Vanmoof S5 review: The ultimate urban commuter ebike

For urban commuting, or indeed weekend leisure riding, there’s no better-suited mode of transportation than an electric bike, helping you to cut through city traffic with ease, in the process boosting your health and getting a great feeling of well-being in the process, without arriving at work, or your favourite cafe, with a sweat-on.

There’s no shortage of ebikes out there, including electric mountain bikes, road bikes, gravel bikes and much more, but for city riding, your ideal stead should be one designed for that purpose, an urban ebike with a comfy, upright riding position, mudguards to keep you dry in wet weather, and extra smarts so you can keep tabs on your bike. Thankfully, ebikes built for urban riding can also look super stylish too, helping you to look the part wherever you go.

Surprisingly, there aren’t too many ebikes that fit the bill, but Vanmoof’s S5 ebike could just be the ultimate urban ebike, with all of the above and more. It’s probably one of the most cleverly-designed urban ebikes that I’ve come across in my time testing ebikes.

I’ve been riding the Vanmoof S5 for the last few months, and it’s become my go-to for short rides in the city – to the shops, getting to work, or just enjoying time with friends and family on the weekend. Is it the ultimate urban ebike, though? Find out in my review below.

Vanmoof S5 review

Price and availability

The Vanmoof S5 is available to buy now at Vanmoof for a recommended price of €3,298. The bike is available through various retailers in the UK, with prices hovering around £2,998. US and AU price and availability TBC.

The S5 comes in two fairly mute colours: Light Grey or Dark Grey, but the Light Grey option, at least, looks great in the flesh.

There’s also a smaller step-through version of the bike available: the Vanmoof A5, which is designed for shorter people, those with mobility issues, or those who just prefer the more compact, easier-riding nature. The cost is identical to the S5.

On top of the purchase price, you’ll want to factor in some accessories, too – the S5 doesn’t come with a rear rack, for instance, which is a bit of an essential for urban riding. This costs £75. You’ll also need a phone case compatible with the SP Connect mount on the bar stem if you wish to mount your phone there – an iPhone 16 Pro-compatible case, for instance, is £39.95.

Specifications

• Size range: 5’5”–6’9”
• Motor: Gen 5 front hub
• Battery capacity: 463Wh
• Assist: 15.5mph, boost torque 68Nm
• Range: 34 miles (on full power mode), 87 miles (on economy power mode)
• Charge time: 0-100% charge in 6 hours and 30 minutes, 0-50% charge in 2 hours and 30 minutes
• Gears: 3-speed Sturmey Archer automatic e-shifter, chain driven
• Brakes: hydraulic disc
• Frame and fork: aluminium
• Weight: 23kg

Design and features

As soon as you lay eyes on the Vanmoof S5 – the ‘5’ denotes that it’s the fifth generation of ebike that Dutch-based brand has launched since the first one came out in 2016 – you’ll notice that it doesn’t look resemble a typical ebike that you might have seen before. Rather than looking like a bicycle with some bits bolted to it, the S5 has been designed from the ground up to look almost seamless.

The signature Vanmoof integrated front and rear LED lights give the bike a sleek and sophisticated look, while the battery that powers the bike is cleverly hidden inside the frame – something that Vanmoof was first to market with many years ago, and that which a myriad of competitors have now adopted since. There’s no clunky computer sitting atop the handlebars either – there’s not even a basic control unit on the top tube, as some of the more ‘considered’ ebike designs tend to feature.

Despite how minimalist the S5 appears, it’s actually crammed with smart features, so bear with me – this section is going to take some time to get through.

The main controls are located on either side of the handlebar, easily accessible with your thumbs while you ride, and visual feedback – whether that’s the battery state, power level and more – is delivered via a pair of integrated LED rings that wrap around the bars. Usefully, the bike’s built-in speaker, which also doubles as an alarm, makes a sound to indicate different functions, such as when the bike is turned on or off.

It’s all very futuristic-feeling, but in practice quite uncomplicated thanks to how intuitive it is to use. By default, the main button on the left side turns the bike on (by holding down), activates the electronic bell with a single press, and allows you to unlock the bike (through a combination of button presses), while the main button on the right side of the bars activates the Boost function, giving you an extra kick of torque.

A smaller button underneath either control point enables you to activate the built-in indicators – yes, you heard that right. By holding down for roughly a second you can ‘indicate’ your intentions to other road users, with sequentially-flashing LED rings on the bars acting as the front indicators, while at the rear the LED light housed at the back of the top tube flashes on one side or the other. The flashing is accompanied by a relatively loud tik-tok sound, much like the one you’d get inside a car.

The lack of information in front of you is quite refreshing, allowing you to get on and ride, but the S5 does come with an SP Connect mount on the stem, meaning you can attach your phone (with a compatible SP Connect case) and use it for route navigation. Or you can open the complimentary Vanmoof app and, once connected to the S5 by Bluetooth, you can check your bike riding stats on the fly, as well as adjust a variety of settings such as power, lights, and even the type of sound you want the electronic bike bell to make.

Off the bike, the app gives you access to a pretty comprehensive array of settings to play with, allowing you to delve in and customise things like the automatic E-Shifter gear changes; unlock the bike using the app; and check the charge status.

One of the most intriguing features of the S5 is the tracking tech built in. This isn’t actually a new thing – the first generation bike came with tracking built in after all – but what is new is compatibility with Apple’s FindMy, allowing you to add the S5 to the FindMy app and check its location at all times, along with all your other precious trinkets.

On that note, the S5 has a variety of preventative measures in place to stop someone from taking your bike, as well as some counter measures that can be put into action if the bike is stolen. First of these is a Kick Lock: a small button integrated into the left-hand chain stay which activates the rear wheel locking mechanism and built-in alarm when you kick it. Cleverly, the S5 also features anti-theft nuts and bolts, preventing anyone from removing the seat post, handlebars or wheels without the included locking nut or toolkit.

If anyone moves the bike while locked it sounds a warning alert, followed by an ear-splitting alarm if that’s ignored. You can also remotely disable the bike through the app. Given the bike weighs a pretty hefty 23kg, that’ll deter most thieves, but ideally you’d use a proper physical lock if you were leaving it for any amount of time not in sight.

If all else fails, the built in GPS and GSM tech allow you to track the bike – either in the Vanmoof app, or using the previously mentioned FindMy app.

As I mentioned earlier, the S5’s battery is cleverly hidden inside the frame, a 487Wh capacity unit that’s mated to a hub motor that drives the front wheel. When you pedal, a torque sensor automatically adjusts the power output according to how easy or hard you’re riding. At the rear wheel hub you’ll find a three-speed E-shifter connected to a somewhat rudimentary chain drive which comes with a cover to protect your legs from oil transfer. Handily, a small port at the back of the cover allows you to drop some lube onto the top of the chain to keep it topped up.

The party piece of this system is it automatically changes gears as you ride, going up or down to suit your speed, and depending on how flat or hilly the terrain is. This can be further customised in the app, either using several presets to adjust the speed at which the gears change, or you can fully customise this to your exact needs. It’s really rather clever, and due to the gears being contained inside the hub, they will never need adjusting.

On the analogue side of things, the S5 features hydraulic disc brakes, chunky 2.0-inch tyres wrapped around 27.5-inch rims, black alloy mudguards with integrated tails (for less spray in wet weather), and the riding position can be configured to suit thanks to the adjustable seat post and handlebar height . Adjusting the cockpit height is pretty easy if you know what you’re doing (Vanmoof has video tutorials to guide you through), simply by adding or removing shims (included in the box) underneath the one-piece stem-handlebar.

If you do decide to tinker with the bike at any point, Vanmoof handily includes a pretty comprehensive kit with the bike when it arrives. This includes all the tools you’ll need to make adjustments, as well as a small pump that you could carry with you, spacers to adjust the handlebar height, a neat little bottle of chain oil, and finally – the battery charger.

At this point it’s worth mentioning that the S5 is built with a lot of proprietary components, meaning that if something goes wrong, or you just need to do some kind of maintenance, it won’t be as easy as a bike with a more conventional design. In some cases, you won’t even be able to take it to a regular bike shop to deal with it – rather, you’ll have to head to a Vanmoof-authorised shop where they will not only know how to fix a problem, but will have the parts on hand, or at least be able to get them in quickly. At present in the UK, there are only a handful of these shops, and most of them are based in the south, so that’s definitely something you should consider if you’re thinking of buying the bike.

Performance

Given the level of tech going on with this bike, you might wonder if the S5 is all talk and no trousers, but after several months of testing, using the bike almost daily, I can assuredly tell you that’s not the case. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – the S5 rides like a dream, and there are several key reasons why it’s so good.

Though the bike weighs a pretty hefty 23kg, it’s not actually that heavy as far as tricked-out ebikes go. I’ve ridden lighter examples, such as the Ampler Kurt, and much heavier ones, such as the Moustache Mardi. It certainly doesn’t feel like a heavy bike on the move, and the extra weight actually helps the S5 feel rock solid to ride.

There’s no twitchiness in the steering feel – it’s smooth yet nimble enough to easily manoeuvre around obstacles in a tight space. The swept-back handlebars give you a more uptight, relaxed riding position and feel well suited to city riding. The brakes are meaty though progressive in their application of stopping power.

There’s no suspension going on here, but the S5 is still pretty comfy to ride, helped by that squishy but supportive seat, and the ability to adjust your riding position depending on your size or your needs. I’m 6’4” with long legs and found that with the handlebar in its highest position meant that I could sit on the bike without feeling bent over – shorter folks might find the bike just right with the bars in their original position. The bike is designed to work for people from 5’5” to 6’9, which I’d say is just about right, though just shy of 7’ might be pushing it a little, in my long-limbed opinion.

The chunky tyres also help to reduce a lot of the buzz from the tarmac, offering decent grip and confidence – even in wet weather. They’re not branded tyres, as I would normally expect from a premium brand, but they work fine, and you can always replace these at a later date with better-quality rubber if you so wish.

In terms of power, the S5 just flies along, though thanks to the torque sensor the power delivery is nice and gradual (unless you stomp on the pedals). Even though three gears might not sound like much, in mixed urban riding it’s plenty enough – on flats you can cruise along at the maximum assisted speed limit of 15.5mph comfortably, and the bike has enough range to enable you to get up even tricky hills without worry.

As I mentioned earlier, you can tweak the gearing to suit your style of riding, or the route you like to ride, which is something I’ve not come across on any other ebike before, and it’s a bit genius. If there’s a certain hill where the bike wants to change up a gear too soon, or a flat section where you’re spinning out, then you can adjust it to perfection, and it’s super easy to do in the app too.

The boost button is one of my favourite aspects of the bike, giving you that extra nudge of torque up hills to the point where you’re flying along much faster than you’d ever expect to be. It almost feels a little bit like cheating, but just to reiterate – the S5 is perfectly road legal because you’re only boosting the torque, not the 250W power output of the bike.

The only negative I can think of on the electric side of things is that although there are four power levels to choose from, I usually kept to the highest power output to make things easy enough. Below power level three, you definitely notice the bike’s weight, and you have to pedal that bit harder to compensate. With the power on its highest setting I was able to get around 30 miles to a charge, not far off Vanmoof’s stated figure. It’s not that much, but if you’re only riding a few miles to work and back, it’s not a big deal. If you do want to go a bit further, Vanmoof reckons the S5 is capable of up to 87 miles in the lowest power mode.

Whatever you choose, the charge time of 2 hours and 30 minutes from empty to 50% is pretty decent, while 6 hours and 30 minutes will get you fully charged, so you could easily do it over night and have it ready to go in the morning.

In terms of night (or even day) riding, the built-in lights are plenty powerful enough to light the way, even on unlit paths, and crucially – they don’t blind other road users. A minor niggle is that although the built-in indicators are a brilliant idea, I am not sure how useful they actually are in the real world, given they’re not that noticeable, and other road users probably aren’t expecting them anyway. Subsequently, although I used them often, just because I could, I also supplemented them with a gesture of my arm too.

Verdict

There’s nothing else out there like the Vanmoof S5 – some other ebikes come close, but the S5 just feels like a really slick product from start to finish. I’m sure some other ebikes are better from a riding proposition, either in terms of their level of comfort or the power delivery of their electric motor, but as an overall riding experience the S5 wipes the floor with it.

I’m a big fan of the way everything is neatly integrated into the bike, in terms of the lights, the controls and all the additional smarts that give you a high level of customisation over the bike. It’s also a comfortable, easy to ride bike, helped largely by the automatic gear system. You’ll never have to adjust the gears, and the chain guard means you won’t have to maintain the chain either (in theory), so you can just get on and ride the bike.

It’s not a cheap bike, but it does feel like you get a lot of bike for your money. As urban commuter or leisure bikes go, I’d highly recommend the S5.

Also consider

Although I’ve not personally tested it, the BMC 257 AMP AL TWO is a solid alternative, with a similarly appealing design, a capable Bosch motor, a wider range of gears and a comfortable ride. It’s an expensive bike, mind, more so than the Vanmoof S5, but the high-quality Bosch system does tend to push the price of e-bikes up considerably (for good reason).

At the cheaper end of the urban e-bike spectrum is the Velotric T1, which retails for just $2,199 (about £1,750), offers funky looks, some smart features and a decent overall ride. The only issue appears to be availability of the bike in the UK, which seems to be pretty… nonexistent. It’s even out of stock on the US website. Personally, even if you could get hold of one I’d be concerned about UK after-sales support.