Live urban and ride urban with the new Riese & Müller UBN Range
The UBN is the premium, connected, urban, lightweight eBike the company has been waiting for.
It was only a matter of time before arguably the industry’s most respected eBike brand released a range of urban models to cater for the huge demand in commuter eBikes.
Whilst being the predominant pioneers of eBike technology for decades, Riese & Müller have not focused its attention on the urban, lightweight category. That is until now, with their new UBN range.
The UBN is designed for people who want to travel quickly and flexibly on short urban routes, and to get even more connectivity with their eBike. It is Riese & Müller’s intention to show what premium urban eBikes of the future can be like, ones that are lightweight, agile and fully connected.
Of course, there is the Riese & Müller Roadster, which in 2021 saw a stylish upgrade and has been a popular option for our chargers here at Fully Charged; but at 22.5kg, whilst being relatively lightweight for a Bosch powered eBike, is still harpering to the brand’s overbuilt reputation.
However, times are changing, with the ‘UBN’ range looking from its previews to be as beautiful and innovative as any other commuter eBike we have seen on the market.
Here we take a look at the new changes to the UBN range from the other bikes in the Riese & Müller family, as well as the differences in the two models specifications, the UBN Five, and UBN Seven:
An All New Drive System: Fazua
For the first time in the company’s history, Riese & Müller are using a different eBike manufacturer than Bosch; opting for the much lighter, compact and supremely intuitive FAZUA Ride 60 system.
Designed for light and agile eBikes, The FAZUA Ride 60 delivers a smooth pedal stroke, with a fantastic power to weight ratio and operating at only 1.96kg. The bike maintains 60Nm of torque, which is more than adequate for getting to your destination within a city environment.
This is coupled with a 430Wh battery, fitted discreetly in the downtube of the UBN models, an LED HUB that displays the battery status and riding modes with an intelligent interface that can charge your phone whilst mounted on the handlebar stem.
A bike that looks and feels like a bike
An overwhelming feature of the new UBN range is how similar it looks to that of a normal bicycle. The new-wave of direct-to-consumer brands that are growing popularity across Europe owe a lot to their minimalist and lightweight design. The UBN has that in spades, and coming with a progressive, dynamic and agile geometry. The only difference in models is that the UBN Five has a ‘‘classic pentagonal frame’ while the UBN Seven has a slightly lower, semi-step through top tube for easier accessibility.
Further still, the cockpit is streamlined, with the cabling all internally routed and the rear light being integrated within the rear mudguard. A strong pannier rack that comes neatly integrated into the frame design can carry up to 7.5kg on either side.
Each bike starts at 18kg, which is remarkably lightweight for a bike with such power capability and range.
Connectivity and Safety
In a world of skullduggery and some underhand thievery, it’s good to know that the UBN models come with an active theft deterrent. The UBN will be the first Riese & Müller range to have the sophisticated Combodule RX Chip, currently used on the continent, in the UK. The RX Chip has a detection location and an integrated alarm system, all of which can be controlled via an RX Connect app. If somebody tried to move or steal your bike, the alarm will sound! All UBN line bikes come with the Supernova Mini2 headlights.
A responsible bike
In line with Riese & Müller’s approach towards being one of the most responsible eBike manufacturers in the world, the company has worked to ensure that they have tried to drastically reduce their carbon footprint when producing the UBN. The frames and rims have been manufactured in Portugal, with the drive unit and lighting coming from Germany.
You can read Riese & Müller’s sustainability report here – https://www.r-m.de/en-gb/enterprise/press/press-releases/riese-muller-publishes-its-first-social-responsibility-report/
Configurations based on rider preference
In line with the other bikes in the Riese & Müller family, the UBN range can be ‘made-to-order’ through the Riese & Müller configurator. There are three different gearing options; the ‘touring’ has an 11-speed Shimano Deore gearing system, the ‘silent’ an 8-speed Shimano Alfine internal gear hub, and for the first time on any Riese & Müller eBike, a ‘singlespeed’.
There is the option to have a suspension package, giving ultimate comfort over those inner-city pot-holes. The UBN comes with flat handlebars, but you can decide to have a back sweep handlebar, which gives you a more upright position, as well as ergonomic grips and a broad saddle.
The colour options are either ‘selva’ or ‘black matt’ for the UBN Five and ‘pure white’ or ‘rose’ for the UBN Seven.
We are starting to take pre-orders for both models. If you are looking for more information surrounding the bikes before their arrival to us at the start of July, then please get in touch with us at Fully Charged and we’ll be happy to assist.
