I’ve tested a ton of bikes since I started doing reviews on Lifehacker in 2023—from low frills affairs like the Propella 7S to higher end e-Mountain Bikes like Canyon’s Spectral—and while no e-bike is right for every type of rider and every taste, the Centauri II is my overall favorite. I like the Vvolt Centauri II so much that I feel the need to open with a disclaimer: I am not getting paid by Vvolt, and Lifehacker has no relationship with the company.
For general urban riding—commuting, shorter trips on paved roads—the Centauri II is close to perfect. The weight, power, comfort, and handling is balanced for everyday riding, and its features performed better than I expected, including the belt drive with automatic transmission and mid-drive motor. Overall, The Centauri II raises the bar for commuter-style bikes.
The Vvolt Centauri II at a glance
Pros
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Mid-drive motor provides smooth power transfer
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Maintenance-free, automatic transmission belt drive
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Many small details that add up to a refined ride
Cons
Specs
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Price: $2,999
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Speed: Class III 28 mph
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Range: 20-60 miles
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Battery capacity: 490 wh / 13.6 Ah
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Motor power: 120nm torque 350w nominal / 650w max
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Weight: 50 Ibs (S/M)
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Frame type: Step through
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Unicrown mono-shock suspension fork – 30 mm travel
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Automatic 3-speed rear hub transmission (163% gear range)
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Sizes: S/M, M/L, L/XL | Fits riders from 4’9”-6’4”
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UL-2849 compliant with UL2271 Approved battery
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Available in Forest Planet and Galactic Storm colors
The Centauri II has both a classy look and functional design
Credit: Stephen Johnson
The Centauri II is a nice-looking bike—classy instead of flashy, with an overall look that is subtle, refined, and filled with small details that fit together. It comes in two colors, “Forest Planet” (green) and “Galactic Storm” (white), and has a matte finish. The cables are managed nicely, with most hidden inside the frame, and I especially love its reflective paint details and LED headlight built into the frame.
In terms of frame geometry, the Centauri II is designed to put riders in a slightly less upright position than many e-bikes. You’re not bent in half like a road biker, but you’re not bolt upright like the witch in The Wizard of Oz either; it’s a nice middle ground between the comfort of an upright posture and the control of more forward-leaning position, and it’s my personal sweet spot. The Centauri II has three sized frames, so you should be able to find the right bike for you if you’re between 4’9” and 6’4”.
The Centauri II is really fun to ride
Credit: Stephen Johnson
I didn’t have any pre-conceived notions of this e-bike before I took my first ride, but once I put it together—the assembly was easy and took about 20 minutes—and got it onto the mean streets of North Hollywood, the Centauri II made a statement: This bike is dedicated to providing a ride that’s smooth with as little hassle as possible. It’s just really fun to ride. When I started pedaling and turned on the assist, the whisper-quiet motor and auto shifting kicked in and adjusted to my pedaling power and cadence to help me reach and maintain a speed of 20 mph quickly and with little effort. It’s a class 3 e-bike, so the pedal assist will take you to 28mph should you put in the work to go that fast. Overall, it was a blast to drive, and I felt nimble and fast without feeling out of control.
Four small details about the Centauri II that I liked
Here are some of the smaller details that I appreciated when riding the Centauri II e-bike:
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Front suspension fork: The Centauri II comes with a “mono shock” above the front wheel. While not a mountain bike suspension fork, the mono shock provides 30mm of travel, enough to quiet urban-ride chatter like potholes and uneven pavement, but not enough for a technical single-track. While it’s no mountain bike, I took the Centauri II off road for a few miles and found it performed well on a hard-packed fire road.
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Weight: The Centauri II weighs around 50 pounds. That’s light for an e-bike, but more importantly, the weight is distributed in a way that made the bike feel responsive and under control.
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The saddle: Bike seat comfort is a personal decision, but I found the Centauri II saddle wasn’t overly padded or too big. It was a comfortable place to spend some time.
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A bell: There’s a little analog “ding ding” bell included, and I found it great.
The Centauri II drive train and pedal assist
Credit: Stephen Johnson
Good front suspension and a comfy saddle are great details, but I was especially curious about the pedal assist and drive train. The Centauri II is powered by a mid-drive motor from Ananda, and at a continuous output of 350w, it’s not the most powerful motor out there (top continuous output allowed for e-bikes in the US is 750w), but mid-drive means the juice flows directly to the pedals instead of a wheel, so it picks up speed quickly and smoothly with a more natural-feeling power transfer instead of the jerky torque of a motorbike. And like most e-bikes, the Centauri II has five levels of pedal assist, but unlike others, its first level is “chill mode,” a configuration that keeps the bike in its lowest gear and tops out the assist at 12 mph. This is useful for climbing hills and keeping a safe speed on mixed-use bike paths. It’s not a huge innovation, but a small detail that set the ride apart.
Credit: Stephen Johnson
The Centauri II has a Gates CDX belt drive which, unlike a chain drive, doesn’t need to be lubed or maintained, doesn’t rust, is quiet, and basically lasts forever. Beyond the belt drive, the Centauri II features an automatic three-speed transmission that takes the whole “what gear am I in?” question out of your ride. I’ve tested an auto-shifting bike with a chain drive (that supposedly used AI for shifting), and I wasn’t overly impressed, particularly when it came to hills, but the Centauri’s drive was different. It uses a mechanical system that shifts up and down based on speed. The way its pedal assist interacted with the transmission gave the right amount of power to keep the pedals turning easily, even when riding uphill. While three gears probably wouldn’t be enough for an analog bike, the Centauri II almost never left me feeling like I was in the wrong gear during my 150 miles of testing. To really test out a no-shifter ride, I took the Centauri II on a couple of mountain rides including a trip with 2,000-feet of climbing, and it had no trouble. Big hills take more pedaling, but unless the grade is Tour de France-level steep, they’re totally doable.
Credit: Stephen Johnson-Strava
The Centauri II doesn’t have a throttle
I consider the Centauri’s lack of throttle control as a “con,” as many people like the option of sitting back on an e-bike and letting the motor do all the work. That’s not my vibe, so the lack of throttle doesn’t bother me, but your mileage may vary. In place of a throttle, the Centauri II has a “boost” button designed so you can start up faster and get up steeper hills, and it provides about three seconds of maximum power before it cuts off. It works as intended, but I didn’t use it much, and I found the boost a little sketchy on hills where I felt a bit of lag between when the boost stopped and when the pedal assist began. It was disconcerting, particularly on steeper grade hills, as it felt like I suddenly lost power.
The Centauri II battery and display
Credit: Stephen Johnson
The trade off for the Centauri having such a light weight is having a more limited battery life. Its 490-watt hour battery is meant for a range of between 20 and 60 miles, which seems accurate based on my riding. During one ride, I started with a full battery and took it on a hill-heavy ride including a couple miles of dirt roads. I was tired on the way home, so I kept the pedal assist high. I traveled around 26 miles and the battery was almost tapped when I got home. In other words, it’s not the longest-running bike, so if range is your top consideration, you could do better. The batteries are UL-2849 compliant and charge in about 5-7 hours.
As for the Centauri II display, it’s functional, clutter free, and easy to read in bright sunlight. Each power level is a different color for each power level, so I could read it at a glance. The input are the standard “on” button, “headlight on,” and up and down arrows to control the PAS.
Overall, I highly recommend the Centauri II
Credit: Stephen Johnson
Just about every time I took the Centauri II out for a ride over the past few months, I’ve ridden longer than intended because it’s so much fun to ride. If you’re looking for a a general use, urban commuter bike and the price tag is doable, I recommend the Vvolt Centauri II.
