The Engwe P275 ST has really distinctive looks thanks to its slanted battery placement integrated into the seatpost area of the bike and its huge cowhorn handlebars. Together these result in a design that looks quite unlike any other e-bike. If you were in a kind mood you would call it quirky or if you got out of the wrong side of bed you might unkindly say it looks like a dog's breakfast of an e-bike. Either by design or happy coincidence, most aspects of the design work - especially if you are after an easy-to-ride, comfortable and safe-feeling commuter-cum-city e-bike. 

We've previously looked at several of Engwe's offerings and they always grab the attention in one way or another, though the models we have looked at so far have been of the fat bike variety.

Whilst the C20 Pro folds, at 25kg it's not a bike you'll want to be lifting too high off the ground unless you are a weight lifter. Even heavier at 32kg is the Engine X which makes its folding capability of even more limited use. The E26 ST, meanwhile, was similarly big and heavy with energy sapping 4" wide knobbly tyres.

Engwe also has several models on its UK website that are simply too powerful to be legal in the UK - again all are big and heavy with fat tyres.

Engwe P275 ST, by Richard Peace

The P275 ST looks to break the mould. At 25.6kg it's no lightweight, but for a full size e-bike with a big, nearly 700Wh battery and a powerful 70Nm rated mid drive, it's more what you'd expect from a European design and it's perhaps a welcome indication that Engwe want to move away from their fat tyre, crudely-powered hub motor roots to lighter and more efficient machines.
 

The spec

 
We loved the power of the Ananda mid-drive used on the Estarli eCargo Longtail and, whilst the model used on the P275 ST feels a step down from the huge 110Nm of the Estarli, at 70Nm it should still be plenty powerful for most needs. 

The high capacity 690Wh battery is easily removable by key once your have raised the seat with the seatpost lever and can be charged on or off the bike. 

The rest of the spec is about what you would expect from a bike extremely competitively priced - at the time of writing at £1,499.

You get nine gears from the basic Shimano derailleur gear system and the ever popular and reliable Tektro hydraulic disc brakes. The 27.5 x 2.4" semi-slick balloon tyres also caught my eye and look like a sensible design choice, compensating for the lack of front suspension with air volume.  

The P275 ST comes fully equipped with alloy mudguards, a rear rack with large gauge tubing, a sturdy kickstand and an integrated front light and smaller battery powered rear light. There is a small LCD display by your left thumb that doubles as an on-off switch and also lets you easily toggle up and down the four power levels. 

It's a nicely finished e-bike too, with super smooth joints where once were welds (how do they do that?) and neat frame-integrated cabling. 

One feature not uncommon on e-bikes that originate in the Far East is the wrong-handed brake levers. Aside of whether this gets in the way of your braking technique (personally it didn't) it should be noted that UK law says this bike should not be offered here. In practice it may or may not matter to you but - along with those higher power offerings - perhaps indicates a bit of a cavalier attitude to the UK market in general. 
 

The ride

The comfy seat, large volume tyres, upright riding position and those distinctively huge handlebars gave a comfortably reassuring and safe-feeling riding position, but the bike remained lively and manoeuvrable - in other words an ideal city e-bike.

The low step frame also means it's a cinch to get on and off and it's a doddle to switch between power levels, although the display could do with being a lot brighter as I found myself squinting at it in bright sun.

Ananda are rapidly gaining a good reputation and this particular mid-drive - though not the absolute quickest of the many, many I have tested, made very easy progress up most of the slopes it encountered in hilly West Yorkshire. Whilst a lower bottom derailleur gear would have been nice to get the most out of the motor on ultra-steep hills, it punched way above its price. 

It's quiet and efficient too (though its quietness is somewhat spoilt by the clunky gear changes). Being as sparing as possible with the power levels, I managed around 35 miles which took the battery icon down to halfway - even if the battery bar is not that accurate, I would hope for 40-50 miles even in much tougher winter conditions.  

Everything else about the bike worked effectively: Tektro hydraulic disc brakes were nicely graduated and powerful and the basic derailleur system was reliable once some cable stretch was adjusted out using the barrel adjusters. 

If I was being picky I would say that the torque sensing was too sensitive from a standing start - but on a bike at this price it's a standout performer and is a world away from the often brutish and inefficient power delivery on the other Engwe models we have tried. 
 

Competition and conclusion

In terms of step-through city e-bikes with a powerful mid-drive and big battery, there really isn't that much competition at this price point.

We've looked at the Raleigh Motus Tour - though it lacks the power of the Engwe you do get the reassurance of Bosch quality and UK-based after sales service. And the crazy discounts continue as the original RRP of £2,500 has been slashed to £1,400 at the time of writing.

Other effective - but pricier - mid-drive step-throughs we have reviewed include the Mako Shark and the Neomouv Adonis 2. 

In summary, the Engwe P275 ST's quirky looks belie what turned out to be sensible design choices. That unusually placed battery means all the weight is kept central and having not to reinforce the long downtube may also have helped keep the overall weight reasonable. It's more conventional to put the battery in the downtube but that then means it has to be massively reinforced. Taking out the Engwe’s battery is also a cinch due to its easily accessible position. The smooth, efficient yet powerful mid-drive and those huge sit-up and look around you handlebars are all features that make this an easy to ride city e-bike for all comers.

So why not four stars? The wrong handed brake levers didn't help, but even if you think that's nitpicking, add it to the fact that - as with many far eastern brands - it doesn't have an HQ in the UK and it might lead you to question how committed Engwe might be to the UK market. Also add in all those illegally powerful e-bikes on their website and the fact that "This company’s TrustScore is currently unavailable due to a breach of Trustpilot’s Guidelines" and the impression becomes even less rosy - a pity as I thought this was a great bike. 

engwe-bikes-uk.com