Test: The Stella Vicenza Premium MDB combines a high level of comfort and a relaxed seating position with sporty derailleur gears and the equally quiet and powerful Bosch Performance drive. We looked at the border crosser.
With the Vicenza Premium MDB, Stella Bikes has a new model for the coming spring in the starting blocks. Although - the Vicenza is not that new: the Bosch city e-bike was also available in the previous season; initially only with the suffix 'Superior', which refers to the built-in hub gear. According to the area of application, especially in the city and in everyday life, this is a good choice on the part of the manufacturer from the Netherlands. Nevertheless, quite a few e-bikers still prefer derailleur gears, even on a more comfortable bike like the Stella Vicenza. You do without the low-maintenance shifting hub and you can't change gear while stationary - that's true. In return you get a significantly larger bandwidth, lower weight and an overall sportier driving experience.
Stella Vicenza Premium MDB: Great drive, solid components
So, curtain up for the Stella Vicenza Premium MDB: The basis is a high-quality aluminum frame, which is designed in matt black with some gray accents. The bike is available with a low step-through – like on our test model – as well as a classic men’s frame and in three frame sizes. Plenty of choice for different needs and sizes, nice. At the heart of the frame is a mid-engine from Bosch, namely the third-generation performance drive. An excellent choice, as the motor has plenty of power with 65 Nm on the one hand to cope with even really steep climbs effortlessly, on the other hand it remains pleasantly quiet, even when it has to do really hard work.
The energy is supplied by a 500 Wh battery, which is stowed under the luggage rack. The capacity is sufficient given the area of application; realistically, you should be able to travel between 60 and 80 km by bike, which means you are very well equipped for everyday life. Opinions differ on the mounting position under the luggage rack. Due to the additional weight, the bike is of course a bit rear-heavy there, especially if you also load the luggage rack. On the other hand, the battery is very easy to reach and remove and is visually less noticeable than, for example, attaching it to the seat tube or down tube.
As mentioned at the beginning, Stella gives the Vicenza a noticeably sporty touch in the premium version with derailleur gears: The 10-speed Shimano drive from the Deore series is tried and tested and a very suitable choice: the range of the 11-36 cassette is larger than with most hub gears, the individual components are durable and robust. In view of the price of just under 3.300 euros, a gearshift with 11 gears might have been possible, which would offer a little more bandwidth - but that's only a small point of criticism. The disc brakes also come from Shimano: The MT200 are the cheapest hydraulic brakes from the Japanese, but deliver an absolutely convincing performance, are more than powerful enough and, like the gears, are pleasantly low-maintenance.
The designers of the Stella Vicenza decided to install a suspension fork. Similar to the placement of the battery, this decision has pros and cons, but fits the use case very well. The additional weight due to the fork is negligible in view of the total weight of almost 27 kilograms and the powerful mid-engine; bumps, smaller potholes, etc. reliably ironed out. You also get damping or suspension in the seating area: the built-in spring support harmonises perfectly with the suspension fork and reliably pulls the shaking tooth even on bad pavement paths. We also really liked the well-known and very elegant integration of the lighting system: on the front wheel, the headlight is part of the mudguard, and the logo on the head tube is also illuminated. Unfortunately, the latter can only be controlled together with the overall lighting, otherwise it would have made an excellent daytime running light. Speaking of controls: the Bosch Intuvia display with the well-known control unit is installed here. Simple, reduced, easy to use and easy to read.