Some electric bikes blend in and some stand out. Some are made to look like a traditional bike, whether it be a mountain bike or road bike, while other brands choose to design something entirely different. The ZOOZ Urban Ultralight 750 is designed to stand out with a style of its own. The Urban Ultralight looks different from its gleaming silver Chromoly steel frame to its long and wide saddle, something of a cross between a 90’s BMX bike and a 70’s Schwinn cruiser and a blend of nostalgia and the future.

Many of the Zooz Urban Ultralight design elements come from the world of BMX bikes, from the small trapezoid frame style to the single-gear drivetrain. If you rode BMX bikes at some point, you would see similarities to the dirt track and trick-riding BMX styles in the Zooz bike.

About the Specs

The Zooz Urban Ultralight 750 is the smaller model of two from Zooz available in the US. The 750 features a rear hub-mounted motor rated at 600 watts power, with up to 1200 peak watts. Powering the motor is a strong 16aH lithium-ion battery.

The company says to expect 25-40 MPC (miles per charge), but it’s always necessary to gauge your personal riding patterns and your unique variables like size and weight and how much you pedal versus throttle usage to estimate your MPC in real-world conditions. It’s best not to trust the estimates too much so that you avoid the dread of fully draining the battery when you’re far from home….us E-bikers have all been there.

You don’t want to get caught out with a dead battery because the geometry of the Urban Ultralight isn’t made for efficient long-distance biking riding. The short 24″ wheels and the long fat saddle without a seat post for adjustable height are two factors that may have you enjoying the Zooz more with the throttle than the pedals.

The name is a bit deceptive, as the “Urban Ultralight” tips the scales at 55.7 pounds, which may be on the somewhat slim side by electric bike standards, but is a heavy-metal monster and a bicep burner when it comes to lugging it upstairs. On the other hand, the average pedal-powered road bike comes in about 40 pounds lighter, and even a chunky BMX bike weighs about 26 pounds, so the Zooz is no “ultralight” by these comparisons, however in the world of heavy battery e-bikes, it’s sort of earns it’s namesake.

Of course, e-bikes are like that: add about 20 pounds of motor and battery, and even the most svelte commuter two-wheeler will balloon up above 50 pounds total, guaranteed. The trade-off of a battery-powered motor to help you go further and faster is the added weight that makes the bike a bit of a beast without added power voltage.

The Zooz bike hits all the right notes for the minimalists at heart. From its one-speed drivetrain to help you avoid the hassles of gear shift levers, cables, and derailleurs to the shiny metallic frame that comes in one beautiful color: silver, there’s not a lot of unnecessary complexity in the Zooz bike.

Where the bike’s minimalism might let you down is in the accessories and features. It comes with no fenders, which could be a real problem, should you want to ride your Zooz on the daily commute through rain or sleet or snow. Also, there are no front or rear lights, which should be standard for every e-bike for safety and convenience.

PROS

• Fairly Zippy: with a decent power to weight ratio based on being reasonably lightweight combined with a decently powerful motor on the 750, the Urban Ultralight gets around pretty good. The battery is strong enough to power the motor for a pretty good range of up to 40 miles, so you have the potential to smash around town between four-hour recharges
• Fun: Some bikes, especially some e-bikes, are built with the fun factor in mind. The Zooz is unique and attractive and can be a lot of fun for zipping around town on errands or just to get out and see the city.
• Great Brakes: With all the power an e-bike can put at your fingertips, it’s crucial to have good stopping power. Zooz did the job right, with strong hydraulic disc brakes, with oversized 180mm rotors on the front, and a big 160mm on the back.

CONS

• Not cheap: at an asking price of a bit under $3000 for the Zooz 750, this isn’t an e-bike on the low-price end of the spectrum. It’s far from the highest-priced e-bikes, however, so it just may fall in that sweet spot that works for you. Their features are adequate but not elaborate, and the quality of componentry seems to be good for that price, so the value potential is there for a fun and zippy e-bike priced under $3K.
• Awkward geometry: Like many e-bikes today, Zooz went for a flashy, unique style over simple, proven bicycle geometry. And while it can be great fun to zip on a Zooz with the throttle and plenty of electric power pushing on your pedals, it would not be much fun at all to sit on the low squat long seat pumping knees up and down to push the small 24″ wheels all on your own for a long ride home.
• Cadence Sensor: The part of the system that tells the motor when to engage with a cadence sensor will never be as smooth as a torque sensor that adapts to your pedaling power, but it does the job well and provides a smooth power boost through five levels.

Our Final Thoughts

The Zooz Urban Ultralight 750 is a fun e-bike with good power and a unique design in the mid-price range of the current electric bike market. However, it’s a bit of a generalist, opting to look good (and stay reasonably light) over piling on the accessories like lights, a rear rack, or fenders. However, you can add some of these items on yourself, but for the price, a few nice touches don’t seem like too much to ask. So ultimately, if you want a fun, zippy e-bike and love the unique design over bells and whistles, this may be your next e-bike.