Yorkshire-based retailer Planet X looks to have begun selling electric bikes under its own moniker, with three bikes currently in the catalogue across cargo, urban and MTB categories. They’re all pretty reasonably priced, too – starting at £1,499 for the Envoy urban e-bike and maxing out at £2,999 for the Mass Transit e-cargo.
So far it looks like Planet X is picking and choosing which categories to go into, and they’ve chosen some of the fastest growing in e-cargo, eMTB and e-urban. Also of interest is that they’ve not gone for the absolute budget end of the scale; more the 'affordable but hopefully providing good value' price bracket.
To get an idea of the kinds of things they'll be up against, take a look at our guides to the best electric bikes under £2,000 and under £3,000.
Ee bah cargo
So what value are you getting here? Well the e-cargo bike, called Mass Transit looks to be an interesting longtail option. The carrying capacity isn’t listed, but the description does say it could be used for the school run, so it’s likely able to carry one or two small kids on the back.
Componentry-wise, the Mass Transit uses a Shimano Cues 9-speed groupset, MT501 hydraulic disc brakes and perhaps most interestingly, an Ananda M100 mid-drive motor. This tops out at 110Nm torque, which is nothing to be sniffed at – and is paired with two 500Wh batteries, so we’re expecting to hear good things about the range on this one. At £2,999 it’s in Estarli Cargo price territory, so it’s got some stiff competition.
Yorkshire gnar
Next up is the Thunderhound eMTB. It’s a hardtail, so only front suspension on this one, but it uses the same mid-drive motor as the e-cargo. Just the one battery here, however, but again a 500Wh option in the downtube – and it looks to be removable.
The Thunderhound also uses a Shimano Deore 12-speed groupset, RockShox 35 Gold RL 130mm forks and a Trans X 170mm dropper post. At £2,499 it’s pretty competitively priced, but we’ll reserve judgement on the performance until we’ve had a go.
Envoy convoy
The final e-bike in Planet X’s trifecta is the Envoy, an urban commuter inspired e-bike. It comes with a Bafang rear hub motor with 35Nm of torque and a 400Wh down tube battery. It also uses a Shimano Cues 9-speed groupset – the same as on the Mass Transit, and has some pretty wide WTB Venture 50mm tyres on to boot. At £1,499 it’s a very interesting price, and with all the accessories you’d expect from a commuter, it could be worth looking at for newcomers to the e-commuting game.
All bikes look to be available for pre-order from March 13, with deliveries expected from April 25. Check out the Planet X website for more information.
