When the going gets tough...
August 2009
Product: Ultra Motor A2B Metro
In the end I found myself twisting the grip whenever momentum flagged and/or my energy dipped. It was as swift and easy as having the wind at my back. The suspension soaked up bumps and, when I had to slow down, the disc brakes were firm and responsive.
- Financial Times
When the going gets tough, the A2B Metro's motor gets Going!
The streets in my corner of south London have their official A to Z names. Festive Road, say, or Brickfield Terrace. And then they have their cycling names, which are not so innocuous. “Crafty Slope” is a long, subtly sapping stretch of terraced houses; “Death Row”, a steep road that skirts the cemetery. And then there is “Cardiac Crest”, a cliff-like rise that puts me in mind of a Pyrenean climb in the Tour de France. Living on a hill has many advantages, but the bike ride home is not one of them.
So I was glad to get a chance to sample Ultra Motor’s A2B Metro, an electric bike that, the company would have us believe, is “redefining the way we get to work, pop to the shops, or just get some fresh air”. In appearance at least, it resembles a chunky version of an old-fashioned shopper, minus the basket at the front and with a shoebox-sized battery at the back. The motor sits on the rear hub, and is connected via a chain to the pedals in case extra power is needed and via cables to a twist-grip “throttle” on the handlebars. The saddle is broad and comfortable, and there is front and rear suspension. It’s sturdy and solid. Built, I thought uncharitably, for comfort not speed.
But when I climbed on and twisted the grip, I was surprised. The motor quietly surged, and I was propelled effortlessly away as if a giant hand were pushing me gently but firmly along. This may be a routine sensation for motorcyclists but to me, used to putting physical effort into a start, it was a delicious novelty.
In the clotted traffic around Ultra Motor’s Holborn offices, where I picked the bike up, I had the speed, acceleration and manoeuvrability I needed to change lanes without impeding the traffic flow. Signalling right, however, entailed taking my hand off the throttle, so killing the motor. Here the bike’s pedal power was essential.
Indeed, on my commute home, I found myself pedalling more than I had expected. At times this was desirable to keep my speed up, because the motor is limited by law to 15.5mph (a licence would be required if it went faster), but on good, straight stretches it feels a little slow. Pedalling pumps up the speed and also extends the battery’s 20-mile range.
In the end I found myself twisting the grip whenever momentum flagged and/or my energy dipped. It was as swift and easy as having the wind at my back. The suspension soaked up bumps and, when I had to slow down, the disc brakes were firm and responsive.
Cardiac Crest was not such a happy story. Left to the motor alone, the bike ground to halt, so pedalling was essential, but even so it took a lot less leg power than usual. The gearing – a seven-speed Shimano derailleur – was low enough to allow me to pedal uphill unaided, though standing and hauling on the handlebars felt more ungainly than on my mountain bike. If you ran out of juice on the A2B you could certainly get home, but a stoic frame of mind would be an asset. Depending on your commute, you might have to replenish the battery every evening – as easy as plugging in a charger, although you need to allow several hours.
The A2B is a joy to use on the open road but much more cumbersome at the margins. It would be no fun lugging it up to a top-floor flat. Parking is also more awkward than with a conventional bike. There’s a sturdy kick-stand but the A2B doesn’t slot easily into a normal bike rack. Still, after a bit of effort I was able to position it close enough to the FT’s racks to secure it with a standard D-lock. The A2B costs just under £2,000, so additional security is a must. Thankfully, this is in-built, since you need a key to activate the motor.
That legally required 15.5mph top speed is not quite the whole story. The model I tried had a “go-faster” switch, which pushed the speed to a heady 20mph. This, Ultra Motor sternly told me, was for off-road use only; otherwise I would be breaking the law. In practice, the temptation to use the switch was almost overwhelming – to beat the lights, say, or to get comfortably ahead of a lorry. I also wanted to use it to zoom past the occasional drop-handlebar Übermensch who made a point of overtaking.
Where high-tech laziness really scored over low-tech brawn was in reducing sweat and fatigue at the end of my half-hour commute. I was able not only to go reasonably fast but also, thanks to the motor and the excellent brakes, to relax and enjoy the ride.
Ultra Motor, a British company specialising in electric motors and vehicles, is mindful of these advantages, and hopes that the A2B will appeal to companies whose staff need to make short hops to and fro within a city. It says it is “in the early stages of talks” with a financial institution in the City of London that has expressed an interest in the machine. It also points out that Transport for London is encouraging businesses to set up bike pools, to reduce congestion and carbon emissions.
A puritan streak and resource constraints mean I won’t be splashing out. But I was pleasantly surprised by the A2B Metro. Crafty Slope, Death Row and even Cardiac Crest have never seemed so flat.
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