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

[Jaime]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and new to e-bikes.
I recently tried to order the Priority Current with the Enviolo hub but learned that those models were sold out. So, instead I ordered two bikes with the Shimano hub, a medium white for my wife and a medium charcoal for me. I too, am curious about the difference between the two hubs, the Enviolo NuVinci 380 vs. the Shimano Nexus inter-5E. Does anyone have thoughts on their relative merits? Is the Current with the Shimano still a good choice?

 

[Amishman]

I

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and new to e-bikes.
I recently tried to order the Priority Current with the Enviolo hub but learned that those models were sold out. So, instead I ordered two bikes with the Shimano hub, a medium white for my wife and a medium charcoal for me. I too, am curious about the difference between the two hubs, the Enviolo NuVinci 380 vs. the Shimano Nexus inter-5E. Does anyone have thoughts on their relative merits? Is the Current with the Shimano still a good choice?

I read the dealer’s manual and it appears this is an automatic CVT as opposed to Enviolo’s manual shift. It does not appear to me that the Shimano has quite the gear ratio. I think they’re both good. I haven’t heard of a bad Shimano product yet. I wouldn’t be afraid

 

[wrightpwx]

After a whopping 15 miles on my Current bike (Enviolo hub) I have the following observations:
1. Excellent build quality, well laid out.
2. Large frame works for me @ 6' 2"
3. I first took the bike to the hill of death near my house (not that high but Mont Ventoux steep). The 500 W motor was able to drag my 100 kg up the hill with maximum effort from me (which is not much). The Enviolo hub has a 3x gear ratio (by my crude measure) vs. current hub Shimano at 2.6x (I think) so perhaps the new hub would have more trouble with hills for larger riders.
4. Brakes worked well to moderate speed coming down the hill of death.
5. On my undulating route I found changing the PA mode and gear ratio a lot to keep up with. I finally gave up and left the PA at mode 4 and just used the extra power to build momentum going down for the next hill.
6. I had no problem with the shifter except I found it easiest to stop pedaling, turn the shifter and then start pedaling again. (the motor cuts out when shifting). I could not tell that I needed to break anything in.
7. The Enviolo shifter takes a lot of turning to get from grandma to full beans. I found myself having to turn the shifter, change my grip and then turn again to go from lock to lock.
8. I agree with one poster that it seems like you need to be in PA mode 1 on level ground to get the same "feel" as a regular bike.
9. Watch the video on the Priority website on how to remove the tire, it's straightforward but you don't want to try to figure it out on the road (and bring your wrench, it's not a quick release axle in the back).
9. Of course I have all these great questions after I cut the check: the frame is custom built for the mid-drive unit. Here's the question: should there be a problem down the road (manufacturer goes out of business and you can't get parts for example) can you install an alternative unit from another manufacturer? If you can't you'll be stuck with a beautiful 24 kg manual bike.

 

[Amishman]

After a whopping 15 miles on my Current bike (Enviolo hub) I have the following observations:
1. Excellent build quality, well laid out.
2. Large frame works for me @ 6' 2"
3. I first took the bike to the hill of death near my house (not that high but Mont Ventoux steep). The 500 W motor was able to drag my 100 kg up the hill with maximum effort from me (which is not much). The Enviolo hub has a 3x gear ratio (by my crude measure) vs. current hub Shimano at 2x (I think) so perhaps the new hub would have more trouble with hills for larger riders.
4. Brakes worked well to moderate speed coming down the hill of death.
5. On my undulating route I found changing the PA mode and gear ratio a lot to keep up with. I finally gave up and left the PA at mode 4 and just used the extra power to build momentum going down for the next hill.
6. I had no problem with the shifter except I found it easiest to stop pedaling, turn the shifter and then start pedaling again. (the motor cuts out when shifting). I could not tell that I needed to break anything in.
7. The Enviolo shifter takes a lot of turning to get from grandma to full beans. I found myself having to turn the shifter, change my grip and then turn again to go from lock to lock.
8. I agree with one poster that it seems like you need to be in PA mode 1 on level ground to get the same "feel" as a regular bike.
9. Watch the video on the Priority website on how to remove the tire, it's straightforward but you don't want to try to figure it out on the road (and bring your wrench, it's not a quick release axle in the back).
9. Of course I have all these great questions after I cut the check: the frame is custom built for the mid-drive unit. Here's the question: should there be a problem down the road (manufacturer goes out of business and you can't get parts for example) can you install an alternative unit from another manufacturer? If you can't you'll be stuck with a beautiful 24 kg manual bike.

What mileage between charges?

 

[FlatSix911]

After a whopping 15 miles on my Current bike (Enviolo hub) ...
Here's the question: should there be a problem down the road (manufacturer goes out of business and you can't get parts for example) can you install an alternative unit from another manufacturer?
If you can't you'll be stuck with a beautiful 24 kg manual bike.

Welcome to EBR and congratulations on your new Current EBike!
Thanks for posting your initial observations on the ride... did you also unlock the speed limiter from20 to 28mph?

Regarding your question on the motor, the unit is made by a company called Wuxi and called Truck-run TMO1.
If you had an issue down the road, you would need to repair or replace it with an identical unit. Hope this helps.

TM01 Drive System | Truckrun,Drive for fun.

www.truckrun-e.com

 

[wrightpwx]

What mileage between charges?

In the interest of science I went out again today and rode 10 miles mostly level, maybe half PA 0 and half 1 to 3 (mostly 1). I used one bar off of a full battery (10%). I have confidence in the published numbers.

 

[wrightpwx]

Welcome to EBR and congratulations on your new Current EBike!
Thanks for posting your initial observations on the ride... did you also unlock the speed limiter from20 to 28mph?

Regarding your question on the motor, the unit is made by a company called Wuxi and called Truck-run TMO1.
If you had an issue down the road, you would need to repair or replace it with an identical unit. Hope this helps.

TM01 Drive System | Truckrun,Drive for fun.

www.truckrun-e.com

Thanks
I made it 30 minutes before increasing the speed to the max. I noticed the pedal cadence went to plaid over 20 MPH.
WRT motor drive (or anything else), can you get parts from Priority?

 

[Achterbahn]

After a whopping 15 miles on my Current bike (Enviolo hub) I have the following observations:
1. Excellent build quality, well laid out.
2. Large frame works for me @ 6' 2"
3. I first took the bike to the hill of death near my house (not that high but Mont Ventoux steep). The 500 W motor was able to drag my 100 kg up the hill with maximum effort from me (which is not much). The Enviolo hub has a 3x gear ratio (by my crude measure) vs. current hub Shimano at 2x (I think) so perhaps the new hub would have more trouble with hills for larger riders.
4. Brakes worked well to moderate speed coming down the hill of death.
5. On my undulating route I found changing the PA mode and gear ratio a lot to keep up with. I finally gave up and left the PA at mode 4 and just used the extra power to build momentum going down for the next hill.
6. I had no problem with the shifter except I found it easiest to stop pedaling, turn the shifter and then start pedaling again. (the motor cuts out when shifting). I could not tell that I needed to break anything in.
7. The Enviolo shifter takes a lot of turning to get from grandma to full beans. I found myself having to turn the shifter, change my grip and then turn again to go from lock to lock.
8. I agree with one poster that it seems like you need to be in PA mode 1 on level ground to get the same "feel" as a regular bike.
9. Watch the video on the Priority website on how to remove the tire, it's straightforward but you don't want to try to figure it out on the road (and bring your wrench, it's not a quick release axle in the back).
9. Of course I have all these great questions after I cut the check: the frame is custom built for the mid-drive unit. Here's the question: should there be a problem down the road (manufacturer goes out of business and you can't get parts for example) can you install an alternative unit from another manufacturer? If you can't you'll be stuck with a beautiful 24 kg manual bike.

Thank you for the complete write-up. How does it compare to other ebikes (if you've tried others before) on hills? I'm thinking of the Priority Current over cheaper hub bikes (Juiced Crosscurrent X, Ride1UP LMT'D) due to the increased hill climbing ability of the mid drive and the impressive 140Nm torque.

If the Current doesn't perform noticeably stronger than hub bikes on hills, that would be a major disappointment for me.

Additionally, how's the experience riding a PAS 0? Since the battery is fairly small, I was wondering if it's still rideable on flat surfaces if the battery is completely gone.

Thanks!

 

[wrightpwx]

Thank you for the complete write-up. How does it compare to other ebikes (if you've tried others before) on hills? I'm thinking of the Priority Current over cheaper hub bikes (Juiced Crosscurrent X, Ride1UP LMT'D) due to the increased hill climbing ability of the mid drive and the impressive 140Nm torque.

If the Current doesn't perform noticeably stronger than hub bikes on hills, that would be a major disappointment for me.

Additionally, how's the experience riding a PAS 0? Since the battery is fairly small, I was wondering if it's still rideable on flat surfaces if the battery is completely gone.

Thanks!

Since I live in the middle of nowhere, I ordered a bike online instead of shopping at bike shops, therefore I have no basis for comparison with other e-bikes. Keep in mind that the Current you can buy now comes with a Shimano 5 speed hub with a gear ratio spread of ~200 260% (based on my research, I could be wrong) vs. ~300% with the original Enviolo hub, so the Current you can buy now may be less hill friendly than before. This doesn't mean that the current Current is less capable than the other bikes you mentioned however.
Most recently I rode on a fairly level packed gravel bike path and used PA0 about half the time, you can certainly easily ride in PA0 on a flat road.

 

[Achterbahn]

Since I live in the middle of nowhere, I ordered a bike online instead of shopping at bike shops, therefore I have no basis for comparison with other e-bikes. Keep in mind that the Current you can buy now comes with a Shimano 5 speed hub with a gear ratio spread of ~200% (based on my research, I could be wrong) vs. ~300% with the original Enviolo hub, so the Current you can buy now may be less hill friendly than before. This doesn't mean that the current Current is less capable than the other bikes you mentioned however.
Most recently I rode on a fairly level packed gravel bike path and used PA0 about half the time, you can certainly easily ride in PA0 on a flat road.

Thank you! On the flip side, when I asked Priority about the differences at higher speeds, they said "In our experience it's easier to get to 28mph on the Shimano equipped bike than the enviolo"

 

[Achterbahn]

Looks like Priority is shipping the new Currents (Shimano) this week! If you recently ordered one and receive the Shimano version, please share your experience here

 

[Gibby]

Looks like Priority is shipping the new Currents (Shimano) this week! If you recently ordered one and receive the Shimano version, please share your experience here

I received my Shimano Current yesterday and rode it for one quick 2 mile ride. Since I also bought a RadRunner 1 for my friend last week, I forgot to even shift gears until I was almost back home. I was in 3rd gear and didn't really need to shift to 4th until going about 17 MPH. I was worried about not having a high enough gear, but I think the 5 speed should work fine. I don't even plan to change it from class 1 to class 2 as of now.

I am 6'2" with about a 34" inseam and the large seems to fit me great. The top tube is still a bit weird looking to me, but the quality of components makes up for it. I love the way the bike rides. It is smooth and not jerky at all. I sort of wish the tires were a bit wider. I don't remember if there is clearance for wider tires. I'll edit this post with more impressions later, but one last thing I would add is, Priority Bike does have great customer service. They answered questions about the Shimano and provided a link to this chart. https://www.dropbox.com/s/zh6wl270gdbzvlk/GearInchChartUpdate.png?dl=0

 

[Amishman]

You are lucky. E have afoot and snow and icy roads.

 

[Achterbahn]

I received my Shimano Current yesterday and rode it for one quick 2 mile ride. Since I also bought a RadRunner 1 for my friend last week, I forgot to even shift gears until I was almost back home. I was in 3rd gear and didn't really need to shift to 4th until going about 17 MPH. I was worried about not having a high enough gear, but I think the 5 speed should work fine. I don't even plan to change it from class 1 to class 2 as of now.

I am 6'2" with about a 34" inseam and the large seems to fit me great. The top tube is still a bit weird looking to me, but the quality of components makes up for it. I love the way the bike rides. It is smooth and not jerky at all. I sort of wish the tires were a bit wider. I don't remember if there is clearance for wider tires. I'll edit this post with more impressions later, but one last thing I would add is, Priority Bike does have great customer service. They answered questions about the Shimano and provided a link to this chart. https://www.dropbox.com/s/zh6wl270gdbzvlk/GearInchChartUpdate.png?dl=0

That's fantastic to hear! Hope you're enjoying it! Have you tried going up any hills? Very interested in how it handles at lower gears + how strong the motor really is.

 

[Gibby]

That's fantastic to hear! Hope you're enjoying it! Have you tried going up any hills? Very interested in how it handles at lower gears + how strong the motor really is.

I'll try a short hill near by today and report back. I also mainly used assist 1 or 2.

 

[FlatSix911]

I received my Shimano Current yesterday and rode it for one quick 2 mile ride. Since I also bought a RadRunner 1 for my friend last week, I forgot to even shift gears until I was almost back home. I was in 3rd gear and didn't really need to shift to 4th until going about 17 MPH. I was worried about not having a high enough gear, but I think the 5 speed should work fine. I don't even plan to change it from class 1 to class 2 as of now.

I am 6'2" with about a 34" inseam and the large seems to fit me great. The top tube is still a bit weird looking to me, but the quality of components makes up for it. I love the way the bike rides. It is smooth and not jerky at all. I sort of wish the tires were a bit wider. I don't remember if there is clearance for wider tires. I'll edit this post with more impressions later, but one last thing I would add is, Priority Bike does have great customer service. They answered questions about the Shimano and provided a link to this chart. https://www.dropbox.com/s/zh6wl270gdbzvlk/GearInchChartUpdate.png?dl=0

Thanks for posting the link to the Gear inch range chart... very useful information.

 

[wrightpwx]

Thanks for posting the link to the Gear inch range chart... very useful information.

View attachment 74558

Well now I'm confused. You may have noticed elsewhere that I determined that I had a 310% ratio (City groupset?) on my Enviolo hub on my Current. This chart shows 380% (105.7/27.8) which is what was advertised when I bought the bike. The range is (roughly) 37.8 (1.4 to 1) to 118.8 (4.4 to 1) on my bike. Did anyone else with the Enviolo check this themselves?

 

[Chachunka]

Well now I'm confused. You may have noticed elsewhere that I determined that I had a 310% ratio (City groupset?) on my Enviolo hub on my Current. This chart shows 380% (105.7/27.8) which is what was advertised when I bought the bike. The range is (roughly) 37.8 (1.4 to 1) to 118.8 (4.4 to 1) on my bike. Did anyone else with the Enviolo check this themselves?

Perhaps your calculations were off? If you look at Enviolo's website, the Sportive hub has a unique look with the bare metal accents which is not present on their other models. Based on appearance, I have the Sportive. https://www.enviolo.com/en/groupsets/sportive

 

[Achterbahn]

Well now I'm confused. You may have noticed elsewhere that I determined that I had a 310% ratio (City groupset?) on my Enviolo hub on my Current. This chart shows 380% (105.7/27.8) which is what was advertised when I bought the bike. The range is (roughly) 37.8 (1.4 to 1) to 118.8 (4.4 to 1) on my bike. Did anyone else with the Enviolo check this themselves?

When I asked a gearing question, Priority answered "In our experience it's easier to get to 28mph on the Shimano equipped bike than the Enviolo" - which also adds to my confusion.

 

[wrightpwx]

Perhaps your calculations were off? If you look at Enviolo's website, the Sportive hub has a unique look with the bare metal accents which is not present on their other models. Based on appearance, I have the Sportive. https://www.enviolo.com/en/groupsets/sportive

I agree that the hub on my bike looks like the Sportive model but I'm still getting 1:3.1 ratio. Can you check your bike (and can a Shimano owner check their bike)? Just raise up the back wheel and put the hub in the lowest gear and measure how many times the wheel turns when you turn the crank one time (I get 1.4 rotations). Ditto in the highest gear (I get 4.4 rotations). 4.4/1.4=3.14. Maybe I have an adjustment problem in that the hub is not going to the lowest and/or highest gear. If you believe the gear chart above the Current with the Enviolo hub should have the wheel turn 1 time for 1 crank rotation when in the lowest gear position (assuming I understand gear-inches) and ~ 4 rotations in the highest gear.