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Hi folks! This is Brent! The Volta Single Speed from Pure Cycles feels the best representation of the fixie culture in an electric bike I’ve seen yet. It’s quite a lightweight bike at just 36.4 pounds, is incredibly simple and easy to operate and looks super clean and streamlined. Of course, unlike a true fixie, this bike can pedal backwards, has brakes and a AIKEMA 250 watt hub motor to help take some of the sweat out of the hills. Priced at $1,999, this bike comes with an interesting, proprietary seat post fastener that all but disappears into the frame, a headlamp with two individual LEDs (one for throw and one for spill), a taillight that gets brighter when the brakes are depressed, an integrated front basket and a belt drive system that is virtually silent when in operation. There’s a lot to celebrate here with this bike, but there’s also a few drawbacks as well. First and foremost, the Volta Single Speed only comes in one frame size: 20 inches. That may sound like a full-size bike, but don’t let the number fool you! This is definitely a compact electric bike with an overall length of 64.5 inches and smaller 22 inch tires. The small size makes it a nimble little bike that can dart around puddles and potholes with ease. But the lone frame size will almost certainly exclude quite a few riders who are extra tall or short, especially since the handlebars are literally welded to the stem and can’t be adjusted or swapped out. This bike also only comes in one color — black — and although it looks aesthetically pleasing to me since everything is blacked out and all the wires are internally routed, some might not jive with this color. In the coming months Pure Cycles plans to add white and grey frames to the lineup, but at the time of publication black is still the only color available. Pure Cycles has dealers across the U.S., Canada and much of Europe, which is great if you want to be able to check out this bike in person before swiping a card and making a purchase. They also ship worldwide. For those who can’t make it out to a shop, or who prefer to just order it and have it delivered to their door, that option is available too. Assembly was incredibly easy since the handlebars and front basket are welded to the frame, and it only took a few minutes to throw on the front wheel and insert the seat post. However, for those who want to make things even easier, Pure Cycles has a fully built delivery option for an additional $99. This might be nice for those who want to ensure the front disc brake is perfectly aligned and that everything is in working order before heading out on the first ride, but honestly with how easy this bike is to assemble I don’t think that’s really a necessity at all. Another cool offer from the company is a 30 day return policy, a one year warranty on components and a lifetime warranty on the frame and forks. This seems pretty generous, especially the 30 day return policy since it essentially means a customer could potentially buy this bike online, ride it and then take it back if they decide it’s not for them. The last thing I want to mention before really diving in here is that the Volta Single Speed comes with a remote key FOB and a smartphone app. The key FOB is great for unlocking and turning on the bike with the press of a button, and the app does an adequate job of displaying a deeper level of information on the bike than what can be seen on the control center.
Driving this bike to a top pedal assist speed of 20 mph is a Bafang 250 watt hub motor. This is a real power sipper of a motor that doesn’t demand too much from the battery but still offers a nice boost to the human power side of things. And since this motor is so efficient, it’s incredibly quiet. Pair that with the fact this is a belt drive machine and trust me when I say this electric bike is all but ghostly silent when in operation. I have to struggle to hear the motor working and I can barely hear the belt at all. Regarding the belt, it’s an interesting choice here and the first belt drive electric bike I’ve tested. I appreciate the silent nature of the belt drive, and especially the fact that it’s so much cleaner than a chain. No grease! But what’s interesting about this bike is there’s no fenders included. So while my pants might stay clean while riding, I can still get a nice, clear racing stripe on my back when hitting puddles. There are fenders available from the company for $75, which can be purchased separately here. There’s a boss on the forks that serves as an attachment point for the basket, and it could probably be used to affix an aftermarket fender in the front, and there’s some bosses on the rear dropout that could also probably be used as attachments points for a rear fender or even maybe a rear rack that uses a seat post clamp as a final attachment point. Okay, back to the motor. :) The other element that really helps this motor shine is the torque sensor. It’s buttery smooth and activates when applying even the slightest pressure on the cranks. It makes for a seamless transition from human power to motor power and makes for an overall nicer ride compared to a cadence sensor, and even other torque sensors I’ve tested. Huge props here. There isn’t a throttle on this bike and while I generally am a huge fan of throttles, I actually think this was a good choice on Pure Cycles’ part. We’ll get into the battery a bit more in a moment, but the overall capacity of the battery is relatively small, and I think having a throttle would really eat into the battery and leave me to pedal less than I would without it. And I think that just brings me back to the overall philosophy of use for this bike: An urban bike that works for short distances, but probably not the best long distance commuter. The 22 inch tires have a high attack angle and don’t have much air volume, so they don’t really offer much in the way of shock absorption, and since this bike is has no suspension to begin with, it can be a rough ride on pot hole-ridden streets.
Powering the bike, the integrated headlight and taillight and the integrated control center is a 243.6 watt hour Lithium-ion battery that’s housed inside the top tube. Again, the capacity here is definitely lower than average, but I’ve been riding the Volta Single Speed around quite a bit (mostly to the grocery store and back) and was able to squeeze more than 15 miles out of it in the highest pedal assist mode before the battery dropped to below 25 percent. Given that I weigh 200 pounds and was carrying groceries for half of those miles, I think that’s not too shabby. Since the batteries are integrated into the frame, there’s no battery back that screams, “Hey look at me I’m an electric bike!” This thing is stealthy and definitely flies under the radar, especially with the blacked out motor and super low profile control center. It’s also incredibly well balanced and I can pick it up by the middle of the top tube and it doesn’t sag forward or backwards. However, there a few pretty big drawbacks to this design. First, the battery must be charged while inside the bike — they aren’t removable. Second, it means the batteries will be subject to the same environment the bike is stored in. It’s best to keep cells in a cool, dry location to extend their lifespan, and this may not be an option for everyone with this bike. Lastly, it means that if there is a problem with the batteries and they need to be replaced, there’s not pack to swap out. Instead, it’ll need to be taken into a shop to be serviced. The battery for the Volta Single Speed is a standard 2 amp hour charger, but given the capacity of the batteries, it should charge relatively quickly.
Activating the control center on the Volta Single Speed is actually not as easy as one might think. Before the bike can be turned on for the very first time, it MUST be connected via the smartphone app. There’s a QR code included with the bike, and once the app is downloaded and initialized, the QR code can be scanned and the app will sync with the bike. From there, the included key FOB can also be paired. Once that is done the bike can be turned on via the key FOB or the smartphone app, but not with the integrated display. After the bike is turned on the various pedal assist modes — BIKE, SMT, ECO, and POW — can be toggled through by tapping the touch sensitive bar at the bottom of the display. A long press toggles on and off the lights, but honestly this was finicky for me and failed to work more often than not. Instead, I had to use the app to turn the lights on and off. These modes can also be changed via the app. The app also has These different pedal assist modes, while named instead of numbered, feel like traditional pedal assist levels that increase in power as they are toggled through the lowest to the highest. The display itself is extraordinarily simple, which feels like what this bike is striving for, but the simplistic nature means there isn’t much information to digest. Aside from the pedal assist level, it also displays battery level and speed. The battery level indicator is a seven-bar indicator, and so is the speed! So instead of an actual mph or kph readout, there are a series of dots that represent speed. This is kind of cool, but wasn’t really practical in my experience as I wasn’t able to discern exactly how fast I was going. I can just imagine a police officer pulling me over and asking me how fast I was going and responding, “6 dots, officer. Was I speeding?” Another concern with the display I have is its angle. It’s completely flat and it felt like no matter what time of day I was riding, it was always catching glare, making the screen difficult to read. One of the coolest features of the electronics of this bike though is the GPS tracking. This is fantastic for those like me, who are a bit kleptophobic, or for those who simply want to know where their Volta Single Speed is at all times. Did a family member or friend take your bike out without asking? Well, let’s check! :) Overall, the key FOB works great, but the app feels a little unresponsive and laggy. It works fine, but sometimes it takes a few tries to connect to the bike via the app.
The Volta Single Speed has a mechanical disc brake with a 140 mm rotor in the front and caliper brake in the back. Even still, the braking power feels ample here, probably because of how light this bike is. The brakes have motor inhibitors built in to help ensure the shortest possible stopping distance, and this bike is also equipped with regenerative braking so some of the lost power can be fed back into the battery when coming to a stop. Now, because the motor is only 250 watts, the regenerative braking isn’t super powerful, but I used it quite a bit to slow my descent on long downhill sections and it just made me feel good to put some of the juice back into the battery. And since the brakes are mechanical, the levers aren’t adjustable, which could make grasping them difficult for people with extra large or small hands, or people who wear gloves while riding. Like I mentioned earlier, the handlebars and front basket are welded onto the frame, which is great for durability, but it also means they can’t be swapped out. The basket itself is mounted to the handlebars and stem, so it turns along with the handlebars. This can make steering more difficult when there’s weight in the basket, and it also can result in stuff spilling out of the basket while turning. There’s also quite a few large gaps in the frame of the basket, so it probably wouldn’t work well for small items. For size reference, it can barely fit a paper grocery bag in there. I have to return to the aesthetics here one more time because Pure Cycles did a fantastic job of blacking everything out and keeping this bike as clean as possible. They even blacked out the nipples on the spokes and the valve stem. These guys went the distance. This bike definitely isn’t going to be for everyone, but for someone like me who has a soft spot for fixies, it has a lot of appeal. Again, the Volta Single Speed feels like it would be a good choice for those who want a stealthy, compact and nimble electric single speed for short distance trips. I want to thank Pure Cycles for partnering with me on this review and I’ll do my best to answer any questions you all have!
Pros:
- Light curb weight of 36.4 pounds and evenly distributed weight makes carrying this bike around far easier than many other electric bikes, this might be especially important for those who live in the city and/or have to climb stairs during their route, could be a good portable ebike for RVers
- Motor inhibitors help ensure the shortest possible stopping distance, a nice safety feature that I like to see on every electric bike, and regenerative braking helps to feed back some of the juice into the battery, while not particularly efficient, this should help extend the range of the smaller battery
- Headlamp has two LEDs — a throw and a spill — to help create a very nice beam pattern that can actually be used to illuminate a path while riding in low light conditions, as well as to help increase the overall visibility, taillight also adds to this and grows brighter while braking just like a car
- Front basket and handlebars are welded onto the stem for a lock tight fit that won’t loosen over time, basket also has a nice bamboo insert at the bottom which contrasts nicely against the black
- Everything on the bike is blacked out, including rims, spokes, nipples, valve stem and motor, which presents a very clean, non-electric looking bike, all of the wires are also internally routed which further decreases clutter and makes for a streamlined presentation
- Small, 22 inch tires and short and narrow frame makes this bike incredibly nimble and easy to flick around to avoid pot holes, puddles or any other obstacle with ease
- Control center fully integrates into the frame and is almost invisible unless looking directly down at it, display has a touch sensitive button to toggle between pedal assist modes and to turn the lights on and off, and the included key FOB and smartphone app can also be used to control the bike
- Seat post clamp is a unique, proprietary design that sinks into the frame, further adding to the streamlined look, the design also does a good job or preventing lateral movement of the seat post even when it’s not locked down super tight
- Built-in GPS system tracks the bike at all times, this is great for people who are worried about theft or maybe even who want to track the route and location of younger riders, this service also comes at no additional cost and has no annual or hidden fees to keep it going
- Torque sensor is buttery smooth and highly responsive to the slightest pressure on the cranks, activation of the motor starts and stops extremely quickly making for an experience that feels like the bike is working with you instead of for you
- 250 watt hub motor is quiet, and in conjunction with the belt drive the bike runs almost silently, allowing for a nice connection to the environment uninterrupted by the sounds of the chain or switching gears, a very unique experience
- Key FOB works great for quickly unlocking and turning on the bike and the app provides more detailed information than what’s available on the built in display
- Generous 30-day return policy means customers can buy the bike and feel confident they can return it if it doesn’t fit them or if they don’t like it, one year warranty on components and lifetime warranty on the frame and forks is a nice bonus too
- In addition to having the brakes cut power to the motor and initiate power regen, they also cause the rear light to go bright, pretty fancy and extra safe
Cons:
- There’s a lot of empty space on the downtube and seat tube where they could have added bottle cage bosses, and that’s nice to have even if you just use them for a folding lock or something, that way you have more room in the basket and can reach the accessory easily
- Basket and handlebars are welded to the frame, which is great for durability but it means they can’t be adjusted or taken off, this might be a problem for those who want wider handlebars for more stability or narrower handlebars to be able to fit through traffic and doorways more easily, or for those who want a larger basket to carry more items or to remove the basket altogether
- Only the front brake has a disc, while the rear brake has a caliper brake, this results in less stopping power overall and the possibility of mud being rubbed into the machined sidewall of the rear wheel
- Minor consideration, the mechanical brake levers require tools to adjust reach and just aren’t as easy to pull as hydraulic, this could be a point of consideration for people with weaker hands or those who plan to wear gloves
- Control center isn’t adjustable and its flat angle is difficult to view while riding and also seems to catch glare regardless of the time of day, this makes viewing the display while riding difficult and at times even dangerous because the eyes needs to be taken off the road in order to read the information and it’s way down vs. up on the handlebar, the readouts are also not very precise and in place of a numerical speed readout there are a series of dots instead, lastly, the display seems a fit finicky at times and the app is needed to toggle the lights on or off
- Smaller 22 inch tires results in a higher attack angle, making tackling even smaller bumps more jarring compared to larger 26 inch or 28 inch tires, les air volume also means less shock absorption and no puncture resistant lining may increase risk of a flat tire, check the pressure regularly to avoid a pinch flat and consider a 27.2 mm seat post suspension to improve comfort a bit
- Internally routed wires makes for a clean look, but there is already wear on the wire sheathing where the handlebars turn, turning too aggressively may, over time, wear through the wires completely and make the bike unusable
- Internally housed batteries means they have to be charged inside the bike, not being able to remove the batteries also makes it more difficult to store them in a cool, dry location, and repairing or replacing damaged batteries can likely only be done with help from the company or a dealer, those not close to one may find this frustrating
- Proprietary components like the seat post locking mechanism and frame-integrated handlebars are great for looks but could make replacing damaged parts difficult or impossible except through the company itself, also means the bike will be less modular than traditional frames, like upgrading a Honda Civic vs. a Mercedes
- Belt drive offers quiet and clean operation, but lack of a chain guard leaves the belt vulnerable to strikes, a strike on a sharp object could cause damage to the belt and front beltring
- Rear caliper brake doesn’t offer much stopping power compared to a disc brake, and even with the regenerative braking, the rear brake just didn’t feel very powerful to me
- 250 watt motor is an efficient power sipper but feels a little weaker compared to other 250 watt motors because it is gearless, it also has some cogging drag when coasting, this may be especially pronounced because this is a single speed bike and can make tackling steep hills more difficult than with other geared motor electric bikes
- Minor consideration, the rear mounted kickstand is located in a good position that stays clear of the cranks, but it is non adjustable
- Paint on the bike doesn’t seem very durable and I’ve already scratched it up in several places, the overall finish is beautiful, but it might not last over time, especially if you park outside in the sun
- Lack of a throttle may be a deal breaker for some, throttles increase the effective uses of electric bikes, letting them be used as a sort of scooter of moped, but with this bike the only option is pedal assist but that does extend range and make it a Class 1 which is legal to ride almost everywhere
- There’s a lot of empty space on the downtube and seat tube where they could have added bottle cage bosses, and that’s nice to have even if you just use them for a folding lock or something, that way you have more room in the basket and can reach the accessory easily
- The positioning of the headlight means that it could be blocked if you fill the front basket up, this happened with my grocery sack during the ride in the video review above
- The wireless key fob for turning the bike on and off is cool, but the button is large and occasionally gets pressed by mistake when it’s in my pocket, perhaps a smaller button or one that isn’t so easily activated could solve this?
Resources:
Jessica
7 years agoLove how stealthy it is… I’m going to grad school and bike theft is pretty commonplace… I’m 5’3 and weigh 105 so I also love that it’s lightweight… but could it survive 4 years of being the main mode of transportation? Thanks for the review!
Replycourt
7 years agoHi Jessica! I’m not completely sure, though I do appreciate how lightweight and clean it is. Have you seen the Faraday Cortland S? I think it has a similar design aesthetic and is priced comparably. They sell through dealers and have been around (and refining their bikes) since 2012/
ReplyAnup
6 years agoHi Jessica, Did you make a decision? I would love to know the long term review if anybody has used this bike.
ReplyDarrin Roush
6 years agoI just received mine yesterday and rode it about six miles last night. We ordered the white one with belt drive and the rear rack option. I’m really liking it so far as a nice compliment to my other electric bikes. It’s small, light, clean and simple. Perfect for a city bike with quick trips to the store, etc. I could be a commuter for short trips (e.g. 5-10 miles). I have larger, faster bikes for a longer commute. I think my wife will like riding this bike more than the others due to it’s extreme simplicity and clean, light look.
ReplyCourt
6 years agoAwesome! Glad it’s working well so far. Thanks for the update and thoughts about how it would be best used by you and your wife. Feel free to chime in again someday after you’ve ridden further or if you think of any other points to add :)
Reply