The Slice Lite: Utility Bike by VVOLT : Part 2 – Initial observations

Four days of riding on the Slice started the practical observations start flowing.

The large frame and heavy duty rack on this bike makes it appear like an unwieldy cargo bike, which could be off putting. To the contrary this bike is very manoeuvrable and easy to turn, great in the city and getting it in your shed. The design has a wheel base of 48” which is close what we think of as a regular bike. approx ~42”

One full charge gets you get 60miles on Eco mode. I’m at about 45miles now so let’s see how true this is. Also worth noting, im not sure if this includes powering the lights. I have them going most of the time, for daytime safety.

I’m also noticing, I’m not really getting anywhere much faster than my none e bike. ha. I have been using it on eco mode mainly and enjoying the ride feel with the added “around town” capability of hauling stuff, the efficiency of one trip with many more errand stops. Maybe this will change in the weeks coming and I will crank up the assist level. we will see.

The motor system has a top speed of 20mph then it turns off / stops assisting. The bike weighs close to 60lbs, so the fastest I have been on the flats is about 25mph for a brief second. I’m definitely not one of those people whizzing past you at 35mph on the bike path. I’m normally going 15/16
I like this sensibility, it’s more urban utility and a bit less a “get to work as fast as I can” machine. Some of this is obviously mandated by the fact that this is a single gear bike.

Different assist modes are available and Eco mode give approximately a 20% added boost. (take your input and add 20% via the motor) It’s really good and it still feels like a bike vs motorbike.

The power comes from the center of rear wheel vs the center of the bike. Which ride wise doesn’t feel much different but the benefit of power / assist at the wheel means there is less mechanical wear as the power isn’t transferred down a chain, instead it’s direct, where it’s needed.

Downsides

My only real downside at the moment are two things.
One theres no clock on the computer screen, seems trivial but Garmins and Wahoos have it and would have been very useful for making sure you are getting to appointments on time. (Duct tape and an old digital watch?)
Two : the rack is a little rattly. The thin metal external sheet (img below) seems to vibrate against the round tubes of the main rack frame. I will fix this over the next few days with some strategically placed inner tube to buffer vibration.

Stay tuned for Part 3, coming soon in the links below… and final review in the future

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