Electric bikes
Find the right e-bike to get you zooming from A to B.
Sinch
Jaunt 2
recommended
Avg price
$3400
- Type
City
- Frame type
Low step
While Sinch is a new kid on the New Zealand e-bike block, its founders have a long record of making bicycles – they were behind the Avanti brand.
The Jaunt 2 hits a price point significantly below top-end bikes and, while there are compromises with some of the parts, its performance doesn’t suffer much for it. The step-through design is well-suited to urban riding, but it also handles well at speed and is efficient to pedal.
The bike uses a Shimano drive system that has lots of “oomph”, but it feels a bit unrefined and “pulse-y” unless you turn the pedals smoothly. We didn’t want for power on hills, though, and the assistance kept pushing up to 32km/h. The motor interface is one of the best we tried – the display is clear and thumb controls are very easy to use.
Despite the lower price, you get 9-speed gears, hydraulic disc brakes, a suspension fork, mudguards, a kickstand, built-in lights and a rear rack. Though there’s nothing flashy about the Jaunt 2, there are no weak links either – it’s a bike that should rack up many kilometres without trouble.
Test results
- 72Motor system
- 80Bike style
- 70Motor - Responsiveness
- 65Motor - Hill climbing
- 75Motor - Speed assistance
- 90Motor - Interface
- 80Bike - Slow speed
- 81Bike - Riding fast
- 70Bike - Rough terrain
- 85Bike - Practicality
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Good points
- Good motor responsiveness.
- OK motor assistance climbing hills.
- Good motor assistance at speed.
- Motor assists to 32 km/h.
- Excellent display and controls.
- Bike is very good to pedal quickly.
- Bike has very good slow speed balance.
- Bike copes well on rough surfaces.
- Has rear rack, plastic mudguards and a rear-mount kickstand.
- Low step frame is easy to mount and dismount.
- Has built in lights.
- Has hydraulic disc brakes.
- Has a suspension fork.
Bad points
No obvious bad points.
How we test
Each e-bike was taken on a test route by two riders. The 5km route in and around Wellington’s CBD included city traffic, fast flat roads, hills, kerbs, wooden bridges and a busy waterfront path shared with pedestrians.
We also put the e-bikes through a gruelling 20km route around Wellington’s Wadestown and Northland suburbs. The main challenge was climbing a 2km-long hill five times at a steady 20km/h (a kilometre of vertical ascent) and descending the same twisty narrow road between climbs. It also included a short, steep section of rough path with a narrow barrier negotiated at walking pace, an undulating 5km of suburban streets, and a steep descent requiring brakes to keep the e-bike to the 50km/h speed limit.
Our riding tests, along with a static assessment of the features and functions of each e-bike, were used to score the performance of the motor system and the bike. Overall score includes:
Motor system (50% of overall score)
- starting, stopping and responsiveness (40% of motor system score)
- hill climbing assistance (30%)
- controller and display (20%)
- high-speed assistance (10%).
Bike (50% of overall score)
- uphill and slow riding performance, ease of mounting and dismounting, off-bike handling (50% of bike score)
- downhill and fast flat riding stability, safety and comfort (30%)
- comfort and safety on bumpy and rough surfaces (20%).
Model
- Avg price
$3400
- Type
City
- Frame type
Low step
- Alternative frame type
No
- Sizes available
S-M / M-L
Specifications
- Motor brand
Shimano
- Motor model
STEPS 6100
- Motor location
Mid
- Power
250W
- Max assist torque
60Nm
- Max assist speed
32km/h
- Assist settings
3
- Walk mode
- Thumb throttle
- Battery size
418Wh
- Battery location
Down tube
Features
- Wheel size
700mm
- Tyre width
50mm
- Tyre tread
Road
- Mudguards
Plastic
- Kickstand
Rear mount
- Rear rack (l x w cm)
- Gears
9 / Trigger
- Suspension fork (travel)
Suntour 63mm
- Suspension seatpost
- Lights
- Brakes
Disc (hydraulic)
The Right Stuff
Pros
AS featured in your review, this bike is the right combination of high quality equipment and good price. I have owned this bike for 2 months now and would recommend to members.
Cons
No cons or downsides. However you need to be aware that you have to deal with a third party on line sale only. The appointed service agents are well respected, and they take delivery of your purchase directly. They do the demo rides and the after sale check and any service.
Recommend it?
Yes, I recommend this product.
Geoff R.
Used 1 - 3 months