Elegant design and high-quality European manufacturing combine to create the Ampler Stellar, a beautiful and well-made electric bicycle designed to get you cycling all over the city.
We’ve covered plenty of high-power and high-speed electric bicycles here on Electrek.
The Ampler Stellar is not one of them.
Instead, it is a chic and refined electric bicycle with just enough speed and power to take the pain out of cycling. It’s not designed to ferry you around effortlessly, but rather to help you put in some honest pedaling on a high-quality e-bike.
And boy, does the Ampler Stellar deliver!
Check out my video review below to see this beautiful e-bike in action, then read on for the bike’s tech specs and all of my detailed thoughts on the Ampler Stellar!
Ampler Stellar e-bike video review
Ampler Stellar tech specs
- Motor: 250W rear geared hub motor
- Top electric speed: 25 km/h (15.5 mph), but can pedal faster
- Range: 45-100 km (25-62 mi) depending on pedal assist level
- Battery: 48V 7Ah (336Wh)
- Charge time: 2.5 hours
- Weight: 17.2 kg (37.9 lb)
- Frame: Aluminum alloy
- Wheels: 28-inch wheels with 18 mm asymmetrical rims
- Brakes: Shimano Deore T6000 hydraulic disc brakes
- Extras: Torque sensor, smartphone app for display, three pedal assist speed settings, thru-axle front wheel, LED headlight and seat post-integrated LED tail light, included rear rack and built-in mudguards
Ampler Stellar, a totally different e-bike experience
Everything about the Ampler Stellar feels completely different than nearly any e-bike I’ve tested before.
It begins from the moment you open the box. Inside you’ll find an expertly packaged bike and a tool kit supplied in what appears to be a laser-cut wooden box with live hinge. Inside the wooden box is a build card from the Estonian factory that hand-built and tested the bike, and even a piece of Estonian chocolate in a gold coin foil wrap. Details, people. Details.
But that’s just the beginning. Once you get to the actual bike, the high-class experience continues. You won’t find some dinky wheel skewer to install your front wheel; instead, you get a true thru-axle. The lights aren’t no-name Chinese OEM lights, either. They’re brand-name Busch+Müller IQ2 EYC lights on the front and LightSKIN LED lights built directly into the back of the seat tube.
The whole bike is just so much higher quality than I’m use to seeing on value-oriented e-bikes. In fact, just check out those welds. Among the hundreds of e-bikes I’ve tested over the years, these are probably the second best-looking welds I’ve ever seen, only coming in behind Aventon.
In addition to being higher quality, the bike simply looks sharper and cleaner. There’s no extraneous parts or cables or plastic mounts or stickers or absolutely anything unnecessary. The handlebars are just so clean and classy, there’s no visible battery on the frame and the rear hub motor disappears behind the 10-speed cassette and hydraulic brakes. The bike can literally pass for a non-electric bike. In fact, my family is so used to seeing different electric bicycles parade into and back out of my garage that I was asked multiple times why I was switching to a pedal bike.
While the Ampler Stellar embodies a simple and classic look, it’s actually packed with technology. Not only does it use a magnetic charging connector, but it also sports Bluetooth connectivity to sync with your phone and provide telemetrics as well as over-the-air firmware updates for the bike.
The phone app also serves as an optional display for the bike. You don’t have to use it, as there’s an on/off button on the side of the seat tube, but it’s useful for modifying your ride parameters and keeping tabs on your speed and distance.
You can monitor your battery life even without your phone by checking the LED light ring around the on button. It changes from green to yellow to orange to red and then finally to flashing red as the battery slowly drains. But that also requires you to look down at the seat tube if you want to check your battery while riding — not the best angle for a quick peak. So you’ll likely want to use the phone display if you’ve got range anxiety and like to have your battery status data front and center.
How does it perform?
Alright, so the Ampler Stellar looks great. But how well does it work?
In a nutshell, it works amazingly well.
Like I mentioned, this isn’t a powerhouse of an e-bike. But it’s no slouch either. While most European-spec e-bikes opt for 36V batteries, Ampler instead chose to go with a 48V system. That means it has more power and torque when placed into its highest pedal assist setting, which is perfect for hill climbing, yet can also provide just a gentle push in its lower assist levels.
And sure, the label says 250W, but I’m curious what the peak wattage on this system really is. I’m guessing a fair bit more, based on the bike’s performance that I experienced.
While you only get three pedal assist levels to choose from, the bottom bracket incorporates a torque sensor that makes those pedal assist levels more effective and feeling more natural. You also get a whopping 10 pedaling speeds from the Shimano transmission. If you can’t find a comfortable cadence with 10 speeds to choose from, you’re doing something wrong.
The Shimano hydraulic disc brakes complement the high-end Shimano Deore RD-T6000 10-speed transmission, again indicating the care and quality that went into both the parts selection and the production of the Ampler Stellar.
The battery isn’t huge at just 336 Wh, but I’m actually impressed that they stuffed that much battery into the frame. And since this is a pedal-assist-only e-bike without a throttle, you get similar range compared to a throttle e-bike with twice as much battery.
When it comes to a combination of a recreational, transportation and fitness e-bike, the Ampler Stellar has actually become one of my favorite e-bikes for all three tasks. Some e-bikes make great utility bikes, while others are great for getting a workout. But few can do everything so well. The Ampler Stellar is a comfortable e-bike for pedaling, light enough for a hectic daily life, and high-enough quality to last for years. It may not be the quickest or the longest range or the have the highest weight capacity, but despite not taking top prize in any one category, it still gets high marks in just about every category.
As you might imagine, higher-end components and European manufacturing do have an impact on the cost. But at a price of €2,490 (approximately $2,900) including EU VAT, the Ampler Stellar is more than fairly priced, especially considering the complete two-year warranty plus the five-year warranty on the frame and fork. They even offer a 14-day free-return period to give customers peace of mind to try out the bike, risk-free.
In my opinion, this e-bike offers huge value. Between the built-in technology, included rack and fenders, high-quality components, European manufacturing, and the sleek design that doesn’t even look electric, the Ampler Stellar is an incredible e-bike that can fill so many roles for so many people.
If you’re looking for a powerhouse of an e-bike, this isn’t it. But if you want to put in some pedaling on a well-made e-bike designed for nearly every urban task you can throw at it, then the Ampler Stellar will absolutely have you covered.
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