Priority Bicycles just launched the most affordable Gates belt mid-drive e-bike

[jmilanski]

I've been shopping for commuter belt ebike for awhile now. Very excited about the Priority Current but still comparing it to the Modmo Saigon (and whatever Watt Wagons releases by end of year)

similarities: ~US$2700. gates belt. Enviolo cvt hub. removable battery. hydraulic disc brakes. alum frame. fenders. no suspension. 3 frame sizes. 5 yr warranty (2 yr on components).

Modmo: Class 1. 250w front hub. diamond frame. 17.5Ah/666 wh/36v battery. 700c tires. high 40s lbs. integrated lights and display/clean look. Black. Available Mar 2021

Current: Class 3. 500w mid drive. step thru frame. 510 Wh battery. 650b/27.5" tires. 52 lbs. White or Charcoal. Ergo seat and grips. Available now.

https://modmo.io/products/saigon
https://www.prioritybicycles.com/products/current


Thoughts between the two?

 

[Taylor57]

Looks like a nice deal if you don't care about suspension comfort

 

[FlatSix911]

From the Priority FB page: Just got my new Current yesterday. Charged the battery after assembly and went for a 20 mile ride today. 10 miles downhill (700 foot elevation change) in PAS 0 & 1. Ten miles up the same route ~50% in PAS 2 10-12MPH, 30% in PAS 3 12-15MPH, and the last 20% (Steepest part of the climb back to my house) in PAS 5 at 18-20MPH. Got home with 8 out of 10 bars remaining. I LOVE THIS Thing!

Congratulations on your new Current and welcome to EBR!

Let us know if you care to post any photos of your new ride.

 

[FlatSix911]

Looks like a nice deal if you don't care about suspension comfort

Agreed... a suspension Seatpost or Stem could help resolve that issue.

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[abpdx]

Just pulled the trigger on the Priority Current + rack.
Why?
1.early review from one seemingly detailed rider confirmed the range would be +/- 50 miles.
2. Price.
3. The ability to return.
4. The Enviolo Hub.
5. The belt drive.
6. The reputation for quality on other models.

Other models considered:
A. Vado (hard to find a 4 and the price of the 5 is prohibitive)
B. Como (meh)
C. Gazelle (loved the wave frame T10 but wanted a class 3. The Medeo T10+ small was not a good fit. The Ultimate T10+ comes in a mid step but it is not in stock anywhere to try.
D. Giant. I like the Yamaha motor. The “auto” mode is a game changer. It was quiet and smooth. The components were sub par. I might have been tempted if they had just put Deore on their. The overall feel of “quality” was not there compared with Gazelle and Specialized.

 

[FlatSix911]

Just pulled the trigger on the Priority Current + rack.
Why?
1.early review from one seemingly detailed rider confirmed the range would be +/- 50 miles.
2. Price.
3. The ability to return.
4. The Enviolo Hub.
5. The belt drive.
6. The reputation for quality on other models.

Other models considered:
A. Vado (hard to find a 4 and the price of the 5 is prohibitive)
B. Como (meh)
C. Gazelle (loved the wave frame T10 but wanted a class 3. The Medeo T10+ small was not a good fit. The Ultimate T10+ comes in a mid step but it is not in stock anywhere to try.
D. Giant. I like the Yamaha motor. The “auto” mode is a game changer. It was quiet and smooth. The components were sub par. I might have been tempted if they had just put Deore on their. The overall feel of “quality” was not there compared with Gazelle and Specialized.

Great analysis... when is the delivery scheduled?

 

[scout592]

Does it have a throttle and can tires under 4" work in it?

 

[abpdx]

Does it have a throttle and can tires under 4" work in it?

No throttle.

 

[Explorer-1]

They don't list any batteries on their website under accessories.... a red flag for me, but i like the idea of this bike.

 

[Marrduk24]

So tempted to order this bike. Might just soon.

 

[abpdx]

Great analysis... when is the delivery scheduled?

Next week, the 14th.

They don't list any batteries on their website under accessories.... a red flag for me, but i like the idea of this bike.

Neither does the specialized website.

 

[alloo]

I'm split between three bikes the Priority Current, with Rack/Basket; Dosh Down ebike, and Electra Townie Go 5i. I like the maintenance free aspect of the belt and hub shifting. I watch Ryan Van Duzer too! His mom owns a Priority Embark and I am impressed. I am currently riding a Blix Aveny about 100 miles a week commuting to work.

 

[peteh_2]

Received the Current bike on Thursday. So far, I'm impressed with the overall quality of the bike.

Some of the hits:

1. Quality of instructions (written and video) is superb. By far the easiest assembly of any bike I've owned
2. The paintwork is outstanding. The sparkle in the white is exceptional
3. The belt drive is incredibly quiet
4. The integrated lighting is a nice to have, and the ambient lighting sensor is an excellent touch
5. The charger is a 3.0A charger, with a fan. A nice touch vs the 2.0A chargers shipped with most budget ebikes
6. The display is exceptionally easy to read
7. Multiple braze-ons for both a water bottle and lock. The down tube is a perfect place for an ABUS lock (combo 6100)

Some of the misses:

1. The Enviolo hub is...ok. The twist to change gear selector is not as smooth as I would have hoped. I'd also like a taller top gear.
2. The battery is only 10.5Ah (48V)
3. Because of the Enviolo hub twist gear action you can only upgrade the grip on the left side. If anyone has figured out how to upgrade the right grip please let me know (see the following comment)
4. While the built-in lighting is nice, I would not rely on it solely for daytime commuting, I prefer a flashing front headlight and blinking rear light for visibility so those have been added

Overall, I think it's great value for money. Someone had commented that no additional battery is available for purchase. Priority says additional batteries will be available later this year. Pics attached.

 

[Marrduk24]

Received the Current bike on Thursday. So far, I'm impressed with the overall quality of the bike.

Some of the hits:

1. Quality of instructions (written and video) is exceptional. By far the easiest assembly of any bike I've owned
2. The paintwork is outstanding. The sparkle in the white is exceptional
3. The belt drive is incredibly quiet
4. The integrated lighting is awesome, and the ambient lighting sensor is an excellent touch
5. The charger is a 3.0A charger, with a fan. A nice touch vs the 2.0A chargers shipped with most budget ebikes
6. The display is exceptionally easy to read

Some of the misses:

1. The Enviolo hub is...ok. The twist to change gear selector is not as smooth as I would have hoped. I'd also like a taller top gear.
2. The battery is only 10.5Ah (48V)
3. Because of the Enviolo hub twist gear action you can only upgrade the grip on the left side. If anyone has figured out how to upgrade the right grip please let me know
4. While the built-in lighting is nice, I would not rely on it solely for daytime commuting, I prefer a flashing front headlight and blinking rear light for visibility so those have been added

Overall, I think it's great value for money. Someone had commented that no additional battery is available for purchase. Priority says additional batteries will be available later this year. Pics attached.

thank you. Is that seat post a standard seat post or did you upgrade? I didn’t think the stock bike came with a suspension seat post.

 

[FlatSix911]

Received the Current bike on Thursday. So far, I'm impressed with the overall quality of the bike.
Some of the hits:

1. Quality of instructions (written and video) is exceptional. By far the easiest assembly of any bike I've owned
2. The paintwork is outstanding. The sparkle in the white is exceptional
3. The belt drive is incredibly quiet
4. The integrated lighting is awesome, and the ambient lighting sensor is an excellent touch
5. The charger is a 3.0A charger, with a fan. A nice touch vs the 2.0A chargers shipped with most budget ebikes
6. The display is exceptionally easy to read

Some of the misses:

1. The Enviolo hub is...ok. The twist to change gear selector is not as smooth as I would have hoped. I'd also like a taller top gear.
2. The battery is only 10.5Ah (48V)
3. Because of the Enviolo hub twist gear action you can only upgrade the grip on the left side. If anyone has figured out how to upgrade the right grip please let me know
4. While the built-in lighting is nice, I would not rely on it solely for daytime commuting, I prefer a flashing front headlight and blinking rear light for visibility so those have been added

Overall, I think it's great value for money. Someone had commented that no additional battery is available for purchase. Priority says additional batteries will be available later this year. Pics attached.

Congratulations on your new ride and modifications... looks like new grips, saddle, and seat post.

Take a look at the Ergon-GA3 for a Twist Shift Compatible grip set...

https://www.amazon.com/Ergon-GA3-Gravity-Mountain-Grips/dp/B078VXZL6X

​

 

[peteh_2]

thank you. Is that seat post a standard seat post or did you upgrade? I didn’t think the stock bike came with a suspension seat post.

both the saddle and seat post have been upgraded. Kinect aluminum suspension seat post and Ergon ST Core Prime Saddle

 

[JCofMN]

Received the Current bike on Thursday. So far, I'm impressed with the overall quality of the bike.

Some of the hits:

1. Quality of instructions (written and video) is superb. By far the easiest assembly of any bike I've owned
2. The paintwork is outstanding. The sparkle in the white is exceptional
3. The belt drive is incredibly quiet
4. The integrated lighting is a nice to have, and the ambient lighting sensor is an excellent touch
5. The charger is a 3.0A charger, with a fan. A nice touch vs the 2.0A chargers shipped with most budget ebikes
6. The display is exceptionally easy to read
7. Multiple braze-ons for both a water bottle and lock. The down tube is a perfect place for an ABUS lock (combo 6100)

Some of the misses:

1. The Enviolo hub is...ok. The twist to change gear selector is not as smooth as I would have hoped. I'd also like a taller top gear.
2. The battery is only 10.5Ah (48V)
3. Because of the Enviolo hub twist gear action you can only upgrade the grip on the left side. If anyone has figured out how to upgrade the right grip please let me know (see the following comment)
4. While the built-in lighting is nice, I would not rely on it solely for daytime commuting, I prefer a flashing front headlight and blinking rear light for visibility so those have been added

Overall, I think it's great value for money. Someone had commented that no additional battery is available for purchase. Priority says additional batteries will be available later this year. Pics attached.

Ergon makes half grips for Rohloff/Nuvinci twist shifters.

I’ve found the monochrome display washes out in direct sunlight even at 100% and the lights switched to boost the backlight.
Apparently it takes a few hundred miles for the Nuvinci to fully break in --- mine is considerably looser after just 60 miles. Also the tektro brakes take some time to bed in --- best to clean the rotors right out of the box and after 20 miles or so. They’re quiet though unlike Maguras.
The Wuxi/TruckRun motor emits a strange high pitched whistling noise when it kicks in --- noticeable but not bothersome.

Got about 47 miles from full charge down from 10 to 2-3 bars which took about

370Wh to recharge back up to 100/10 bars. This comes out to about 7.9 Wh/mile mostly riding under PAS 3. Note I got similar low numbers for my other mid drive ebike (Frey CC with 1100 miles) using slightly different instrumentation to measure the Wh’s (a GRIN Satiator), but I Like to pedal a lot for exercise.

 

[peteh_2]

@JCofMN @FlatSix911 thank you both for the heads up about the Rohloff Half Grip option. I learn something every time I log onto this forum. Good looking out!

Also, appreciate the heads up about the Nuvinci break-in period. I hadn't considered that but very helpful to know. Do you use anything specific to clean the rotors?

 

[FlatSix911]

@JCofMN @FlatSix911 thank you both for the heads up about the Rohloff Half Grip option. I learn something every time I log onto this forum. Good looking out!

Also, appreciate the heads up about the Nuvinci break-in period. I hadn't considered that but very helpful to know. Do you use anything specific to clean the rotors?

Glad to help a fellow EBR member... we try to pay it forward.

Try a bit of rubbing alcohol to clean the rotors as needed.

 

[JCofMN]

Ergon makes half grips for Rohloff/Nuvinci twist shifters.

I’ve found the monochrome display washes out in direct sunlight even at 100% and the lights switched to boost the backlight.
Apparently it takes a few hundred miles for the Nuvinci to fully break in --- mine is considerably looser after just 60 miles. Also the tektro brakes take some time to bed in --- best to clean the rotors right out of the box and after 20 miles or so. They’re quiet though unlike Maguras.
The Wuxi/TruckRun motor emits a strange high pitched whistling noise when it kicks in --- noticeable but not bothersome.

Got about 47 miles from full charge down from 10 to 2-3 bars which took about

370Wh to recharge back up to 100/10 bars. This comes out to about 7.9 Wh/mile mostly riding under PAS 3. Note I got similar low numbers for my other mid drive ebike (Frey CC with 1100 miles) using slightly different instrumentation to measure the Wh’s (a GRIN Satiator), but I Like to pedal a lot for exercise.

See:

The Electrek guy, Micah Toll, explains the pros and cons of belt drives using his personal Priority Current as an example --- so probably a review to come from him in the near future.