Despite the increasingly stringent regulations regarding electric vehicles, the electric bike market is carving out an increasingly important role for itself and among the most appreciated brands we find Engwe which, with the commitment put into its products, is slowly establishing itself as the best for the high quality/price ratio. Today we are pleased to tell you about the Engwe P275 ST, aimed at those who want to move comfortably in the city but without giving up some off road sections, but I will tell you everything in this complete review, specifying right from the start that the sample for this review was provided by However, the company did not have a preview of this content and did not provide any type of financial compensation, so our judgment will be totally impartial and honest.
Topics of this article:
unboxing
Engwe P275 ST arrives in a very bulky and heavy box where inside we find all the various pieces to be assembled, protected by large layers of foam tied with plastic ties, so you will have to equip yourself with scissors or cutter to free the parts. We find mounted on the frame only the battery which can be removed if necessary, the rear wheel, the fork and the handlebars therefore elements such as saddle, pedals, rear rack, bell, front mudguard and front wheel will have to be installed manually. Here begins a small odyssey, as the user manual, which is only in English, does not help at all on how to proceed with assembly, despite the fact that all the necessary tools are supplied, including spanners of different sizes, Allen keys and screwdriver with screws. Naturally, there is also a charger with a rather heavy weight transformer.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE THE ENGWE P275 ST
As already mentioned, the assembly of our electric bike is not very simple, in fact a good amount of manual skill is required. I only discovered late that the brand had made a video tutorial available on how to proceed with assembly. Personally and perhaps stupidly, I wasted a lot of time trying to understand how to mount the front wheel and this is because it is not indicated anywhere that I would have to remove a small piece of plastic stuck in the brake block which coincides with the metal brake disc , leading me to first mount the wheel backwards. A stupid thing but for those like me who are not familiar with electric bikes to assemble, it wasted over an hour of time. The rest is a matter of tightening bolts and assembling the various components supplied. The good thing, however, is that the company indicates the tightening value of the bolts, if you use a torque wrench. The pedals, the bell and the insertion of the saddle also complete the assembly, while the battery is already inserted in its compartment at the back of the frame.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
For lovers of numbers and acronyms, I tell you that the Engwe P275 ST is an electric city bike, with a frame completely made of 6061 aluminum alloy with an IPX6 waterproof rating. It mounts 27.5″
The other measurements are 71 cm for the width of the handlebar for a height from the ground of the same of 117,5 cm. The saddle, Selle Royal model, however has a range of measurements that varies from 84,5 to 99 cm, therefore the use of this bike is recommended for people with a height of between 175 and 200 cm, something not to be underestimated because if you are short people like me, you may find it difficult to pedal or, worse, run into driving safety problems.
At engine level, the Engwe P275 ST relies on an Ananda Brushless Mid-drive with 250W power and 70 Nm torque, allowing a maximum speed of 25 km/h with 5 levels of pedal assistance, capable of assisting you on slopes of up to 10th effortlessly. Everything is powered by a removable 36V-19.2Ah Samsung lithium battery (for a total capacity of 690 Watts), to facilitate charging or to prevent theft. The autonomy is truly record-breaking, allowing a minimum of 150 km up to a maximum of 260 km based on the degree of PAS assistance you use. Charging takes place with a maximum time of 8 hours. It is possible to view driving information on a small Ananda LCD TFT D18 display while for driving you rely on a 9-speed Shimano gearbox (mixed between Shimano Altus knobs and Shimano Turney derailleur and sprockets), with Tektro hydraulic disc brakes 180 mm on both the rear and the front.
BEAUTY
From all this data it emerges that the Engwe P275 ST is a bike with generous dimensions while maintaining a rather low weight, in relation to the use of very respectable construction materials. I reiterate the presence of an aluminum alloy frame where you can notice the absence of a central bracket (hence the name ST=step through). Unfortunately we don't even have suspension on the front and rear. Overall the design is elegant and slim, perhaps ruined only by the protruding battery compartment but the eye will focus on details such as the luggage rack, really nice and robust with weight support of up to 25 kg.
Overall, Engwe's city bike conveys an excellent sense of solidity and reliability, thanks also to 27,5" wheels equipped with disc brakes, very effective in all conditions, which come from the factory with semi-slick tires with a section of 2,4″. But the real protagonist is the Ananda M60 engine with integrated torque sensor, located on the pedal block and not on the rear wheel as is usually the case. The power reaches 250W (peak of approximately 500 Watts), therefore perfectly legal, with speed blocked at 25 km/h, as per the legal limit in Italy. The Engwe P275 ST is completely legal, in fact we do not find an accelerator but you will have to pedal in all conditions to use it. I forgot to mention the powerful front light which proved to be effective in the dark hours with a good beam of light, allowing the entire road in front to be illuminated, while there is no real brake light, but only a very small intermittent indicator positioned underneath. the saddle, which you will have to operate manually and remember to turn off, otherwise the supplied battery will run down.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TORQUE SENSOR AND CADENCE/SPEED SENSOR
Torque sensors measures the force you are exerting on the pedals. This information is then used to calculate the power the engine should provide. These sensors are generally found on more expensive electric bikes because they offer a more natural riding experience.
Cadence sensorsInstead, it measures your pedaling speed. This information is then used to determine how much power the engine should provide. These sensors are typically found on less expensive electric bikes because they are simpler and easier to use.
There are many advantages to using an electric bike with a torque sensor.
One of the main advantages is that it offers a more natural driving experience. Unlike bikes with speed sensors, which only provide assistance when the pedals turn, torque sensors help based on how hard you're pedaling. This makes it feel more like you're riding a regular bike with a little extra help.
Another advantage of torque sensors is that they are more efficient. Speed sensors only provide assistance when the pedals are turning, so they cannot take advantage of the bike's gears. This means you may end up using more battery power than necessary. Torque sensors, on the other hand, help based on how hard you are pedaling, so they can use the bike's gears better. This makes them more efficient and can help extend the bike's range.
Finally, torque sensors tend to be more precise than speed sensors. Speed sensors only consider the speed of the pedals, not the force applied to them. This can lead to inaccurate readings, especially when going uphill or downhill. Torque sensors, on the other hand, consider both the speed and the force applied to the pedals. This makes them more precise, which leads to more efficient driving.
[SOURCE]
HOW IS OUR CITY BIKE GOING?
Apart from the aforementioned suspensions, nothing is missing and in all honesty even on the country roads where I live, considering that there isn't much road maintenance, I didn't feel the need to have them at all. The front light really sheds a lot of light, illuminating the road properly in dark conditions and the mudguards present both in front and behind allow us not to get dirty from small debris and mud, although they make a bit of noise when pedaling, due to their construction metal.
The luggage rack on the back allows you to comfortably transport generously sized packages, with enough space to securely tie down any loads. The pedals are quite resistant and with a rather large surface to prevent the foot from slipping. The stand is also convenient, with a good construction that allows you to hold the bike even on slopes.
We have two keys available, but these are not used to turn on the bike but to unlock the battery compartment to be able to remove it from the frame, so in terms of safety protection of the bike we do not have a sort of mechanical stop or in any case an anti-theft device, in fact the bike can be turned on at any time without a key if you leave the battery inserted.
Engwe P275 ST is a pedal-assisted bike, so you will never travel in motor-only mode but you will always have to pedal to activate the thrust of the electric motor. In this regard, we have 5 levels of pedal assistance: Eco, Tour, Sport, Turbo and Boost which allow you to reach a maximum speed limit of 25 km/h. The walk mode is nice and useful, with which you can move the bike at 3 km/h without having to pedal, to carry it by hand without effort, simply by holding down the down arrow button on the display.
The Ananda motor offers very pleasant pedaling assistance, with a thrust that reaches directly on the pedals, softly and not at all invasive. The assistance proved to be really effective, greatly dampening the effort that I would have made if pedaling only with muscle power, even with slopes that go beyond 10°. The integrated 9-speed Shimano gearbox, positioned on the rear sprocket, also helps a lot, allowing you to push on the pedals with muscular strength, even exceeding the 25 km/h threshold.
On our Engwe P275 ST, to keep an eye on the parameters of our journey, we have a small on-board computer attached to the left side of the handlebar. We are talking about a small LCD screen that can be read very well in direct sunlight, where we also find 4 physical buttons, two on the front and two on the sides. On the display we can read all the necessary information such as the remaining battery charge status, the current speed, the level of pedal assistance, the kilometers traveled and much more. With the front button, the one at the bottom, we can choose the level of assistance, the button on the right side is used to turn the bike on/off (intended as electric mode) while the one on the left is used to switch the information displayed on the screen. By holding this button down for a few seconds you enter the bike configuration menu, but there are very few customizable parameters. The most useful features are trip information reset and screen brightness adjustments.
AUTONOMY AND USER EXPERIENCE
I have already mentioned that the Engwe P275 ST has a declared autonomy of up to 260 km, an impressive value that represents one of the most obvious strong points of this model. Naturally, the real autonomy depends on how you will use the vehicle, but I can assure you that in ECO mode, you will easily exceed 220 km of autonomy while at the maximum level I personally reached around 125 km out of the 150 declared, considering that I am not a featherweight.
The Engwe bike belongs to the city bike category, therefore ideal for getting around the city, therefore not very suitable for use on rough terrain, ensuring maximum comfort on asphalt and cycle paths. The power delivery is smooth and constant and the large wheels contribute to a sort of relaxation in the handling of the vehicle. The high handlebars and the well-designed and slightly cushioned saddle contribute to the perfect experience, also offering a rather upright position that also provides more natural visibility. The saddle travel is 10 cm. Unfortunately I am not very tall while the P275 ST is suitable for people with a height of at least 175 cm, but the step through frame design helps to get on and off easily even for short people like me.
PROJECTED IMPACT
Engwe P275 ST is an almost perfect city bike, designed for city streets and cycle paths, but it also copes very well on country roads, with the presence of small potholes and uneven asphalt, net of the absence of suspension. Great driving pleasure whose credit goes to the mid-drive engine, which provides smooth and constant power delivery in all conditions supported by torque sensors. The autonomy is a record, reaching well over 150 km even with the highest level of assistance, up to a maximum of 260 km. Its list value is €2199 but through the offers that Engwe is making on the website and through the exclusive coupon ENGWEV150OFF, worth €150, you can win this wonderful ecological vehicle at the price of €1749.
