When you purchase through links on our website, we may earn a commission. Affiliate disclosure.
The German supermarket giant Aldi is well-known for stocking the latest tech gadgets and has previously sold drones and e-scooters. For May 2021 they’ve released two electric bikes – the Vitesse Rush is available in a men’s or women’s frame with the latter being a step-through design. This article isn’t a review as I’ve yet to get my hands on one to test, but I’ll have a closer look at the specification to assess whether they are a good buy or not.
Summary
Vitesse e-bikes are a budget brand who have been sold by major high street stores like Halfords and Costco, their bikes are also available on Amazon and eBay. I have previously tested their popular Vitesse Signal electric bike and was impressed with its overall build quality, design and lightweight.
As the Vitesse brand focuses on the budget end of the market, their e-bikes generally have lower-capacity batteries and simple front or rear hub motors. The components used are entry-level but functional and if you’re after a ‘no frills’ entry into the world of e-bikes then they are just the job.
The new Vitesse Rush available from Aldi
On paper, the Vitesse Rush seems to be decent value for money. The closer you get to £500, the more limited choice becomes. I’ve had a close look at the specification and it looks about right for the price.
To put it into perspective, you could buy two Vitesse Rush e-bikes for £1398, which is £1 less than the cost of a single Halfords Carrera Crossfire E. If you want to buy a Bosch mid-drive electric bike then you will be paying closer to £2000 for an entry-level machine.
Below I’ve had a closer look at the specification and individual components.
Electric components
The Vitesse Rush uses a simplistic 250w geared front hub motor – this electric bike motor technology is hardly cutting edge and has been around for many years. But these motors are usually very reliable and fairly easy to sort out if they ever do go wrong (for a DIY enthusiast). The motor is activated by a cadence-based pedal assist sensor, so when you start pedalling the sensor measures pedal rotations and starts the motor – this gives the electric assist a very on/off feel, but also means it’s very responsive.
Performance is going to be adequate – small front hub motors are in their element on gently undulating terrain with moderate hills. Where they underperform is on very steep hill climbs. The motor is controlled by a simple KT-890 LED display that has three assist modes: Low, medium and high. There’s also an LED battery and speed indicator. Again, these displays are easy to get hold of and cheap to replace if they fail.
The rack-mounted battery is 36v 6.8Ah which equates to 244 watt hours. This will give you enough assisted range to get you around 20 miles on a charge. A higher range could be achievable if the assist is only used for hills. The charging time for this battery will be in the region of 5-6 hours.
One of the benefits of small hub motors is they are quite lightweight and they offer very little in the way of resistance when not in use – the upshot of this, is the Vitesse Rush can be ridden like an ordinary bike without any significant increase in pedalling difficulty.
Bike components
I’ve had a look over the specification and the Vitesse Rush uses basic Shimano 7-speed gearing with Tektro v-brakes. These components are used on thousands of different bikes the world over and are usually very reliable and very cheap to replace if they ever do go wrong. The Tektro v-brakes will provide the adequate stopping power and are easy to adjust and simple to replace pads when they wear out. There’s also a front suspension fork to take the sting out of potholes and rougher terrain.
Accessories
For the price, the Vitesse Rush e-bike is incredibly well catered for and has all the extras you’ll need – there are front and rear mudguards, a pannier rack, rear wheel security lock, a side stand, a bell and even front and rear lights.
Who is the Vitesse Rush suitable for?
The Vitesse Rush is going to be suitable for anyone who wants a cheap and simple electric bike that isn’t going to break the bank. It could be used as a daily commuter bike or just a weekend run-around. The small hub motor should be fairly weather resistant – I’ve installed similar motors on bikes that have survived several British winters without any troubles. You could even venture out on hard-pack forest trails and canal paths thanks to the (limited) front suspension and multi-surface tyres.
Conclusion – is the Vitesse Rush any good and should I buy one?
I can’t see anything wrong with this e-bike for the price. The Vitesse brand is budget-focused, I have heard of a few niggles with their Signal model but on the whole, they appear to be okay. I would imagine buying this bike from Aldi, there will be a warranty of at least 12 months. Even if the motor and battery did pack up after a year, you could buy a replacement motor and battery off eBay for about £375.
Ultimately if you’re expecting the latest ‘state-of-the-art’ e-bike technology then you’re going to be spending closer to £2000. If you need a slightly better battery range you may want to look at some of the links below.
All in all, the Vitesse Rush looks just fine for the £699 price tag – if you’re after something simple to potter about then I think it’s great value. If you’re looking for something that can handle more demanding riding with steeper hills then you will need to spend a fair bit more, or if you’re feeling brave you could convert a bike you already own to electric.
In about a week I’m receiving an Eskute Electric Bike to test – this is also a good budget option, but has a 48v 10Ah battery so the potential range will be considerably higher (than the Vitesse).
There’s also quite a choice on Amazon – Here is a link to all electric bikes under £1000 with a star rating of 4 and above.
Thanks for reading, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below – I usually reply within 24 hrs.
![Decathlon R500e Cargo E-Bike [Tech Specs and Overview]](https://www.ebikechoices.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Decathlon-R500e-review-768x498.png "Decathlon R500e Cargo E-Bike [Tech Specs and Overview] 10")
Hello Tony,
Thank you for your review of the Vitesse Rush, (May 2021).
I bought one recently and I have to agree with all of your findings.
I have a question that I hope yoy can answer for me. Can I convert it to a thumb throttle please?
Stay safe and my kind regards,
Ron.
Hi Ron,
It would be possible to convert to thumb throttle, but it’s not going to be straightforward. You would need to change the motor controller box and the display. The controller box is below the battery compartment, the job may require some soldering, depending on the connectors. The Vitesse uses a generic Chinese display, so I reckon any 36v 10-15A controller should do the job. It might be worth checking the controller to see if it has a spare 3-pin connector. If it does then it would be worth buying a corresponding thumb throttle to see if it works (before buying a new controller and display).
All the best,
Tony
Hello Tony
Great site thank you. I purchased the electric Vitesse Swift from Aldi and all in all it’s grand, but for the life of me I cannot work out how the lights work. There are no switches on the lights, there doesn’t seem to be anything on the LED display, there are wires going to/from the lights but I can’t find any way at all of switching the power on! I have emailed customer services to ask if they know – still awaiting to hear and in the meantime I wondered if you might know! Thank you so much ??
Hi Jenny,
I’m not too sure on that particular model. The light might be activated by a quick double press of either the on/off button or the power level button on the LED control pad (or press and hold the power level button). Sometimes there’s a light switch switch on the battery pack.
All the best,
Tony
Hi Tony,
I read your Eskute review and am minded to get one. I’m not up for putting two or three thousand quid into a 1/3 hp bike. I have some motorbikes and you can buy really good motorbikes for a thousand quid.
I was wondering what you are going to do with your review model Eskute? I think they give them to reviewers, and if you are not intending to keep it, we could maybe come to a deal if that would suit you? I tried to buy one the other day after reading your review, and they are out of stock until mid July and then they seem to take a while to get them to the customer, so If I went that route it would not likely be here until three or four weeks. Too long – summer is calling.
So, if you are minded to dispose of yours SOON, send me an email.
Cheers
Tony
Hi Tony,
I’ve sent you a message through email?
Many thanks Tony. I appreciate your input.
Where do your source your Bafang motors? There are a few people selling and I’m not sure if they will all support them after sale.
Hi Tony.
To be honest, none of the after sales support I’ve come across is particularly good. My advice when buying these motor kits is it really helps if you’re willing and able to fix things. I used to ride a Bafang mid-drive and I never had any issues despite covering a few thousand miles, but there are other owners who are constantly plagued with issues – unfortunately it’s luck of the draw.
If reliability and after sales support are important, your best bet would be to buy a ready-built e-bike from a trusted local bike shop that has a good reputation within the local community. E-Bikes are great when they’re running well but can be a total pain if they go wrong. Small hub motors are generally far more reliable than mid-drives (like the BBS01B) and they are cheap to fix or replace if they do go wrong.
The best supplier I have had many dealings with (through eBay) is Yose Power, I have installed over 50 of these kits and never had any major problems – I have customers still riding e-bikes that I converted over four years ago (with these kits). Here is a link to their official eBay UK store. The motors are plenty powerful enough to cope with hill climbing, I live at the bottom of a 10% climb and I’ve had customers in their early 80’s ride up the hill with no problems.
I hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions.
Cheers,
Tony
What a useful site this is Tony.Dod you ever get to write a review of the Eskute ebike? I followed your link and it looks rather interesting as a first ebike. I live in a rather hilly area, so I was thinking about converting an existing cheap mountain bike with a Bafang 250 watt bottom bracket mid drive motor. Don’t want the risk of prosecution with a 500 watt type, though I might like the power. Anyway – the price on Amazon of that Eskute looks tempting – 10 AH and 48v is nearly half a kwhr.
Cheers
Tony
Hi Tony,
I was expecting delivery of the Eskute this week but it hasn’t showed up yet. There’s an almost identical version available in the US called the Macwheel Wrangler 600 which has had some favourable reviews from a couple of e-bike websites over there. Anecdotal reports suggest a range of 40 miles is easily achievable with sensible use of the pedal assist. Another plus point is the 48v battery will allow the motor to run cooler due to the reduced current draw.
Personally I would go down the conversion route as the Bafang BBS01B 250w is a cracking motor and you can tweak the controller settings using the optional USB lead and PC software.
Watch this space! As soon as I receive the Eskute I’ll take it for a good spin and post an article and YT video.
All the best,
Tony
Amazingly quick reply Tony. Thanks.
They must be selling like hot cakes because the Eskute I was looking at, has gone!
So – maybe a conversion. I have a hybrid bike and I need to go back and measure it up and see if the BBS01B will fit it.
Apart from the Bottom Bracket (probably ok) the other issue is to make sure that the battery will fit in the triangle. I think the bike was an 18″ frame and the triangle is quite compact. I will need to find the size of the required battery. To be honest, the ability to use gears to ensure the motor is running efficiently is important around here. There is a 1:6 gradient near here and plenty of hills.
I am a bit at a loss about where to buy and what battery manufacturer to go for. Loads of sellers, but don’t want to buy something that won’t last – obviously.
Slightly anxious about doing the conversion. Do you still do conversions for people? Where are you based? What does the work cost?
Thanks for your advice – and the outstanding info on your site.
There’s a company in Exeter called custom built e-bikes who specialise in Bafang conversions. I’m further down in Cornwall but wouldn’t be able to do anything for a couple of months. It might be worth having a chat with your local bike shop – anyone with a basic knowledge of bicycle maintenance should be able to fit a Bafang mid-drive.
If you’re going to do the conversion yourself the main tools you’ll need are a crank puller and bottom bracket removal socket (with a long breaker bar). There’s quite a few good videos on YT for the installation process.
eBay is probably the best place to buy because of their buyer protection, that way if you do get a duffer it should be easy enough to get a refund. Here is a link to an eBay seller I’ve used in the past – I would personally go for the 36v 15.6Ah battery and the P850c display.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Cheers,
Tony