8/10
Open rating explainerInformationWIREDVery nice components for the price. Comfortable to ride. Responsive rear hub motor. Walk assist and throttle. Companion app lets you switch ebike classes. All the extras—kickstand, fenders, integrated lights.TIREDVery heavy. Buttons are a little sticky.It’s important to get a wide range of testers on every electric bike we test. While I was wheeling the Momentum Vida E+ out of my garage to bike with my kids to school, I made an audible “oof” sound. “Mommy?” my daughter asked, perched atop her very light and maneuverable Woom 5 Explore. “Is that bike really heavy?”
At almost 62 pounds, Momentum’s commuter bike is pretty heavy. Weight matters less to my fellow testers, who are over 6 feet tall and have ridden comparable bikes like the Aventon Level 3. For them, a bigger bike that can carry a heavier payload is more important. But for me—5'2" and 115 pounds—a lighter bike is not just more comfortable, it’s also safer. It’s harder for someone of my size to get 80 pounds of bike and assorted gear moving. It would also hurt a lot more if it fell on me when I misjudged a curb.
All that is to say, if you’re an entry-level biker or a not-extremely-large person, I would still recommend something lighter, like our top electric bike, the Trek FX+ 1, or even Momentum’s own Voya line. Still, size aside, this bike has quality components and is very comfortable to ride. It has a lot to recommend it.
Motor Mania
Photograph: Adrienne SoMomentum is Giant’s lifestyle ebike brand, the same way that Trek owns Electra Bicycles. (I also like recommending long-time bicycle manufacturers like Giant, Trek, and Specialized because it tends to be easier to get your bike repaired in their dealer networks.) For this latest update, Momentum switched from the original mid-drive motor to a new 500-watt SyncDrive S rear hub motor.
SyncDrive is Giant’s proprietary motor system that’s now used across all of Giant’s ebikes. It’s supposed to feel a lot more natural than comparable motors from Bosch or Shimano; Momentum notes that it engages assistance with just 4 newton-meters of force on the pedal. (A laptop weighs about 3 pounds, so imagine putting your laptop on the pedal. Or don’t.)
For what it’s worth, my own bike is a Tern GSD with a Bosch Cargo Line motor, and I can't really tell the difference. I don't really think SyncDrive feels more natural than a Bosch; it depends more on whether you're in the correct gear for the amount of assistance you have toggled on.
Momentum has three assist modes—Eco, Active, and Power. There’s also a walk-assist mode that didn’t make that much difference to me when I was pushing it around. The bike’s computer tells you how much range you get in each assist mode, with up to 60 miles in Eco and around 35 miles in Power. This generally tallied with my testing, although I did use 10 percent of the battery on one 5-mile ride using the throttle without pedaling because I felt lazy.
Photograph: Adrienne SoThe throttle is optional and assists from a dead start up to 20 mph. Yes, it totally works, and while I disagree with a throttle in principle, there’s no denying that sometimes it’s just easier (particularly on chilly weekday mornings) to turn your ebike into a little e-moped.
When or where you can legally ride the Vida E+ can depend on what class it is, and the addition of a throttle turns the Vida E+ from a Class 1 (that you can take anywhere) to a Class 2 ebike. In the RideControl app, you can lock the bike at a top speed of either 20 mph or 28 mph, so you don’t find yourself accidentally riding at 24 mph in a 20-mph Class 1 zone.
The bike also has a front fork with 80 millimeters of suspension, so accidentally piloting all 60 pounds of it into a pothole won’t pitch you head over heels. It’s fully loaded, with integrated lights, fenders, and a kickstand. And finally, the Vida E+ is UL-certified, so it won’t catch on fire while charging in your garage. The RideControl app lets you check your bike’s electronic systems for problems, lock your bike, and, if you have a bike mount, use it for rudimentary navigation.
Quality Components
Riding the Vida E+ feels like riding a couch, but in a good way. This is a bike that will do everything for you, without your having to think about it very much (unless you're trying to maneuver it between two cars in your driveway). The step-through frame makes it easy to get on or off. The sit-up geometry and ergonomic handlebars are incredibly comfortable; I can ride with one hand, slowly pedaling at 9 mph while biking my kids home from school, and they blabber on about whatever.
Photograph: Adrienne SoBecause this is a bike made by Giant, the components are very nice, for a reasonable price. I can easily read the display in high-glare natural sunlight. The fork is made by Suntour; while I would definitely not take this bike on trails, I hit many potholes, both on purpose and not, without dumping myself. The brakes are high-performance Tektro four-piston hydraulic disc brakes, which is also a little unusual at the price point. You don’t have to worry about being able to make quick stops on hills or with a heavy load.
The Shimano shifters work well with the SyncDrive motor to climb steep hills. I did find that the buttons are not terribly easy to push, and I also tended to mix up the headlight and power buttons at the top, which my kids find annoying when they've taken off and I'm still struggling to get a 60-pound bike moving without assistance.
I was able to get quickly up to 28 mph on straightaways near my house. I also like Momentum’s Transporter pannier bag ($116), which has an interesting quick-release mounting system (you just pinch the two fasteners together) and comes with backpack straps.
Photograph: Adrienne SoThe Vida E+'s problems are just regular couch problems. I have a hard time lifting it up stairs or in and out of tight places. It’s so big that I have trouble locking it on crowded bike racks, and even then I use two ebike locks because its clean lines (no cables!) and Cinnamon Caramel paint job just make it look like too much of a target.
Still, the great ebike convergence is happening. Many direct-to-consumer ebike brands that were once billed as affordable alternatives to traditional bike brands are now finding that there's a reason why bikes from Trek and Giant are priced the way that they are. The Momentum Vida E+ offers a comfortable ride, reliable components and performance, and a big dealer network for repairs. And especially on sale, it's priced not too far off from competitors like the Aventon Level 3 or the Ride1Up Prodigy.
If you're looking for an ebike ride this summer that you won't have to worry about too much, I would go for it—especially if you're a lot taller than 5'2".
$3,100 $1,300 at Mike's Bikes$2,150 at Momentum
