Engwe N1 Pro review: Futuristic ebike with carbon fibre, 24/7 IoT security and more

E-bikes have been quite the hot topic the past year or two, and there is no sign of that slowing down. The sheer number of options available today is quite staggering, and the feeling of being overwhelmed is all too easy for the average buyer wanting a good e-bike but not wanting to spend mid-four figures.

But that doesn't mean you should cheap out either, as there are some really cheap e-bikes out there, though these can pose risks for both safety and ride comfort/longevity. Some basic knowledge is necessary, and that comes with a little bit of research before making a purchase. Hopefully, reviews like this can help bolster any purchasing decision for or even away from bikes like this.

Speaking of which, today I am reviewing Engwe's latest road-going e-bike, the Mapfour series N1 Pro.

The Mapfour family are handmade Toray carbon fibre (fork and frame), coming in two flavours, the N1 Air, N1 Air ST, and the N1 Pro, the top-of-the-line variant. Engwe says that this grade of CF is on the same level as Trek and Specialized - Those are some big shoes to fill!

The difference between the model variants of Mapfour is in frame styles. The N1 Air is a regular frame design with a rear hub-mounted electric motor, whilst the ST version is a step-through frame. The N1 Pro has a mid-mounted motor for the best riding experience, as well as removing the wear risks associated with rear-mounted motor hubs.

The whole range uses Shimano hydraulic disc (160mm/160mm) brakes and a Shimano Tourney 7-speed drivetrain. Interestingly, the Air and ST are lighter than the N1 Pro, just over 15KG versus the 19KG of the Pro. Either way, all of them are lighter than most alloy-based e-bikes, which are typically in excess of 25 kg.

There are minor differences in tyre size and lighting as well. The mid-mounted motor seems to add extra weight to the Pro.

Some of the photography in this review is courtesy of my buddy, Paul, at Tokyo Magic.

Let's check out everything in more detail. Grab a tea or coffee because there is a lot of cool stuff to cover with this.

Design

I've been riding the N1 pro for a few months now, and the unique frame design draws a lot of attention, which may not be what you want on your bike, as a decent portion of that might be the kind of attention you don't really like.

Geometry is important on a bike like this, the seatpost tube only offers a few inches of height adjustment, though the saddle does have the usual adjustment range for slope angle and forward/backward reach. More on this a little bit later.

Don't mistake its form for lack of function, though, because this frame design has both. Carbon fibre absorbs vibrations by the nature of its construction.

Combine that with an almost coat-hanger frame shape, you end up with a natural flexing effect, which when mixed with the natural absorption properties of carbon fibre, results in a supremely smooth and compliant ride quality that is hard to beat outside of more expensive suspension setups.

I weighed the N1 Pro at 19.1 KG and found that it rides smoother than my old 11 KG custom-build Marin MTB hardtail (above) over rough road surfaces, with an especially nimble front-end when turning. You can really dart about on this, thanks to that lightweight front-end and low centre of gravity.

If I could put wider tyres on it for off-road use, it would be hitting the trails for sure!

There are several digital features in the design, too, a high beam and low beam headlight integrated into the riser bar is one of them, and this can be activated via the control button on the bar, or remotely using the app thanks to the bike's IoT/BTLE/4G features.

Flanking the headlight are two strips of fully customisable RGB bars for additional visibility...

... Although I see these more as a novelty than a functional feature, I feel that they would have better been served implemented on the back and sides of the bike as tail lights. The rear aluminium mudguard has a battery-solar-powered tail light that activates when darkness is detected and has an idle sleep timeout period, so it isn't going to run the battery down in the middle of the night when stored away. It's a nice touch but has no buttons or a way to control it manually.

The high beam and low beam can be toggled by single-pressing the control panel button. The low beam illuminates more things immediately around you, whilst the high beam spreads the long-range out further.

The clip above shows this for the most part, but just know that in person, the human eye sees even further what is illuminated by the softer spill from the headlight, which the camera doesn't quite pick up so well. You can also see that some of the beam right in front is obscured by the cabling that bends right in front of the headlight.

This is how it came from the factory, and the use of some cable ties can be used to tuck this further down, though this will, in turn, add some resistance to the turning tension on the front headset as the cabling goes through the stem tube inlet.

Whilst this is a nice touch for keeping a mess of cables from cluttering around the frame, it is something that adds further complexity should there be any issues down the line. It is not yet known if this routing method through the headset stem will affect issues like water ingress that could impact the bearings here.

There is also no cable clattering on the inside of the frame, finally! This was something I complained about on previous models, so it's nice to see Engwe has addressed this.

The display screen is neatly integrated into the riser bar, this has a major plus in that everything is flowing nice and clean, although if it gets damaged then fixing or replacing it could prove troublesome.

I did find a couple of quirks with the display, unlike the LCD on the P275 Pro, this one is just an LED matrix style display, basic but functional. The computer tracks short-term trip mileage, as well as a long-term odometer. Every time you turn on the bike, the short-term mileage travelled is reset, and there is no way to stop this. Both P275 Pro and P20 have the option to reset it manually; otherwise, the trip mileage will continue when the bike is powered on next time.

This is a handy feature because it allows you to track mileage per charge. If it resets every time you turn the bike on, then this breaks this system to track such things, and an alternative way must be used, such as noting down the odometer mileage after every full charge and then noting it again when recharging. I asked Engwe about this and was told that trip memory and manual reset are not features on the new model. This is a shame.

The Shimano brakes and shifter are located nicely from the factory, though fine-tuning the angle to your ride position is necessary, and this is easy to do using the tools that come with the bike, just like with all Engwe models. The shifter is the typical Shimano thumb + index finger rapid shifter, which is capable of downshifting multiple gears in one go, with the finger trigger to rapidly go up 1-gear at a time.

The grips, whilst better than the ones that came with the P20 and P275 pro, are still not the style I find comfortable or appealing, and just like before, I installed much more premium quality silicone grips by Funn.

I also swapped out the pedals for my usual studded colour-matching ones, though the black platform pedals that come with the N1 Pro are the best I have seen from Engwe so far, they too have fixed studs for grip and use smooth bearings.

It seems someone at Engwe listened to my past complaints, where the pedals had very little grip in the wet, which once resulted in slipping and getting an injury.

A thru axle is being used for the wheels this time round, which is more efficient and functional than the old-fashioned hook-style skewers that are prone to bending or snapping due to being quite thin.

For those interested, here are the specs of the stock skewers used:

Brakes

Another area where previous Engwe models suffered was the stock Tektro hydraulic disc brakes. Whilst they were fine in the dry, the front brakes offered poor stopping power when it was wet outside, resulting in squalling and low friction. Brake pad decontamination did improve things with those bikes, but the performance in the wet was still lacking due to the compound used on those brake pads.

That all changes with the Mapfour series because these use Shimano hydraulic brakes. It seems that the stock pads that come with these are much better from the factory than the Tektro pads, although it cannot ignored that the Engwe P20 and P275 Pro weigh between 22 and 26KG, whereas this N1 Pro is much lighter upfront with a lower total weight.

Bear in mind that, as is usually the case, you still have to fine-tune the alignment of the brake calliper once the bike is set up out of the box, as there is some rotor rubbing otherwise. This is easy to do using the included tools and a bit of patience.

Drivetrain (mechanical)

Unlike the previous e-bikes I have reviewed by Engwe, the Mapfour e-bikes don't use a single belt-drive system. Instead, we go back to a traditional Shimano Tourney groupset consisting of a 7-speed cassette at the back:

At the crank, we have just a single-speed crankset. I don't know what chain model is being used, as there is no obvious marking I could see, so I am assuming it is a generic Shimano chain. It has yet to go rusty from damp weather, so the factory grease is still doing its thing for now.

Replacing the chain is easy enough, as is cleaning it, though replacing is only necessary if the corrosion that eventually sets in is too severe which is typically a result of irregular maintenance, another reason I prefer a belt-drive system instead thanks to zero maintenance.

In practice, I found this drivetrain to be smooth and silent in all gears. Some minor indexing adjustments were necessary on the rear derailleur as I suspect the alignment got knocked during shipping, and again, this is easy to do with the included tools and some basic knowledge of indexing gears.

I should add that a chain guard is included with customer orders. It is not shown here due to some technical issues resulting in this not featuring in time for the review.

The other benefit of having a traditional drivetrain at the back is that upgrading it becomes a possibility in the future. This is a 7-speed setup so there is a possibility that an 8-speed cassette might be possible to swap onto the rear hub, this also means replacing the shifter and derailleur.

This could open up faster cruising speeds, though keep in mind that in the UK, electric assist stops a bit after 15.5 MPH. At this point, you are manually riding the bike without the motor helping, so having an extra gear would help maintain a higher speed since there is no option to unlock the speed limiter for the motor assist when riding on private land or outside of the UK mainland.

In my testing with this 7-speed, maintaining up to 18-20 MPH on level ground was fairly easy in the highest gear. An additional gear could probably take that to 25 MPH.

Drivetrain (electric)

Just like with the P275 Pro, we see another mid-mounted electric motor with a torque sensor. This is the best type of motor implementation for an e-bike as it takes away the usual stresses from the rear wheel hub, resulting in better reliability and easier maintenance thanks to access freedom and the fact that the rear wheel does not have to be taken off.

Where we saw a Bafang unit previously, an Ananda motor features on the N1 Pro, and since there are 7-gears up back, riding this bike without any motor assistance at all is relatively easy and feels not much different to a normal bike.

Safety and Security

The Mapfour series combines several connected features to give an overall ecosystem to better secure e-bikes and provide a means to GPS track in the event of loss or theft. This is done by what Engwe label as a constant 4G connection:

I asked Engwe to clarify how this works. There is an eSIM inside the e-bike that keeps a 4G data connection active for a year from purchase. After the year is up, a subscription plan can be applied. It is not known yet what the prices of these plans look like, but this kind of feature is very appealing as I have first-hand experience of an e-bike being stolen that didn't have such features and the bike was never found.

The round-up of these core features includes:

• An alarm and immobiliser that locks the crank so the bike cannot be rolled away. The alarm activates when it detects motion:

• Geofencing for safe/restricted zone control:

• PIN locking for the onboard computer:

• Remote alerts via the Engwe app for abnormal motion and charging notifications:

• Bluetooth LE proximity and app-based immobiliser/PIN unlocking/features control:

Battery

Interestingly, the N1 Air specs say it has a Samsung battery pack, whereas the N1 Pro does not mention Samsung at all. Looking at the battery, there is no label for Samsung:

Not a huge issue as it appears to be well constructed and has some unique features like a battery level indicator onboard, and it can be charged on its own when removed from the bike.

Another cool feature is that there is an internal battery powering the IoT system that controls the 4G connection and security features. If I remove the main battery when the bike is off and the alarm is active, the security system still works:

The internal IoT's battery is recharged by the main battery, and I've been told that this will run for 3-4 days once fully charged.

The battery range is claimed to be 62 miles, and I found no issue with this. The same range was achieved with the P20 when in ideal conditions, which is what this estimate is based on. When riding conservatively, it's even possible to get more range. Still, within my typical riding style and using a mix of assist modes depending on the terrain and whether going uphill or not, I found 40-50 miles typical in British winter conditions to be the norm.

In the summer months, this typical range is, of course, higher, as lithium battery cells perform better when not cold.

Charging is also very efficient, a full charge happens in under 2-hours compared to the 4-5 hours typical of other e-bikes. It would be nice to see a more standardised charging system such as USB-C, which can deliver up to 240W via the PD protocol with the main source generating little heat if employing GaN technology.

The power brick this time round is almost twice as wide as the one that comes with the P275 Pro, certainly not something I'd fancy carrying with me on a long journey if I ever wanted to charge whilst staying at a destination away from home.

The app

The Engwe app is packed with many features. Those who have used Strava will know what the below screen is all about, offering similar stats features and logging:

From this screen the status indicators give a view of what the bike's condition is like, you can also activate the alarm/lighting remotely this way, too, as well as navigate to the bike if it is carried away by someone.

However, they may not get too far carrying 19 KG since the wheel/crank is immobilised and the alarm is sounding.

Comfort and ergonomics

I've caught wind of some reviewers finding the seat post tube being too short for them, and whilst I agree the post is very short, for my height at 5ft 8"(pants size 31" leg length), there was no issue at all with the seat in this height position:

Engwe did contact me for feedback on this, and the team is exploring options to help accommodate riders of different heights. So, whilst this review shows a fixed range of only a few inches of height adjustment for the seat tube, this will almost certainly be revised for customer orders with more options.

The tyres are thinner than on the P275 Pro, but thanks to the carbon frame and fork, vibrations are absorbed, which results in a more comfortable and smoother ride than that mode, even with thinner tyres.

Those looking to upgrade the tyres to something thicker or with more tread down the line may have limited options as the rear frame (shown above) does not offer much room to fit wider tyres, sadly. This bike can be ridden off-road, as I tested this out, but a tyre with studded tread would be better suited when not riding on tarmac for better grip.

I've mentioned the grips already, but the riser bar and all controls are all within easy access, the bar width is just right and general ergonomics seem to be well-judged.

The saddle is also very comfortable for my backside. Long rides did not cause any discomfort at all. This is the first Engwe where I have not replaced the saddle with my usual sports saddle preference. The adjustment clamp for the seat post tube is not quick-release, so an Allen key must be used. I have recommended to Engwe that this should really be a quick-release clamp.

Noise is also a comfort feature, and here I am happy to report that there is no unwanted cable clattering inside the frame like before. Everything feels and sounds like it is put together within set tolerances without giving too much slack. The only adjustment I had to make was with the aluminium mudguards, as over bumps the front guard would clatter against the fork. Some adjustments later, and this seemed fine afterwards.

Performance

I have had no problems with the performance of the N1 Pro. In fact, it has exceeded expectations in many ways. For one, I was expecting the traditional drivetrain to be noisy or just clunky in action, but it is very smooth and quiet, and the rapid-fire shifter works as good as my SRAM drivetrain on the MTB.

Whether going uphill or winding through narrow lanes at speed, the N1 Pro did not disappoint, and because the carbon frame reduces the centre of gravity and weight so much, it feels as nimble as an alloy bike that weighs less.

Riding uphill was the biggest surprise. The same route I ride with the P275 Pro weekly to the indoor climbing centre has a section that the P275 Pro and P20 found difficult to pedal up.

The P20 managed it in the highest PAS mode at any speed thanks to the speed limiter being disabled, but the P275 Pro struggled due to the automatic 3-speed gearbox. Unless constant pedal momentum was maintained the entire time, then the speed dropped, and pedalling became difficult as the auto gearbox did not drop a gear effectively.

The N1 Pro has no such issue on the same section, it effortlessly powers through with even a low level of pedal assist in all but the smallest two rear sprockets, which I expected anyway given past experience.

Conclusion

As with most things in life, nothing is ever perfect. I found that the front wheel rim came slightly buckled out of the box and required truing by the local bike specialist. I highlighted this issue to Engwe as it could indicate a factory or transit issue.

I am happy that none of the bigger concerns from the last two models made a return. It seems Engwe has listened to feedback and addressed them. I do hope that it continues to use Shimano brakes and drivetrains going forward where a belt drive isn't being used, as this really is better than the Tektro stuff at least in adverse weather conditions.

Looking at competing e-bikes offering similar specifications, it appears Engwe has priced the N1 Pro to go right up against them. If all the feedback provided by early testers is taken on board, then I think this could be a winner.

What's not to like? Genuine mountain bike levels of performance with the benefit of electric assist, decent range, carbon fibre frame and fork, with which comes the kind of sporting agility not found on other e-bikes in this price bracket.