Life in the city means taking into account the possibility of a daily commute. Whether we choose to do it by personal car, public transport, walking, or any other means of transportation, it’s good to have options.
The developments of recent years have seen an increase in the number of said options, especially on the micro-mobility segment. Two-wheelers are particularly popular these days, be they electric scooters or e-bikes, personally owned or made available on ride-sharing platforms.
As mentioned above, it’s always good to have options in life, and makers are betting on it. So here’s another possible option for the daily commuter: an e-bike that aims to deliver the most in terms of basic features, while sticking to a very strict budget. It’s a difficult mission – if not downright impossible – and all the more admirable for it.
This is the Z20 PRO e-bike from Chinese startup PVY, introduced to international riders through crowdfunding in the spring of 2023. At the time, I described it as a “unicorn” of upper entry-level e-bikes because, on paper, it offered the best features such a mobility solution would bring to the mid-level segment. In other words, it promised to deliver features you could only find on a higher-priced model, besides decent range and solid quality, in a bid to make green, affordable mobility more easily accessible.
A unicorn the Z20 PRO is most definitely not, but it does make an admirable effort at keeping that promise.
Photo: Elena Gorgan for autoevolution
Design Evaluation
The “get” with the Z20 PRO is that it’s a budget-friendly alternative that wants to deliver features you can’t or shouldn’t do without in the big city, where infrastructure is far from perfect and you might require add-ons that drive up the budget. These include fork suspension, a rear rack, a more detailed display, a foldable frame, several levels of pedal-assist as well as the option to travel on torque alone, and a decent build quality.
Take any other budget e-bike out there, and you’re bound to find at least some of these features on it, so what makes the Z20 PRO special is that it promises the whole bundle. To further sweeten the pot, makers also threw in a phone mount, a bike cover to protect it from the elements, fenders, lights, the works – all with a price sticker of under $900.
There’s merit to the saying of “simple is best,” but that’s not to say that the Z20 PRO doesn’t make an admirable effort of delivering on that very un-simple promise. You can tell that from the moment the box is delivered to you: for the first time with an e-bike, I came across paper tape instead of the usual plastic kind. That might not sound like much, but when you have a package as large as this one, the amount of wasted plastic is proportional to the size. In this case, it’s a win for the planet.
Photo: Elena Gorgan for autoevolution
The Z20 PRO is delivered almost completely assembled, so the amount of time and effort you have to put in is minimal. Assuming you won’t need extra tuning or adjusting at your local bike shop (which was the case with my sample, for some finer tinkering with the derailleur), you can be done and on your way as soon as you get a full charge on the battery. The box includes some tools (though not all those you’ll need), the protective cover, the phone mount, the charger, and the bike, wrapped neatly for protection.
The bike itself is massive – large in size and heavy. The aluminum alloy frame folds in half, holding the removable 36v10.4aH lithium battery in the first half of the tube. You can remove it for charging indoors or charge it on the frame. A two-key set is for locking the battery to the frame; you turn the bike on with a simple press of the power button, hidden on the same segment on the tube under a rubber seal. The same “secret” compartment holds a USB port and the charging plug.
Power comes from a 250W rear-hub geared DC motor of an unspecified make, unlockable to a full 500W and 50Nm of torque. That’s the big “secret” of the bike and the thing that makes it a commendable option for this price and this segment of the market. It makes the bike a surprisingly powerful and agile mobility option, overcoming the downsides of its own weight and the entry-level cheaper components.
The list of features further includes a front light and a rear reflector, disc brakes, cheap pedals, a decent kickstand, and a 6-gear Shimano derailleur. The waterproof LCD display mounted on the left handlebar is not particularly impressive or 100% accurate, but it’s not the worst either. It shows stats like speed, battery charge, and odometer, and holds the key to unlocking the full power of the motor.
Photo: Elena Gorgan for autoevolution
Though certain components are obviously budget, there are a couple of very nice and surprising touches, like the high-quality paintjob and the solid metal fenders designed to match. You can always add a pair of better pedals or a brighter or more solid headlight to a bike or make do with what you’ve got, but you shouldn’t compromise on fenders. The Z20 PRO doesn’t. The wheels are 20 inches with thicker spokes and wider tires.
Range-per-charge is estimated at 50 to 80 km (31 to 50 miles) but highly dependent on your riding style, weight, terrain, and weather conditions. The bike weighs 22 kg (48.5 lbs) and comes with a handle for easy carry, though, to be fair, at this weight, it’s not “easy” at all. Not impossible, but you will be putting in an effort.
Real World Application
The Z20 PRO is presented like the sum of every nice and necessary feature on a mid-level e-bike, and I feel like it deserves praise for even trying. That’s not to say that you’ll get a mid-level e-bike at a much lower price, but it’s the next best thing. Compromise is the name of the game here, and you have to adjust expectations accordingly – which is to say, if you’re on a budget, tailor your expectations to that budget as well.
European countries have strict regulations regarding e-bikes and mopeds, so the Z20 PRO is delivered in the electronically-limited 250W mode, good for a 25 kph (15.5 mph) maximum speed. In this mode, the torque twist on the right handle doubles as assistance for walk mode, so if you turn it, you’ll only go as fast as 5 kph 3.1 mph) – not nearly decent for a dead start, but good for when you have to walk your bike up an incline.
Photo: Elena Gorgan for autoevolution
Unlocking the motor means you can only use it on private property and private roads, if you’re a resident in EU countries. In this mode, you get a top speed of 32 kph (20 mph), achievable on torque only, which means you no longer have to pedal to trigger the sensor to kick in motor assistance. You can always opt to ride the old-fashioned way on pedal power only, but it’ll be quite a workout even with the 6-gear Shimano drivetrain – perhaps even more so than with a traditional bicycle, because all those 22 kg (48.5 lbs) of weight will work against it.
Most of the time, motor assistance is almost immediate, though slightly counter-intuitive for its dependence on the gearshift. Uphill riding in the lower gears will result in less or much delayed assistance, whereas the higher gears get the motor kicking in immediately. Sure enough, you can opt out of the use of the manual gearshift altogether and go up hills like a boss in the sixth gear, but good luck to you if you have to start after a complete stop and you’re not in unlock mode.
The first rides are a learning curve, and the Z20 PRO takes some getting used to until you truly make it your own. But it’s very comfortable on the road from the start, even on rougher terrain, dirt roads, or gravel. The front suspension and the extra-padded saddle take most of the vibrations from bumps, and despite the occasional clang and bang and squeak, you get a decent, solid machine for daily city use. The kind that can take a beating and not complain about it.
Speaking of city use, the Z20 PRO is presented as a good companion for apartment dwellers because of the folding frame and the ability to carry it up the stairs. That much is true: folding it and opening it again is not some overly complicated operation, even with the integrated failsafes. You open the frame in two, fold down the handlebar, and then bring the parts together. The handle on the frame is also a neat touch, though at 22 kg (48.5 lbs), carrying it up the stairs or hauling it into the trunk of a larger vehicle is no easy feat. It can be done, but not without an effort.
Photo: Elena Gorgan for autoevolution
Range estimation is accurate, so you’ll get a bike you can ride to and from work for at least a few days on a single charge, even if you choose to go in full moped mode because it’s the easiest way to do it and you don’t feel like pedaling. The display is also fairly accurate, though it will become illegible in direct sunlight. Like with other budget e-bikes, you get only one button both to go up and down the three PAS (Pedal Assist) levels, which becomes a chore when you can’t even see which PAS you’re in.
Conclusion
The Z20 PRO is a budget-friendly e-bike that aims to get ahead of competitors by bundling several features you won’t get in these, most notably the front shock absorbers, the rear rack, metal fenders, and the folding frame. It does just that, but with some compromising along the way, so it becomes a quirky mix of awesome, surprising touches, and low-entry components you have to work your way around. That said, PVY tells me the second-gen model brings certain upgrades meant to improve the riding experience, such as higher-quality brake pads. The overall performance has been optimized, and the noise problem resolved.
But even the first-gen model is a decent alternative for the daily commute, not just because it offers those features you won’t find in a similarly-priced product, but because it’s comfortable, stable, and comparatively reliable. At a price of €729/$800 (discounted from €799/$877) that includes all the extra stuff (rain cover, phone mount, rack, lights, fenders), it’s quite cheap, too! Unlock its big secret (mode), and you get a budget bike with a huge kick that’s here to deliver the fun in the most surprising and affordable package.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News