With its latest Air 30 Ultra, ADO is breaking new ground and unveiling its first urban e-bike with a motor that has an integrated three-speed automatic transmission. A technical innovation that sounds promising — but how does the concept perform in practice?

In our test, we take a close look at the ADO Air 30 Ultra and want to find out whether the automatic drive meets expectations and how the overall package performs in everyday use.

Design

The ADO Air 30 Ultra impresses with its elegant design, which is characterized by slim frame tubes and a striking edge. The silky matt grey tone gives it a timeless look, while the matt black add-on parts further emphasize the frame. Thanks to the automatic transmission integrated into the motor, the drivetrain with the belt drive has a particularly clean look — an aesthetic that is otherwise mainly known from single-speed bikes. The large but extremely thin display in the middle of the handlebars has a modern look, and the compact control button also fits in well with the overall look. Less successful, however, is the control unit for the indicators, which appears clunky and outdated. In addition, the cable routing on the handlebars could be optimized, even though the cables are already neatly routed through the stem into the frame.

Equipment

The highlight of this bike is certainly the drive system, which is a real world first! This is because the hub motor developed in collaboration with Bafang has an integrated and automatic three-speed hub gear. Until now, such a combination was only available with a two-speed gearbox, for example in the Pro models from ADO. The great advantage of this integrated solution is that it is maintenance-free and protected against dirt and water. In addition, this H730 motor with its 40 Nm torque can also be combined with a belt drive, which is just as clean, quiet and maintenance-free — although in this case it is not from the market leader Gates. Also good: thanks to the torque sensor, the motor is supported very naturally.

With a thickness of only around 5 cm, the battery is kept particularly slim in the down tube, which contributes to the bike’s sleek look. Despite its compact design, it has a decent capacity of 370 Wh. Conveniently, it can also be removed for charging.

As an urban commuter bike for everyday use, the bike has sturdy aluminum mudguards, a solid luggage rack and a lighting system. The rear light with integrated blinker function, which signals turns, is clever — but only at the rear, which seems a little inconsistent. Comfort is provided by 40 mm wide tires and a suspension seat post to absorb bumps. Deceleration is provided by a hydraulic disc brake system from Tektro.

Thanks to its smart module in the top tube of the bike, the Air 30 Ultra has Bluetooth connectivity to the smartphone and the corresponding ADO app. The GPS transmitter is also located there, which can be used to locate the bike in the event of theft, for example.

Operation

The best thing first: the automatic transmission makes gear changes superfluous — so you won’t find a gearshift. Instead, the gears do the work automatically and change to second gear at 13 km/h and to third gear at 22 km/h. This makes operation just as easy as with a single-speed e-bike. The electric drive is controlled via the compact button on the handlebars, which can be used to select the three riding modes. All relevant information is then clearly displayed on the 3.5-inch color display, with each riding mode highlighted in its own easily recognizable color.

If you want more customization options, you can use additional functions via the ADO app. Instead of the three, five riding modes can be activated to fine-tune the support levels. The overall performance of the drive can also be adjusted between Eco and Sport to suit your own preferences.

Another practical feature is the GPS tracking of the bike, which worked reliably in the test. The navigation with Google Maps integrated into the app should theoretically also be shown on the bike’s display, but this did not work as intended in the test — a future update will hopefully improve this.

There is hardly anything to say about the handling of the battery: removing and reinserting it is pleasantly uncomplicated and works without any problems.

Riding impressions

With its flat stem and straight handlebars, the geometry of the bike makes for a rather stretched and sporty riding position, but this suits the character of the bike well. And with my height of 185 cm, the unisize frame fits pretty perfectly (ADO itself recommends the frame for people between 165 and 200 cm tall, which certainly seems a little optimistic, especially at the lower end).

The new motor-gearbox unit is also particularly sporty: on flat terrain, the gearbox shifts quickly and almost imperceptibly, allowing you to reach the 25 km/h mark with ease. The smooth switch-off of the motor is barely noticeable and you can continue to accelerate under your own power. Remarkable: even above 30 km/h you can still pedal comfortably on the flat. This is where the advantage of the long gear ratio with the large 55-tooth chainring comes into play — while many single-speed e-bikes would require you to pedal uncomfortably fast at this point, riding here remains pleasantly efficient.

On steep climbs, however, it becomes apparent that the power delivery is more like that of a typical single-speed e-bike, despite the gearing. Although the ADO Air 30 Ultra also masters these climbs, a shorter gear ratio with a smaller chainring would make sense in this scenario for a noticeable improvement.

However, if you are mainly riding on flat terrain, you will clearly benefit from the speed advantage. The fact that gear changes are automatic is certainly a comfort gain. Of course, this also means that you can’t simply shift down a gear manually. In everyday testing, however, this fact was quickly internalized and did not prove to be a nuisance. And regardless of whether the terrain is flat or steep — the quiet operation of the motor and the smooth gear changes are a delight on every meter.

With a weight of 21.2 kg, the bike is not one of the absolute lightweights, but given the equipment, the removable battery and the naturally somewhat heavier motor-gearbox unit, this is a solid value. The ride comfort also corresponds to what you would expect from a sporty bike — the set-up is therefore rather firm. Thanks to the suspension seat post, however, bumps are absorbed somewhat so that the Air 30 Ultra doesn’t feel unpleasantly harsh.

Conclusion

With their Air 30 Ultra, ADO and development partner Bafang have created a innovative e-bike. The drive system is particularly impressive, combining a hub motor with an automatic 3-speed gearbox for the first time. The smooth gear changes, quiet operation, precise dosing of motor power and the convenience of automatic shifting ensure a harmonious riding experience. But the bike is also impressive beyond the drive system: the appealing design, extensive equipment and attractive price make it particularly interesting. At market launch, it will be offered via the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo — for a surprisingly low 1,599 euros!