The motorcycle-inspired curvy carbon fiber frame and five-spoke carbon wheels of the Noordung ebike launched at Eurobike 2022 this week certainly make it an eye-catching ride, but what really makes this model stand out is the "fuel tank" mounted to the top tube, which hosts the battery pack, air quality monitors and built-in speakers.
"At Noordung, we believe that one should always enjoy the journey," reads the German startup's Eurobike 2022 press release. "And what a journey it has been. Years of devoted thought processes, vigorous testing and countless trips back to our garage to perfect what we were doing. Even though we are going to miss doing it, we are both proud and pleased to say that it’s finally ready to be ridden."
The Noordung is built around a carbon fiber frame with a standover height of 820 mm (32 in), internally routed cabling and included kickstand. It also sports an aluminum double-crown fork, and rides on funky 27.5-inch five double-spoke carbon wheels with Pirelli Angel GT Urban tires.
Pedal-power is augmented by an in-house 250-W Ansmann rear-hub motor for up to 25 km/h (15.5 mph) of assistance, in accordance with EU regulations, while a microShift AdventX 10-speed mechanical drivetrain caters for ride flexibility.
Elsewhere, stopping power is provided by Magura CT4 disc brakes with 180/160-mm rotors, the rider is seated on a Brooks Cambium saddle, there's integrated lighting front and back, and a universal smartphone mount can be found at the center of the riser handlebar in place of a dedicated ride computer. What we don't see on the supplied photos, however, are mounts for fenders or cargo racks, but presumably these can be optioned in.
The Noordung also comes with a fuel-tank-like 300-Wh battery pack with an included handle that Noordung is calling the Boombox. Riders can expect up to 60 km (37 miles) of range for every three hours on charge over USB-C, but this unit is more than just a shapely battery bank.
The company has included Bluetooth smartphone connectivity, four up-firing "high-fidelity" speakers for music during the ride or while out and about as a standalone portable speaker, built-in electronic lock technology, and Sensirion PM2.5 and PM10 air quality sensors that feed data to a companion iOS/Android app to allow users to locate the least polluted cycling routes.
All in, the Noordung tips the scales at 20.8 kg (45 lb), including the 3.5-kg Boombox.
The company's Uroš Dolenc told us that the Noordung ebike will have a "limited and very boutique production" run, and comes with a relatively high starting price of €6,990 (about US$7k).
Product page: Noordung
