The Vvolt Slice Lite Is A Right-Sized Lightweight Utility E-Bike – CleanTechnica Tested

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When a cargo e-bike is an excessive amount of on your every day wants, however a regular e-bike isn’t sufficient, then a utility e-bike is likely to be simply the correct match, and the Vvolt Slice Lite is a strong contender.

Though Portland-based Vvolt is new to the CleanTechnica crew, the corporate has been designing and producing electrical bikes for the last several years. The Slice Lite is its latest mannequin, and is the corporate’s entry into the utility e-bike section, that are form of just like the “lite” variations of cargo bikes — not as large as a long-tail cargo bike, and never often constructed to hold youngsters or a great deal of cargo on the rear rack, however nonetheless very helpful for getting round city and hauling groceries or gear with you.

The Slice Lite was one of many easier e-bikes to place collectively, because it got here in a considerably smaller transport field, and as an alternative of getting to elevate the e-bike out of the field (or minimize down the edges of the field), Vvolt makes use of a cardboard cradle for the entrance fork which permits the bike to slip proper out of 1 finish of the field. As soon as that’s executed, it’s a easy matter to connect the handlebars to the stem, set up the entrance fender and the entrance wheel, and put the pedals on the crank. The forked middle kickstand makes it straightforward to place the entrance wheel on with out a lot trouble, because it retains the bike regular and can be utilized to maintain the entrance finish off the bottom throughout set up. After that, setting the rise and attain of the handlebars utilizing the quick-adjust characteristic of the stem is straightforward to do, and though the seatpost is adjusted utilizing a recessed bolt as an alternative of a fast launch, it’s no large deal. Then, a fast brake examine and a quick trip to dial within the last place of the seat and handlebars is all that’s wanted earlier than powering it on and pedaling away.

As an alternative of utilizing a rear rack to hold a load, the Slice Lite makes use of an non-compulsory cargo module mounted to the entrance in a ‘cycle truck’ configuration immediately over the 20″ x 3″ entrance tire, which is smaller than the rear tire and permits for a decrease middle of gravity. The cargo module can be easy to put in, because it simply requires a couple of bolts attaching it to the entrance of the body, after which the headlight will be faraway from the body and relocated to the entrance of the cargo module, which can be a fast course of. In case you ever had a entrance basket in your bike that was hooked up to your handlebars, it’s possible you’ll keep in mind that the basket and its load moved with the handlebars when turning corners, which isn’t ideally suited. As a result of the Vvolt cargo module is mounted to the bike under the handlebars, the load is at all times in keeping with the body, which implies that the Slice Lite handles virtually the identical when it’s loaded as when it’s not, even as much as the 40-pound payload restrict.

The electrical help comes from a 350W (550W peak) rear hub motor, which is powered by a detachable 36V 496Wh battery mounted within the down tube, mentioned to be able to as much as 55 miles per cost. Pedal energy is transmitted to the rear wheel through a Gates carbon belt drive, which makes for a really clean and quiet trip, in addition to being low-maintenance (and cleaner, as no grease or lube is required). The Slice Lite is a singlespeed (50t entrance ring and 22t freewheel), so it’s not potential to shift up or down for hills, and as an alternative, the pedal help stage will be modified on the fly to provide extra energy to the wheel for difficult uphill grades, with the rider offering any extra energy wanted.

The Slice Lite is a Class 2 e-bike, with a prime pedal help and throttle velocity of 20mph, and it makes use of a mix of torque, cadence, and velocity sensors to tell the bike’s controller as to how a lot energy the motor provides. Having a torque sensor along with a cadence sensor implies that pedaling the Slice Lite has a really pure and responsive really feel to it, and there’s no hesitation when the pedal help is engaged, and no surge in velocity or clunky feeling as is frequent in some cadence sensor e-bikes. Altering the pedal help from off to any of the 5 help ranges (Eco, Tour, Sport, Turbo, Increase) with the controls on the left aspect of the handlebars lets you maintain your pedaling cadence regular below altering circumstances in your route, whereas the motor gives various ranges of help if extra energy is known as for. As well as, one other button on the controls permits a low-speed Stroll mode for assist transferring the bike whereas not within the saddle. The thumb throttle on the handlebar is simple to achieve with out having to really feel round for it, and is usually a large assist when beginning out from a lifeless cease or when a lift of velocity is required.

The colour show gives easy accessibility to the velocity, journey distance, odometer studying, and estimated remaining vary, in addition to displaying the present pedal help stage, and it’s straightforward to learn even in direct daylight. The one subject that got here up for me concerning the show was that it doesn’t have a clock characteristic, which is a small factor however which is likely to be helpful whereas driving. The opposite factor that stood out for me was truly the absence of a characteristic — there is no such thing as a app to hook up with, which, though it’s actually frequent for e-bikes to have their very own app, shouldn’t be an enormous deal for many informal riders. Many e-bike apps permit for customers to vary some or all the help parameters on the bike, or to supply mapping and different trip knowledge, after which to share that knowledge if desired, however for my part, not having an app is certainly not a deal-breaker.

The Slice Lite has rather a lot going for it and has some options that I actually preferred, in addition to another options that weren’t precisely ‘cons’ for me, however had been extra like simply kinda meh. After all, every rider could have their very own desires and desires in an e-bike, in order at all times, your mileage might fluctuate.

For the professionals, I actually preferred how maneuverable and nimble the Slice Lite was, because the smaller entrance wheel and the way in which that it impacts the geometry of the bike makes the steering very responsive. It’s additionally not any longer than a traditional bike or e-bike as some cargo bikes are, which is a plus when maneuvering in tight areas, and the forked kickstand is a good characteristic for parking and loading the bike. The body is exclusive, with the chainstays (belt-stays?) attaching to the seat tube above the crankset, and the low prime tube means its straightforward to step by way of to mount it. The body feels strong and secure, however not clunky or heavy, and at a complete of simply 52 kilos, the Slice Lite will not be too heavy for most individuals to maneuver round when not pedaling. The belt drive is an enormous plus, because it makes pedaling clean and silent, and the entrance and rear fenders are a should for any self-respecting metropolis bike.

So far as the cons meh options go, the headlight, being mounted to the body (or the cargo module), doesn’t monitor with the handlebars, which implies that taking sharp turns after darkish is likely to be slightly trickier (a detachable headlight added to the handlebars would remedy that, although). The rear mild, whereas offering a vivid purple mild to each the edges and the rear for visibility, doesn’t have a brake mild perform, which isn’t an enormous deal however which many different e-bikes have. The Slice Lite has no suspension, so if native street circumstances are tough and pothole-y, it could be a little bit of a bumpy trip (and any fragile cargo put within the entrance rack may require some padding), however for many well-paved routes can be no large deal. The singlespeed gearing on the Slice Lite is likely to be a problem in case you often encounter steep grades in your trip, as even with the motor in Increase mode, pedaling up a protracted hill might take plenty of muscle energy. I reside on the backside of a steep hill that requires a good bit of muscle on the pedals even on some higher-powered multi-speed e-bikes, and the Slice Lite was no exception, so if it’s worthwhile to trip plenty of hills and lean towards ‘sweat-free’ biking, it’s one thing to contemplate. The ultimate subject, which is probably not an issue for individuals who don’t ever repair their very own flats, is that each the entrance and rear wheels use bolted through-axles, so that you’d want to hold a few completely different wrenches to have the ability to restore a flat on the aspect of the street. That mentioned, I perceive why these forms of axles are used on the entrance and rear of many e-bikes, however I usually want there was a ‘quick release’ model of these made for e-bikes.

I’ve to confess that once I first put the Slice Lite collectively, I used to be ready to not prefer it in any respect, however that was simply my bias for greater sooner fats tire e-bikes displaying its head. Nevertheless, after driving it round a bunch and placing myself in another person’s sneakers who has utterly completely different wants in an e-bike, I used to be capable of actually respect the Slice Lite. In my view, it will be a sensible choice — or no less than on the brief listing — for a big section of riders who need a grocery-getter and errand-runner and first rate commuter e-bike. The Vvolt Slice Lite at present retails for $2049 with free transport within the continental US, and it comes with a 3-year guarantee.

Disclaimer: Vvolt offered this e-bike to the creator for the needs of this overview.