Test Crivit Urban E-Bike Its Mivice rear motor pushes hard, but you have to like details like the single-speed drive and the spiral cable on the battery.
When you think of Lidl, you think of inexpensive weekend shopping, or perhaps also of the versatile online shop that offers a wide variety of products for household, garden and leisure purposes. The latter area includes the “Sports & Outdoors” section – and here you can recently find electric bicycles in addition to various accessory products. This shouldn't come as a surprise, after all, alternative distribution channels have long since developed, especially in the lower price ranges. “DIY store bikes” or “green meadow” – these keywords usually refer to the simplest materials for the less demanding. But sometimes you can find convincing models and concepts outside of the established specialist retailers. And the e-bikes that Lidl presented under the name Crivit Urban E-Bike X.2 can certainly be counted among them.
Crivit is just one of the brands sold via the Lidl online shop, but it is the discounter's own brand. Compared to the bikes from Fischer, Prophete & Co., the urban bike looks a bit more independent and of higher quality. Matt black paint, rigid fork and rear motor: electric bikes of this type are available from numerous suppliers, and the Crivit doesn't have to hide compared to established brands. At first glance, the high-quality Schwalbe tires are noticeable, and the handlebar-stem unit would also look good on a much more expensive bike. The Crivit is also equipped with a Gates belt drive, which is anything but cheap.
Crivit Urban E-Bike X.2: Mivice rear motor with surprisingly powerful thrust
And the drive? Comes from the young provider Mivice, which, in addition to “Light Assist” mid-engines, also offers the rear engine that is installed on the Lidl bike. At 080 Nm, the torque of the Mivice M40 is slightly higher than that of comparable units; Of course, the large mid-engines sometimes have more than twice as much power. If you prefer to use your e-bike in city traffic, you can also get along well with less torque.
At 2 watt hours, the battery of the Crivit Urban E-Bike X.360 is about the same size as the batteries of comparable e-bikes. It is located in the seat tube and replaces the seat post; There is also a taillight at the top and rear. The battery weighs about 2,5 kilos; The electrical connection to the motor is a spiral cable that is partly laid on the outside and can adapt to changes in the seat height. The battery seat post can be released and adjusted in height at any time using a quick release; However, you need a key to remove it completely. Which is of course clever, because it makes height adjustment easy without having to worry about the battery being stolen.
Since the Crivit is only offered in one frame size, many users are likely to use the fairly large adjustment range of the battery support. Of course, the height of the handlebars cannot be changed. With medium support extension, the seating position is very balanced; Smaller riders, on the other hand, sit fairly upright on the bike. On the women's model, the seat tube is a few centimeters shorter.
Anti-theft seat post battery
The arm-thick seat tube with the external cabling is not particularly elegant - other manufacturers manage to accommodate a battery with a comparable capacity in a slim down tube, which is then permanently mounted. However, the Lidl principle does not have any disadvantages for the user. In addition to the motor and battery, the drive system consists of a switch on the top tube with LEDs whose color indicates the three riding modes; These can be changed using the small but easily accessible buttons on the left (-) and right (+) on the handlebars. The number of illuminated segments indicates the remaining range. There is no display, nor an app.
And you also have to do without a gearshift on the Crivit - the rear motor + belt drive would at most allow the Pinion bottom bracket gear, which is far beyond the price range. The front pulley is large, the rear is small - the primary gear ratio of 58/22 results in a rather long gear. What the Mivice motor doesn't let itself be deterred by is that despite its moderately strong torque, it pushes forward almost instantaneously and doesn't even need a relatively high pedaling frequency to provide powerful propulsion. This makes it quite different from some rear engines, which, in combination with a single-speed drive, rely on the driver's own power when starting off.
If it gets too steep, it's over
Even going uphill and even when starting uphill, the engine proves to be quite lively - especially if you activate the short-term turbo mode by holding down the plus button. However, if the gradient on the mountain approaches double-digit percentages, the Mivice drive, like most comparable units, is overwhelmed: As soon as the pedaling frequency drops too much, the torque of the rear motor (like the rider's leg strength) is no longer sufficient until you finally have to dismount and have to push.
Impressive as a fast city vehicle
However, the Crivit is not designed for demanding terrain. It doesn't want to be anything more than a fast city vehicle, and on this terrain it can certainly impress. Ergonomics and function are impeccable; The powerful brakes are just as appealing as the bright lighting system and the high-quality Schwalbe Big Ben. On these, the Lidl bike can roll along quickly without motor support, with the motor slowing down gently and kicking in smoothly. Last but not least, the relatively low weight makes the Crivit interesting - with pedals it weighs less than 21 kilos, although many e-bikes with a rear engine (or even a small mid-engine) are several kilos lighter.
Does it have to be a bike from a discount store? Opinions can be divided on this question. Advice and service from specialist retailers are conveniences that you have to forgo with an e-bike delivered by a shipping company. Of course, Crivit is in good company here, especially since many young providers are now relying on direct sales. Anyone who is primarily interested in price-performance will find little argument against the Lidl bike, which is quite cheap at 1.599 euros, although the single-speed drive definitely limits the range of use. Equipped with derailleur gears, the Crivit would be much more versatile - here you have to turn to the established brands. At the moment you can often hope for attractive discounts that could put the price advantage of the discounter bike into perspective.
