Ampler Nova Pro: Lightweight, stylish, affordable – the ideal e-bike for commuters?

​In the past, e-bikes were built more or less like this: take a standard bike, fit a battery and motor, add a Shimano XT rear derailleur, and there you had a bestseller. Many bike manufacturers have now realised that this isn’t always the best approach for e-bikes.

At the forefront of rethinking e-bikes: the Estonian manufacturer Ampler. The Tallinn-based company specialises in urban solutions that are designed to be stylish, lightweight and practical, without costing a fortune.

The latest model, the Nova Pro, can even be charged using standard USB-C power adaptors and used as a power bank. Let’s see whether this smart bike can also stand on its own as a good bike.

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Instead of a power arms race: visually and acoustically unobtrusive

You won’t find any excessive power or large batteries on the Ampler. The bike has to make do with 336 watt-hours, which are permanently integrated into the down tube. This means the bike has to be parked next to a socket to charge.

Power is provided by a hub motor in the rear wheel. It provides gentle assistance, but is said to deliver a peak power output of up to 400 watts. You shouldn’t expect blistering acceleration or the robust thrust of a mid-drive motor, but the power is always sufficient for everyday use.

Even gentle inclines can be tackled easily with our test bike, which has a derailleur. For city use, that’s a definite plus. However, the Ampler – which is clearly designed for city traffic – is no mountain goat.

A clear advantage of the hub motor is that it is barely audible when in operation. And because the motor’s power is not transmitted via the chain, the delicate drive system is not subjected to as much strain. All of this fits in well with the concept of this city runabout.

The Nova is available in two versions. Our test bike is the slightly higher-spec Pro version. Not only does it come with premium components – from the brakes to the gears – but it’s also available, on request, with the ‘Aktiv’ option, which offers a slightly sportier riding position. The Nova Pro is also available as a single-speed model with a Gates belt and as a more relaxed comfort model.

The more affordable Nova model, without the ‘Pro’ suffix, costs 400 euros less. The spec is significantly simpler here, featuring Tektro brakes and Micro-Shift gears. The sporty version and the single-speed model with a belt drive are no longer available. All models are also available with a trapezoidal frame.

Charging via USB-C

At a minimum of 3,000 euros, even with budget components, one thing is clear: the Ampler isn’t necessarily intended to be a bargain. On top of that, many parts on our test bike, such as the lock or even the charger, incur an additional cost.

The smart features clearly take precedence here over the aim of building the cheapest possible bike. And the Ampler certainly has plenty of smart features. The most striking feature is the USB-C charging port, which is fitted to the Nova – the first e-bike to feature it. This means you can charge the Ampler using a standard mains adaptor, such as one from a laptop.

It does, however, need to be at least 30 watts. So a small mobile phone charger won’t do the job. On the other hand, you can also use the Nova as a power bank to top up flat mobiles or other smart devices using power from the e-bike’s battery. GPS tracking via a GSM module is also included in the package and is designed to provide additional protection against theft.

This is what it’s like to ride the Ampler

That leaves the question of how the bike actually performs as a bicycle. We reckon the Ampler shows hardly any weaknesses in this respect. The Deore 10-speed gear system is crisp and responsive. With a short stem and a slightly forward-leaning riding position, the Ampler steers very directly and nimbly. The handlebars, deliberately designed to be flexible, actually provide good comfort even without suspension. The hydraulic brakes from Shimano’s mid-range range bite down effectively, even with small rotors.

The motor always remains in the background. There are just two assistance levels, adjustable via the app, which are just as minimalist as the display. Whilst riding, the screen even switches to standby mode. Only at the touch of a button are basic ride data and the time displayed. There is no speedometer. The biggest drawback: covering more than 50 kilometres on a single battery charge is hardly realistic.

With its sporty and responsive handling, the Ampler is a great bike for commuting and city riding, and is also suitable for the occasional short ride. However, the centrally mounted kickstand often gets in the way when pushing the bike backwards.

Although the app is generally well-designed, some functions still overlap on Android. Activity tracking and the bike’s location tracking do not always work reliably. And in cold weather, our bike sometimes refused to charge – a fault that seems to be common to many of the first Nova Pro test bikes.

In our warm workshop, the problem was quickly sorted out. However, anyone who parks their Ampler outside in winter could find themselves in real trouble. After all, the battery can’t be removed. This, along with the minor glitches in the app and the tracking system, is something the designers really need to sort out.

BIKE review of the Ampler Nova Pro

Strengths

• Lively handling
• lightweight
• sleek design
• smart features ...

Weaknesses

• ... the functions still have the odd bug here and there