A bike at the check – but completely reduced: an urban bike with everything on it

“Minimal design, maximum purpose” was a development goal, says Anatol Sostmann of Rose Bikes. When designing the bike, the head of product at the Bocholt mail-order company takes the claim off. But the fact that a single-speed bike is an all-rounder can be doubted. The missing luggage carrier alone restricts, for example, when shopping.

In addition to the design, refined by spackled welds on the aluminum frame and internally laid trains, low weight was also an important requirement. Instead of exposing it to the weather and thieves, the “Next Gen Urban Statement Bike”, as Rose actually calls it, could well be carried to the basement or even the fourth floor.

The Sneak+ weighs 14.6 kilos in size M, which is not much for an e-bike. That’s a good thing: because you also have to transport it to the socket, since the battery is permanently installed.

technique:The Sneak+ is also a pedelec with a camouflage look – the drive battery in the down tube, the motor on the rear hub. Only a sprocket package could cover it better. But as a single-speed bike, the bike has no gearshift and only one gear. The battery has a capacity of 250 watt-hours and, according to the manufacturer, should suffice for up to 100 kilometers of range.

The Mahle motor, which supports pedaling up to 25 Km/ h, lifts 40 Newton meters on the axle and weighs 3.5 kilos. The muscular power transmission from the crank to the hub is conventionally accomplished by a chain. One of the clous in the sense of minimalism is the control unit of the Sneak+. The Mahle “X35 smartbike system” includes a control button with LED ring embedded in the top tube. This “iWoc One” button brings the bike to life, and the three support levels can also be selected via it.

Equipment, accessories, peripherals:Reflectors as prescribed on bicycles are included in the scope of delivery, including the charger. But about the aforementioned lighting system: Rose Bikes reaches for the shelf of the supplier Lightskin. He has developed a lighting system for the handlebars and seatpost that meets the requirements of the StVZO and has received test numbers from the responsible Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).

Lightskin writes that the handlebar lens, measuring 13 by 18.5 millimeters, is the world’s smallest lens that meets the light-dark limit required for StVZO approval. The luminous intensity is 150 lumens. There are five other red-emitting LEDs in the seatpost, three of which can be recessed in the seat tube to keep the restriction on seat height adjustment low. The lighting system of the Sneak+ is powered by the drive battery.

Even the bell, model Oi from the manufacturer Knog, is hardly noticeable: it is a ring-shaped clamp, tone in tone with the handlebar.

However, the whole requirement for inconspicuousness also has a downside: there are compromises in functionality because a display is missing. If you want to read information on the road, including battery status, torque, range and speed, you have to download the free “Mahle ebikemotion” app to your mobile phone and attach it to the handlebars with an optional bracket.