Engwe M20 review: The Bikers’ E-Bike

Worth When Reviewed

$1,299.99

Finest Costs In the present day: Engwe M20

Let’s face it: electrical bikes can look slightly pedestrian of their design, with many centered on operate over kind. Not all: the Urtopia Carbon One stands out as a motorbike designed with kind over operate. However whereas that’s to its detriment, Engwe has taken the same method with its M20 mannequin, which has particular motorcycle vibes. The query is, can its efficiency match the aesthetics? 

Options & Design

• Engaging cafe-racer design
• Twin suspension
• Single, fixed-height seat

If you happen to’re contemplating an Engwe M20, then I hope you reside someplace that has a number of house. The field it arrives in is big, and you can be confused into pondering you’d ordered a dinner desk from eBay whereas drunk. 

The explanation for the scale is easy, because the M20 is a giant bike and comes principally assembled. The body and again wheel are in place, with the handlebars connected through its cabling and simply needing to be screwed into place. Then there’s the entrance wheel, pedals, mudguard and kickstand to placed on.

Whereas this sounds fairly easy, it nonetheless took me an hour or so, because the instruction handbook is really terrible. Slightly than photos, you get pc renders of the steps, a number of of which bear little resemblance to what’s required or are too small to learn. The device package can be a bit primary and the kickstand was lacking the 2 nuts required to carry it in place.

Fortunately I discovered the suitable measurement ones in my shed. Oh, and there’s an abundance of zip-ties. It’s nice the bike is nicely protected, however I’ve to chop by means of 30 of them, which felt a bit extreme. 

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By way of styling, the M20 is alongside the strains of the cafe racers, and also you would possibly even say it’s merely a clone of the favored Super73-RX Mojave. Both approach, the M20 is yours for about half the price of the Super73.

When ordering you might have a alternative of both one battery or two. The mannequin on evaluation is the latter, with the second battery positioned alongside the crossbar, giving it a petrol-tank look that solely will increase the motorcycle really feel. 

It doesn’t assist with weight, although. At 38kg/84lbs this isn’t a light-weight bike that you just’ll fortunately choose up and run up the steps. It’s chunky and requires a number of energy to elevate. Oh, and did I point out that’s simply the bike itself?

Add one battery and the burden jumps to round 43kg/94lbs, whereas the dual-battery model is a hefty 47kg/104lbs. This makes it the heaviest e-bike we’ve reviewed on Tech Advisor by a great distance.

The aluminum-alloy body is sturdy and is available in black, inexperienced or white. It appears like a cargo bike, however you received’t be taking any passengers as the only seat doesn’t depart a lot room for backies. There’s no baggage rack both.

The saddle top is round 31.5 inches/80cm from the bottom and may’t be adjusted, Engwe says that the M20 is appropriate for individuals ranging in top from 5ft to 6ft 8in, with a most load capability of 264lbs/120kg, however at 5ft 9in and with brief legs, I discovered the seat too low for snug pedalling, and couldn’t straighten my legs totally. I’d be shocked if anybody over 6ft might comfortably pedal the M20 alongside.

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There’s twin suspension to take care of any bumps within the street you’ll encounter. 

The 20 within the identify refers back to the measurement of the wheels, that are 20 inches. The tyres (tires for these within the US) are 4 inches fats and proceed the all-terrain theme that the M20 embraces.

Once more, it’s an actual disgrace there’s no baggage rack as a result of Engwe claims that with each batteries on board you can probably journey for as much as 150km (round 94 miles) on a single cost. You possibly can’t regulate the handlebar angle or top, which is ready at 44.8in/114cm from the bottom however that’s common at this finish of the e-bike market, and to be honest they’re comfortably positioned once you’re biking.

7-speed Shimano gears assist when you must go sooner or help up a hill, whereas entrance and rear disc brakes are there to gradual you down once more. You additionally get a few motorbike-style headlamps simply to finish the visage. 

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e-bike or Moped?

• 750w motor
• Exceeds UK and EU e-bike rules
• Class 3 e-bike within the US

Getting onto the motor aspect of issues presents one thing of an issue, not less than for these within the UK and far of mainland Europe. Engwe matches the M20 with a 750w brushless gear motor that kicks out a most torque of 55Nm and may attain speeds of round 45kmh or 28mph.

Beneath present UK legislation, an e-bike ‘will need to have a most energy output of 250 watts and shouldn’t be in a position to propel the bike when it’s travelling greater than 15.5mph’. It additionally has a twist throttle, one other factor that’s unlawful within the UK for e-bikes, if you wish to apply it to public roads. It’s superb to be used on non-public land.

If you wish to trip it on UK roads, it’s categorized as a moped and requires registration, plus street tax and insurance coverage to be authorized. Related restrictions exist within the EU, though it complies with class 3 e-bike legal guidelines in North America. If you happen to’re going to purchase this, be sure to verify native rules to see for those who’ll really be capable of trip it wherever aside from non-public land.  

Efficiency

• 28mph/45kmh prime velocity
• Throttle slightly too easy
• Struggles on huge hills

As I reside within the UK, I wasn’t in a position to take the M20 out on the general public roads, however I’m lucky sufficient to have using some farmland in Cornwall, so I might open up that throttle and see what the M20 was made from. 

It’s snug to take a seat on, with the suspension doing its job admirably when going throughout tough terrain, little doubt aided by these fats tires. It does turn out to be instantly obvious although that this isn’t actually supposed to be a motorbike that you just pedal all that a lot. The using place and low saddle top talked about earlier than made it troublesome to generate a lot energy, which turned out to be an issue with such a heavy bike. The gears did assist, however as soon as you employ the throttle and depend on the motor, the M20 makes much more sense. 

Martyn Casserly

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There are 5 energy modes on supply, from minimal to the complete 750W. These are managed through the LCD display connected to the handlebars. This additionally tells you your present velocity, distance travelled and battery life remaining. It’s a monochrome show, however works nicely in daylight, making it simple to control the stats. There’s additionally a harder-to-find additional mode for when strolling with the M20, that is enabled by urgent and holding the ‘-’ buttons on the panel, which retains the motor rolling at a gradual 6kmh till you launch it. 

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I spent most of my time utilizing the throttle, and never bothering to try to help the motor by pedalling. The M20 pulls away properly, as the facility is available in easily to keep away from any sudden jolts, as long as you’re within the decrease energy modes.

The throttle has little or no resistance, so it’s fairly simple to press it accidentally as you’re using. Then you might have a sudden burst of acceleration which you didn’t anticipate. One drawback is that the motor doesn’t minimize out as quickly as you’re off the throttle, resulting in the bike accelerating for a few seconds after. This may be disconcerting, particularly at increased speeds, however it was one thing I realized to compensate for after some time, which made it only a quirk fairly than a critical subject.

It’s price figuring out that the motor does minimize out for those who apply the brakes, so that you don’t have to fret an excessive amount of about hurtling into the cow that’s simply wandered into the sector, or pedestrians for those who’re don’t occur to be biking on a farm.  

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Engwe states that the M20 can attain 45kmh/28mph, however my fairly restricted take a look at monitor didn’t enable for such speeds. I did comfortably take the bike as much as round 30kmh and it felt strong and nicely balanced at that velocity. 

Hills are one thing of an issue although. Engwe says inclines of as much as 10 levels are superb. In Cornwall, that’s nothing. There are big, steep hills in all places and the heavy M20 struggled with the hills round me: the motor principally failed to assist a lot after I bought to the 18° hill close to my home. At that time, you’re pedalling a very weighty bike up a steep slope, which isn’t one thing you’d wish to do for very lengthy.

To be honest, on 10 degree-or-under hills it fortunately whizzed up with no care. 

The twin 160mm disc brakes didn’t encourage confidence at the beginning. They squeaked noisily, and the entrance ones had been a bit grabby, making the entrance wheel lock at occasions, whereas the rear was extra spongy. Discs want a while to mattress in and, being the mechanical, cable-operated selection, may be adjusted. Additionally, they’re stopping a number of weight and probably from excessive speeds, however I didn’t have any situations the place I couldn’t cease the bike. 

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Engwe claims {that a} single battery cost will ship a variety of as much as 75km (round 47 miles) when pedal assisted within the low energy mode. That is additionally presumably on a flat, easy street with a fairly light-weight rider. As you received’t actually wish to pedal a lot on the M20, you’ll as an alternative more than likely be utilizing the upper energy modes which can curtail these distances. I discovered round 30 miles per battery cost appears to be regular, so the twin battery model might more than likely take you 50-60 miles earlier than needing to be plugged in as soon as extra, relying on terrain. That’s not a foul vary in any respect. You’ll wish to arrive at your vacation spot with time to spare although, as every 13Ah battery takes round 5 hours to refuel with the supplied charger.  

Martyn Casserly

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Worth & Availability

The Engwe M20 is surprisingly reasonably priced, costing $1,299.99/£1,199.99 for the single-battery model or $1,599.99/£1,499.99 for the double, which is greater than affordable on this class.

It’s obtainable direct from Engwe’s web site, and supply is free.

One motive for the low worth is the brief guarantee which lasts only one 12 months. And a few components, resembling tyres, are lined for a paltry month. In any case, you’ll be accountable for becoming any faulty components, since labour isn’t lined.

If you happen to’re searching for off-road options, then the Carrera Vengeance is an effective choice within the UK and for round £1000, or for individuals who desire the fats tire method, there’s the Rad Energy Bikes RadRunner 2 that prices the same quantity to the M20 and is constructed to take cargo.

You’ll discover a larger choice in our roundup of the most effective electrical bikes to see what different choices are presently obtainable. 

Verdict

The M20 is nice enjoyable to trip, appears improbable, and within the nice scheme of issues is comparatively reasonably priced. If you happen to’re in North America, then it needs to be price critical consideration because it’s quick, has respectable vary and may scratch that cafe-racer itch very nicely. It’s a distinct story within the UK and EU although, as whereas all these issues stay true you merely can’t trip it on the street, not less than not legally. 

You do get what you pay for, too, which is why funds parts such because the brakes and gears are used. Pay extra elsewhere and it’s best to get higher high quality hydraulic disc brakes, for one.

The twist throttle is simply too simple to unintentionally set off and you must pull a brake lever if you’d like the motor to chop out right away. The handbook is terrible, the burden heavy and there’s no room for a passenger or provision for carrying any baggage. However, if these issues don’t trouble you an excessive amount of, the M20 is a enjoyable bike to trip. 

Specs

• Aluminum Alloy body
• 750W Brushless Motor (55Nm torque)
• 20in x 4in Fats Tires
• 48V 13Ah Lithium-Ion battery (non-obligatory second battery)
• 28mph/45kmh most velocity
• 5 energy modes
• 34.17 Miles (55KM) most distance at Electrical Mode 1 and 46.6 Miles (75KM) at PAS mode 1
• 10° most climbing angle
• 160mm entrance & rear disc machine brake
• Twin suspension
• Shimano 7 gear system
• LCD Show
• 264.5 lbs/120 kg most load
• 114 x 167 x 80cm (44.8 x 65.7 x 31.5in)
• 76.72lbs/34.8kg (bike solely)
• 94.13lbs/42.7kg (single battery put in)
• 104.05lbs/45.9kg (twin batteries put in)