ActiveCyclingI love Vello: a Brompton rival ebike that uses F1 tech, has a crazy folding mechanism and is very lightSay hello to Vello: it’s light, it’s fast, it’s from AustriaWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ActiveCyclingI love Vello: a Brompton rival ebike that uses F1 tech, has a crazy folding mechanism and is very lightSay hello to Vello: it’s light, it’s fast, it’s from AustriaWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Say hello to Vello: it’s light, it’s fast, it’s from Austria
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Vello)
(Image credit: Vello)
Well hello, Vello. This electric bike – full name: Vello Bike+ – is a folding number, and it has a couple of clever tricks up its alloy sleeves that aim to solve some of the problems associated with ebikes. It draws on KERS-style technology – as used in Formula 1 – with regenerative braking helping to recharge the battery as you cycle along. That’s pretty smart, but there’s a simpler innovation that makes this one of the more enjoyable electric rides I’ve had.
Like the Eeyo bike and a few other premium ebikes, Vello uses a lightweight hub motor, housing the motor and battery on the back wheel. I always have some doubts about the longevity of this approach, but it allows for a way lighter bike overall, compared to the traditional approach, which puts an often very bulky battery on or in the frame, wired to a similarly hefty motor on the wheel or cranks. The result, in the case of the Vello, is one of thebest ebikesI’ve ever tried, and a clear and present danger to the Brompton Electric andGoCycle G4.
However, never mind all that for now. Will you justlookat the folding mechanism of this thing.
Have you ever seen anything like that?(Image credit: Vello electric bike)
Have you ever seen anything like that?
Have you ever seen anything like that?
(Image credit: Vello electric bike)
The fold is certainly not without its practical eccentricities, admittedly. The front wheel is secured with a kind of metal peg hanging on a chain – you remove it in order to start the fold. I can’t say I’ve ever seen that on a bike before and it is not exactly the last word in elegance. The way the handlebars can be divided in two like a pair of short tent poles is also pretty bizarre looking, although it does allow for a remarkably compact fold.
Overall it’s not as elegant as a Brompton fold or as simple as the GoCycle one, but it is a pretty amazing feat of engineering to go from the first image below to the second one, in under a minute.
Image1of2(Image credit: Vello)(Image credit: Vello)
Image1of2(Image credit: Vello)(Image credit: Vello)
Image1of2
(Image credit: Vello)(Image credit: Vello)
(Image credit: Vello)(Image credit: Vello)
(Image credit: Vello)
(Image credit: Vello)
(Image credit: Vello)
(Image credit: Vello)
(Image credit: Vello)
(Image credit: Vello)
(Image credit: Vello)
(Image credit: Vello)
(Image credit: Vello)
(Image credit: Vello)
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When I first took the Vello for a spin, along the Thames embankment and up to the Waterloo Bridge, as that’s the nearest thing I can find to a steep hill in central London, I was genuinely impressed with how it’s teeny tiny motor coped with everything. Because it’s only 13.9kg and the two-speed gearing is pretty well chosen, it doesn’t require as much effort from the motor.
The range is quoted as 30 miles/50km but also ‘theoretically unlimited’. How can this be? That’s the regenerative braking, self-charging tech I mentioned earlier. This is another odd but excellent feature of this lovably eccentric bike. All you have to do is pedal backwards when coasting, and the battery is charged. Well, I say ‘all you have to do’ like that is perfectly straightforward. It is actually another new technique that you’ll have to learn when using the Vello, and back-pedalling also brakes the bike which is, uh, initially challenging let’s say.
Obviously the best place to use this recharging tech is when going downhill, so if you live or commute to somewhere hilly, this could be a game changer for you. I cycled back down from Waterloo to the Savoy and back again a few times and sure enough the battery gauge – visible on an app on your phone via Bluetooth – barely budged.
Obviously for most commuting purposes 30 miles is going to be perfectly adequate anyway, and of course another great thing about the hub motor’s battery being relatively small is that it presumably charges quickly when you plug it in. Since the battery has barely gone down in the couple of rides I’ve taken on the Bike+ so far I can’t confirm that for certain, but that seems logical.
There’s also a gravel/mountain version of the Vello Bike+ – it’s got fatter tyres and is geared lower than its urban cousin(Image credit: Vello)
There’s also a gravel/mountain version of the Vello Bike+ – it’s got fatter tyres and is geared lower than its urban cousin
There’s also a gravel/mountain version of the Vello Bike+ – it’s got fatter tyres and is geared lower than its urban cousin
(Image credit: Vello)
So my overall take on the Bike+ so far is that it is a bit crazy, a lot of fun, and I think I am rather in love with it. As ever with ebikes – any product really – the big question is how long it will last without needing servicing. My answer to that is that I have no real idea, but given its premium price and seemingly very good build quality, I would expect it to last. The fact the gears are internal, there is no wiring of any kind, and the drive is a carbon fibre belt rather than a chain should all help with reliability and longevity.
There’s also a titanium version with drop handlebars for a more aggressive ride position and super speediness(Image credit: Vello)
There’s also a titanium version with drop handlebars for a more aggressive ride position and super speediness
There’s also a titanium version with drop handlebars for a more aggressive ride position and super speediness
(Image credit: Vello)
Vello Electric Bike+: price and availability
There are multiple options available. A single-speed Bike+ will set you back €3,290. Opt for the Speed Drive Bike+ or Mountain Drive versions and you’re looking at €3,590.
The Vello is not available in the USA or Australia at this point in time.
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