Urtopia warns in press material that the speech recognition system is not completely “trained”. This is where things get a little stupid. However, you need to talk to your bike to turn on the actual lights. Tap left or right to see the turn signals projected onto the ground (these remain on when the light is on, but blink when you start turning). The Urtopia e-bike project directs the signal to the ground. Move the cross key up or down to switch between pedal mode, eco, comfort, and sports assist levels (there is also a “turbo” mode similar to the “throttle” mode). Before riding, you need to get used to the controls. Some sounds are said to be user configurable, but I hope they include an option to turn them off. Before returning to the speedometer by default, you will see a growl from the smart bar speaker and the company logo on the display. Things get more exciting when you turn on your bike. The Urtopia is marketed as a city bike and the (removable) battery isn’t very obvious, but there’s no doubt about the most casual glance without a regular analog pedaler. The appearance of the stealth bomber is further enhanced by hiding all cables from the view inside the frame. The frame was designed by Mathis Heller, who has experience with BMW and IKEA, and is a pure curve and racing line. The bike itself has an impressive aesthetic that doesn’t mind hiding the fact that this is probably the most technologically advanced model seen this year. There is a mmWave sensor, an integrated alarm, and well … the list continues.
The spec sheet can be read more like a mobile phone than a next-generation fixie.įor example, beyond a 250W hub motor with three levels of riding assist (and an estimated 30-80 miles range), an integrated dot-matrix display, fingerprint reader, GPS, 4G (via eSIM), for vehicle detection. Its debut ride is one of the most high-tech heavy bikes we’ve seen on paper. Urtopia, China’s latest electric bike brand, has other ideas. High-end models may have some other useful features, but the “less, more” approach is usually used. Bicycle electrification has historically meant that: it’s a bicycle, but it has an electric motor.