Movcan V80 Commuter eBike review
At less than $700, the Movcan V80 is a step-thru eBike purpose built for the budget-minded commuter.
At the heart of the Movcan V80 is a 1000W brushless motor, which peaks at 1500W, and delivers 80N.M torque. The motor enables the bike to reach speeds up to 28 MPH and tackle inclines up to 30°.
Equipped with a 48V 13Ah removable battery, the V80 offers a maximum range of up to 70 miles in Pedal Assist mode, and approximately 30 miles in pure electric mode. The battery is UL-certified ensuring safety and reliability.
The V80’s steel frame supports a maximum load capacity of 330 lbs. Its 26×1.95″ all-terrain tires and front suspension fork provide stability and traction across various surfaces. The adjustable seat height caters to riders between 5’6″ and 6’3″, ensuring a comfortable fit for a broad range of users.
A multi-function LCD display keeps riders informed with real-time data on speed, battery level, and mileage. The bike also features mechanical disc brakes for reliable stopping power and enhanced safety.
Other safety features include a headlight, turn signals and an electric horn. The included rear rack is useful for carrying groceries or other cargo.
The step-thru frame makes the bike easy to get on and off.
What I really like about the V80 is that each of the bike’s functions have a corresponding button, so you don’t have to remember which button you have to hold down to turn the light on, for example. The button cluster is located on the left side of the handlebar and has controls for the headlight, horn, and turn signals. The power button is located on the front edge of the display and the pedal assist controls are on the side of the display.
The power button isn’t in the most obvious location, but once you get used to it, it’s not an issue.
The display shows battery charge level, speed, PAS level and trip/odometer. One compliant about the display is that it’s very hard to read in bright sunlight, especially with sunglasses on, but that’s not a problem that’s unique to the V80.
The V80 turn signals are only present in the back, but they are bright and easy to use. The headlight is also bright. The brake light automatically illuminates when either brake lever is engaged.
The Movcan V80 Commuter eBike has five pedal-assist modes, which max out at a top speed of 28 mph. When in throttle mode, the top speed changes based on which pedal assist mode is engaged.
Even though the V80 is specced with a 1,000-watt motor, it doesn’t seem extraordinary fast, but the extra wattage is a help when going up hills.
The removable 48v battery is located on the top of the top tube, which means that there is no place to mount a water bottle holder. The battery can be charged on or off the bike. It also has a button that when pressed glows red, blue or green when pressed and indicates the current charge level. A guide above shows that red is low-charge, green is mid-charge and blue is fully charged. This is handy as you don’t need the bike to be powered on to see the charge level.
The bike came partially charged and we rode it about 20 miles in a combination of pedal assist and throttle modes before it needed to be charged. The full charge took about 6 hours.
On the analog side of the bike, the V80 uses a Shimano 1×7 drivetrain, which was properly tuned and worked fine out of the box. The brakes are mechanical disc brakes and didn’t have any noticeable squeaks or squeals during our testing. The front suspension forks adequate for a commuter bike.
Some other commuter-friendly features include a rear rack, and full-coverage front and rear fenders. Mounting holes for a front basket are built into the bike’s head tube.
Shipping/assembly
Shipping from Movcan’s California warehouse took less than a week via Fedex. The bike was well-packaged and arrived without any damage. Full unpacking and assembly took less than an hour. The bike was 90 percent complete when it arrived. The handlebars, pedals, fenders and front wheel are all that needed to be installed.
Another nice touch is that the wire connectors are printed with arrows on each end. When the arrows point together, that means that the connecting pins are aligned. Some other bikes don’t have this and it makes connecting the wires a little more complicated.
The front wheel is equipped with a quick-release skewer, which makes removing and installing the wheel really easy. The rear wheel is secured with bolts.
In addition to the bike, extras included: the charger, a phone hider, rear-view mirrors, a lock, pump and toolkit. The toolkit included four crescent wrenches with 8, 9, 10, 14 and 15mm spanners, four Allen wrenches a combo screwdriver and another multi-box wrench. An extra pair of brake pads and a charging port plug were also provided. One thing that wasn’t provided, was an 18mm crescent wrench to remove the rear wheel.
Riding
The Movcan V80 Commuter Bike is pretty comfortable to ride. With the 26″ wheels, it’s a little on the small side, but it has an adjustable stem to raise or lower the handlebars, and the seat post can also be raised or lowered. A nice feature on the seat post are graduated markings, which is handy in case multiple people of different heights ride the bike, they can track where they like to have the seat post positioned.
The seat is comfortable enough. It’s not too small or too big and the color matches the leather grips on the handlebar, which is another nice touch. The throttle is a twist design, which I feel is more intuitive to use than the thumb throttle.
The five pedal assist modes, in order from 1 to 5, limit the speed of the bike to 6 MPH, 12 MPH, 15 MPH, 22 MPH and max out at 28 MPH. It’s possible to go faster while pedaling, but the motor will not provide any assistance above 28 MPH.
There are two “hidden” functions that I found as well. If you double-tap the power button, the display changes from trip, which is the default, to odometer. If you hold down the down PAS button, the bike will enter walk mode, where the bike moves slowly enough ta walk next to it. To disengage walk mode, press the brake lever.
Another nice feature is that the trip mile automatically resets when the bike is powered off. There is also a settings menu that can be accessed by holding down both PAS buttons.
Overall Impressions
Overall, for less than $700, I’m impressed with the feature-set of the Movcan V80 Commuter eBike. If you’re in the market for an affordable, easy to operate step-thru bike, this should definitely be on your short list. My only real complaints are the display viewability issue and the position of the on/off button. `
The V80 currently retails for $639 at movcan-bike.com. Use code Florida50 to save $50 on the Movcan V80 Commuter eBike.
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