You’ve probably heard of the peregrine falcon. It swoops down on its prey at a speed of almost 400 kilometres per hour. Or of the kestrel, which inhabits large parts of Europe. You may even have come across the merlin, a falcon known for flying fast and low to the ground. The Straßenfalke, on the other hand, is new. It prefers to fly over the asphalt, carrying you on its wings.
Well, that’s perhaps a little too figurative. The wings are more like a saddle. And if you don’t pedal, you won’t be able to fly low. That’s because the Straßenfalke belongs to the ebike family. More precisely, to the species of e-road bikes. Bicycle manufacturer Urwahn remains true to its love of the animal realm and now introduces with the Straßenfalke a feathered new friend to the Platzhirsch and the Waldwiesel.E.
Urwahn Straßenfalke e-road bike
An e-road bike from Urwahn? Some of you may be relieved to hear the news – finally! The sleek design of the bike was literally asking for this step. Especially since Urwahn has been demonstrating since 2021 with the Waldwiesel.E e-gravel bike how well the strikingly curved frame looks with drop bars. So now the manufacturer is fully surrendering to the intoxication of speed and presenting a model that considers a speed limit in road traffic as a challenge to a duel.
Bird of steel
The lynchpin of the entire concept is and remains the eye-catching steel frame. Its parts are produced by a metallurgical 3D printer, which still makes Urwahn stand out from the rest of the industry five years after the start of series production. Ever since bicycles have been built, steel has been considered particularly suitable for this purpose. The material absorbs shocks and impacts in a way that carbon fibre, aluminium and titanium cannot. The manufacturer has increased this advantage even more with the innovative rear triangle. The result is called Softride and already made a lasting impression on us when we tested the Platzhirsch in 2021.
Head tube with the distinctive lettering of the manufacturer
Of course, steel has a weight disadvantage compared to the other materials mentioned. In this case, however, it is limited. With wall thicknesses of less than ten millimetres, it simply doesn’t add up to much in the end. For good reason Urwahn speaks of a lightweight. Of course, this is primarily what the frame is in comparison to other frames made of steel. But as we all know, blowing your own horn is part of the business. By the way, all cables run silently through the frame and not along the outside. If you add to all this the fact that all those involved in frame production are located within a radius of less than 800 kilometres and that most of the work takes place at Urwahn’s headquarters in Magdeburg, you will realise that behind the label of regional and ecological value creation there really is such a process.
Newly interpreted instead of completely revised
The frame inherited its geometry from the Platzhirsch and the Waldwiesel.E. According to its own statement, Urwahn tries to unite “the three segments urban, gravel and road”. You can judge for yourself whether this is desirable and if so, how well it is done. The manufacturer puts you on the bike in a sporty position so that you can take advantage of its progressive riding characteristics. At the same time, riding comfort, which is not unimportant in everyday life, is included as a condition in the formula. For example, a relatively short wheelbase meets a more forwardly flared fork, which is supposed to provide the necessary stability when you’re going really fast.
We also encounter familiar features when we look at the e-drive. As with all its ebikes, Urwahn relies on the X35+ from Mahle for the Straßenfalke. Apparently, the manufacturer has had such good experiences with the rear hub motor that he also uses it on his e-road bike. With the X20, there is an alternative from Mahle that is lighter and more powerful. Perhaps the costs provide the necessary arguments for the X35+. Mahle converts its nominal torque of 18 Newton metres to 40 Newton metres, so that there is an approximate comparison with a mid-mounted motor. In itself, enough of these drive systems, which are found in numerous urban and sporty ebikes, underline that this calculating back-and-forth does not detract from the motor’s attractiveness and that the decision is absolutely understandable.
The Straßenfalke completely in its element – at high speed over the asphalt.
Solid solution with good range
Those interested in the Straßenfalke tend to be fit enough to ask more often how the bike rides without assistance than to shy away from too little assistance. To match the drop bars, you operate the ebike system via the Iwoc Trio, saving you the inconvenience of having to reach for a control unit on the top tube. The tiny unit on the handlebar does everything it has to. You can switch the system on and off, switch between the three support levels Eco, Urban and Sport and read the battery status.
Minimalist Mahle Iwoc Trio on the handlebar for operating the e-drive
With the 248 watt hours of the i250 battery, you can ride an estimated maximum of 100 kilometres with motor assistance, depending on your riding style, profile, route conditions, weather and so on. If you want to enjoy the electric tailwind for longer, you can order an optional range extender. At around 1.6 kilograms, it weighs quite a bit, but at the same time, with 208 watt-hours of capacity, it extends the range by a good 70 or 80 percent.
How much road bike can be found in the Straßenfalke?
If with the ebike system and the frame two fundamental factors are absolutely identical to existing models from Urwahn, the question arises as to what really makes the Straßenfalke an e-road bike? Well, mainly the moving parts of the bike. Objectively and subjectively, they have the greatest influence on acceleration. This goes hand in hand with the ability to maintain the highest possible speeds for as long as possible. Of course, your physical abilities should not be forgotten in all this 😉.
So, everything that moves on the Straßenfalke should be pretty light and streamlined. The first thing that catches the eye are the carbon aero wheels with the raised rims. This continues with the slim crank and the compact cassette, whose twelve sprockets cover the range from ten to 30 teeth. The contact with the ground is maintained by a Continental Grand Prix 5000, one of Continental’s best-selling tyres, which tries to give you the best grip on the road without getting stuck and the tyre becoming unusable after just a few hundred kilometres. Urwahn installs it in a width of 28 millimetres. A typical choice for a modern road bike. Nowadays, people like to ride a little wider than the more common 23 millimetres of the past.
The striking black and white look characterises the special edition.
With details like the handlebars, which are also made of carbon, Urwahn manages to squeeze out a few more grams here and there, so that in the end a weight of 13.4 kilograms is recorded in the data sheet.
A rather heterogeneous swarm
In addition to the black-and-white paint job of a special edition, possibly inspired by the plumage of various falcon species, you can choose between the five standard colours Asphalt, Beton, Gold, Oxid and Kobalt. Since Urwahn offers numerous options for further customising its bikes, this is by no means the end of the line. The same applies to the rest of the equipment. Other extras include for instance Lightskin front and rear lights built into the handlebars and seat post, as well as a GPS tracker.
As an e-road bike, the Straßenfalke costs 7,999 euros. Completely without electric support, on the other hand, the price is 6,999 euros.
E-road bike Urwahn Straßenfalke at a glance
- Frame: Steel
- Frame sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
- Motor: Mahle X35+
- Battery: Mahle i350
- Control unit: Mahle Iwoc Trio
- Drivetrain: Sram Force AXS eTap
- Brakes: Shimano GRX 600
- Weight: 13.4 kg in size M
- Maximum permitted total weight: 120 kg
- Price: from 7,999 euros
Pictures: Urwahn Engineering GmbH
