Benelli City Link Sport

The Benelli City Link Sport is a cool-looking bike that is comfortable both on and off the road

I wasn’t quite sure about the looks of the Benelli City Link Sport to start with, but after my son turned round to me and said: “Dad, it looks like an adults’ BMX”, I thought, yes, it does look pretty cool.

The bike allows for a comfortable ride to and from work, but you can also let your hair down (if I had any that is) and get off-road – the bike feels great on either surface.

The battery on the bike seems to last well. I turned the motor up to maximum and really pushed it to see how quickly it would run down: For commuting to work, having the motor set to ‘level 3’ allows me to travel without any real effort, and I get a full week with one single charge. Then on Friday it’s time to charge it for a weekend of fun down the dirt tracks again.

Once you start to peddle the power kicks in very quickly, which on the open road or off-road is awesome, but on busy city streets with other vehicles, commuters and pedestrians, it means having my fingers on the brakes just in case.

The City Link Sport has a Samsung lithium battery (36V, 6.6Ah), rechargeable in 4-6 hours. The motor provides 250W of power, with a torque sensor installed on the front hub, to ensure a range of 50km. The bike also features an 8-speed Shimano Acera M390 dérailleur and an Apse braking system. There’s a handlebar-mounted LCD dash that shows speed, distance, the PAS levels and battery information.

As I’m not the fittest individual, and I have an active family life, I found the bike ideal for everything I needed. It gives me the incentive to ride to work without arriving soaking in sweat, needing a shower and lie down; and when the family is up for a round out in the country, the bike just takes the track in its stride giving me a comfortable ride even on the roughest of terrain.

As a person who doesn’t exercise (I know I should) and far from fit, I feel the Benelli gives me the confidence that I need to get out on the road or cycle tracks and push my limits, but when the legs tire and I can’t catch my breath, the reliable motor kicks-in and keeps the bike moving. When you crank the power up, it even brings a smile to your face.

I’m not a motorcycle rider, so a bike with power isn’t something I’m used to. It might not be as fast as a motorbike, but believe me it’s faster than me with just my legs as power.

SPEC:

FRAME
Aluminium alloy, adjustable & foldable 

GEARS
Shimano Tourney TX55, 7-speed derailleur 

MOTOR
250w front-hub motor

SUSPENSION
N/A

BRAKES
V-brakes

BATTERY
36V 6.6Ah Samsung cell Li-ion battery

CLAIMED RANGE
30 miles

WEIGHT
22kg

TYRES
20in

CONTACT
www.motogb.co.uk

Words: Lee Buxton
Images: Mau/Jonathan