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

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.
Strong endorsement for this bike, seeing as how Micah selected it as his personal ride.
 
I listened to this review while waiting at FedEx to pick up my current. I have to admit I was pretty nervous about the cons. Doing the unboxing now.
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the build, the paintwork, and the ride. My only complaint remains the size of the battery. As I noted previously, it's only 10.5Ah. After raising the speed limit to 28mph and riding it on pedal-assist 5 (highest level) I managed only ~22 miles over the weekend before the battery was totally depleted. Granted that was with a total elevation change of ~ 1,000 ft but ideally I'd like to see more range.
 
I would agree, it was one of the concerns I had about taking a flyer and ordering it. Looking at the Priority Riders page, there is another early adopter who was getting some pretty good range on mixed level/elevation rides. +/- 50.
 
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.
Excellent review... thanks for sharing.
 
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the build, the paintwork, and the ride. My only complaint remains the size of the battery. As I noted previously, it's only 10.5Ah. After raising the speed limit to 28mph and riding it on pedal-assist 5 (highest level) I managed only ~22 miles over the weekend before the battery was totally depleted. Granted that was with a total elevation change of ~ 1,000 ft but ideally I'd like to see more range.
Actually that's not too bad for a high level of assist and if you were maintaining over 20mph and also had stops and starts as well as 1,000' of elevation.
 
Actually that's not too bad for a high level of assist and if you were maintaining over 20mph and also had stops and starts as well as 1,000' of elevation.
That's a fair point. I guess I was a bit spoiled with the Biktrix bike I had that was using a 1,000W rear hub motor and a 52V 17.5Ah battery. That setup was good for 45-50 miles running at a similar level of assistance.
 
Why did you switch?
Sadly, the Biktrix bike was stolen. I initially replaced it with the Ride1up Lmt’d but returned that and purchased the Current.

The Current is eventually going to be a bike for friends and family to use. My primary bike will be the WattWagons Ultimate Commuter Pro when that project is completed and delivered.
 
That's a fair point. I guess I was a bit spoiled with the Biktrix bike I had that was using a 1,000W rear hub motor and a 52V 17.5Ah battery. That setup was good for 45-50 miles running at a similar level of assistance.
So your Biktrix had a 910wh, 52v x 17.5Ah, battery and going 50 miles you were using 18wh/mi. Your Priority has a 378wh battery, I'm assuming it is 36v but if 48v readjust, and for 22 miles you are averaging 17 wh/mi. Really hard to compare the two for range but the potential is about equal.
 
So your Biktrix had a 910wh, 52v x 17.5Ah, battery and going 50 miles you were using 18wh/mi. Your Priority has a 378wh battery, I'm assuming it is 36v but if 48v readjust, and for 22 miles you are averaging 17 wh/mi. Really hard to compare the two for range but the potential is about equal.

the Priority Current has a 500wh battery, or so I was told.
 
Ok, so 22wh/mi. So regardless of the size of the battery it seems like for your riding style the Biktrix was more efficient....However I am sure you had your reasons for getting the Priority perhaps they will come up with a piggy back battery type system for extended range.
 
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.
Not bad for a full spec Gates drive, mid-drive with internal gearing, and 28mph speed assistance. ;)


Priority Bicycles has just launched their latest electric bicycle, the Priority Current. The Current packs in a number of high-quality and low-maintenance parts for a killer price. The Priority Current is powered by a nominally 500W mid-drive motor. However, the company lists the motor at an insane 148 Nm (108 lb-ft) of torque, which makes me think that 500W number could be coyly low. It is anyone’s guess what the real power is, but suffice it to say that 148 Nm of torque means this bike should have some serious pull, offering fast acceleration and flattening even the toughest of hills.

The pedal-assist bike comes with a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h), but offers users the option to unlock it to reach speeds of 28 mph (45 km/h). That would turn it from a Class 1 e-bike into a Class 3 e-bike in the US. And in a move that belt-drive fans will rejoice over, Priority equipped the Current with a Gates belt drive system. The use of belt drive means there’s no greasy chain, no transmission noise, and virtually no maintenance. Instead of an old-fashioned derailleur, the Priority Current uses an Enviolo internally geared hub with a massive 380% gear range.

And with a 500 Wh frame-integrated battery, the Priority Current gets a range rating of 30-60 miles (50-100 km) depending on the pedal assist level and riding style. Other components on the bike include Tektro dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes, included composite fenders, automatic front and rear LED lights, adjustable height stem, USB charger, and a digital display.
But I was pleasantly surprised — perhaps even amazed — to see that the Priority Current has an MSRP of $2,999 and is actually on sale now with a promotional price of just $2,699!


priority current
View attachment 67233
I’m confused on the motor; states it’s 500 watts; but the Wuxi truck motor specs here say 250/350. Is the 500 peak. Thanks
 
Wattage is determined by the battery v x A current from the controller. If it is 48v then it would only take 10A or so to make it 480w nominal. In actuality it could be more like 15A or 720w peak.
 
Wattage is determined by the battery v x A current from the controller. If it is 48v then it would only take 10A or so to make it 480w nominal. In actuality it could be more like 15A or 720w peak.
Just found it's an 18 amp controller, must be 864 watts peak.
 
Ergon makes half grips for Rohloff/Nuvinci twist shifters.


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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.
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Got about 47 miles from full charge down from 10 to 2-3 bars which took about
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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.
How would you compare your Frey cc to your priority current. I’m trying to decide. Also, the jerkiness of both

thanks
 
How would you compare your Frey cc to your priority current. I’m trying to decide. Also, the jerkiness of both

thanks
I have a priority current. I've only taken a couple or short rides on it but I'm a little concerned about range. There is no jerkiness, but there is a slight lag between switching assist levels. The Nuvinci hub is a bit of a learning curve that I can say I have not adjusted to yet. When I adjust the hub to address a hill, I need to do it slowly and conservatively. In the easier gears, my legs start spinning and I see no benefit at all to the assist level. On flatter roads and at lower levels of assist, I feel like I also don't see a lot of assist from the lower levels of motor assist. It seems like the "drag" outweighs the assist level 1, and in some instances, assist level 2. I'm spending most of my time in assist level 3. My initial rides of 16 miles and 1500 ft of elevation looks like I'm going to get about 34 miles of range on the battery. I had hoped for 40+ and I had hoped I could ride in assist level 1 and 2 more but it doesn't feel right and I can't get the speed I wanted. The motor is quiet. I thought it was quieter than the newer Bosch Speed motor on the Gazelle Medeo T10+. I do like the belt drive. Quiet and clean.
 
I have a priority current. I've only taken a couple or short rides on it but I'm a little concerned about range. There is no jerkiness, but there is a slight lag between switching assist levels. The Nuvinci hub is a bit of a learning curve that I can say I have not adjusted to yet. When I adjust the hub to address a hill, I need to do it slowly and conservatively. In the easier gears, my legs start spinning and I see no benefit at all to the assist level. On flatter roads and at lower levels of assist, I feel like I also don't see a lot of assist from the lower levels of motor assist. It seems like the "drag" outweighs the assist level 1, and in some instances, assist level 2. I'm spending most of my time in assist level 3. My initial rides of 16 miles and 1500 ft of elevation looks like I'm going to get about 34 miles of range on the battery. I had hoped for 40+ and I had hoped I could ride in assist level 1 and 2 more but it doesn't feel right and I can't get the speed I wanted. The motor is quiet. I thought it was quieter than the newer Bosch Speed motor on the Gazelle Medeo T10+. I do like the belt drive. Quiet and clean.
I got the Priority Current, have 100 miles on it, and get about 35-40 mph on the battery. I think the trick is to learn to use the CVT to get proper use of PAS and miles out of the battery. The bike is worth the money for a 500 watt mid drive. It takes hills well but willl suck up the battery. I’d have put a 600 battery on it.
 
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