2016 Ariel Rider W-Class Review

The W-Class electric bike models from Ariel Rider are my personal favorite because they strike a balance between cost and aesthetic. First… let’s talk about the limitations, these aren’t cargo bikes and they don’t have racks or mounting options (not even bottle cage bosses) but that doesn’t matter as much when you’re cruising around the neighborhood, riding to events or friends’ houses. The vintage style springer fork doesn’t actually move a whole lot so despite the visual promise of comfort most of your shock absorption and cushion come from the balloon tires, sprung saddle and elongated cruiser style handlebars. These combine for a nice relaxed ride and even though the fork’s performance is limited I can’t help but appreciate the way it looks (for those who want actual travel, consider replacing the fork or looking at the N-Class Comfort model which has a basic oil fork). Continuing on with question marks, I felt like the pedal assist would activate quickly but noticed that it didn’t cut out right away. When I inquired about this behavior I was told that it is actually intentional and a design choice meant to smooth out power during uneven pedaling. At any point in time you can squeeze on the brake levers to completely cut power to the motor (even while you’re pedaling) or twist the throttle for maximum power so it’s really not a huge deal.

Ariel Rider is a company that dates back to 2010, having been rebranded after 2014 as they expanded internationally (now being sold in 26 countries). The name is a nod to Ariel Motorcycles, a company dating back to 1870, which was an innovator in British motorcycle design and eventually spun off into cars. Interestingly, the Ariel name has been taken up by a modern sports car producer called Ariel Ltd in much the same way that Ariel Rider uses it. So the point here is that these are all distinct entities, each building on a long heritage of innovation and style, paying homage if you will. Aesthetics are a huge draw with the W-Class and touch points like the custom leather saddle, locking leather grips, color matched fenders, chain guard and sturdy black pedals bring it home for me. I went into this review impressed and came away convinced that it all works together well for a good ride experience.

The motor driving this ebike is a 500 watt planetary geared hub made by Dapu. From what I can tell, this company is not as well known as 8Fun but I have seen their hardware on more models lately including some Easy Motion and Pedego ebikes and they feel zippy despite being compact in size. This is a strength with the W-500 because the hub motor is nearly hidden the seven speed cassette on the right and 160 mm disc brake rotor on the left. Sound produced by the motor is a bit higher when starting out, there’s more of a buzzing zinging sound as the ~62 lb frame is pushed up to speed, but it quiets down as 10+ mph are reached. One of the unique features with Ariel Rider electric bikes in the US is that their speed settings can be adjusted. The default max is 20 mph but some riders may want to bring speed and power down for a safer feel, or to avoid outpacing a friend or partner. This can be done with the LCD control panel by double clicking the power button then entering a password provided by Ariel Rider. For those who plan to operate on private property, perhaps as a pit bike, you can adjust speed up as well and I maxed out around 25 mph in this mode.

The display panel also controls the backlighting of the LCD and lights (both by Spanninga). Everything is wired into the main battery pack which offers an impressive 556.8 watt hours of capacity. It’s larger than average, both physically and in terms of the power and range you get but I think they mounted it well behind the seat tube and I’m told that inside the casing a honeycomb arrangement was chosen to improve airflow for cooling and quality Samsung 29E cells were chosen for their higher discharge rate and longevity. One of the best parts of the battery pack is that it can be charged on or off the frame and taking it off is pretty easy thanks to a pivoting saddle. The saddle I tested did rattle a bit due to this pivot feature but felt solid otherwise and didn’t rattle when I actually rode the bike, just when I put my hand on it for taking photos. One thing I don’t love about the battery is that you have to leave your keys inserted to activate it. This means more rattling, potential for snags and possibly more chances to forget them if you have a second set of keys for your house, car or office that you don’t add on to the bike key (to reduce rattling and bulk). It’s not a huge deal and some people have said they use carabiners to solve it more quickly than the metal key ring that is included.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went into this review, I hadn’t heard of Ariel Rider before but the design was clearly unique. I was sort of disappointed that the springer fork felt limited in terms of travel but glad it didn’t go the other way and get bouncy and squeaky. It enhances the aesthetic… The attention to detail wowed me and helped to justify the higher price points, at just over $2k for the lowest trim level I feel like the W-Class can be a great value. Being able to pedal around in assist and have a more gentle ride and lower speed if you so choose is great but then also being able to blast off with full throttle power at any time is exactly how it should be in my opinion, you get full control at any speed and that’s empowering, something that I’m always surprised feels taken away by some other brands. This is just a bicycle after all, I should have the say in how it performs and be respected. One of the most impressive little details for me was the leather stitched grips because the right one is shorter and fits seamlessly with the twist throttle (if you get the Premium model). It’s an area of the bike you see a lot and I could tell they spent time getting it right.

Pros:

• Beautiful touch points on the Premium model, the saddle is large and comfortable but also has the Ariel Rider name on it in cursive which looks classy, same thing with the display, I love the wing logo on the top tube in gold and the custom leather grips tie in perfectly
• The W-Class model has a removable battery pack and quick release front wheel making it a lot easier to transport (both lighter and shorter), considering the length of the bike is ~80 inches total with the wheels on battery weighs ~8 lbs this could be really handy
• I’m a fan of the Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes because they offer tool-free rotor adjustment, you can use your fingers to twist the little red discs to fine tune the calipers as your pads wear down
• Depending on where you live it’s wonderful to have full length fenders and the color matching on the Ariel Rider ebikes is spot on, the chain guard also matches and is a sort of custom thin guard which looks great
• The chainring has an aluminum bash guard on it which also acts as a chain guide to some extent making the drivetrain more robust (useful at higher speed and on bumpy terrain), I like that the spokes they went with are a bit larger as well at 13 gauge vs. 14 given the heavier build
• You get three color choices and all of them are sort of a matte satin finish that looks nice and more vintage, those are red, black and beige which leans towards light yellow vs. brown in my opinion
• I absolutely love the integrated LED lights, both are made by Spanninga and the tail light is wired in so it only lights up when you pull the brake levers
• Nice display panel and control unit, it’s compact but the buttons are large and easy to reach without taking your hand of the left grip, you can get into settings by double clicking the power button and change your speed when the passcode is entered (up to ~25 mph in the USA)
• The controls default to 0-6 pedal assist and you can override with twist throttle at any level! This is awesome for people who want a more scooter-like experience, the cadence sensor uses 12 magnets making it pretty responsive
• The Ariel Rider W-Class uses a custom designed hydroformed Aluminum alloy frame that leverages a more standard “silverfish” style battery pack to bring the cost down, I think it looks great and appreciate that the wires are run through and even protected with plastic channels for the rear light
• Upgraded Wellgo Aluminum alloy platform pedals offer lots of surface area and feel stable and stiff, the saddle is comfortable but also functional with a flip-up lever to make getting the battery pack off, even the brake levers are upgraded and have a nice rubberized grip on the leading edge, you get a basic bell to top it all off

Cons:

• The springer style suspension fork on the Premium model looks cool and adds a touch of vintage flare to the Premium model but doesn’t offer much travel and adds weight vs. a standard rigid fork
• No bottle cage bosses or rack bosses on either the Comfort or Premium models, you might have to bring a little backpack along to carry supplies
• This electric bicycle is only available in one frame size but the stem is adjustable angle and the seat tube has quick release so it’s actually quite versatile
• I noticed that the cadence sensor starts quickly but doesn’t always shut the motor down when you stop pedaling (I was told this was a choice made to smooth out the ride with inconsistent pedaling), it alarmed me at first because I thought maybe the throttle was stuck on but you can always cut power by pulling either brake lever so that’s nice

Resources:

• Official Site: http://www.arielrider.com/
• More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/vmTMq8X32uwpAigG6