Advanced RECO Urban (2024 – ) review

At first glance the Advanced RECO Urban uses a relatively conventional ‘diamond’ shaped frame, albeit with chunky, squared off tubing into which a Bosch motor and battery have been neatly integrated. Look closer and you’ll realise it isn’t actually tubing at all, but a moulded one-piece composite structure with some neat design features like a flat crossbar with sculpted underside that then separates around the seat tube and around the rear wheel. It’s all very neat, the frame-mounted motor driving a hub gearing system via a maintenance free belt. So, no chain to maintain or leave oily stains on your clothes. Wiring, cables and hoses for the electric drive, gears and brakes are all tucked into the frame for a very clean look as well, the bike available in a stripped-back version for the real minimalists or, as tested here, with a full set of mudguards and a neat rear rack.

On conventional bikes fit and sizing are crucial for pedalling efficiency, but on e-bikes where you have a motor doing a lot of the work it’s perhaps slightly less important. Such is the reasoning behind the RECO Urban’s one-size-fits-all approach, this also being pragmatic solution to the complexity and expense of making it in a range of different sizes given its moulded design. With its low crossbar (or top tube) Advanced describes the bike as unisex, and it’s certainly accommodating of a wide range of riders. At just shy of six feet your tester is at the upper end of the size range and, sure enough, the RECO Urban feels quite short and upright for more experienced riders, even with the adjustable handlebar stem in its lowest position. Fine for short hops around town but if you’re looking for an e-bike to rack up big miles you’ll be better off looking elsewhere though, to be fair, this trad, sit-up-and-beg is very much the default for European city bikes, even ones with funky looking frames like this.

Weight is one aspect of e-bike practicality too often overlooked. Sure, they’re fine when you’re whizzing along with the motor taking the strain but a lot of them are simply too heavy to lift, which is a consideration if you have to take your bike up a set of steps to wherever you store it at home, lift it onto a train or load it onto a bike rack on your car. While still heftier than a regular bike, the RECO Urban was noticeably lighter than the comparable Orbea Diem we also had in on test at the same time, something we noticed when lifting it onto a motorhome bike rack for a couple of days away. Beyond that our fully-equipped test bike included a neat rear rack mounted directly to the sturdy aluminium mudguard. It looks super neat but you’ll need a compatible bag with the Snapit 2.0 quick release mountings to make the most of it.

Bosch is a big player in e-bike motors and batteries, and its systems appear across a number of brands. The RECO Urban uses the latest version of its Performance Line SX motor unit, claimed to be the lightest Bosch currently offers and contributing to the bike’s overall lack of weight. The power output – or assistance the bike provides – is middling but that means a more natural pedalling feel without the sudden whoosh into the mandated 15.5mph assistance limit you sometimes get on more powerful models. Frame-mounted motors like this also deliver a much more responsive, lag-free assistance than cheaper e-bikes using hub motors. In this case the drive unit is connected via a rubber belt to an Enviolo hub gear system, which is a sealed unit with a twist-grip controller on the handlebar so you can adjust the effort according to the gradients you’re tackling, one useful quirk being that you can shift at a standstill to be ready to pull away when the lights go green. A ‘constantly variable’ system, it means you can fine tune the effort without the ‘steps’ of a conventional gearing system. True, there is a bit more drag in this combination than a conventional chain-driven set-up but the electrical assistance gets around that so you can enjoy the benefits in terms of reduced maintenance. Brakes are hydraulically assisted discs, with plenty of power when needed but not so much as to feel grabby in normal use.

On some more performance-oriented e-bikes handling is a bigger concern but that’s not really the RECO Urban’s thing, and here it’s more about easy-going city riding where the upright position means good visibility in traffic. Advanced claims its frame design means improved compliance to isolate you from lumps and bumps and we did notice how smooth it felt even on broken London streets. That’s helped by a suspension fork up front, though it doesn’t have a whole lot of bump-swallowing travel so don’t expect it to do any more than take the edge off the bumps. Those coming from a more serious cycling background may find it all a bit ‘safe’ and pedestrian but there are other bikes in the Advanced range to cater to them and those taking up e-biking as a more casual affair will appreciate the confidence-inspiring set-up.

Purchase price is always a bit of a hurdle when buying an e-bike and, true enough, the Advanced looks expensive. But you get what you pay for and the quality looks high, with a thoughtful combination of components intended to keep running costs down. The belt drive and hub gears help, given they won’t need the same upkeep or replacement parts that more conventional chain and sprocket type systems require. Charging should just cost a few pence as well.

We didn’t cover enough miles with the bike to really put this to the test but we’d take a good deal of confidence from the fact it uses proven parts from big-name suppliers. Bosch batteries and motors also have a better reputation than many for reliability.

There’s a pretty standard two-year warranty from Bosch for the motor system but credit to Advanced for offering four years of cover on the battery and a staggering 30 years on the frame if you register the bike on purchase. Bosch motor units are also more serviceable than those from some other suppliers, so even if it goes wrong out of warranty you stand a chance of getting it repaired by a specialist, albeit at a cost. For the rest of the bike life should be pretty easygoing, the belt drive and internal gear system meaning all you have to do is keep the tyres pumped up and you’re good to go. Brake pads will wear out eventually and the cables for the gearshifter could get sticky over time, but both are easy service jobs well within the capabilities of any decent bike shop so no need to any specialist care there.

The neat and minimal appearance is all part of the RECO Urban’s appeal, but in the fully equipped version we tried it still comes with all you want for city living. A kick stand may not be cool but it is really handy, the full-length mudguards will be very welcome on rainy days and there are fully integrated lights powered off the main battery so you won’t be caught short on that score if darkness falls while you’re out and about. We prefer the smaller, neater iteration of Bosch’s control unit over the big clip-on displays we’ve seen on other e-bikes using its systems but if you insist on riding with a screen there’s a handy phone mount on the handlebar stem if you want it. See previous on the rack – it’s a nice to have but lacks flexibility given the need for a compatible bag. Still, if you don’t mind spending the money there are all sorts of very stylish options, up to and including full panniers capable of swallowing a decent haul of shopping.

Products like the RECO Urban are for folk who view e-bikes as a means of transport, not a hobby. Which is absolutely fine. But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style in the process, or pass on the opportunity to impress your progressive pals with its eco-friendly origin story over an oat-milk latte. Joking aside this is an important part of the whole e-bike story, and credit to Advanced for confronting it head on and making it part of the bike’s design ethos. Ditto the cool looks and maintenance-free drive system. This all nails the brief, leaving the burly price as the only real sticking point. But if your employer offers a ride-to-work scheme and you can spread the cost over monthly payments from your pre-tax salary it suddenly looks a more cost-effective and appealing alternative to the bus or train you might otherwise use.