Test / e-bike: From May 16.05.2019, 899, Aldi Süd will be offering a Prophete e-bike for an extremely low price of XNUMX euros. We take a closer look at the apparent bargain and reveal whether it's worth going to the branch.
Note d. Editor: We requested a test bike from Aldi in advance and were given it free of charge for testing purposes. After the end of the test, the bike will be sent back.
It's been a while since Aldi Süd had an e-bike on offer. After a few years of silence, we were all the more surprised when the first signs appeared a few weeks ago that the mega discounter will again have an electric bike on offer in 2019. From today, May 16th to June 8th, a Prophete e-bike is available in all Aldi Süd branches at a bargain price of 899 euros. We took a close look at the bike and will tell you whether it's worth going to the branch - or not.
Aldi Süd E-Bike 2019: Buy in store, have it delivered to your home
If you hope – as in the past – that you can pack your bike up at the branch and ideally cycle straight home, you will be disappointed. The new Aldi e-bike will only be available through the new "Aldi delivers" sales concept. In concrete terms, this means that you buy the bike in the branch, but you cannot take it with you directly, but have it delivered to your home free of charge in the following days.
Most of the e-bike comes pre-assembled in a large box. Actually, all you have to do is mount the pedals, straighten the stem and turn the handlebars up - done. Of course, as with all mail-order bikes, you should check all screws for tightness before your first ride.
Aldi Süd E-Bike 2019: First impression - bargain!
The new discounter e-bike comes from the manufacturer Prophete, which has also produced e-bikes for other chains and also sells many different models directly - from the cheap to the upper middle price sector. 899 euros for the Aldi e-bike are of course a price challenge and about half of what you have to invest for a cheap brand e-bike; In view of this, the overall package seems almost unbelievably good: A 250 watt hub motor with a 462Wh battery, hydraulic disc brakes from Shimano and a full range of equipment including luggage rack, mudguards and lighting.
Sure, the Shimano 3×8 gears are no longer really up-to-date, especially the triple crank. You have to do without an A-Head stem as well as metal mudguards and the battery on the down tube feels twice as big as a comparable model from Bosch, for example. But these are certainly not KO criteria and do not make the overall package worse. This also includes the partially open cables or one or the other sharp edge, such as at the cable entry for the internally running cables.
On the other hand, we noticed the illuminated display on the handlebars, in which the control unit for the drive was integrated. The information content is sufficient, the most important information such as speed, remaining range and support level is available, the readability is also okay, even if the contrast should be a bit higher. The two control buttons are ergonomically well placed and have a well-defined pressure point.
Aldi Süd E-Bike 2019: test drive
The first time you sit down, one thing is immediately clear: the (men's) frame of the Aldi e-bike is pretty big. The angle-adjustable stem offers some leeway here, but the driver shouldn't be much smaller than 1,80m if he still wants to sit comfortably on the Prophete. Otherwise, the ergonomics are quite successful. The saddle is not too soft and the grips are quite comfortable. However, the handlebars, which are cranked backwards, are a tad too narrow for our taste.
As expected from a hub motor, the "Trio" drive pushes silently. The support logic is fundamentally different from what is known from most other e-bikes. While otherwise the motor simply "shoots" power at different levels, the actual support power of the Prophete is the same at every level. Where is the difference then? For example, the support stops at level 1 of the drive at 11km/h. At level 2 it is 15km/h, level 3 19km/h and only in the highest level 5 you get motor power up to the 25km/h limit.
This is unusual and not particularly practical. Many drivers will therefore probably always be in level 5. The actual performance is average - although the motor cannot keep up with modern mid-mounted motors, it still offers enough power for most applications. Only on steep inclines does he start to sweat quite quickly. However, the control unit is positive: intuitive to use and very easy to read. The illuminated but somewhat low-contrast display should only reach its limits in direct sunlight.
The rest of the equipment is quite appealing: the light is pleasantly bright, the tires are inconspicuous in a positive sense and the Shimano brakes do a very good job. The Suntour suspension fork can only be adjusted to the rider's weight to a limited extent by means of spring preload, but it always ensures a gain in comfort on bad roads. Meanwhile, the spring support is a lot more stubborn and could not convince, at least on our model.
Last but not least is the circuit. Opinions should differ on the 3 × 8 translation. Although the setup offers a wide range, this should only really be necessary in exceptional cases. Anyone who is used to three chainrings and avoids unfavorable gear combinations should have no problem with it.
