Ampler Axel e-bike review: this is the way

Sure, that’s an e-bike, regardless of the hidden battery and motor that’s so quiet and diminutive that no one would count on it. It’s constructed by Ampler, which isn’t a family title — however ought to be. 

Based in 2014, the Estonia-based firm was one of many first to recognize that sleekly designed e-bikes are a really perfect type of clear and handy city transport for younger commuters at a time when bicycles with ugly bolt-on batteries have been nonetheless the area of biking septuagenarians. Now, Ampler is again with five models of e-bikes injected with all of the know-how the corporate has gathered since.

I’ve been testing Ampler’s Yoda-green Axel in Amsterdam, the place the corporate not too long ago opened a showroom and repair heart, its fifth in Europe. I truly began this evaluate a yr in the past, however a collection of points, each out and in of Ampler’s management, created fairly just a few points and delays that I’ll go into later.

The Axel e-bike isn’t as aggressively styled as Ampler’s Curt or as relaxed because the Juna or Stellar fashions. Neither is it as sturdy as the corporate’s Stout. For me, Axel sits proper on the candy spot of sporty but sensible. It’s for anybody trying to journey lengthy distances on a well-made commuter bike that’s additionally nice for operating errands round city — as long as you reside in Europe and may afford its €2,790 (about $2,970) price ticket.

However hey, transport is free.

Refreshingly, Ampler is an e-bike firm, not an e-bike plus companies firm that tries to tempt you with pricey upsells like European rivals VanMoof and Cowboy. Ampler additionally makes use of numerous industry-standard elements that your native bike store can procure and repair, assuming the availability chain hasn’t been upended, because it has been for a lot of the final three years.

The very first thing you discover in regards to the Axel is that it appears to be like like an odd bike. That’s as a result of Ampler integrates the battery into the downtube because it does on each mannequin the corporate sells. The tiny 250W motor (400W peak) of customized Ampler design is situated within the hub of the rear wheel. The result’s a great-looking e-bike, although one downside is a non-removable battery (it comes out just for service), which may complicate charging for a lot of metropolis dwellers. Luckily, although, ought to you could maneuver it inside a constructing or hoist it up and down some stairs, the Axel is comparatively mild at 16.3kg (nearly 36 kilos).

Axel is available in two sizes to suit riders from 172 to 200cm (5ft 8in to 6ft 7in). The rear service on my evaluate bike is a €60 choice (about $64), however the wonderful entrance and tail lamps, fenders, and kickstand all come normal. Axel is at the moment solely out there on this matte-green end I relatively take pleasure in. 

Ampler has additionally completed a greater job hiding the cables on its second-generation e-bikes. Not solely does that make this Axel e-bike look higher — it prevents something from getting snagged when making an attempt to lock the bike in crowded parking stands.

Driving the Axel is snug and intuitive. The saddle felt good even after longer rides, and the grips provide an additional diploma of sponginess wanted to offset the hand-heavy ahead stance. The one-speed Gates Carbon belt drive means no shifting and no upkeep of a messy chain and derailleur. And since Axel is fitted with a torque sensor, the pedal-assisted energy is delivered in concord with the stress you exert on every downstroke. 

Nonetheless, beginning the single-speed bike on even a reasonable slope is usually a little bit of a battle for the bike’s rated 45Nm of max torque, even in probably the most highly effective pedal-assist mode. If that considerations you, then possibly think about the 11-speed Ampler Curt or nine-speed Stout and Stellar fashions. The Axel’s motor does a greater job at leveling out these hills as they arrive throughout the commute, nevertheless. The throttle-less e-bike provides two pedal-assisted using modes, which will be toggled within the app or by tapping the button situated beneath the on-bike show. It reveals the fundamentals, like cost degree and journey statistics. The button may also be used to show the bike on and of, in addition to the lights, with out having to resort to the app.

The Axel’s comparatively fats Continental Contact City 50-584 tires really feel incredible on a commuter bike. They absorb bumps fairly effectively and make the bike really feel secure, even whereas carrying heavy masses like groceries in luggage slung from the grips, a Christmas tree laid throughout the size, or perhaps a new buddy perched precariously on the rear rack after an evening out. In addition they survived a direct hit to chunks of shattered glass from a smashed bottle on the road throughout my testing — rattling vacationers.

I did all my testing in max energy on largely flat roads, permitting me to take the 48V 336Wh battery from one hundred pc to empty in 54km (33.6 miles). A number of different vary exams petered out within the low 40km vary, nevertheless. That’s largely in step with Ampler’s declare of 50km to 100km on a single cost. You possibly can, after all, journey the Axel with none energy in any respect when you run out of juice or simply in search of the train. In any other case, it’s going to recharge in rather less than 2.5 hours utilizing the included 3A charger. 

Measuring pace on a Garmin watch, the motor often stops offering help at round 27km/h, which Ampler says is inside the 25km/h max pace tolerances allowed by the EU. Two-piston hydraulic brakes at the back and front convey the Axel to a cease with confidence and management, with the additional advantage of the rear nighttime operating mild serving as a brake indicator.

The Ampler motor is basically silent, simply masked by the din of the town and wind in my ears. Some early Axels I examined had a loud freewheel, however my ultimate evaluate mannequin sounded excellent when coasting. Taken along with the styling, tiny motor, and indisputable fact that the show shuts off as quickly as you rise up to hurry, no one using subsequent to an Axel will realize it’s an e-bike.

One other method Ampler stands aside is with management over its personal firmware and app growth. The app connects to the bike over Bluetooth and opens to a customizable dashboard displaying cost, pace, and vary remaining. It may also be used to lock the motor, present the bike’s location, and monitor historic journey statistics. The app can be wanted to ship firmware updates to Ampler’s new bikes, permitting them to be serviced within the subject, typically earlier than house owners even know there’s an issue. For me, the app strikes stability of being helpful with out making an attempt to do an excessive amount of, in contrast to many different e-bike apps on the market.

Ampler’s locking function is a bit underwhelming in the meanwhile. Locking the Axel does two issues. First, it prevents the pedal help from being turned on till the motor is unlocked within the app — however the bike can nonetheless be pedaled away. Second, it causes the entrance and tail lamps to silently flash if the bike is jostled.

The brand new location monitoring works, however its precision will be hit-and-miss. Connectivity relies upon upon the supply of LTE-M and 2G companies within the space, and Amsterdam’s slender streets that minimize by means of block after block of six-story buildings created a problem for the Axel. For instance, as I kind this, the bike is parked outdoors my constructing (I hope!), locked to a rack with comparatively clear views of the sky. Nevertheless, the Ampler app nonetheless reveals its location from six hours in the past. Unsurprisingly, monitoring often didn’t work on the bottom ground of my home, the place even my smartphone typically fails to connect with my community supplier. 

Ampler tells me that an upcoming March software program replace will assist the accuracy concern by pulling location info from linked telephones over Bluetooth. And it appears to be working high quality elsewhere. “We’ve already loads of pleased prospects reporting to us how they discovered the stolen bike due to the GPS,” mentioned Ampler co-founder and CEO Ardo Kaurit in an electronic mail trade.

Whereas the corporate considers the launch of the brand new Ampler lineup introduced final yr successful, rising gross sales by 70 p.c in comparison with 2021, the corporate nonetheless wasn’t in a position to meet covid-induced demand resulting from a myriad of points.

Lengthy story quick: the corporate’s launch of 5 new e-bikes constructed round a brand new platform developed in-house for the primary time was overly bold. Early points with quantity manufacturing and faulty elements have been exacerbated by a Russian invasion of Ampler’s Ukrainian neighbors, adopted by waves of covid lockdowns in China that turned the worldwide provide chain the other way up — at the very least that’s how Ampler’s Kaurit defined it to me.

Extra particularly, the corporate struggled early on with faulty shows that delayed meeting at its Estonian manufacturing facility, the place all the pieces is designed and engineered. And when prospects did obtain their new e-bikes, some found a battery concern that required them to ship their costly autos again for guarantee repairs. The corporate additionally had points with its in-house developed connectivity resolution. Luckily, a few of these issues have been solved by over-the-air updates to the bike’s firmware and app.

From March to August 2022, I attempted — and returned — three totally different Ampler e-bikes all affected by quite a lot of issues. The corporate is now assured sufficient with its manufacturing that it despatched me a brand new Axel to check just a few weeks in the past. “I’m pleased to say that we now have solved all these points,” mentioned Kaurit. And for what it’s value, I consider him. 

Kaurit has at all times been excessively clear about Ampler’s successes, failures, and blindspots. Hell, I’ve recognized the man since 2016, when he drove nearly 1,500 miles from Tallinn to ship a prototype of the corporate’s first business e-bike to me simply so I may take a look at it. The Axel I’ve ridden nearly every single day for the previous couple of weeks has been concern free and, other than gradual location updates, performs like a premium e-bike ought to.

Having mentioned that, if I purchased an Ampler, I’d wish to stay near one of many firm’s nine service centers round Europe, simply to be secure. However assuring you may get simple service is my recommendation for anybody that drops over €2,000 for an e-bike, irrespective of the model. At that worth, you’re shopping for a each day commuter that ought to be out there each single day with out fail for years to return. Service and repairs are an inevitability for a computer-controlled machine used open air in all types of climate — so it’s greatest to be ready.

Ampler’s new vary of e-bikes is designed to enchantment to each kind of rider. Body geometries help riders each quick and tall and people who want to cruise alongside in an upright place or bomb down hills with a ahead lean. It took some time to work out the kinks, however in 2023, Axel has confirmed to be a wonderful e-bike that ought to be in your shortlist when you’re available in the market for a sporty each day commuter that appears nearly as good because it performs.

All images by Thomas Ricker / The Verge