This bike shows that it can always be worthwhile to look beyond one’s own nose: The Elops Speed 920 comes from outdoor outfitter and direct seller Decathlon — an urban bike that attracts attention at first glance with its cool design and low price of just under 600 euros.

But a second look is also worthwhile, because the bike offers some interesting details: the 12 kg Elops has an integrated light system that can be charged via USB. The headlight’s luminous intensity of 20 lux is not particularly high, but should be quite sufficient for urban use. The burn time is 8 hours in the front and 190 hours for the rear light.

The bike’s gears are also interesting: you normally find Shimano’s Nexus gears in such inexpensive bikes, but the slightly better and lighter 8-speed model from the Alfine series is used here. The power is transmitted via a conventional bicycle chain, a toothed belt can hardly be expected at this price. The same applies to the cable routing, because on the Elops 920 these are quite conventionally routed outside instead of being elaborately routed through the inside of the aluminum frame.

As tires are 32 mm narrow tires with puncture protection and reflector strips installed, which together with the high-profile rims contribute to the sporty look of the bike. Hydraulic disc brakes from Tektro and mudguards round out the quite extensive equipment. Only a bike stand would have been desirable, but such can usually be easily retrofitted.

The Elops Speed 920 can be ordered directly from Decathlon for a reasonable 599.99 euros, with three frame sizes to choose from: M, L and XL. If you live near a Decathlon store, you can also have the bike delivered directly there and save the shipping costs of 15 euros.