This E-Bike Has Speaker, Fast Charge, And eSIM Built Into A Sleek Frame
Ben SinContributor
I cover consumer tech in Asia
May 22, 2023,11:20pm EDT
https://policies.google.com/privacy
The Chord comes with fenders.
Last year, I tested a single speed e-bike from Shenzhen-based startup Urtopia and came away very impressed. This year, the company has a new bike that's even more stylish, even more high tech—it has a SIM card and Bluetooth speaker built into the bike—but the bike is also heavier. Priced at $1,999, the Urtopia Chord is a beautiful e-bike with personality, but are the myriad of techy things overkill? Do you really need a SIM card in your bike?
The Urtopia Chord.
URTOPIA
Powered by a 350W brushless motor, the Urtopia Chord provides pedal assistance that, if you pedal hard enough, can get the bike going up to 20 miles per hour. With 8-speed Shimano gears, it can also operate like a normal bike without power. This is an upgrade over the Urtopia Carbon I tested last year, which was a single speed bike that was not easy to ride without power.
The Chord's all white body with black trims looks great to my eyes, and Urtopia says the bicycle design took inspiration from the black and white keys of a piano—hence the name Chord. (The bike also comes in black).
The Urtopia Chord
URTOPIA
The bike weighs 46 pounds, heavier than the first bike. Most of the extra weight is due to the body being crafted out of aluminum instead of carbon fiber. But some of that extra weight also goes to the smart box that sit on the handle bar in the middle. This box houses a dot-matrix display, a Bluetooth speaker, and a fingerprint scanner.
The smart box housing fingerprint scanner, [+]URTOPIA
I find all of these features a bit of pointless, at least in Los Angeles. The speakers pump out decent audio, but maximum volume isn't high enough so I can't quite hear it on busy city streets. Maybe if I'm riding through a quiet suburb, I can hear the music, but then I'd be self-conscious about blasting audio in a quiet neighborhood. The fingerprint scanner is also something I don't care for. If someone wants to steal this bike in the city, they will take it regardless if they can't unlock the bike.
I do find the dot matrix display helpful, because it shows contextual information and even basic turn-by-turn navigation in the form of arrows pointing in a direction when it's time to turn. Navigation is done with the eSIM built into the bike. The eSIM works free for the first year, after which you will have to pay a fee. But the bike can work fine without the SIM.
Riding was smooth, with the motor remaining quiet. The motor can generate a maximum of 45NM of power, which was enough to take the bike uphill. The seat was comfortable, too, however, its height can only be adjusted via a hex key, which could be annoying if you want to adjust the seat height when you're away from home (or if you've lost the hex key). My partner and I sometimes take turn riding bikes, but she prefers a lower seat height, and the inability to adjust that on the fly has been an issue.
The bike also comes in black.
URTOPIA
There's no suspension built into the Chord, but the large 27.5-inch tires, if filled with the right tire pressure, help offset alot of minor bumps. Since the bike was a bit heavy, I had trouble hopping curbs with it.
The battery is removable.
URTOPIA
The battery is also a bit on the small side, at 352Wh. This is enough to go about 35-40 miles for me, although the advertised maximum range is up to 70 miles. Of course, at 197lbs and frequently carrying a bagpack with laptop, I am putting more load on the bike than Urtopia intended.
Charging is done via a proprietary charger and takes just two hours to charge. This is very fast for an electric bike.
The front rack is a separate purchase.
URTOPIA
Overall, the Urtopia Chord is a beautiful looking e-bike that gets alot right. The $1,999 price can't be considered high considering the specs, design and price of other electric bikes. However, I think I prefer the Urtopia Carbon for its lighter weight and less flashy design. I suppose in a safer country like Japan, I would't mind, but in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Chord attracts a bit more attention than I'd like.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bensin...sim-built-into-a-sleek-frame/?sh=542998e76ee9
