2023 Iconic Ebikes Ultralight Review

Vintage Vibes Done Right! Weighing in at less than 45 pounds, the aptly-named Ultralight is an electric bike you can carry or load on a standard bike rack with ease, making it a great fit for campers and RVers. With stealthily integrated electronics this classic ride will easily pass for a regular bicycle, meaning you can worry less when locking it up in public places. This is a Class 1 e-bike which means no throttle, but who needs a throttle when you have such a fun-to-ride torque sensor?

Video Review

Written Review

Howdy folks! I've spent the past two weeks cruising around town on the Ultralight, the latest electric bike from Iconic Ebikes. This is a newer brand that has really hit the ground running, definitely one of my favorites of 2023, which is impressive when you consider how crowded the e-bike industry is with new companies trying to get a foothold. I get it, e-bikes are very hot right now, but I can only review so many cheap copycat products before my eyes start to glaze over... which makes me appreciate Iconic Ebikes even more for shaking things up! They take the "Iconic" part of their brand seriously and I'm impressed with their meticulous product design; these are e-bikes that look great and ride even better.

The Ultralight is an e-bike designed for classic bike enthusiasts

While most e-bike manufacturers are trying to out-do each other by cramming more power and electronic components into their products, Iconic is moving in the opposite direction with the Ultralight. The electronics here are minimalist - especially by modern standards - and they're so stealthily integrated that most people won't even realize this bike is electric! It looks like classic vintage bicycle with a clean, minimalist design, and I love how even the smallest components are color matched and on theme. There's even a bottle of touch up paint included in the box!

The Ultralight doesn't just look like a classic bike, it also rides like one, and I mean that in a good way. I've said many times that building a good quality bicycle matters more than the electronic components attached to it; this is why e-bikes from the likes of Trek, Giant, and Specialized feel amazing to ride on, because those companies have decades of experience in manufacturing good non-electric bicycles. Even though Iconic Ebikes is new on the scene they understand this importance and put a lot of effort into the bicycle components on the Ultralight, resulting in a comfortable and smooth riding experience with or without the motor turned on.

While I'm a fan of this integrated electronics setup, it does have downsides you should be aware of. Well, really just one downside, which is that you can't remove the battery. This can be an inconvenience when charging as you'll have to bring the bike to wherever your charger is located, or use an extension cord. If you need to leave your Ultralight outside for long periods of time this can be hard on your battery; lithium-ion cells don't like extreme temperatures, so storing it inside is recommended. Fortunately, it's lightweight enough that bringing it inside is relatively easy, even if you don't have a garage and live in a third floor apartment like I do.

There's no throttle, so be prepared to get some exercise

The Ultralight is a Class 1 e-bike which also means it has a top speed of 20mph, and there's no throttle, which means you can only activate the electric assist via pedaling. In addition to providing good exercise, Class 1 e-bikes also have the benefit of increased access, as they are legally allowed virtually anywhere regular bicycles can go. Some e-bikes can be difficult to start out pedaling without help from a throttle, but that's because they use cadence-based pedal assist sensors, which measure revolutions of the pedals and have a noticeable delay before they kick in. That's not the case for the Ultralight as it's rocking a responsive torque-based pedal assist sensor, which measures the pressure you put onto the pedals and can respond almost instantly to changes in that pressure. That means when you're starting out and push hard on the pedals to get going, the motor will match you with a burst of power and you'll be cruising at speed before you know it.

Another perk is that these Class 1 + torque sensor setups are surprisingly efficient, and not just because you can't go zipping around on throttle only power. That responsive torque sensor is only going to activate full motor power if you're pedaling hard, which means you're already moving the bike fast and far; the motor is helping you out rather than the other way around. If you're out on a leisurely ride, pedaling lightly while you cruise around the neighborhood, then the torque sensor will only trigger a small amount of motor power, meaning you can ride for many miles while barely draining the battery at all.

Of course, having the motor help you out is the most fun way to ride the Ultralight; leaving it in PAS level 5 feels great. It dynamically responds to how you ride and gives plenty of power if you start pushing hard to climb a hill. I love that I never have to fiddle with the display while I'm riding! I pushed the electric assist pretty hard during my longest test ride of 15 miles, and I still had 75% battery capacity remaining... pretty darn impressive considering that the battery is a measly 252 watt-hours. It's a rare treat to have such a lightweight e-bike and still not have to worry about range anxiety!

All the basics for utility and commuting are included

Having a rack, fenders, and lights are necessities for regular cyclists and the Ultralight is fully equipped by default, and they're good quality components to boot! I especially like the fenders, paint-matched to the frame, with lengthy full coverage. They're made of steel - as is the front fork - which has natural vibration damping qualities, making for a much more smooth and quiet ride compared to e-bikes with plastic or alloy accessories. The downside of steel is that it can rust exposed to moisture, but that shouldn't be a problem since there's a vial of touch-up paint included; just be sure to paint over any scratches or dings as soon as you can.

The integrated headlight is quite bright with side cutouts for excellent side visibility, and while the taillight is independent (meaning it is not powered by the main battery) it's easily one of the better independent lights I've seen, with several different bright flashing modes and even automatic brake sensing which is pretty impressive. It easily twists and disconnects from the mounting point behind the rear seat and conveniently recharges via USB. I will say that this isn't an ideal position for the taillight; vision of it is somewhat obscured from the rear, especially if the seat is down low. Other cyclists and pedestrians should have no problem seeing it, but vehicle drivers might not be able to. Fortunately, that's not a huge problem because there's a huge reflector on the back of the rear rack, reflectors on the tires, and wide reflective stripes on the tire sidewalls, giving the Ultralight better than average visibility, especially from the side. If you ride in crowded areas and visibility is a concern, you can take things one step further by getting the white model which will stand out in any lighting condition!

Mechanical disc brakes provide ample stopping power

7-speed Shimano drivetrain and mechanical brakes are a great fit for this lightweight city e-bike

These JAK mechanical disc brakes have 160mm rotors in both the front and the rear, with large four-finger levers that provide a mechanical advantage and make it easy to bring the Ultralight to a halt. While hydraulic brakes are easier to activate, you don't really need them here; The Ultralight only weighs 44 pounds, and since it's a Class 1 you're not going to be zooming around at ludicrously high speeds. At first I was surprised to find these brakes lacking motor inhibitors, which are designed to instantly cut power to the motor when braking. This is usually a great safety feature... but it's really only important on powerful throttle-equipped e-bikes. In a sudden stop situation it is surprisingly easy to forget that you're still holding down the throttle, and no one wants to be fighting against a 750-watt (or greater) motor when trying to avoid a collision. The Ultralight has no throttle, the 350-watt motor is quite tame, and the responsive torque sensor means that the motor cuts off instantly when you stop pedaling. Thus, no motor inhibitors needed, and having less cabling is certainly in keeping with the clean & minimalist theme of the Ultralight.

Pedal power runs through a Shimano Tourney groupset with seven speeds, shifted by a RevoShift thumb shifter on the right grip. I'll be honest, these aren't my favorite shifters; I prefer the satisfying click-clack of trigger shifters most of the time. However, many people actually prefer thumb shifters because they're easy to operate with gloves on, which trigger shifters are definitely not. Plus, these thumb shifters are sturdy and reliable, and the solid black variant matches very nicely with the rest of the components. The 14-28 tooth freewheel provides a nice range for city riding, capable of climbing hills easily and comfortably cruising at 20mph on the high end.

Adjustable, Comfortable, and Suspension-Free!

Suspension components add a lot of weight and complexity so it makes sense why they were left out of the Ultralight's design, and you really don't need them thanks to how well built the rest of this e-bike is. The saddle is wide and comfortable with plenty of cushion, the tires have a good amount of vertical depth which absorbs impacts, plus you've got that vibration-absorbing steel fork and padded leather grips. It all adds up to an impressively smooth ride experience, with plenty of comfort as long as you're sticking to the intended riding environment of city streets and light trails.

The Ultralight is very adjustable and that definitely contributes to the comfortable ride. The long seatpost means that even my lanky 6'3" frame feels good pedaling, but the real winner here is the tool-free adjustable stem! Just flip up the front lever, position the stem and handlebars wherever you want them - anywhere from straight up to straight forward - and then snap down the lever to lock it in. This is awesome when you're setting it up for yourself and dialing in the fit, but it's even more awesome if you share this bike between multiple people, as you can drastically adjust the fit on the fly without having to worry about tools.

My Verdict: One of the best minimalist Class 1 e-bikes I've ever ridden

No e-bike is perfect, but I had to try hard to find any downsides to the Ultralight. Anything I would point out as a negative is actually just a trade-off, such as the inability to remove the battery; that's simply the cost of having such a tasteful minimalist design and stealthy integrated electronics. Every piece of the Ultralight's design is well thought out and it's intended for a specific market of people who want a well built, easy to ride, classic bicycle, with a side order of electric assist to help them go faster and farther when they need it. The wide range of adjustability and choice of high-step or step-through makes this easy to recommend for people of virtually any size and riding ability, and I can definitely see the Ultralight being popular for RV travelers who want a matching set of electric bikes, but don't want to lug around 80-pound power-hungry behemoths.