bolted to the frame are a pair of stealthy all-black aluminium wheels (also held in place with anti-theft nuts), laced with black stainless-steel spokes and shod with Schwalbe’s generous 50mm Big Apple puncture-resistant tyres.
The front hub hosts the 500W motor. Out on the street the extra weight on the front wheel isn’t noticeable, (WIRED could still wheel-lift up curbs) and with the battery mounted next to the bottom bracket in the down-tube the weight feels evenly distributed.
The near silent wheel-mounted motor is impressive. With four levels of assist (we didn’t want to leave the maximum level, obviously) and with an even acceleration the pedal-assist rarely caught us out. Feathering the brakes in tight slow-moving traffic (when the motor can pull you toward stationary vehicles) is advisable, though. This power is transferred by a sealed (read: clean) drivetrain (chain and chainring) connected to an automatic two-speed hub gear that kicks in at around 8mph (13kph). On the road, you often notice the change in gear, and the transition is a little rough (on occasion slipping very slightly). Considering the rest of the bike is so high-tech, the hub seems a little clunky by comparison.
Turbo boost!
Let’s talk about the boost button! One of the best features (and one of the features that rightly gets the most attention) is Vanmoof’s signature boost button. Mounted by your left-hand brake lever (in the UK), the boost automatically takes you to maximum assist (boost). We can’t tell you how fantastic this part is. Leaving traffic lights? Boost! Out of junctions? Boost! Coming out of a tight corner? Boost! To be honest, we struggled not to ride the Turbo button ALL THE TIME - enabling us to streak through town at max power. It really is that addictive. But be warned, it does eat through your battery reserves.
Maximum speed on the X2 is controlled via Vanmoof’s app (iOS and Android), select Europe as your region to get a top speed of 25kmph (15.5mph) or swipe to the US (legal) setting of 32kmph (22mph). Guess which setting we selected. Those extra couple of miles per hour make a big difference, the top speed of moving traffic on my commute (along with spirited cyclists) averages around 18-20mph (28-35kmph) which means you’re travelling at roughly the same speed and consequently feel less vulnerable.
Vanmoof give figures of a battery range of around 30 miles (50km) for maximum assist with lots of boost. And up to 150km on Eco mode. In practice WIRED was getting around 40km with power-hungry riding (equating to a couple of days). Charging is simple though, just plug a power cord into a tidy port under the top-tube and full charge is achieved in around four hours.
The battery doesn’t remove for charging (great for security) but does remove for servicing (held in place with another of those security bolts). Battery power is displayed below the speed on the top tube LED display, and like most batteries seems to empty faster as you get to the last third. WIRED ran the battery flat, and after experiencing the bike work its way gradually down from 4 to 1 on the pedal assist was left to finish the journey with no motor. The X2 still pedals pretty well – regardless of its weight, but it’s something you wouldn’t want to experience regularly.
Security
Security is one of the big considerations for an urban bike (especially one left locked outside) and one of the biggest selling points of the Vanmoof.
The X2 features security bolts on everything except the cranks (not highly desirable) and combined handlebar and stem, that that the ‘bar only fits Vanmoof bikes means it isn’t as attractive to a potential bike thief.
The bike also incorporates a ‘Stealth’ lock in the centre of the back wheel. Line up the white markings on the back wheel and kick in the locking pin to both lock the wheel and activate the electronic tamper detection. Moving the bike will now set off a menacing beeping and a rather dramatic image of a skull in the LED display.
Keep moving the bike and the alarm is activated, oddly no more obtrusive than the warning tones. If the thief doesn’t relent, the bike then disables the motor and the LED’s flash SOS. Then if a bike is reported stolen (via the app) it can be traced with a built-in tracking signal, until you’ve found it, or you’ve set the Vanmoof Bike Hunters on it. Vanmoof offer a Peace of Mind service (£100 for a year, £240 for three years) where if the bike is stolen they will recover it within two weeks, if they can’t you’ll have it replaced with a bike of same or better age and condition.
The ride
The X2 feels evenly balanced and corners predictably. At 27cm the bottom bracket is an average height, but - with a habit of keeping the pedal assist activated (by turning the cranks) - we were prone to clipping the pedal at the bottom of its stroke in corners at speed. We actually changed our riding style to stop this happening.
In traffic the X2 was confidence inspiring. A combination of an upright ‘Dutch’ riding position, the stability of weight and not having to pedal hard to go fast meant you could travel in a straight line through gaps between traffic you may not have had the confidence to attempt on a regular bike.
That delicious boost button adds confidence when getting out of danger at traffic lights and junctions, (or shooting for gaps between moving busses!)
It’s also worth pointing out how much attention the X2 received, other riders who were considering an e-Bike wanted to chat, moped riders looking to trade in their scooter. There were also plenty of regular riders (who were frustrated by how easy it was to pass them) who wanted to race. Even other e-bike riders wanted to race, too (WIRED can divulge the X2 outpaces both Uber JUMP and Lime hire e-bikes in a drag race).
The workout
So, getting back to that idea of ‘cheating’, just how much easier was the journey compared to a regular bike? WIRED used a Garmin Forerunner 645 Smartwatch to monitor heart-rate and calories burnt on a journey to and from the office (10km each way).
We rode all journeys to average around 15mph - which in a busy city is pretty spirited riding on a regular bike, and allowing for minor variations in traffic and so on. The X2 journeys averaged a heart-rate of 116bpm, my regular bike 128bpm. And a ‘training effect’: Anaerobic X2: 1.1, regular bike: 2.4. Aerobic, X2: 2.1, regular bike 2.9. Reading the calorie data, the Vanmoof required approximately a third less effort than commuting on a traditional pedal bike (averaging 203 calories versus 311), but it felt as if the e-bike was helping considerably more than this.
Who's this bike for? Anyone who wants smart, low-running-cost urban transport with all the freedom you get from a bike, but without the sweat. Someone who wants to arrive at the office in regular clothing. Someone who wants to nip from meeting to meeting without the bike paraphernalia that often comes with regular riding. But also someone who's perhaps not looking to a bike as their main form of exercise.
£3,198 from vanmoof.com
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
