E bike
BMC 257 AMP AL ONE – an urban bike to fall in love with
The BMC 257 AMP here with derailleur gears.
© BMC / PR
The BMC 257 AMP AL ONE by BMC has an unpronounceable name, but it’s a bike that you can fall for at first sight. There are many design bikes, but the BMC 257 does not score with whimsical ideas, but with perfection.
The BMC 257 AMP AL ONE relies on a softened diamond frame, the motor is installed in the middle, the battery is integrated in the frame. There is also the complete road equipment, including lights, mud flaps and luggage racks. Many bikes have that and yet the BMC stands out from the crowd. The frame is exceptionally slim for an e-bike. Clever color combinations visually reduce the problem areas of the battery in the down tube and the motor. The battery cover and motor are matt black and recede behind the light blue frame color. It’s called Powder Steel Blue and the name fits it well. The combination of bright colors and the rough-looking matt surface finish is almost overwhelming. Also the courage to combine matt orange mudflaps with the eye-catching blue. The gear hub (Alfine-8) eliminates the shift cage, which also makes the bike look more delicate. The matt black handle of the luggage rack is hardly visible.
Rides like a “real” bike
This is just the looks, the driving experience is just as important. Despite the powerful Bosch CX motor and the heavy 625 watt hour battery, the BMC rides like a “real” bike and not like an electric moped with pedal assistance. The bike is agile in curves and subtle lateral positions, on flat terrain and without a headwind you ride the BMC easily and without jerks out of the 25 km/h limit.
The bike is intended as an urban commuter bike, and that makes it excellent. But it is not a jack of all trades. The luggage rack accommodates two side bags, but is not suitable for a trekking tour. The comparatively narrow and hard road tires are a joy on covered surfaces, you get jolted through on rough cobblestones. There is no suspension. Thanks to the CX mountain bike motor, however, the bike also holds out on steep inclines and does not sag like trekking bikes with simpler motors. In the variant with hub gears, the torque is reduced. We didn’t find that bothersome, after all the 257 AMP isn’t a mountain bike.
More comfortable than expected
BMC understands the art of making urban bikes look very sporty without having to be too uncomfortable. In a light template you have a good view of the traffic. Thanks to the fairly steep fork and the short handlebar stem, the bike can be steered very directly and in a sporty manner. The power of the CX motor is transmitted through a Gates belt and not a chain. The belt should last forever and does not need to be greased, so the risk of soiling the trouser legs is correspondingly low. A belt always leads to a softer start-up behavior, this impression is reinforced by the hub gears. The same bike is also available with derailleur gears if you prefer more torque and a harder ride.
The large display solution from Bosch is installed on the bike. The Kiox display offers tons of functions and can be connected to an app. You can play along wonderfully, but the bike also works without the app. Purists can enjoy the fact that this display shows their own contribution to the movement.
The tested bike in side view.
© BMC / PR
25 km/h and beyond
As you could already guess at the beginning of the text, we were very impressed by driving the BMC 257. Although we otherwise ride a completely different model, namely a heavy, full-suspension e-mountain bike. In addition to the beguiling appearance, the BMC convinces with its light, authentic “cycling feeling” – you use the e-power and yet the bike still feels natural. Other bikes can do this in a similar way, but mostly because the “motor-battery-shift” complex is significantly slimmed down. Then there is a small battery and a Chinese hub motor. Here, on the other hand, you have the mighty one Bosch motorization included and yet it does not attract attention. In addition, the bike is not tricky trimmed to “drive slowly”. This is done so that customers are not tempted to go beyond the engine’s 25 km/h limit. In the case of the BMC 257, on the other hand, this is expressly intended. It’s a fast bike and you don’t have to be an athlete to get it over 25 km/h. What’s really amazing is how organically you pull out of the support.
>> BMC 257 AL One ST at Alltricks.com
The ideal application then looks something like this: The bike is moved in urban areas on the street and on good bike paths, the motor is primarily used as a boosting aid to accelerate the bike quickly and to help efficiently on inclines. But mostly you ride at the limit of the support and beyond after the acceleration, so that you still have a maximum cycling experience and a certain training effect.
BMC has never been cheap
Of course there are also limitations. You can occasionally ride dirt roads and trails, but this is not a bike for hill and dale and it is also not intended for long bike tours. The strongest limit is the permissible total weight, which is only 120 kilograms. If you subtract the weight of the bike and want to transport a purchase, the biker can quickly only weigh less than 90 kilograms – including shoes and clothing. On the other hand, even with occasional overloading, wheels do not collapse. We were also overweight.
>> BMC 257 AL One City Bike at Alltricks.com
The BMC 257 is offered in various configurations. Also with derailleur gears, so the belt is not mandatory. They are significantly cheaper, but no less beautiful unmotorized variants of the 257. Here the costs are between 1500 and 2000 euros. As ridden, the bike costs 4999 euros. In view of the large motor, the strong battery, the Kiox display and the belt drive, the price is to be expected and is also justified. But of course you are in the upper price segment for an urban bike at 5000 euros.
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