2022 VTUVIA SN100 Review

Video Review

Written Review

Alright, my fellow e-bike friends, so today we’re reviewing the Vtuvia SN100 fat tire electric bike. This e-bike is definitely in the “affordable” category, with a starting price of $1,679 USD, and Vtuvia also offers free shipping, which helps save another nice chunk of change.

The SN100 comes in four different color options — Camo, Classic Black, Green and Silver Grey — and is a great e-bike for exploring the trails or just cruising through town. 

Right, so let’s talk about the specs.

The Vtuvia SN100 has a powerful Vtuvia-branded 750 watt hub motor in the rear wheel. This motor cranks out 80 Newton meters of torque and can bring this ride up to a top speed of 28 mph by using the thumb throttle or the cadence sensing pedal assist. 

Now, like all cadence sensors, there is some latency with motor activation and deactivation, and that can make navigating technical terrain a bit difficult. Thankfully, the throttle on the SN100 is live from 0 mph, and the brakes have motor inhibitors built into the brake levers. This means you can pretty easily take manual control of motor activation and deactivation for those situations where precision riding is important.

The 48 volt, 13 amp hour, locking, removable battery is positioned on the downtube, which keeps the center-of-gravity on the SN100 nice and low, and offers a max estimated range of 48 miles per charge. Real world range will vary quite a bit depending on a number of factors like payload, terrain, pedal assist level, wind… all that good stuff.

The curb weight on the SN100 is approximately 72 pounds, but because this bike is so well balanced, it still feels nimble. And with a max load capacity of 350 pounds you can really load this e-bike up with gear, especially if you grab the optional rear rack, which costs $79.

One of my favorite things about the SN100 frame is the super low minimum saddle height of just 33 inches. When the saddle is dropped all the way I can put my feet flat on the ground while at a stop, and I’m 5’10” with a 30” inseam for reference. It’s also way easier to ride the SN100 aggressively when the saddle is that low.

There is an integrated headlight on the SN100 that’s built directly into the frame and while it looks super slick, it’s not super bright. Still, the extra illumination will increase your visibility to other riders, pedestrians and cars, and for that added safety Vtuvia gets 10 points. 

At the rear of the SN100 there’s a Shimano Tourney derailleur with a 7-speed cassette paired with a Shimano SIS Index Thumb shifter. The spread here is good and when you’re in top gear at around 25 mph, the cadence is pretty much perfect. 

There’s also a double sided bash guard on the front chainring which helps keep that chain locked into place.

Now, the Mozo spring suspension has about 100 mm of travel, preload adjust and lockout, and while these aren’t your Redbull racing shocks, they do a great job of smoothing out the ride. The huge air volume in the Kenda 26 inch by 4 inch fat tires also helps tame the trails not just because of the added suspension they offer, but because of their massive tire patch.

When you’re trying to slog your way through sand, snow or mud, these fat tires really help to keep the SN100 afloat. And if you air them down to 5 psi, you’re basically unstoppable. 

I absolutely love that Vtuvia gave the SN100 hydraulic brakes because when you’ve got a ride that can hit 28 mph, you really need to be able to stop on a dime. The only downside with these brakes are the rotors. 

The SN100 has 160 mm rotors in the front and rear wheels, and while that offers plenty of stopping power in perfect conditions, they might struggle when they’re all gunked up with mud and the SN100 is loaded to its max payload capacity of 350 pounds. 

I’d love to see at least a 180 mm rotor in the front wheel, but I’m still impressed that we’ve got hydraulic brakes on an e-bike at this price point. 

Let’s talk about the handlebars. They’re adjustable in angle, which means if you plan to ride the SN100 primarily off-road, you can decrease the angle for a more aggressive and efficient posture. But, for those that plan on using the SN100 more as a road warrior, well, then you can raise those handlebars on up for a more upright and relaxed riding posture. 

In the middle of the handlebars we’ve got a bright, colorful LCD display that’s easy to read in direct sunlight, and since it doesn’t have a polarized screen, there won’t be any interference with polarized sun glasses. 

On the left side of the independent button pad, and on the right side we’ve go the SIS Index thumb shifter and the throttle.

Overall, the Vtuvia SN100 is a versatile fat tire electric bike with a well thought out design at an affordable price. This is a great “first e-bike” choice, or maybe a second e-bike to share with the family.