British e-bike brand Volt has launched the London, its first single-speed e-bike which, as the name suggests, has been designed with a focus on urban riding.
The new machine will be produced alongside the rest of Volt’s e-bike range at a dedicated factory in Milton Keynes. It’s designed to appeal to fans of single-speed ‘fixie’ bikes, while incorporating learnings from Volt’s existing models – and Move Electric has taken to the company’s London Bridge headquarters for a first ride.
Priced at £2199, the Volt London features Shimano single-speed gearing and is powered by a 250W motor system produced by Spintech and Bafang, which combines a rear-wheel-mounted hub motor with a sensor of torque on the crank. The company claims this combination offers the precision of a crank motor with the greater power and boost offered by a rear wheel hub.
The battery is located in the frame and offers a claimed range of over 60 miles, with a charge time of around four hours.
What does the London Volt look like?
Given how important design is to many urban riders, Volt clearly spent a lot of time working on the London. And it pays off: it’s a sleek design that fuses clean, modern design with a retro flair or aesthetic – and it certainly looks at home on the streets of its namesake city.
The 19-inch frame is finished in an attractive metallic silver, and only the Volt’s plug-based logo and inconspicuous power button really tell it’s an e-bike. It’s offset by tan-walled Schwalbe tires and a minimalistic yet comfortable fabric saddle.
The London comes with a removable front rack which the firm says was designed to hold a pizza or a briefcase (or, presumably, a pizza in a briefcase). A larger rear rack can also be offered as an option.
What does the Volt London look like?
We got a taste of London on a short demo ride, led by Volt co-founder Lyle Metcalfe, on a diverse range of streets and cycle paths near London Bridge. It wasn’t long enough for us to offer a definitive verdict – we’ll bring it to you in the near future – but it gave us a good taste of what London has to offer.
As with other Volt bikes, turning on the electric motor involves pushing a button on the frame, then holding a key fob kill switch up to the discreet electric motor control unit.
The motor has four power settings to provide varying degrees of power assist, with simple up and down buttons making it easy to cycle them. In the absence of gears, these are also an effective way to help pick up speed from a standing start.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-13 23:01:00
