Vvolt Centauri II e-bike: Effortless and reliable city commuting
If you ride a bike to work, you just need it to work every time. Vvolt's new e-bike provides a nearly maintenance-free experience.
Hyperdrive Hits
5/5 Medals of Yavin: Highly recommended for commuters and city dwellers, includes everything you want in a commuter
Light weight, Gates Carbon belt drive, and automatic transmission
Easy assembly with simple packaging
Not a cheap e-bike
I thoroughly enjoy riding e-bikes and I am particularly fond of bikes that look and ride like standard bikes for my commute due to the ability to easily carry it on the train. Commuters also need a reliable, and low maintenance, bike that can be depended upon for daily commuting. The Gates Carbon belt, elegant battery design, automatic transmission, integrated lights, fenders, and boost button option make this a nearly perfect commuting bike.
I’ve had my eye on Vvolt’s e-bikes for a couple of years so I was thrilled to finally get the chance to try out for a few weeks. It reminds me of the Tenways bikes I have ridden mixed in with the Lectric One that also has an automatic transmission. The Vvolt Centauri II looks very similar to a standard bike and offers a better ergonomic experience than the Lectric One for riders with my height and frame size.
Vvolt offers the Centauri II in two different colors and three different sizes. The company sent along the large/extra large size in Forest Planet for me to test out. I’m not quite ready to buy it for my own daily commuter, but that is primarily because I have so many other e-bikes available to ride.
Rating:
As explained in my palmsolo’s Refresh Rating Scale post, I’m awarding the Vvolt Centauri II I five (5) Medals of Yavin. It brings together all of the best things I love about a commuter bike; appears to be a standard bike, Gates Carbon belt, automatic transmission, integrated bright lights, fenders, and assist levels that help propel me up the steepest hills. The price is the only real deterrent, but when you look at all the bike offers then the price is actually reasonable.
The Good and the Bad
It’s pretty rare for me to not find something that can be improved with a product and for things like electric bikes the pros and cons can depend on your riding needs.
Pros
Solid build and attractive color options
Sealed automatic transmission with mid-drive motor
Excellent tires, fenders, and kickstand
Sleek, integrated front light
Accessible step-through design
Handy Boost button for that extra power
Gates Carbon drive belt
Integrated tail light
Cons
No turn signals
$3,000 price point
Seat requires Allen wrench to adjust
Experiences
The Vvolt Centauri II arrived in a typical cardboard box, but it was fairly narrow. Before I opened it from the top like I do with most all other e-bike boxes, I saw the clearly marked arrows on the sides of the box directly me to open it up from one end and then slide the contents out one side. This worked very well and the bike was nearly fully assembled when removed.
I had to install the front handlebars, front fender, front wheel/tire, and the pedals. Everything else, include the saddle and optional rear rack, were installed in the box so it did not take too long to assemble. I recommend positioning the front fender before installing the wheel/tire since there isn’t room to slide it in place once the wheel/tire is in position.
The frame design is interesting as it has a frame piece above the battery frame piece, but still essentially a step-through bike with a bit higher opening. I found it easy to get on and off the bike and am sure that added frame piece adds to the rock solid stability of the bike. I let me wife try riding it too but had to use an Allen wrench to move the seat height since there is no quick release lever.
The light is integrated into the frame and is very bright at 65 LUX. I rode the bike in the dark and the road was well illuminated in front of me. The taillight also serves as a brake light and is positioned high up on the seat post.
I am a huge fan of the Gates Carbon belts and have come to be rather annoyed by derailleurs that often skip gears or add noise to the riding experience. There is rarely a throttle in play with the carbon belts, but Vvolt has handy Boost button that gives you Turbo mode for 4 seconds to help you get up a hill or take off from a stop. I like this solution and would love to see other bike makers incorporate something like this.
There are five levels of assist, including a chill option. Check out my YouTube video for more on these experiences. That automatic transmission shifts smoothly and with just a short pause here and there the transmission shifts into a gear that works well for the riding situation. I was even able to make it up my very steep hill with little effort.
The bike is also comfortable for commuting thanks to the embedded suspension on the front fork piece and the comfortable saddle. The ergonomic rubber handgrips are also important for riding for long distances.
The color display is informative and I especially like pressing the center button on the controller to view the estimate range that appears for each level of pedal assist. Again, another cool feature that I would like to see on more bikes. The estimate was accurate to my riding experiences and it is just nice to get within a few miles so you can gauge whether or not to switch to a lower level of assist to get back home.
The Vvolt representatives also sent along a lovely Yelling Yellow Showers Pass Transit jacket (currently on sale for just $99) and Cross Point Pro Wool waterproof gloves ($52 value) to facilitate my testing in the winter months. I purchased a pair of Showers Pass bike pants a couple of years ago and love that the gear keeps me dry in the regularly wet conditions of the Pacific Northwest.
Specifications
Specifications alone don’t mean much, but they are useful for comparing similar devices and checking that you are getting value for your money.
Frame: 6061 aluminum alloy available in two colors and three sizes
Motor: 350W (650W peak) mid drive, 120Nm torque
Battery: 36V, 13.6 Ah, UL2271 tested
Bike weight: 50 pounds
Pedal assist: Five levels with single gear Gates Carbon drive belt
Transmission: Three speed automatic sealed
Max speed and range: 28 mph with up to 60 miles
Brakes: 180mm Shimano hydraulic disc brakes
Tires: 27.5” x 2.25” puncture resistant tires
UL2849 compliant
Bottom Line
I was first introduced to the Gates Carbon belt system with the Urtopia bike and have now ridden several bikes with this drive system and I am a huge fan. I also tested the Lectric One with its Pinion automatic transmission and these two elements moved the Lectric One to the first spot in my list for commuter e-bikes.
The Vvolt Centauri II also offers a Gates Carbon belt system with a mid-drive motor and automatic transmission. It’s a very nice commuter bike with the comfortable saddle and handlebars, rear rack for panniers, aluminum fenders, integrated lights, and that handy Boost button to give you that extra bit when departing a stop.
You won’t find an automatic transmission e-bike for less than $2,000 so the $2,999 price of the Vvolt Centauri II is reasonable given the other design elements and generous three-year warranty.