Just in at ebiketips is this Upstart from London-based Momentum Electric. It’s a stripped down urban machine with a front hub motor and 374Wh battery that retails for £1,350.

Electric bikes are heavy; well, heavier than normal bikes. Whatever you do you’re still adding a motor and a fairly hefty battery. That can add anything  up to 8kg to a bike, and most city e-bikes come in somewhere between 22kg and 25kg. The Upstart is a bit lighter though. Momentum claim a weight of 18.5kg for the bike, ours (a Large size) tipped the scales at 19.2kg. That’s a chunk lighter than most, though, so where are the savings made?

Momentum Upstart - rear hub.jpg
Momentum Upstart - rear hub (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

One of the main things Momentum have done is cut down on shiftgear. You’ll often get a derailleur setup or, increasingly, a hub gear on electric city bikes. The Upstart uses a SRAM Automatix two-speed hub. It’s auto-shifting: as soon as you reach the shifting speed the hub clicks over to the higher gear. Clearly that doesn’t give you the same kind of gear range as a fully geared bike but it’s designed for an urban environment, not climbing mountains.

Momentum Upstart - bottom bracket.jpg
Momentum Upstart - bottom bracket (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

The aluminium alloy frame is simple and fairly lightly built, and the battery sits low down behind the seat tube to give a lower centre of gravity. Momentum use a torque-sensing system, AUTORQ, to apply the power and there’s three levels of assistance available, selectable from the simple bar-mounted display which also shows you how much battery you have left. Momentum claim a range of 45-80km from the 374Wh battery which sounds achievable, and a spare battery is available for £350 if you like to be prepared.

Momentum Upstart - display.jpg
Momentum Upstart - display (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

The power is applied by a Bafang 8Fun front hub motor, putting out 250W and 40Nm of torque. It’s a popular motor and offers plenty of assistance. Stopping is handled by Tektro V brakes, actuated by lightweight levers. The handlebars and seatpost are allot, and there’s an adjustable stem so you can tune your position. A lighting system is also included (controllable from the display), and so is an alloy rack, full mudguards and a kickstand. There’s no chain case but you do get a rustless chain which should run fairly clean.

We’ll be putting the Upstart through its paces over the next few weeks, so stay tuned for a review.