British brand Ebco has made a return to manufacturing after a pandemic-forced hiatus. We've already had the Adventure 3R and the Street 2 in for review, and both Richard and Tony found them to be good value offerings.

The Ebco Urban 3R is a flat bar urban e-bike, as the name suggests. It's powered by a mid-drive Bafang motor, has a 417Wh battery and costs £1,999. It's similarly equipped to the Adventure 3R, albeit with a different frame, and intended for different riding.
 

The motor and battery

To get a decent powered mid-drive motor on a bike under £2k usually means there are sacrifices elsewhere. I'd say the Urban 3R is pretty well-specced for the price, if you don't mind a 9-speed groupset - and I imagine that most urban e-bike riders don't. (I know shop mechanics everywhere are wincing, knowing full well that the vast majority of us choose to use only three gears, wearing them out and often overloading the motor with low cadence, high torque efforts.)

The Bafang M200 mid-drive supposedly offers up to 65Nm of torque. I'm sure it's not very scientific - and my legs aren't calibrated to understand what that might feel like exactly - but the motor felt a little underpowered for me. I used it mainly in the top two assistance modes (there are five to choose from), but anything below level three didn't really take enough of the sting out of riding a 22kg bike. 

I felt that it was not quite powerful enough to assist fully on hills, suggesting more lightweight assistance than 'full-fat', to use eMTB terminology. It is, however, extremely quiet - almost concerningly so, to the point where I had to check a few times to make sure it was actually on. If you're after something that's literally whisper quiet, even under load, then this could be the bike for you.

The assistance is pretty smooth - particularly when you set off. The motor quickly gets you up to speed, but it seems to struggle when you change gear, almost cutting out for a second before re-engaging.

Tony also felt the M200 was a little underpowered in his review of the Ebco Adventure 3R, but the assistance is still decent enough for most riding. 

The 417Wh battery on the other hand, is super impressive. This thing just does not drain. I echo Tony's experiences of over 25-mile rides (albeit with less climbing than him) and still having over a quarter of the battery left - and that was using mostly the highest assistance levels.
 

Ride quality and components

The ride quality is decent on smooth roads, but can be quite harsh if you hit a pothole. It's an aluminium frame and the wide tyres do a lot of soaking up of the road buzz. It's not the most comfortable bike I've ever had the pleasure of testing, but with the state of the roads at the moment I'm finding it harder to believe we'll ever find comfort on two wheels without front and rear suspension. 

I think it's important to remember that the bike is built to a price point - and for now, that is sub £2k. That 9-speed groupset is from Tektro, as are the hydraulic disc brakes - which I liked. I think the gear ratio works well too with a 38t front chainring and an 11-46t cassette. It never felt like I was lacking for steep hills and I was rarely undergeared even when riding slightly downhill. 

The only componentry niggle is with the Bafang display screen. If, like me, you like to run your bike lights during the day as well as when it gets dark, then the screen goes dark to compensate. While this is handy in the dark so you're not blinded, it means that in bright sunshine, if you want your lights on, you'll barely be able to read the screen. This won't be relevant to everyone, of course. 

In terms of accessories, you get plenty to get you going if you want to use the bike as a commuter or errand-running machine. There are full-length mudguards, a rear rack, a kickstand, a chainguard, and front and rear integrated lights. 

To be honest, it's pretty much ready to ride - and if you're just after something that will get the job done, get you from A to B in a reasonably comfortable fashion, then the Ebco Urban 3R is a pretty safe bet.
 

Value and conclusion

The Urban 3R is the mid-range Urban e-bike from Ebco, sitting in between the Urban 5R which costs £2,399 and the 2R which costs £1,399. The Urban 2R uses a hub drive motor and the 5R a more powerful Bafang mid-drive. I'd say the 3R is fairly priced at £1,999 but it's not too much more money for the 5R if you wanted something to rival a Bosch CX motor. 

In terms of other brands, though, the Romet E-Wagant 3.0 uses the same Bafang motor, and costs just a smidge more, at £2,099. It also uses a 9-speed groupset, albeit from Shimano rather than Tektro. 

If you're not bothered about how many gears the bike has, then the single-speed Tenways CGO600 Pro (£1,799) might be a good option. It's hub motor powered, but is an uncomplicated bike with plenty of things to like about it. 

If you want something a bit more adventure-ready, then there is always the Ebco Adventure 3R, which uses the same components and drive system as the Urban 3R and costs the same. 

There's also the Yamaha Crosscore RC (£2,200). This is another urban mid-drive offering, but powered by Yamaha's own drive system which we found to be torquey and well-suited to urban terrain but with potential for other types of riding. 

Overall, the Ebco Urban 3R comes with a decent spec list for the money, but if you want a mid-drive that's going to do all the work for you then look elsewhere. It's super quiet, and the battery range is great though, so if you can overlook a less than torquey motor, then it might do you well as a commuter or errand-running e-bike. 

ebco-ebikes.co.uk