The lightest e-bike in the world presented – but the price is heavy on the stomach
The e-bike manufacturer HPS from Monaco has launched a pedelec that is said to be unbeaten in its class: no other bike with electric pedal assistance should be lighter. But how is that feasible and why does one reach so much with the price?
E-bike weighing just 8.5 kilograms: the HPS Domestique 21
E-bike riders know the problem with the increasingly popular two-wheelers. Anyone who loves their e-bike or pedelec needs space in the garage, under the carport or some way of storing it at ground level. Because just taking it downstairs to the basement is easier said than done. Often with a massive frame, drive system including electric motor and battery many models simply too heavyto puff them on the shoulder.
According to its own statements, the remedy provides Manufacturer HPS from Monaco. The model HPS Domestique 21 should just once 8.5 kilograms weigh and is therefore a real flyweight for an e-bike, hardly heavier than a conventional two-wheeler without a motor. And you can see that too.
Design and craftsmanship have their price – and it’s hefty
The wheels from HPS are namely hardly recognizable as motorized. The frame shape is identical to a normal racing bike, the drive cassette is inconspicuous and where it was still the same the battery? Here you have one brilliant tricks which shows that the developers are very concerned about the appearance: the battery can only be recognized as such when you look closely, as it looks almost exactly like a conventional drinking bottle on the frame.
The price is appropriate to the country of origin. The limited first edition is said to be available in 4 different frame sizes only ever produced 21 times become. An Italian carbon frame, handcrafted, contributes to the low weight as well as the high price: From 12,000 euros Domestique 21 starts and Monegasque customers will be able to afford it.
It’s just a shame that at the price, the essential features for the e-bike are not so convincing: The Battery is 193 Wh significantly weaker than the average of current models (around 300 Wh). You can only convince with the design – which, it seems, is also wanted.
