Momentum Voya E+: Now in the USA and Soon in Europe?

For a long time, Giant’s strengths have been primarily where mountain biking and trekking are concerned. Less well known are the bicycle manufacturer’s qualities when it comes to ebikes for urban use. This is because the company has its own brand for this, Momentum, which has only appeared in selected parts of the world so far. That’s why we’ve missed out on some of what’s happening at Momentum so far. That could change soon. Momentum has just presented two new ebikes that look like they were made for the European market.

With the Voya E+ 1 and Voya E+ 3, Momentum is expanding its programme, which includes the PakYak E+ e-cargo bike. For the first time, the manufacturer is launching a model series in which it deviates from the principle of the mid-motor and integrates the drive into the rear wheel hub. The Momentum Voya E+ 1 tends towards an e-road bike with its drop bars, the gravel-specific GRX groupset from Shimano and the cassette with eleven gears. The Momentum Voya E+ 3 is a slightly more relaxed version of this, with only nine gears in addition to the flat handlebars. For a while, this type of bike was called a fitness bike. Is the term still used today?

Momentum Voya E+ 1

Momentum Voya E+ 3

Free choice, but not for free

In any case, Momentum refers to both ebikes as urban ebikes or even city ebikes. This illustrates well how different the understanding of certain terms can be. Basically, both new launches look decidedly sporty. Momentum’s designation of urban ebike can perhaps be taken more as a suggestion of what both Voya E+ are suitable for in everyday life, among other things. At the same time, the basic equipment of the models lacks some components that you might otherwise expect from an ebike for the city. Mudguards? Nope. Rear carrier? Nope. Lighting? Nope. Side stand? Nope.

However, you needn’t get your pulse racing unnecessarily. There are mounts for all these parts on the frame. There are even some for two bottle cages. The accessories are optional and can be booked separately. Such an approach has at least one big advantage: you will hardly find a part on your ebike that you don’t need. At the same time, the disadvantage is just as obvious: there are some extra costs on top of the original purchase price. Which prevails, advantage or disadvantage, depends more on your own expectations of your ebike.

One of the things you could choose as an accessory in this case is a front headlight. This is made by the manufacturer Cree for Giant. It is called Recon E HL1000 and can be connected to the ebike system. Unfortunately, Momentum does not currently offer a comparable option for a rear light.

The new one is called Move

The premiere of the hub drive naturally also means that another SyncDrive has to join the existing motor family. Momentum, or rather Giant, has named it SyncDrive Move. Its 25 Newton metres of torque are almost exactly on the same level as the 23 Newton metres of the recently presented X20 from Mahle, which, as we know, is also a rear-wheel hub motor. Could both of them possibly …? No, they could not. The cooperation partner behind the Move is Panasonic. This means that after Yamaha and Shimano, the next prominent player from the Far East has joined the list of motor manufacturers behind a SyncDrive.

More decisive about the motor as well as the rest of the ebike system are the facts that it does not go beyond 250 watts in terms of continuous rated power and that the motor stops its support at the notorious 25 km/h speed limit. So, we are talking here about exactly the conditions under which these ebikes are also approved as pedelecs in Europe without any problems. It is hard to imagine that Momentum will voluntarily bow to these requirements and not later enter the market on the other side of the Atlantic with these models.

Extensive sensor technology in use

In terms of riding experience, the SyncDrive Move should have a lot to offer. After all, it uses data from a total of four sensors. These sensors record speed, torque, cadence and rotation. Based on this, the motor has four support levels: “Eco”, “Active”, “Power” and an automatic mode. In the latter, it switches back and forth between the levels depending on sensor feedback. When you get right down to it, there is a fifth mode. In this mode, the motor does not provide any assistance, but the drive is activated and maintains the connection to the RideControl app. With this setting, you can record all your rides using the app, even if you prefer to ride entirely on your own muscle power.

With a weight of 1.7 kilograms, the SyncDrive Move doesn’t quite match the lightweight Mahle X20 with its 1.35 kilograms, but it remains well below the 2.4 kilograms of the FSA HM 1.0, for example. The cooperation with Panasonic has already been mentioned. Apparently Bafang has also been involved. At least the manufacturer’s logo can be found on the bottom bracket.

Battery with certain limits

Accompanying the new drive unit is also a completely new battery. For the first time, Momentum is integrating the EnergyPak Micro. According to the concept, it should remain firmly in the down tube. For service purposes, of course, it can be removed. And that’s even without having to remove the motor first. The capacity of the EnergyPak Micro is an expected 250 watt hours. According to Momentum, this is enough for a range of between 45 kilometres and 72 kilometres. As soon as the Voya E+ 1 and Voya E+ 3 are used in mountainous terrain, the tendency is apparently towards the first of the two values. For example, the company Bikeexchange probably never reached the 50-kilometre mark in its test around Melbourne. The battery proved even more short-winded in the case of a journalist who wanted to test one of the bikes for Forbes magazine living near San Francisco. Whether these are isolated cases or a reliable trend remains to be seen. The EnergyPak Micro’s weight of around four kilograms, on the other hand, should be reliable.

The ebikes can impress with their corresponding chargers. These provide a charging current of four amps. If you connect a charger to an empty EnergyPak Micro, it will be 80 percent charged within three hours. Half an hour longer and you have reached 100 percent.

Familiar operating concept

A look at the control unit integrated into the top tube reveals where Voya E+ 1 and Voya E+ 3 come from. There you will find the RideControl Go, a component that is very familiar from current models from Giant and Liv. A central button for switching the drive on and off as well as two columns, each with five small LEDs, are all that is used here to communicate with the riders. The left column shows the selected support level in different colours. On the right, you can see the remaining battery capacity in increments of 20 percent.

If you prefer to look forward at all times rather than down at the top tube, you can combine the RideControl Go with the RideControl Ergo 3 control unit and the RideControl Dash display. Both solutions also allow you to keep your hands on the handlebars when you want to change the assistance level. For a more precise tracking of your rides, we recommend using the RideControl app. There you can not only see exact information about the battery status, but also read important riding parameters and your own performance.

Momentum offers the aluminium frame in three sizes for each model. In terms of colour, you can choose between a dark metallic green and a matt, slightly lighter blue for the Voya E+ 1. The Voya E+ 3 is available in the same green and a rich, darker yellow.

Momentum Voya E+ at a glance

• Variants: Voya E+ 1, Voya E+ 3
• Frame: ALUXX aluminium
• Motor: SyncDrive Move, 250 W, 25 Nm
• Battery: EnergyPak Micro, 250 Wh
• Control unit: RideControl Go
• Drivetrain: Shimano GRX, microSHIFT Advent
• Brakes: Shimano GRX, Tektro HD-R280, 160 mm
• Maximum permitted total weight: 156 kg
• Prices: from US$ 2,400

 

 

Pictures: Giant Bicycle, Inc.