While Velo de Ville’s Revo-C may look like a standard city e-bike, its frame houses a mid-drive motor capable of delivering up to 120 Nm of torque. Usually reserved for mountain bikes, DJI’s Avinox M1 motor could be part of a new trend toward giving urban e-bikers more power.
“With the Revo-C, we are launching a bike that not only sets new technical standards but also inspires emotion,” said Gregor Rein, Sales Manager at Velo de Ville. “The combination of DJI’s innovative strength and our commitment to individuality and quality creates an urban e-bike experience that has never been seen before.”
What does it mean for the rider? While high-torque motors are primarily designed to free mountain bikers from vertiginous, muddy peril, when applied to road-based e-bikes they provide a much faster boost to top speed, resulting in faster acceleration from traffic lights and fewer slowdowns on hills.
“People are always asking for more power,” says Velo de Ville brand manager Olivier Doucot. “Some are road cyclists who want to feel the same sensations on their urban bike as they do on their road bike. Others use the bikes to carry children or heavy loads and need more assistance. In these cases, a stronger motor is one of the solutions the e-bike industry can bring, in addition to geometries adapted to the different uses.”
Velo de Ville has also prioritised shaving off grams where possible, with a non-removable battery and rigid forks bringing the overall weight to 19.9kg, making it easier to lug over kerbs and through hallways. The aluminium-framed bike is available in 35 different colours with matt or glossy finishes, and it can be supplied with a suspension fork — although this will obviously up the weight.
“We build the bikes in our factory in Germany, only on demand, from the painting of the frame to the smallest part of the bike,” says Olivier. “We even build all of our wheels in our factory.”
Installing a DJI motor helps reduce weight; after all, the Chinese company has its roots in drone tech and understands how to make everything as light as possible while delivering high torque. Unlike Bosch’s competing motors, it also supports GaN fast charging, which can bring the battery from empty to 75% in 90 minutes.
The Revo-C includes a two-inch OLED touchscreen integrated into the top tube, with a companion app available for smartphones. For security, it includes a neat built-in socket for an Abus lock, as well as 4G/GPS tracking and an integrated alarm system to track the bike if it gets nabbed.
This is the second road-based bike we’ve seen recently with a mountain bike motor, though it’s the first that’s available to consumers. Van Rysel’s eye-catching FTP² concept bike featured a Mahle M40 motor capable of 105 Nm of torque to “double” the rider’s functional threshold power (FTP).
While Velo de Ville isn’t on the same scale as giants like Specialized or Trek, being the first brand to install an Avinox motor in an e-bike is a noteworthy move that’s likely to increase the German company’s presence. It could also be the start of a wider trend of e-bikes that take off quickly and cruise up hills while adhering to legal speed limits.
The Revo-C is available in the UK now via Velo de Ville’s configurator, starting at £3,579, placing it in the same price bracket as premium urban e-bikes such as Specialized’s Turbo Vado 5.0 and Trek’s Allant+ 7.
