Volt Metro electric bike review
Electric bike review: Volt Metro
An alternative to commuting on public transport, electric bike sales are on the up. Katie Layne reviews the Volt Metro foldable e-bike
THE COMMUTE
Looking for an alternative option for my ride to work, I jumped at the chance to trial the Volt Metro – the foldable e-bike. My journey is a gruelling one hour tube trip or an exhausting hour-long bike ride, and it was getting me down. New to electric bikes, I had plenty of misconceived ideas about how it would work. But the Volt Metro opened my mind to a whole new mode of travel.
FOLDABLE E-BIKE
The number one most appealing feature of the Metro is that it folds up neatly so it can be tucked away into a cupboard or under the stairs. It’s easy to mistake this neat little arrangement for a Bromptonesque cartable option. It isn’t. Electric bikes are necessarily heavy due to the battery. The Metro is at the lighter end of foldable e-bikes scale but at 19.5 kgs you wouldn’t want to carry it anywhere.
THE EXPERIENCE
It’s a totally different experience to riding a push-bike. The upright seating position is comfortable and more leisurely giving a totally different ride experience. Once I got used to the starting mechanism, I liked how I could choose what speed I wanted to ride at. On a good stretch of cycle lane I could quickly I get to top speed on the Volt Metro of just over 15mph and keep pace with the pack with very little effort.
SWAP THE CAR
As a result, I was able to cycle more and ditch the tube journeys to work. The exercise level is light, rarely getting out of breath. The pedal power required to get enough momentum on the bike is quite minimal. However I found my fitness levels increased. The Volt Metro e-bike is a great alternative to using the car or take on a ride that is longer than your usual cycle trip.
THE SPEED
Riding the Metro, you’re using the battery at all times. You can choose which level suits you best – low, medium or high, although the faster settings drain the battery level quicker. Although you have a slightly slow initial start, the metro gets up to its top speed of 15.5 miles per hour fairly quickly so if it’s your thing you can keep pace with the super-highway cycle pack.
THE RIDE
E-bikes are becoming increasingly popular with the older generation, commuters and delivery riders. After a long day in the office, the prospect of riding my e-bike home was more inviting. My push bike requires much higher levels of effort. The Volt Metro made for a relaxing journey home and I found time to listen a podcast or two on my special cyclist headphones.
The Metro comes into its own on hills where the battery takes charge. You can add an extra burst of speed to give it a boost if you need to and it does all the hard work. The very best part of an e-bike is overtaking the MAMILS on long stretches and watching their frustration as they bust a gut to get to the front of the line.
THE LOOK
Its robust, strong frame is cool and neat. One of the most attractive options on the market. There are some additional extra features and widgets that gadget lovers will enjoy. A screen on the handle bars shows the speedometer, battery levels, gears and light controls. The lights are built onto the bike and power up with the battery.
You can choose between two sizes of battery – up to 40 miles or 60 miles. Using the battery on medium-high with occasional extra burst for a hill, the battery comfortably lasted for my daily commute. It needed an overnight charge but the smaller battery easily covered my 20-25 miles a day.
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