Our collaborator Alessandro Micozzi has been invited to Amsterdam to attend the presentation of BESV ebikes. We added our comments to his report below.
On May 18th BESV presented their new ebike models in Amsterdam. It was the perfect occasion to get to know a company everyone is talking about lately, both for their specific target and for their ebikes features.
BESV philosophy is right in their name: it’s an acronym for Beautiful, Eco-friendly, Smart, Vision.
BESV designers clearly had their focus on creating appealing ebikes, beautiful indeed. Eco-friendly, just like all electric bikes. Smart because BESV ebikes are equipped with the last technologies for smartphone integration.
Two out of the three ebikes don’t have any seatstays, which makes them deft and fast.
BESV surely didn’t hide the fact that they worked a lot on their ebikes performance. To this purpose it was necessary to install motors on rear wheels, giving up a bit of stability in favor of a stellar acceleration.
The three ebikes have a torque sensor, a system that allows easy starts and a more natural feeling.
These ebikes are very interesting technically wise, especially for some details regarding the motor. There’s a mode called SMART which automatically regulates the power dispensed by the motor, increasing it in case of necessity (if you’re going uphill for example).
While in other ebikes with torque sensors the ratio between the cyclist’s power and the motor’s is constant (according to the level of assistance), with the SMART mode the motor increases the power when it’s needed, withtout the need to push on the pedals more.
More or less it’s as if you could automatically switch from Tour mode to Speed mode when going uphill with an ebike with a Bosch motor.
These are the three models presented by BESV:
BESV Lion LX1
BESV’s top of the range, the frame is made of aluminum and the design is quite fascinating. The 500W motor makes it mandatory to classify it as a moped in some European countries. The weight is 28kg (a little too much in our opinion).
BESV Panther PS1
The weight goes down a lot for this PS1 with a carbon frame and 20″ wheels, a size that guarantees a great agility in the city: it’s just 16,9kg. The battery on the contrary is a bit disappointing: just 237Wh (36v * 6,6 Ah). BESV states that the autonomy is 60km but that sounds too optimistic to us.
BESV Jaguar JS1
The design of the Jaguar JS1 is captivating but more similar to regular ebikes: it looks like a classic city ebike.
The frame is made of aliminum like the Lion LX1.
The philosphy of BESV ebikes is always the same: a rear motor (you can choose between a 250 and 500W) and a battery which is built in the frame. For this bike the battery capacity is quite good:470 Wh (42V * 11,2Ah).
BESV ebikes are quite clearly high-end bikes, as we can see from the design and other details (for example the lights and the display which is neatly installed in the frame).
The prices are high-end too: they start from $3250 for the PS1.
It’s a shame that the mechanical components are not always top notch (for example the Shimano Alivio derailleur on the JS1).
BESV targets a specific market niche: people that want a powerful sports ebike, both in the performance and the design.
The segmentation of the ebike market is a clear signal that this field has now reached maturity.