Ridden: Vanpowers UrbanGlide Ultra – A Mid-Drive, Ultra-Long Range City e-Bike You'll Love

Vanpowers knows this, as proven by the UrbanGlide Ultra e-bike, the premium member of the UrbanGlide family. Designed as the ultimate city bike, whatever expectations you pin on the concept of the ideal city bike, the UrbanGlide Ultra aims to bring reliability, good performance, solid quality, and affordability to daily outings in the city in a single, quite elegant package.

That's not a claim you haven't heard of before, I'm sure. With the recent boom in e-bikes and other types of electrified two-wheelers, that's the kind of promise many OEMs make in order to attract clients and beat competition to the punch. Unsurprisingly, not all manage to live up to their big marketing words, but Vanpowers isn't among them.

The Ultra ticks all the right boxes for a city e-bike – including the affordability one, even if it's technically the higher-specced entry of the lineup.

Design Evaluation

The UrbanGlide Ultra is the top-tier model in the UrbanGlide family, which introduces "Amsterdam styling" to city riding. That's just a way of saying it's a step-through design, with chunkier tires for maximum stability, plenty of power, and plenty of versatility in terms of application. The UrbanGlide lineup consists of the Standard model, the Pro, and the Ultra, and all look similar from afar.

They're not if you get closer. The Ultra is the "best of the best" sum of parts for this price segment, which translates into a ride that's visually pleasing but, more importantly, super comfortable, super fun, and super convenient. That extra attention to detail is obvious in every aspect of the bike, starting from the way you unbox it.

Like most e-bikes these days, the Ultra ships almost fully assembled, so once you put the front wheel in, the pedals, and the display, and make whatever adjustments you have (and check every screw, tire pressure, and battery level), you can take it out.

The box is designed differently than what you get with most e-bikes, in that you can cut the taping on the bottom and simply slide it upwards off the bike. You won't have to go through the trouble of trying to remove the bike from the box by lifting it out of it.

Vanpowers includes in the box a complete set of tools and a couple of very well-done manuals with instructions, so you get all the assistance you need for assembly. If that's still not enough, you can find unboxing and assembly tutorials online, also courtesy of the maker.

The Ultra bike is a mid-drive step-through machine that is, right away, surprisingly elegant and well put together. It's also bigger because of the battery in the downtube and the chunkier tires, but that doesn't take anything from its – dare I say it? – almost understated elegance. Whether you're a delicate woman riding it in frilly dresses or the manliest man around, you wouldn't look out of place on the UrbanGlide Ultra. You wouldn't feel like it while riding, either.

Power comes from a powerful Bafang M600 mid-drive motor peaking at 500W but limited to 250W on my sample unit because of stricter regulations in the EU that cap e-bikes at 25 kph (15.5 mph) without a permit. It produces 95Nm of torque, which is a lot for a city e-bike, and it almost feels like a shame not having some way of unlocking its full potential. You do have to admire, however, Vanpowers' decision to not provide any "cheat codes" for that, keeping the focus on riders' safety and playing by the rules.

The motor is fed by a 48V 14.4Ah Removable lithium-ion battery with LG Cells, certified UL 2849, CPSC, and 16-CFR-2015. It's integrated flush into the downtube, rated for 65-70 miles (104-112 km) of range on a single 3.5-hour charge. Motorized assistance is offered in five PAS (pedal assist) modes, but you also get a Microshift RD-M26L 9-speed drivetrain that offers you more options when it comes to tackling a variety of terrains, depending on your favorite riding style.

The estimated range is for the lowest level of pedal assist but, like with every other range estimate whether for two- or four-wheelers, it's highly dependent on factors like riding style, terrain, weather, and payload. Assistance is triggered by a torque sensor, which means instant delivery at a single press on the pedal.

Tektro hydraulic brakes offer reliable stopping power, while an auto-adjusting headlight and a taillight ensure visibility on the road. The aluminum alloy frame gets matching aluminum alloy fenders and pedals, both of which are not common features with e-bikes described as "affordable." Plastic can be just as good an option if it's done right, but alloy is, again, that small detail that makes the difference.

For comfortable rides even on less-than-impeccable city streets, the Ultra comes with a Suntour fork suspension and, yet another surprise, a Zoom suspension seat post with 30 mm of travel and a cushy Velo saddle.

Bluetooth connectivity to the Vanpowers app offers detailed riding stats, but this is perhaps a rare case when you can easily do without. The cockpit is dominated by a larger-than-standard colored display with excellent visibility and detailed numbers for stuff like mileage, speed, battery levels, and lights. A secondary menu is also available here, so you can further personalize your bike and even add a four-digit PIN for electronic locking.

Also here you will find physical buttons to go up and down PAS levels and to access that secondary menu, and a bell on the right-hand side.

The UrbanGlide Ultra is offered in two frame sizes and three color options and tips the scales at 32 kg (70.6 lbs); my sample was an S in Iron Gray. It came standard with a rear rack with a 25-kg (55-lb) capacity, which means it's ideal for carrying bags or groceries or even adding a child's seat. Vanpowers also offers a range of accessories, from extra batteries to bags, phone mounts, bottle cages, and pannier waterproof bags. They will add to the final price, of course.

Real World Application

You don't call your bike the UrbanGlide and then deliver a product that does anything but "glide" through the city. Vanpowers says the Ultra is designed to live in the city and be put to whatever daily functionality you need, whether for the daily commute or leisure rides to explore the urban landscape. It is just that.

Many e-bike makers determined to get ahead of the curve have started using torque sensors on mid-level entry bikes. Unlike cadence sensors, these are more reliable and offer an overall smoother experience in the city, where you will often have to start from a stop, perhaps even uphill, and you will need a machine that will be there for you.

The Ultra does just that: motor assistance is instant but very smooth. The motor doesn't take over your pedaling or drag the rear wheel, so the experience isn't jolting or rough. Its quiet zoom is adorable, and the fact that you don't hear a single rattle, squeak, or bang from the bike as you move is another plus.

That said, the motor will cut off once you hit the maximum speed limit (25 kph or 20 mph, depending on where you're from), and you will feel it. That's not essentially a bad thing if you keep in mind that this is a bike for civilized riding, not barreling into traffic like a speed demon. On flat streets, for example, I wasn't able to go over 30 kph (18.6 mph) on leg power alone, but the bike will go faster if you're downhill. Obviously.

Vanpowers promises ultra-long range with the Ultra (heh), and while there are some caveats to this, they're able to deliver on the promise. The Ultra can work pretty much like a standard pedal-powered bike, offering just a bit of kick as you put in most of the work. It can also work like a "cheater" if you use it only in a higher PAS and let it do most of the work for you.

Depending on the category you fall into, the estimated range is more or less achievable. For instance, a 25-km (15.5-mile) trip on mostly flat terrain in PAS 1 was 15% of a fully charged battery. If you ride conservatively (and more actively), you can make the battery last for as long as Vanpowers says it can.

The riding experience isn't just fun but also comfortable in an outstanding way. Many e-bikes based on the Dutch design will feature a suspension fork, but a suspension seat post is rare. It does wonders for the butt, especially in cities with bad infrastructure, so it's among the highlights of the Ultra. Forget about fancy apps and many accessories, nothing beats a comfortable ride, even if you spend hours in the saddle.

The display remains visible even in direct sunlight, and you have to appreciate the automotive-inspired speedometer smack in the middle of it. For such a big display, it's also strangely minimalist and, like the bike itself, elegant.

The UrbanGlide Ultra stands out for its styling and features, but it's even better in motion: a comfortable, smooth, and very efficient city e-bike that's a sum of only great things.

Conclusion

We might lack a lot of things today, but one thing we're not without is options for city e-bikes. Usually, when an OEM promises affordability in a product, you know to expect a certain degree of compromise. Depending on the quality of the product, that compromise can be more or less difficult to overlook or live with.

With the UrbanGlide Ultra, you don't feel like you're compromising anything – then again, the Ultra model is also a bit pricier than other e-bikes with similar styles. For that extra buck, you get plenty more bang: an e-bike that handles like a dream in traffic and on dedicated cycle paths, on rough or paved streets alike, and adjustable to your riding style thanks to the five PAS levels and 9-speed drivetrain.

The UrbanGlide Ultra is exceptionally comfortable thanks to the fork suspension and the suspension seat post, fun to ride, stable, reliable, smooth, and built with great care and attention. You get motor assistance when you need it and how you want it, you get a large display for your stats, and you get the possibility to integrate the bike into your life according to your needs. What is there not to love?

The UrbanGlide Ultra retails for $2,299, with a $200 discount currently applicable.

Pros

• Mid-drive motor with plenty of torque
• Torque sensor
• Hydraulic brakes
• Suspension fork and suspension seat post for the most comfortable ride
• Wider tires
• Excellent range
• App connectivity

Cons

• No brake light
• It's a pricier option

Rating: 5/5