VanMoof S3 review: Dutch design delight
Our Verdict
Not merely does the VanMoof S3 electric bike await great, but it's a lot of fun to ride.
For
- Sleek, minimalist design
- Skillful power
- App lets you customize gearing
Confronting
- A scrap heavy
- Battery can't be removed hands
Tom'south Guide Verdict
Non but does the VanMoof S3 electrical cycle look great, only information technology's a lot of fun to ride.
Pros
- +
Sleek, minimalist blueprint
- +
Proficient power
- +
App lets you customize gearing
Cons
- -
A bit heavy
- -
Battery can't be removed easily
VanMoof S3: Specs
Battery capacity: 504 Watt hours
Weight: 46.3 pounds
Wheel size: 28 inches
Motor: 250W - 350W, front end hub
Charger: 36V 4A (total charge in iv hours)
When I sat on the VanMoof S3 for the outset time, I was transported back to a long-ago visit to Amsterdam, where I rented a bike to wend my style through the canal-lined boroughs. The rental bike was nothing special, just was cleanly designed and dandy for getting around the largely flat city.
The VanMoof S3 electric bike evokes that same Dutch practicality in blueprint, but adds in a few high-tech twists, including an electronic locking arrangement and hydraulic brakes. For more hilly environs, it has a boost mode that turns on its electric motor for an added kick.
While riding the bike for this VanMoof S3 review, I came to savour all that it offered, and I would recommend it as one of the best electric bikes for those looking for a fashionable cruiser.
VanMoof S3: Price and availability
The VanMoof S3 retails for $2,298; yous can get it with an all-black frame, or one that's painted a grayish bluish. Information technology's designed for riders from 5-foot 8 inches to six-feet 8 inches.
For those of shorter stature (five anxiety to 6-feet 5 inches), VanMoof recommends the X3, which has a more than meaty frame, a lower batten and a small storage expanse in the front end.
VanMoof S3: Pattern
It'southward hard not to admire the make clean lines and unproblematic, practical design of the VanMoof S3. One wait, and it's no surprise that it won a Red Dot design award in 2020.
How else do I know the S3 is cool? When I took information technology out for a ride, a couple of teenagers gawked at it. One of them even chosen it "tight."
At first glance, y'all wouldn't even know the S3 is an electrical bike. The LED brandish virtually disappears, and the buttons on the handlebars (the left is for the horn, the right for the throttle) blend in perfectly. Like those bikes that fill the streets of Amsterdam or cruising shore towns in the U.S., you lot sit down in a very upright position, which really lets you savor the view.
The principal crossbar of the S3 extends out the forepart and back past a few inches and has a headlight and taillight built into the ends.
On the top side of the crossbar, near where information technology meets the handlebars, is an LED display that shows your speed and bombardment level. Underneath is a ability button and charging port, and towards the seat post is a speaker.
There are mud guards on both the forepart and rear wheels, and the bicycle can be fitted with a front or rear carrier. However, dissimilar the Accuse Bikes City, the S3's bombardment can't easily exist removed, and then it'south not every bit practical for those who alive in apartments and want to get out the cycle in one place while they charge upwardly the battery inside.
At 46 pounds, the VanMoof X3 is a lot heavier and a chip larger than most non-electric bikes; it fabricated my old-schoolhouse Trek 830 await overnice past comparison.
VanMoof S3: Performance
I rode the S3 around my town, which is far hillier than the floodplains of northern Europe. On all only the steepest of inclines (a rise of 75 feet over a tenth of a mile), the S3's pedal-help motor was able to button me up the loma with minimal effort on my part. On one road in particular — which rises about 400 feet over the course of a little over a mile — I cruised right along at around 15 miles per hour without breaking a sweat.
The pedal-assist button is a tad small, and became a trivial uncomfortable to depress for long periods of time, but then once again, it's meant for short boosts. The company says the S3's 504-Watt-hour battery will final from 40 to 90 miles between charges, depending on how often y'all apply the boost push button.
This bike is no speed demon; information technology'south meant for smooth and steady riding. I constitute that on level roads, information technology was near comfortable at around xx miles per hr. Any faster, and I found myself really pushing.
While the S3 lacks a suspension, its large tires and large padded seat made it very comfortable to ride for an hr or more than.
At that place's a small only surprisingly loud speaker in the S3's frame. When the bike gets within a few feet of your smartphone, it automatically turns on and makes a woomp-woomp-woomp sound, which never failed to startle me. (You can turn this off in the app). If yous've locked the bicycle using its electronic lock and someone tries to steal it, the bike will emit a loud siren, which should assistance deter them.
VanMoof S3 review: App and smart features
Within the VanMoof app, you can customize a number of settings on the bike. The 1 I constitute nearly useful was the gear-shifting settings; here, you tin can set when the cycle shifts between its iv gears, either by choosing a preset (flat or hilly), or past creating a custom profile.
It's one thing yous want to spend some time with, as you'll have a much more than enjoyable time. Before I dialed information technology in to my pedaling fashion, the cycle would change gears either before or afterwards I would have liked. Once I set things to my preferences, the electronic shifting cycled through the bike's four gears smoothly.
The app likewise lets y'all set when the S3'due south lights plow on, the sound the horn makes, and how close to the cycle you need to be before it unlocks.
Another tab in the app provides a summary of all your rides, with speed, altitude, and battery usage. It'due south handy, only I'd like it to likewise show a map of where I went.
VanMoof S3 review: Verdict
As U.S. citizens are once again embracing the cycle as a means of transportation, electric bikes have become increasingly popular. The VanMoof S3 checks a lot of boxes for those who want a stylish, well-congenital cruiser for getting most boondocks and that doesn't price too too much. (Two grand isn't cheap.)
Riders looking for a more flat- and driver-friendly electric bike should check out the Charge Bikes Metropolis, which costs more than $500 less and has folding pedals and handlebars equally well as a removable bombardment. Merely if space is less of an issue and you desire a high-tech electric bike, be sure to bank check out the VanMoof S3.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/vanmoof-s3
Posted by: tollivermiltary.blogspot.com
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