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Going up hills past blokes with coke-bottle legs: The Smart E-bike

Cheating can be so much fun

Vulture in the Saddle Eighteen miles an hour:It’s the difference between loving the Smart E-bike and hating it. This is because the bike is electrically assisted up to 15 mph – the legal limit for assistance in Europe – and beyond that pedalling the very heavy machine becomes exceptionally hard work.

Below that speed it’s wonderful. The 200 watt brushless motor in the back wheel accelerates you as though there is a magic hand pushing you along.

The bike is branded Smart, meaning the tiny-car maker started by Swatch and then bought by Mercedes, but it’s actually made by electric bike experts at the Canadian company, Bionx. It’s not something Smart hides as the name is on the dashboard. Yes, this is a bike with a display. You might know how to ride a bike but you’ll need a few minutes thumbing through the significant manual before you can get on your bike and ride.

It looks good. While the technology comes from Bionx it’s been built especially for Smart and has the logos green and white. They even lent us a matching helmet. They also do grey and orange.

Centre mounted battery aids stability

This is a sit-up and beg bike with a reasonably comfy saddle. There is only one size: medium, but as a rider used to a large I found it perfectly comfortable. The girlie dip in the cross-bar makes it easy to mount. Despite being aluminium alloy it feels heavy like a Boris Bike - indeed the London city bikes weigh 23kg, while the Smart E-bike weighs 26.1kg.

One area where the Smart scores is the suspension which is excellent at absorbing the ruts and potholes left by the devilish red denizens of bus lanes. This is an optional extra but worth having.

Belt drive

The carbon belt is quiet and efficient

It has a direct drive hub motor with integrated three speed SRAM I-motion3. Like the Vanmoof it’s a pedelec, how much assistance you get depends on how much you pedal with torque sensing to meter out the help. In practice, and as with the Boris Bikes, the lower two gears are a bit redundant. The electrical assistance makes every hill feel like you are on the flat.

Because the gears are in the hub there is no derailleur, so the chain can be replaced with a carbon toothed belt. This provides better energy transfer, is quieter, lighter and requires less lubrication than a chain. The pedals are large, but on a wet day they became a little slippy.

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