VanMoof S5 e-bike evaluation: good however twice the value

“Typically you must kill your darlings,” is a phrase utilized by designers to justify the removing of parts they discover personally thrilling however fail so as to add worth.

The final time I heard it was in April, 2022, once I rode pre-production variations of VanMoof’s new full-size S5 and smaller A5 electrical bikes. The phrase was uttered by co-founder and CEO Taco Carlier to justify the removing of VanMoof’s iconic matrix show for a brand new “Halo Ring” interface. 

One 12 months later and each e-bikes at the moment are — lastly — being delivered to prospects, properly after their unique goal of July 2022. The worth has additionally been raised to $3,998 / €3,498 from an early preorder value of $2,998 / €2,498, which was already way more costly than what you’d pay for VanMoof’s earlier era e-bikes — the VanMoof S3 / X3 — when launched for a relatively exceptional value of $1,998 / €1,998 again in 2020.

Look, all the pieces is dearer in 2023, e-bikes included. However when it comes to worth for cash, the $4,000 VanMoof S5 must be twice pretty much as good because the $2,000 S3, proper? In any other case the most recent flagship e-bike from this former funding darling may be lifeless on arrival. 

If solely it was that easy.

The GoodTons of featuresImprovements all aroundAdvanced anti-theft and restoration featuresRegular OTA firmware updates to repair issuesThe BadExpensiveSome new options are gimmickyIdle battery drain as much as 2 p.c per dayHalo Ring interface barely seen in sunlightRegular OTA firmware updates to repair issuesHow we charge and evaluation merchandise

Though the S5 and A5 pedal-assisted e-bikes nonetheless seem like VanMoofs with that prolonged high tube capped by entrance and back lights, all the pieces from the body all the way down to the chips and sensors have been reengineered. The corporate says that solely a “handful of elements” have been carried over from the earlier fashions. 

Listed here are a number of the most notable adjustments:

New LED Halo Ring visible interfaces flanking each grips.An built-in SP Join cellphone mount (you present the case) with USB-C charging port.New virtually fully silent Gen 5 front-hub motor with torque sensor and three-speed computerized e-shifter (the S3 / X3 had four-speed e-shifters).New multi-function buttons have been added beneath the bell (subsequent to left grip) and increase (subsequent to proper grip) buttons.The increase button now provides extra oomph with torque growing to 68Nm from 59Nm.The S5 body which has been criticized for being too tall has been lowered by 5cm (2 inches) to raised accommodate riders as tall as 165cm (5 toes, 5 inches), whereas the A5 caters to riders as tall as 155cm (5 toes, 1 inch) and permits for a neater step-through than the X3 it supersedes.

These be a part of a really lengthy checklist of ordinary options discovered on VanMoof e-bikes like a properly designed and helpful app, built-in Kick Lock on the rear wheel, baked in Apple Discover My assist, hydraulic disc brakes, muscular metropolis tires, vivid built-in lights, mudguards, and a sturdy kickstand. And since it’s VanMoof, you may as well subscribe to 3 years of theft safety ($398 / €348) with assured restoration or substitute inside two weeks, and three years of upkeep ($348 / €298) in choose cities.

Built-in back lights which might be seen from the edges.

Built-in entrance lights and cables routed by way of body.

A brand new smaller multi-function button beneath the digital bell.

VanMoof e-bikes now have built-in mounts and USB-C charging on your cellphone.

I picked up my darkish grey (additionally out there in gentle grey) VanMoof S5 loaner in late March however I bumped into just a few points that delayed this evaluation. These included intermittent connectivity failures between the app and bike, a Kick Lock that didn’t at all times disengage, and an alarm that may briefly set off for no obvious purpose. These points have been all corrected by an over-the-air firmware (v1.20) replace launched in mid-April earlier than I may even report them again to VanMoof assist.

I’ve combined feelings about this. In March the S5 and A5 began delivery in amount — albeit, eight months late — so that you’d suppose they might have had time to type out any points in VanMoof’s new testing labs. That’s annoying given VanMoof’s historical past of preliminary high quality points and assurances offered by the corporate that they wouldn’t be repeated. Then once more, premium e-bikes from corporations like VanMoof are more and more advanced machines, and seeing the corporate remedy points so shortly is commendable.

One subject that hasn’t been fastened is idle battery drain, however VanMoof tells me {that a} firmware replace is coming to unravel it in “two weeks” time. In my case, the problem brought about the idle S5’s battery to empty from 86 p.c to 65 p.c over a interval of 10 days. I usually lose about two p.c cost every day whether or not I experience it or not.

Oh, and since I’ve put in a number of firmware updates within the final month (I’m at the moment at v1.2.4), I would like to say this: the S5 performs a jaunty little tune your complete time the firmware is being put in. It was cute at first, my daughter even supplied slightly dance to go together with it. However it takes 5 to 10 minutes, and after the primary time you hear it, it’s simply annoying and there’s no method to flip it off. 

Relating to new options, the Halo Rings subsequent to every grip are probably the most seen change from earlier VanMoofs. No less than till you hit daylight and people weak LEDs washout virtually fully. The Halo Rings are supposed to present velocity, cost remaining, present pedal-assist energy stage, and extra by way of a collection of sunshine bars and animations. General they’re advantageous, if gimmicky, however I don’t have a lot of a necessity for standing data when bicycling. I additionally didn’t miss the outdated top-tube matrix show.

Driving a 23kg / 50.7lbs VanMoof S5 appears like an S3 albeit with fewer shifts and a lift button that gives extra torque when making an attempt to move somebody or get an early soar off the road. The fifth era 250W motor of VanMoof design is completely quiet, even at its high velocity of 25km/h in Europe (which will increase to 20mph within the US). And the brand new three-speed e-shifter does a greater job of precisely discovering the correct gear than the S3’s four-speed e-shifter did. I nonetheless felt just a few clinks and spinning pedals, particularly when mashing down laborious on the cranks when in a rush. However general the S5’s predictive shifting is far improved, particularly when rolling alongside at an off-the-cuff tempo. Nonetheless, it’s not as clean as the automated shifters from Enviolo, for instance, so there’s nonetheless work to be achieved.

It’s a disgrace VanMoof doesn’t supply a easy belt-drive choice for its e-bikes. That coupled with the S5’s torquey increase button would obviate the necessity for any gears when driving in all however probably the most hilly environments. That’s why I’m an enormous fan of the premium belt-driven pedal-assist e-bikes offered by Ampler and Cowboy. They value lower than the S5 however are additionally extra enjoyable to experience due to their lighter entrance ends (each manufacturers use rear-hub motors).

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The brand new built-in cellphone mount (with USB-C charging port on reverse facet).

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The brand new built-in cellphone mount (with USB-C charging port on reverse facet).

As to vary, VanMoof says I ought to be capable of get 60km on full energy mode. Nevertheless, I used to be solely in a position to eke out 48.6km (30.2 miles) from the S5’s 487Wh battery when driving in full energy mode and ceaselessly urgent the increase button, in temperatures that ranged from freezing to 15C (59F). That’s about the identical vary I obtained when testing the VanMoof S3 — 47 km (29.2 miles) — and its greater 504Wh battery. The difficulty that at the moment causes the battery to lose power in a single day definitely didn’t assist my vary. The battery could be charged from zero to one hundred pc in a really gradual 6 hours and half-hour by way of the included charger.

I had been questioning how VanMoof would use the brand new multifunction buttons positioned just under the bell and increase buttons. The small button on the correct (beneath the increase) let’s you alter your motor energy on the fly, whereas the one on the left (beneath the bell) makes your lights flash, as some form of warning to folks round you. Each of those options tick containers on advertising sheets however aren’t very helpful in on a regular basis utilization.

And since it is a VanMoof, the battery is built-in and might solely be eliminated throughout upkeep. The corporate does have a brand new “click-on” model (no velcro!) of its prolonged battery coming for the S5 and A5 that you could cost inside the house.

The darkish grey VanMoof S5: too advanced for its personal good?

I’ve had a nagging concern about VanMoof e-bikes for the previous few years that I even talked about within the S3 evaluation. Are they getting too advanced for their very own good? 

Electrical bikes — particularly commuter e-bikes just like the S5 — are subjected to every day put on and tear in all types of climate situations. Even fundamental bikes are tough to keep up when used on a regular basis and VanMoof’s e-bikes are costly rolling computer systems. 

Truthfully, I may do with out the flamboyant computerized chain-driven three-speed shifter, superfluous multifunction buttons, programmable digital bell, Halo Ring interface, Apple monitoring, and perky sounds for startup, shutdown, and firmware updates. Give me one gear and a maintenance-free belt drive alongside that torquey increase button on a pedal-assisted e-bike that may get me forwards and backwards to my workplace every single day, it doesn’t matter what, in model and with out fail. However that’s not the S5.

Don’t get me incorrect, the VanMoof S5 is an excellent electrical bike with an extended function checklist than every other e-bike I can identify. It additionally has top-of-the-line networks of service hubs out there in cities around the globe. That’s essential as a result of most S5 / A5 elements are solely out there from VanMoof so ensure you have a service heart close by in the event you’re focused on shopping for.

Too many darlings, not sufficient killing.

VanMoof for all its early covid successes bumped into monetary points on the finish of 2022 when it was pressured to ask traders for an emergency injection of capital simply to pay the payments. However your complete e-bike business was struggling post-covid as gross sales plummeted and provide chains wobbled. Opponents like Cowboy and business big Stella additionally needed to increase money to deal with overstock after e-bike inventories swelled. 

Pretty much as good because the S5 is, the function set is verging on gimmickry, for my part, maybe in an try to justify its new greater $3,998 / €3,498 price ticket. They’re cute, entertaining, and positive, a tad helpful at first. However many simply aren’t wanted for normal commuters. The S5 has too many darlings, and never sufficient killing.

For context on that value, the VanMoof S5 is at the moment $500 dearer than the comparable Cowboy 4 collection and $1,000 greater than the easier Ampler Axel. Considered in these phrases, VanMoof’s pricing appears about proper.

Is the S5 value it? I’ll go away that so that you can determine on this unsure and inflationary world. Whereas it’s undoubtedly an enchancment over the S3, it’s not twice the bike.

All pictures by Thomas Ricker / The Verge