The 2023 WINORA E-Flitzer featuring the MAHLE X35+ hub motor – An affordable commuter in review

WINORA promise maximum fun with their new commuter. For € 2,599, the WINORA E-Flitzer features a design that you could probably best describe as Scandinavian minimalism. Can the WINORA deliver with its MAHLE X35+ hub motor and put a smile on your face on your daily commutes and urban exploits?

The selection of e-commuters on the market is huge. If you type the words “affordable” and “e-commuter” into your search engine of your choice, you will literally be bombarded with results. Like the tasks given to Cinderella, sorting the good from the bad is laborious and almost impossible without taking each one for a test ride. Ultimately, it always comes down to the overall concept and the differences here are huge, especially in the lower-priced segment! We’ll help you place the WINORA. The E-Flitzer can be described as “understatement in design and power” – it offers little support, but it’s light-weight, too. Paired with the MAHLE X35+, WINORA rely on a sleek design and a discreetly integrated motor. It aims to establish itself among other lightweight ebikes of this exciting segment like the Specialized Vado SL 5.0 EQ, the Riese & Müller UBN Five with its FAZUA Ride 60 motor or the Urwahn Platzhirsch. With an RRP of € 2,599, the WINORA definitely outshines its rivals in terms of price. It’s equipped with the MAHLE X35+ hub motor and the size L on test tips the scales at 17.3 kg. For comparison, the Specialized Vado SL 5.0 EQ with its mid-mounted SL 1.1 motor weighs 16.42 kg and costs € 4,600. The Riese & Müller UBN Five featuring FAZUA Ride 60 motor weighs 19 kg and costs a staggering € 5,049. Of course, it’s not just the price or the weight that counts, but also the relevant details, like functionality and handling. Besides, mid-mounted motors are generally more expensive than hub motors and often perform better on the climbs. But comparing it with the competition serves as a rough guide.

Speed dating with the WINORA E-Flitzer – Is this an ebike?

At first glance, the WINORA E-Flitzer looks like a normal commuter, it’s only upon closer inspection that you’ll spot the MAHLE X35+ motor, which is hidden in the rear hub. WINORA went for a minimalistic approach when designing the frame – the lines are as simple as they are clean. Minimalists also get their money’s worth when it comes to the branding, consisting of unobtrusive black lettering on the top tube and chainstays. The WINORA logo on the head tube is just as discreet. In general, the ebike looks very tidy and restrained.

The components of the WINORA E-Flitzer

WINORA make things really easy when it comes to choosing the model, because there is just one. For the frame colour, you can choose between Darkcherry Matt, like the bike on test, or Darkslategrey Matt. Both colours are very discreet and premium looking. The weld seams on the aluminium frame of the E-Flitzer are of equally high quality, the carbon fork sitting flush with the head tube. The commuter is available in frame sizes 42, 46, 50 and 55, which corresponds to about XS–L. You’ll find a practical size calculator on the WINORA website that doesn’t just calculate the frame size based on how tall you are, but also takes your leg and arm length and the desired riding position into consideration. Providing an e-powered tailwind is the 40 Nm MAHLE X35+ hub motor, and a 250 Wh battery, though we’ll look at this in more detail later. Shifting is taken care of by a Shimano DEORE 11-speed drivetrain, which provides a gear range of 11 to 42 teeth.

You’ve got a pair of TEKTRO brakes to keep your speed in check aboard the WINORA E-Flitzer. The R280 disc brakes and 160 mm rotors are part of TEKTRO’s budget range, but they perform sufficiently for light riders. For people above 80 kg, we recommend fitting a larger rotor up front, especially if you’re going to ride down long or steep descents. Thanks to the practical mudguards, Busch & Müller XELTEC tail light integrated into the rear mudguard, and 550 lm Litemove headlight, the WINORA E-Flitzer is well-equipped for commuting day and night. The headlight isn’t the brightest, but the lighting looks natural. When looking at the cockpit, the first thing you’ll notice is the beautiful cable routing by the headset and fork. This emphasises the bike’s clean look, though at the expense of easy servicing, unfortunately.

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Handling the WINORA E-Flitzer

A clean look, low weight, and minimalism often go hand in hand with certain compromises. Thanks to the integrated and non-removable battery in the down tube, the designers were able to keep the frame looking so slender. In return, however, the battery can’t be charged outside the bike, which is a disadvantage for people without a power outlet in their garage or wherever they park their bike. No one likes carrying their ebike into the apartment, though the comparatively low weight of 17.3 kg provides some relief since picking it up is slightly less of a chore. For comparison: the weight of similar bikes in the urban ebike sector can often exceed 25 kg.

Attention data fans and friends of customization! The MAHLE My Smart Bike is an intuitively designed app for your motor. It makes it super easy to map the motor yourself, i.e. the motor’s power output and how it responds, to view data from your last ride, and check the exact status of the battery. A great feature for fitness enthusiasts is that you can link the support of the motor with your heart rate. It’s like having a personal trainer: it supports you as much as necessary and as little as possible. The MAHLE X35+ motor cuts out gradually at speeds over 25 km/h, allowing the rider of the E-Flitzer to carry on smoothly from there. As such, the WINORA might just spare you from having to visit the stuffy gym. Operating the motor without the associated app is very easy: to start the bike, simply push the button in the top tube, and you can scroll through the support modes by pushing it again.

Unfortunately, things get complicated in the event of a puncture. To remove the rear wheel, you must disconnect the power supply from the battery to the motor. That’s not the problem; reconnecting can become a pain in the a#*. WINORA could have avoided this problem with the new X20 from MAHLE, which is lighter and slimmer, too. MAHLE’s latest motor has a simple plug at the dropout, which makes removing and reinstalling the rear wheel a whole lot easier compared to the X35+. Fortunately, the WINORA E-Flitzer makes up for this with the MIK rack system. It allows for the easy and secure attachment of accessories such as a basket, panniers or the like.

How does the WINORA E-Flitzer ride?

The dynamic commuter look continues with the riding position. With our test rider measuring 183 cm, the riding position on the size L bike (the largest size) was compact yet slightly front-heavy. In the long run, this can put strain on your wrists, but it makes for a sporty riding position. Despite the sporty looks, the bike retains its commuting credentials thanks to the protective mudguards and the practical MIK luggage rack. The handling of the WINORA E-Flitzer is manoeuvrable and responsive. That’s especially useful for a commuter as it allows you to easily swerve around and avoid obstacles in city traffic.

If you come across inner-city cobblestones during a commute or excursion into town, the 2″ Continental CONTACT Urban tires lend the minimalist package a touch of much needed comfort. This makes you feel like a martini – stirred, not shaken. As long as you’re on flat terrain, the motor provides a decent level of assistance. But if things get steeper, as on the Hasenberg climb in Stuttgart, the hub motor will reach its limits. As the incline increases and you slow down, the support of the motor decreases since hub motors require relatively high rpm to unleash their power. Thus, steep climbs are noticeably more difficult than aboard a bike with a mid-mounted motor. It is like with a tailwind, you benefit less and less the steeper the climb. Depending on the speed, the motor emits a constant whine. It’s significantly louder than higher-end motors like the TQ. Commuters in flat cities or sporty urbanites who like the occasional challenge despite the electronic motor will enjoy this stylish city runabout! Due to the limited frame sizes, however, the bike isn’t suitable for folks over 190 cm tall.

Tuning tip:180 mm brake rotor on the front wheel | Use MIK basket or panniers for the luggage rack

Conclusion on the WINORA E-Flitzer

The WINORA E-Flitzer will get you to the office and back with a smile on your face. It isn’t a full-power ebike that will fly up the climbs or state-of-the-art vehicle with the latest technology, but rather a minimalistic, understated, functional, robust, comparatively light weight, and well-priced commuter, going for € 2,599. It’s too bad that the E-Flitzer isn’t available in frame size XL, leaving tall people to go looking elsewhere for an urban e-commuter.

For more information visit winora.com.

Words: Philip Grünewald Photos: Julian Lemme