Velectrix Urban 2.0

Control panel – Yesterday morning, my velectrix pulse stx switched on to level 1 power, but it wouldn’t allow me to click up the power level, or turn on the lights. After parking the bike up for an hour while I participated in the local Park Run it turn on as usual, allowed extra power selection, and light turn on. Is there something strange happening, or is it just one of those thing? Show details

Geared too high – Bought a Step Thru Urban + for my wife, great quality, very well specked for the price - but it’s too highly geared. To ride on the flat easily without assistance you need to be in a low gear, if you hit a slope even with assistance you still need a low gear. I tried a steep slope on level 5 assistance in the lowest gear available and I struggled… Read more

- I’m an experienced cyclist having climbed Willunga Hill many times, this bike geared as supplied couldn’t do it, even with max assist. I know it’s an urban bike, but the front chain ring needs to be 38t, not 48t

battery replacement not available – Think TWICE before purchasing an e-bike for this reason. I bought the Urban 2.0, 2018 model and I enjoyed riding it for my short commutes for almost 2 years until the battery died (at around 50% of its expected life duration). I enquired back in early 2021 about a battery replacement and was informed it was on order, again in June still hadn’t… Read more

arrived. I called again recently (March 2023) and was informed they are out of stock without any Estimated Time of Arrival. They were going to enquire further and phone me back but never called back.

So I have an e-bike parked at home for over 2 years which I cannot use as it is way too heavy to ride without a battery. I’m limited to purchase the battery through 99 bikes as it is a unique design for that particular bike. [its a 30 volt Panasonic 11.6ah lithium ion]. Apparently there is a shortage in the supply of bike batteries so this issue may not be exclusive to this brand - I don’t know.

From my experience, be aware before buying an expensive e-bike that it is only as good as long as that battery is working and consider what guarantee do you have of being able to buy a replacement battery.

Good when its working< spares not available as per the premise the bike was sold on – I Purchased 2 of these, a step through for my Wife and std for Myself. less than 1000Kms Faulty battery. Returned to 99 Bikes. Was there for 3 Months whilst sourcing new battery from Velectrix. New battery fitted different to the Old battery. The Bike can no longer be Charged battery in. Now I Get to Work, have to remove the saddle, Unlock the… Read more

Battery, Carry Battery upstairs and find a Place at workstation to Charge. creates all sort of issues in terms of OH&S. Cost was $580.00 for new battery. Bike is less appealing now. Requested to trade on new Model before I paid, I was offered $150.00 Off on a trade on the new Velectrix Urban. So Sad..99 Bikes and Velectrix partnership could be better to their customers...Happy for a call from either HO to discuss

Average design – I paid $1380 for this 2.0 unisex bike in December 2018. In the first couple of weeks, I was really satisfied. However, there are some really serious problems that occurred after then. 1. Brake system: This is undoubtedly the weakest part of the bike. After roughly 1 month and 5 h/d usage, it doesn't work. I was about to have an accident several… Read more

times because of that. I also use the bike for delivery by the way. When I went to the mechanical service to change brake pads the first time I was really surprised as the mechanic told me that 'This bike is not for commercial use'. My solution: I upgraded to the brake system to Hydraulics. It's really funny that I paid $48 for Whole Hydraulic brake kits including front and rear Shimano brake pads as well (eBay ). I used to pay $35 every month just for one brake pad change.

2. Battery: The battery performance decreased significantly after 6 months ( 5h/d ) usage. I can ride just 2 hours with the original battery in one full charge

My solution: I bought a 36V 21 A lithium battery and connected it to the down tube. It's just amazing. After struggling for months with the old battery, I am able to ride up to 10 hours now.

In conclusion, to be honest I like my bike but its very demanding.

Fundamental problems with their mechanical disc brakes (2018) – About 18 months of on again off again usage. The ebike aspects of the bike is quite decent. The bike accelerates smoothly with no jerky motion, and provides a very positive experience. It's really heavy, at 25kg, and the battery is a fair bit small at 11aH for my liking despite looking big and chunky. Being under the seats mean you need to… Read more

always remove the seat before taking the battery out. Removing the rear wheel is practically impossible on the go so I pray you don't get a puncture on your rear wheel. Who designs a bike where you need to *remove* your rear derailleur just to get the back wheel off??! Removing the rear wheel requires a spanner! That's honestly absurd. In addition, there is use of an uncommon screw thread size for where rear bike racks go on (M6 instead of M5 screws). As a result, off the shelf Topeak disc bike rack may not actually fit, even if you go and get M6 screws for Bunnings, the rack only takes M5 screws! I had to drill a new hole in the bike rack. Genius, I tell ya.

Here's where the bikes fails really take off; in two areas: 1) The back wheel hub spokes broke after less a month of commuting use. I've never had a spoke break before, but it seems to have been because the stock hub was not strong enough to take the additional weight of the motor and battery? It was fixed under warranty. There was some anxiety getting this fixed as the bike shop suggested it may not be covered under warranty initially.

2) The base model came with mechanical disc brakes. This has been very problematic. I've paid for change pads, brake wires, or brake servicing every *two* months at the store done up by professional mechanics because the brakes just loose effectiveness. I spent hundreds of dollars each year in just brake maintenance. I only do about about 150km / week for commuting, and I'm not using it all day, everyday.

I don't know what make it so problematic but no one can tell me why and if it's normal. I've got 3 other rim brake bikes and none have fundamental problems like this. I'd love to love this bike but do *not* get a model with mechanical disc brakes no matter what.

A bike that has fundamental problems with braking has to get 1 star. It's like a supercar with amazing engine but broken brakes. I've gotten into several near misses due to inability to brake enough quickly, it's scary. Can't recommend it to anyone because of this, not to mention the additional outlay of maintenance costs.

A year and half later I'm still dealing with the issues. I've been told they've changed the brakes in 2019 model.

Excellent for commuting – This is the second electric bike I've owned, and vastly better than the previous one. Despite its weight (typical for similar bikes), it feels very well balanced to ride. The Shimano Acera gears change smoothly, and the bike handles my 9km commute in way quicker time than using public transport. I wanted to be able to purchase from a local bike… Read more

shop and they set it up for me perfectly. The lights are really the only weakness - I put some USB-chargeable ones on. The stand is solid, the rack supports a set of panniers nicely. Overall I highly recommend it.

Great Bike – I recently purchased a Velectrix Urban Unisex for hobby rides and for delivering my hobby business pamphlets into local letterboxes. The ride is comfortable on road and footpath even with frequent stopping. Motor is great and powerful, and the back luggage rack is very practical for holding small boxes. The computer is easy to navigate and the… Read more

front and rear lights are easy to see. Saves money taking the car down to the local shops. The new battery takes about an hour to fully charge. The only complaint I have is the bike is just a little heavy ( which is to be expected carrying a battery ) for this 70 year old, but then again, I spend my time riding it, not carrying it! Well worth the money. Suits old and young male and female riders. As well as social/exercise cycling this bike would be excellent for a bicycle courier business.

Excellent well priced commuter e-bike – I've purchased the urban+ model to use for my regular commute into work. I've found that it's easy to ride and the electric motor really allows me to decide how much effort I want to put in, while still maintaining a good speed. The urban plus model comes with good features, including disc brakes, rack and lights. I'd recommend this to anyone considering an e-bike. Andrew  Show details

Flattens Hills – A heavy bike (20kgs) lacking front suspension. Bumps are hard but it's smooth on road. Good roll on and handling. Quality components and finish. Hill climbing is a breeze. Affordable and enjoyable piece if kit. After 25 years of motorcycling it's great for recreation and health. Will be locally produced in 2020.  Show details

Affordable ebike – I am travelling to work 25 km each way and only bike could help me in hills was this bike. It is very affordable as well as very easy to ride. It has powerful motor as pedal assistant for hills. It was one of the best investment I did for my health. Super happy with that.