With its Dimanche 28 Urban, Moustache Bikes has launched a sporty e-bike for urban use. The French brand combines a clean look with modern and extensive features and a sporty e-drive. On paper, this results in an exciting mix of everyday practicality and riding fun. Our review will show how well this concept works.
Design
The Dimanche 28 Urban already looks sporty on the outside with its clean frame lines. And no wonder, since the model is structurally based on the already well-known Moustache Dimanche Gravel. Here too, the mid-drive motor is installed slightly tilted in the bottom bracket area, which allows the line of the down tube to continue almost straight. Together with the neatly ground weld seams, this creates a very clean look. From a distance, the frame could almost be mistaken for carbon – but in fact it is made of aluminum.
It’s got a totally black stealth look that makes it stand out. By the way, there’s no other colour option – the Dimanche Urban only comes in this version. Thanks to the uniform colour scheme, the bike looks surprisingly tidy and seamless, even with all its features. Mudguards, a pannier holder and the suspension fork fit in well with the overall look without messing up the clean impression.
You can tell that this is an e-bike as soon as you look at the cockpit. The large smartphone holder, which sits prominently above the stem, is particularly striking. Without a smartphone inserted, it looks a little clunky, but with a device inserted, the cockpit looks much more harmonious and noticeably more modern.
Equipment
The cleanly crafted aluminium frame is the core of the Dimanche Urban. This makes perfect sense for an urban e-bike: aluminium is often more durable than carbon in everyday use, especially if you frequently use locks or park your bike close to other bikes.
At the very bottom of the frame sits Bosch’s sporty drive system, specifically the compact Performance Line SX motor with 60 Nm of torque. The power supply comes from the down tube, which houses the permanently integrated CompactTube battery with a capacity of 400 Wh. The fact that the battery cannot be removed for charging will certainly not please everyone. At least the charging port is easily accessible, and the system can be expanded with the external PowerMore 250 Range Extender, which provides an additional 250 Wh of capacity.
The handlebars feature the familiar Purion 200, a combination of a small display and control unit. However, the real eye-catcher is the SmartphoneGrip. This is a universal holder into which the smartphone can be easily inserted – without a special case or adapter. The highlight: thanks to the inductive charging function, the phone is charged wirelessly while riding. Less elegant, but also possible: the smartphone can also be connected via a cable for charging.
Gear changes are handled by a ten-speed derailleur from Shimano’s Cues series, with the shift lever located on the left handlebar and featuring a small gear indicator. The cockpit is complemented by a compact headlight from Supernova and a thumb lever for the adjustable seat post. In fact, the Dimanche Urban has a Vario seat post with 75 millimetres of travel, which also has suspension!
There is also suspension at the front: the NRX32 air suspension fork from SR Suntour offers 40 millimetres of travel, making it perfectly suited to the bike’s intended use. With a width of 50 millimetres, the G-One Comp tyres from Schwalbe also offer sufficient comfort reserves.
For daily commuting, the bike is also well equipped: sturdy aluminium mudguards are included, as is a slim luggage rack on the rear wheel, to which up to two bags can be attached using the QL3 system.
Our size L test bike weighed in at 21.2 kg when ready to ride – a respectable figure considering its extensive range of features, including suspension fork, dropper seat post and sturdy aluminium components.
Operation
The electrical system combines familiar features with an interesting innovation. The Purion 200 display has already impressed us on a number of e-bikes and cuts a fine figure here too. It is intuitive to use, the most important information is always visible and numerous settings can be customised via the app.
It’s the SmartphoneGrip that makes it exciting. The smartphone is simply clamped horizontally into the holder and then sits surprisingly securely. What’s particularly practical is that no special case is required and many current smartphone sizes fit easily. Visually, the holder itself is not a highlight, but the wireless charging function ensures that you actually place your smartphone in it frequently – and then the cockpit looks like a futuristic control centre.
The large display provides a much clearer overview of riding data and opens up functions such as navigation that are not available on the small Purion display alone. A particularly nice feature is that control is still via the buttons on the Purion, so your hands can remain safely on the handlebars.
Nor are the mechanical controls difficult to understand. The gear lever with small gear indicator works precisely and provides a clear pressure point, while the thumb button reliably lowers and raises the seat post.
One improvement over the first generation of the Dimanche concerns the charging port. Previously, it was awkwardly hidden under a flap on the bottom bracket. Now it is easily accessible above the motor and is protected only by a plastic cap. A simple solution, but one that is very convenient in everyday use.
Riding impressions
In keeping with its sporty design, the seating position on the Dimanche Urban is also rather stretched out, without being too extreme. Overall, Moustache has achieved a successful compromise between sportiness and everyday practicality, which fits well with its character as a nippy city runabout.
The Bosch SX motor also contributes to the lively riding experience, showing its true temperament especially when riding actively. It is particularly suited to high cadences: those who pedal quickly are rewarded with powerful assistance and quickly reach the 25 km/h limit, at which point the motor assistance ends according to pedelec regulations. As this mark is exceeded quite frequently with the Dimanche Urban, it is noticeable how smooth the transition between assistance and free rolling is. A nice side effect of the brisk riding style is that, above 25 km/h, the motor naturally consumes no power, which results in a pleasingly long range despite the rather compact battery.
In terms of noise, the drive usually remains pleasantly discreet – only under heavy load or on longer climbs does the motor become more noticeable. Given the relatively low weight of the bike and the active riding style of the rider, the power and torque are perfectly adequate for everyday use, even if the figures on paper are now more in the mid-range.
While a dropper seat post is often used on descents when gravel biking, it demonstrates a completely different strength in everyday urban use. It proves to be surprisingly practical at traffic lights in particular, as it allows you to quickly get your feet firmly on the ground. At the same time, its integrated suspension provides a noticeable increase in comfort.
This is further supported by the sensitive suspension fork at the front, which effectively smooths out bumps in the road. Together with the wide G-One Comp tyres, even rougher surfaces such as gravel or cobblestones can be ridden with much greater ease. In such moments, the high-quality workmanship also pays off – the bike feels very solid overall and remains pleasantly stable even on rough surfaces.
Conclusion
With the Dimanche 28 Urban, Moustache has achieved a convincing transformation from a fast gravel bike to a sporty urban bike. The lively Bosch SX drive encourages an active riding style, while the suspension fork, suspension dropper seat post and wide tyres provide a surprising amount of comfort.
Added to this are practical everyday features such as a pannier carrier, mudguards and a clever smartphone holder with wireless charging function. All in all, this results in a complete package that stands out from many other urban bikes. And with its consistent stealth look, the bike also makes a lasting visual impression – at 3,799 euros, it’s not a bargain, but considering the features and the harmonious overall package, it seems quite fair.
Further information about the Dimanche 28 Urban can be found here on the Moustache website. There you will also find the trapezoidal frame version of the Dimanche Urban and the gravel models of the Dimanche. If you are interested, you should also take a look at our reviews of the Dimanche 29.2 EQ Gravel Flatbar and the Dimanche 29.4 EQ Gravel.
