Back in 2013 a friend was knocked off her Honda 50 scooter by an out of town driver who’d been paying too much attention to their GPS. While she was recuperating in hospital someone kindly gave her a car. As her scooter was an insurance write-off she asked if I’d research “those electric bikes that everyone’s talking about, that you don’t need a license for”. In short, she didn’t want to have to register two vehicles.
As a commuting cyclist with a limited knowledge of electrical engineering I gave it my best shot. While the Volto’s combination of price and specifications seemed attractive, I’d imagined that the bike might require some aftermarket modification before my friend was truly happy with it. Instead we were presently surprised to discover that, apart from being a robust and reliable bike, the Volto’s level of quality components left little room for improvement. Once the initial minor assembly was done, all you needed was to add a set of panniers and your personal transport wishes were granted.
Naturally I had to have one for myself. Then a mutual friend was won over. As a daily commuter he turned out to be the heaviest user of all, buying a second charger for work and even towing a trailer on weekends. More than two years later his original battery is still performing well. His only complaint was of an easily replaced rear brake cable, which failed after he’d owned the bike for some months.
Apart from an aftermarket front basket, the only modification I’ve made was to replace washers on the bolts securing the fenders with stainless steel after some minor surface rust appeared. Everything else has held up beautifully, with the kind of finish I’d expect from a premium Taiwanese bike brand. Once the trouble-free rear roller brake is run in, stopping power is excellent, even when loaded with around 100 kilos of rider and groceries. From the experience of three people new to ebike technology, none of us has experienced any electrical issues. Turn the key, set your power level, and the Volto is ready to go, rain or shine.