Kona Electric Ute

The Kona Electric Ute is a fun companion, and it's given me a glimpse of true, sweat-free utility cycling even in the hilliest bits of hilly Bath. It’ll carry huge loads and the power assistance means that shifting them is a doddle. It doesn't feel like the finished article though; it needs better electrics to fully justify that £1,800 price tag.

So what's in the box, assuming that they make boxes this big? Well, the Ute is built around a 7005 aluminium frame that's fairly standard upright geometry at the front but extended at the back to include room for a massive pannier (one supplied) and a rear platform that's big enough to give a mate a lift back from the pub, or nip round to school with a couple of kids. That's mated to the ever-dependable P2 cromoly fork and Deore/Alivio MTB running gear. The brake set up is reversed from the non-electric version, with a disc at the rear and a V-brake at the front, since the front hub motor isn't disc-compatible. It's all dependable kit and eminently upgradeable if your Ute is destined for a long and hard life.

The electrics are powered by a giant battery that slots underneath the extended rear pannier. At 13Ah it's basically two normal electric bike batteries soldered together in a shiny case, so far as we can tell from the prototype shots. That feeds a hub motor in the front wheel, which is controlled by: a sensor in the rear dropout; a black box (literally) behind the seat tube; and a bar-mounted computer. You get three levels of assistance and it'll also tell you how fast you're going, plus it has a backlight for those winter commutes.

The bike isn't nearly as long as an Xtracycle or a Yuba Mundo, and although that limits the capacity somewhat it really only means that you won't be able to move house with the Ute; everything else is fair game. With a second big bag you could happily do a week's shop for a family of four. Loaded up it's stiff enough, although the long frame and low top tube means you get a bit of wiggle when you put the power down fully loaded. The pannier itself was a bit of a sticking point in the original Ute review, but I didn't have any problem with ours fouling the mech. Whether that's down to a redesign or lucky packing I'm not sure. It's a pity the weather sealing isn't better on it though, and the rain pools in the bottom on wet days as it can sneak in at the top.

The main difference here is the electric system, and given that it adds over a grand to the price does it do enough to justify the extra outlay? The first thing I tried, of course, was to load up the big orange pannier bag with as much shopping as would fit (£38 from Morrisons, adjust for your preferred store) and drag it up the long hill back to the homestead. The steep way. In normal clothes. To the bike's lasting credit it swallowed the groceries and chuffed up the hill (3km, 16% at its steepest) without me even having to break a sweat. That's mighty impressive given that the bike weighs over 30kg even without any shopping added. I arrived at the top thinking, 'this must be what utility cycling is like if you live somewhere flat', and rather wishing that I did.

The power assistance isn't without its faults, though. One downside to using a sensor/front hub system is that there tends to be a bit of lag between stamping on the pedals and getting some help, and that's the case here. Also the bar-mounted computer is a flimsy-looking thing, with clunky switches, and it's fairly hard to read when the backlight's on. Switching between power modes was generally fine, although a couple of times the electrics stopped responding. In the end I just left it on ‘2’ all the time, and it was fine.

A bike like this – that's designed for hard work – needs a more robust power system. I don't need to know how fast I'm going (generally, not very). Just give me a big on/off switch and a couple of LEDs to tell me how much juice is left, and I'll be happy. I'd like to see what this bike would be like with the new Bosch bottom bracket system, which I tried at Eurobike, or the similar Panasonic offering; they seem to be a much more elegant way of powering bikes.

Then there's the thorny issue of battery life. When I see electric bike makers quoting run times I'm minded of a sylph-like girl in a flowing dress, cruising across the flatlands on a calm summer's day That's the only way to get 60km out of the battery on medium power, I'll wager. Our test conditions – lugging a big pilot and bags of stuff uphill in sub-zero temperatures – is right at the other end of the scale, which would explain why we didn't get even half the stated mileage. Everyone else should be somewhere in between. The range is fine, but let's not kid ourselves, eh?

My overall impression was of a bike that's massively useful for chugging around and moving stuff about on a day-to-day basis. If you live somewhere hilly or you just don't have the legs, then the power makes a real and noticeable difference, allowing you to get around with the minimum of fuss and sweat. If you're going to have a powered bike, something like this – that's capable of moving lots of stuff – is the kind to have, if you've room for it. On the other hand the electrics feel a bit flimsy and tacked on. I've ridden electric bikes with much better systems than the one the Ute uses and I'd love to see Kona up their game in the coming years by offering something more robust. It's good as it is, but it could be better. The better it gets, the more I'll want one...

Verdict

So nearly the bike I've always wanted: a proper load carrier that'll get me around hilly Bath with big payloads and no sweat. It’s definitely worth a look, but more robust electrics would help to fully justify the spend.