E-Bikes / Urban: Simple, chic and still practical. The Geero 2 has proven itself in our everyday commuting. We reveal why the stylish urban e-bike from Austria is a hot tip for commuters.
Urban e-bikes are hip: the combination of their stylish, simple exterior and built-in tailwind is exactly what many cyclists have been waiting for. However, there are also compromises associated with the slim look compared to “classic” or “traditional” e-bikes. Small, often permanently installed batteries are just as much a part of this as low support performance or limited suitability for everyday use. Many of the disadvantages mentioned then affect a potential group of buyers for whom such bikes are particularly interesting: commuters! With the Geero 2, we recently had an e-bike in our editorial office that, despite its slim appearance, is very well suited as a commuter.
Our test bike was a Geero 2 in the touring version, but the following points also apply to the slightly cheaper city version of the e-bike from Styria. The particularly light but at the same time extremely reduced original model is only conditionally suitable for use as an everyday commuter bike without mudguards, luggage rack and rim brakes. However, if you want, you can also retrofit mudguards or luggage racks to the minimalist original - the corresponding mounting points are available.
Geero 2: The successor to the slim, successful e-bike under review
Product news / E-Performance: At the beginning of the year, the Austrians from Geero presented the Geero 2, a successor to their original successful model. Visually, little has changed, the Geero 2 is just as slim and simple as its predecessor. Technically, it offers some exciting new features that we have looked at in detail. When the Austrians from Geero […]
Reason 1: weight
Anyone who lives in a metropolitan area or a large city and rides their bike every day will probably be forced to carry the bike on a regular basis. Bicycle cellars in apartment buildings, safe parking options at work or simply stairs or other obstacles on the way in between. Unfortunately, there are many reasons for this in urban areas - all the more important that the set of wheels is as light as possible. Depending on the size and equipment, the Geero weighs between 18 and 19 kilograms in the city or touring variant. On the one hand, this is still remarkable, but in the world of e-bikes it is rather remarkably easy. If you remove the battery (e.g. when storing it in the basement), the weight even approaches the 15 kilogram mark.
Reason 2: Reach
Slim frame designs are often associated with low battery capacities. This only applies to a limited extent for the Geero; Although the 444 Wh of the battery in the down tube is not record-breaking, it is clearly above average in view of the dimensions and also in comparison with similarly aligned bikes. But the bare capacity is only half the truth anyway, because ultimately what counts is the range the drive can tease out of the watt hours. This value is very good for the Geero: In our very demanding test lap with a lot of stop & go and a few climbs, it came to around 60 kilometers. This is slightly above what a traditional Bosch e-bike with a larger 500 Wh battery can do. This is always sufficient for the daily commute!
Reason 3: Variable drive
You don't have the same motivation to go to work every day. On a warm summer morning after 12 hours of sleep and a pleasant working day in prospect, the way is easier than with a lack of sleep in bad weather. It's nice when you have a variable, versatile drive in the e-bike to take countermeasures: With five support levels and virtually no resistance when switched off or over 25km/h, the hub motor of the Geero 2 offers exactly that and supports just as much as it does Demand what you feel like on the respective day.
Reason 4: High reliability
There are urban e-bikes with more features than the Geero 2 offers - no question about it. There is just as little an app for the bike from Styria as there is a large color display with countless features. What sounds like a disadvantage at first glance turns out to be an advantage in everyday use. Because despite all the technical progress, the following still applies today: The more features, the higher the probability that problems or errors can occur. This danger hardly exists with the Geero: The combined display control unit can be operated intuitively and the bike is ready at the push of a button - no unlocking via smartphone, no user login, no boot process. Those who ride their bikes day in and day out may appreciate this more than a feature-packed smart bike that is cumbersome to use and prone to errors.
Reason 5: Robust powder coating
An everyday bike has to withstand a lot, especially when everyday life consists of the daily commute. This ranges from scratches caused by wheel stands that are too full to the mixture of melted water and road salt in winter, which clogs all the components on the bike. At least as far as the frame itself is concerned, you really don't have to worry about Geero: This is powder-coated at Geero in Styria. This process is more complex and expensive than traditional wet painting, which many other manufacturers rely on, but it is also significantly more durable and robust. The powder can score points compared to traditional paint, especially when it comes to impact resistance. In practice, this means: fewer scratches and longer enjoyment of the e-bike.
Reason 6: Removable battery
One of the biggest changes compared to the previous model Geero 1 is the removable battery of the puristic e-bike. This may be insignificant for certain areas of application - but not so for commuters: If you want to charge the battery during the working day in the office, for example, you had to somehow get the entire bike close to a socket. With the Geero 2, all you have to do is remove the battery and conveniently charge it at your desk, for example. In winter, the cold-sensitive energy storage can also be stored in a warm place, while the bike can easily remain outdoors even in the freezing cold.
Small fly in the ointment: lighting
As convinced as we are of the Geero 2 as a commuter e-bike - of course we have one small thing to complain about here: For the future we would like a model variant with permanently installed lighting. Although the Austrians include StVO-compliant battery lighting, if the headlight and rear light were powered by the bike's battery instead - that would be it! Then we really wouldn't have anything to complain about with the Geero.
Tip: Make a bargain at the Geero Black Friday Sale
Finally, a hot tip for quick bargain hunters: Currently running at Geero a discount campaign as part of Black Friday. With the voucher code BFS-GE-20 there is a whopping 222 euros discount on all Geero 2 models. The Geero 2 Touring we tested comes to 3.083 euros, the Geero 2 City to 2.888 euros. If the minimalistic Geero 2 Original is enough for you, you can already strike for 2.498 euros.