Momentum Vida E+ Electric Bike Review: Stable, Quality Ride

The bike also has a front fork with 80 millimeters of suspension, so accidentally sending all 60 pounds into a pothole won’t throw you head over heels. It is fully loaded, with integrated lights, screens and a kickstand. And finally the Vida is E+ UL certifiedso it won’t catch fire while charging in your garage. The RideControl app lets you check your bike’s electronic systems for problems, lock your bike and, if you have a bike mount, use it for rudimentary navigation.

Quality components

Driving the Vida E+ feels like riding on a couch, but in a good way. It’s a bike that will do everything for you without you having to think about it (unless you’re trying to maneuver it between two cars in your driveway). The step-through frame makes it easy to get on or off. The sit-up geometry and ergonomic handles are incredibly comfortable; I can ride one-handed, pedal slowly at 9 mph while cycling home from school with my kids, and they chatter about whatever.

Photo: Adrienne So

Being a bike made by Giant, the components are very nice, at a reasonable price. I can read the screen easily in natural sunlight with high glare. The fork is made by Suntour; While I certainly wouldn’t take this bike on trails, I hit plenty of potholes, intentional and not, without crashing myself. The brakes are high-performance Tektro four-piston hydraulic disc brakes, which are also a bit unusual at the price point. You don’t have to worry about stopping quickly on hills or with a heavy load.

The Shimano shifters work well with the SyncDrive motor for climbing steep hills. I did find that the buttons weren’t terribly easy to press, and I also tended to confuse the headlight and power buttons on the top, which my kids found annoying when taking off and I still struggle to get a 60-pound bike moving without help.