ALTERNATIVELY... ALTERNATIVELY... DON’T GET LOST70
STUFF PICKS
It’s hard to grasp a VanMoof
at first sight. The coated
aluminium frames of its
full-sized S3 and compact
X3 are a bizarre fusion of
thicknesses and angles, and
someone has forgotten to
saw the ends off. They’re
definitely e-bikes, but surely
some sort of hipster folly?
Not quite.
The protruding top tube
houses an automatic LED
lighting system that can
be switched between beam
and halo illumination. It’s
also where you’ll find an
embedded matrix displayfor a snapshot of battery
level, speed and selected
gear. In the down tube
you’ll find a 504Wh battery
powering the 250-350W
front-wheel motor, good for
a top speed of 20mph and a
range of up to 90 miles.
But security is arguably
where the Dutch company
has carved out its greatest
niche. A kick-lock can
immobilise the rear wheel
and activate an on-board
alarm, and you can enable
location-tracking by
reporting the bike stolen
using its companion app.Boardman
HYB 8.9E
UK cycling ledge
Chris Boardman
has ditched any
hint of patriotism
to fit this hybrid
e-bike with a
Fazua Evation
drive system
engineered
in Germany.
It offers 250W
of assistance and
a 56-mile range.
£2199 /
boardman
bikes.comBianchi
Aria E-Road
Ultegra
If you like the idea
of riding up long
and winding roads
very quickly,
Bianchi’s aero
carbon e-bike
has all the
hallmarks of
a top racer... with
250W rear-hub
motor assistance
for up to 1200m
of elevation gain.
£4600 /
bianchi.comVanMoof X3
£1798 / vanmoof.comDUTCHED UP
Despite a price drop
on previous models, the
X3 and S3 have 90%
new parts, including
upgraded brakes, saddle,
electronic shifting and
front-hub motor.ELECTRIC
Quad Lock
Bike Kit
If you’ve blown
all your cash on
a fancy new bike,
you can always
use the phone in
your pocket for
routing with your
usual map app.
Attaching with
a simple twist,
this mount will
stay put over the
roughest roads.
from £46 /
quadlock
case.co.ukVANMOOF
S3 & MORE
E-BIKES
REVIEWED
p82