Pure Flux One Electric Bicycle

T3 reports: [edited]

The first electric bike from e-scooter specialist Pure Electric has three things going for it: a low price, unusually cool looks for an e-bike, and extreme simplicity. If you're considering taking up cycling for the first time, post-lockdown, it's a perfect choice. If, like me, you have cycled before but become so unfit that electrical assistance is now very much required, it's a sound option.

It's not the best electric bike but it is probably the best cheap electric bike, taking a stripped-down approach that means it doesn't feel like too many compromises have been made to get the price under £1,000. 

The display tells you your speed, you also get a basic battery gauge – the range is 25 miles max, so it's worth keeping an eye on this. You can recharge it to 80% of capacity in three hours or fully charge it in five.

There are disk brakes, although they are mechanical rather than hydraulic. The ride experience is simple and pretty good fun. There are no gears, no chain – a carbon belt is used, so no mucky trousers for you – and no app.

It provides three levels of electrical assistance capped at 9, 12.5 or 15.5mph. You can also turn the assistance off entirely and ride it like an unusually hefty single-speed bike. The Flux One weighs 17.5kg including the battery. Pure Electric describes this as 'lightweight' and by e-bike standards, it is – a lot of them weigh 20kg and up. However, compared to a single-speed, non-electric bike, 17.5kg is by no means light.

There is an issue if you want to go above 15.5mph. Due to the absence of gears, this involves pedalling like mad. I find it a bit of a chore but for everyday, stop/start urban riding, it's plenty, for most purposes.

In contrast to the kind of folding, feature-packed, AI-powered bikes I've been bombarded with recently, Pure Electric's looks, rides and behaves like a bicycle. It's got full-sized wheels, good-enough brakes, stylish-enough 'hybrid' bike styling and it handles really well. 

------------