Manufacturer: Vanmoof
Model: S3
Model Year: 2021
Price Paid: €2400
New/Used: Brand New
Score (out of 10): 8
The Vanmoof S3 - certainly not everyone's dream bike, but a bike with lots of interesting features.
OK, so it's a city/town bike. You wouldn't even really want to stretch it to "gravel" .. It immediately highlights the lack of ability of any rider once you get it off the smooth stuff and the geometry does not make it stable.
The basics, it's a nicely integrated 504wh electric bike with effective disk brakes, front wheel drive and a 4 speed automatic hub gear system.
The front motor is smaller than most of the motors you see mounted in the rear wheel of bikes and is rated at 59nm (in boost). It's also really quiet !
The rear hub contains the 4 speed electronically shifted gears .
You can use the phone app to change the speeds of the gear shifts. When I rode, it was set too low for riding MTB. The cadence maxed at about 50 so it was really hard work on the hills.
The bike comes with some tools, pump, spacers to raise the bars and so on ..
Compared to EMTB's, a lot more thought has been invested in bike integration, it's easy to change most of the settings on the bike from power, gears, horn sound, assistance levels - pretty much anything.
The hydraulic brake levers are well integrated - though they're setup for city riding, so if you want to one finger brake, you need to hold the end of the bars, if you don't, you crush your fingers when the going gets rough !
The tiny bump on the bracket is actually a button. Press this for "boost". This gives you an instant increase in assistance for climbing hills (keep it held). If you're on gravel going up hill, you need to keep your weight balanced between the front and back to stop either wheel spinning.
The left hand brake has a similar button, this is the electronic horn, which can be configured to numerous different sounds.
The top tube has a clear curved display integrated into it.
With easy rolling tyres and a 21kg weight, pedalling over the 25kph assistance is relatively easy compared to an eMTB.
The bike has integrated front and rear lights, these can be configured to be on all the time, or selected from the app.
The bike has always on bluetooth. If you come near the bike with your phone, it makes a sound and the lights come on (the front only lights a small halo light which is built into the front light when you come near)
You can lock the rear wheel of the bike by pushing in the round knob with your foot.
If the phone isn't near and someone moves the bike when it's "locked", the alarm sounds.
You need to carry your phone with you to use the bike at all times.
As you'd expect for a city bike, there's a bike stand, awful pedals and the chain is completely enclosed.
As already stated, for DH - this is not the bike to choose ... If you're undecided between this and a Trek Rail, really - go for the Rail.
Range is listed as being between 60k and 150k. It feels like the 150k would be reasonably easy to achieve on the road. There's also a 380wh range extender if you need more range.
All in all, an attractive bike which has been really well thought out and nicely put together.
Model: S3
Model Year: 2021
Price Paid: €2400
New/Used: Brand New
Score (out of 10): 8
The Vanmoof S3 - certainly not everyone's dream bike, but a bike with lots of interesting features.
OK, so it's a city/town bike. You wouldn't even really want to stretch it to "gravel" .. It immediately highlights the lack of ability of any rider once you get it off the smooth stuff and the geometry does not make it stable.
The basics, it's a nicely integrated 504wh electric bike with effective disk brakes, front wheel drive and a 4 speed automatic hub gear system.
The front motor is smaller than most of the motors you see mounted in the rear wheel of bikes and is rated at 59nm (in boost). It's also really quiet !
The rear hub contains the 4 speed electronically shifted gears .
You can use the phone app to change the speeds of the gear shifts. When I rode, it was set too low for riding MTB. The cadence maxed at about 50 so it was really hard work on the hills.
The bike comes with some tools, pump, spacers to raise the bars and so on ..
Compared to EMTB's, a lot more thought has been invested in bike integration, it's easy to change most of the settings on the bike from power, gears, horn sound, assistance levels - pretty much anything.
The hydraulic brake levers are well integrated - though they're setup for city riding, so if you want to one finger brake, you need to hold the end of the bars, if you don't, you crush your fingers when the going gets rough !
The tiny bump on the bracket is actually a button. Press this for "boost". This gives you an instant increase in assistance for climbing hills (keep it held). If you're on gravel going up hill, you need to keep your weight balanced between the front and back to stop either wheel spinning.
The left hand brake has a similar button, this is the electronic horn, which can be configured to numerous different sounds.
The top tube has a clear curved display integrated into it.
With easy rolling tyres and a 21kg weight, pedalling over the 25kph assistance is relatively easy compared to an eMTB.
The bike has integrated front and rear lights, these can be configured to be on all the time, or selected from the app.
The bike has always on bluetooth. If you come near the bike with your phone, it makes a sound and the lights come on (the front only lights a small halo light which is built into the front light when you come near)
You can lock the rear wheel of the bike by pushing in the round knob with your foot.
If the phone isn't near and someone moves the bike when it's "locked", the alarm sounds.
You need to carry your phone with you to use the bike at all times.
As you'd expect for a city bike, there's a bike stand, awful pedals and the chain is completely enclosed.
As already stated, for DH - this is not the bike to choose ... If you're undecided between this and a Trek Rail, really - go for the Rail.
Range is listed as being between 60k and 150k. It feels like the 150k would be reasonably easy to achieve on the road. There's also a 380wh range extender if you need more range.
All in all, an attractive bike which has been really well thought out and nicely put together.
