Testing Upway refurbished Lapierre E-Sensium 2.2 e-bike

Upway sets two goals on its own website: The sale of used e-bikes should be sustainable. On the one hand, because existing vehicles will continue to be used, and on the other hand, because an e-bike can replace a car in many cases. In addition, the provider states a savings compared to the purchase of a new bike, so the e-bike buyer can save.

In choosing the right bike, a three-step tool is supposed to help on the website. First, a category is selected; the choices are city, trekking, mountain bike, folding bike, road bike, S-pedelec and cargo. There is a short explanation for each category.

The next step asks for the body size, followed by the budget that can be spent. After that, the site outputs relevant results for the search. At the time of testing, there are 1633 e-bikes on Upway, with prices ranging from 849 to 7,299 Euros  (~$931 to $8000). The range is very broad and extends from a simple city bike to a Riese & Müller cargo bike or a Specialized Turbo Levo S-Works.

The oldest e-bike on the website dates from 2014 and is thus already nine years old, but there are also bikes from 2023 to be found. The mileage is just as wide-ranging, ranging from 2 to 13,679. We opted for a Lapierre E-Sensium 2.2 from 2023, which is said to have run under 5 kilometers (~3.1 miles).

On the website, the MSRP of 2,799 Euros is given, and 2,449 Euros (~$3068 and $2684) are due for the used bike. The discount is greater for models with higher mileage. Upway points out scratches on the frame and components in the "Condition" category.

On the website it is also possible for companies and private individuals to sell a bike on:

After ordering, we received an order confirmation, followed by nothing for a few days. Upway promises a delivery time between two and eight days on the website. Unfortunately, this does not work out in the test, because there are problems with the shipping. It takes 18 days from the order to the actual delivery. Also because there was apparently a problem with the data transfer between the store and DHL, the house number was missing.

After several phone calls to DHL, a - even for bicycle conditions - very large cardboard box was delivered, but it was already quite damaged. However, the bike itself was very well packed and had no transport damage. The bike is fully assembled, even the wheels are in the right place. You only need to turn the handlebars 90 degrees, fix the clamp and mount the pedals. For these assembly steps, instructions and tools are included. However, the supplied Allen wrench was the wrong size.

With suitable tools, the assembly is done very quickly. On the positive side, even the tires already have the correct air pressure and the gears are set correctly. In addition, the Lapierre has 18 gears instead of only 9 as specified. This is positive for the customer, but raises a question mark on the data entry. The bike has only a cassette with 9 sprockets on the rear wheel, but at the crank still a derailleur.

In addition to the bike, the original instructions for the bike and the drive are still in the box, as well as the charger and a rain cover for the saddle.

The signs of use on the bike are minimal, there are only very small scratches on the dropouts and cranks. There was glue residue on the top tube. Other than that, the bike appears new, even the tires appear unused. Most likely the bike was used as an exhibition piece. Unfortunately, Upway does not specify the history of the bike.

The Lapierre E-Sensium 2.2 is a fitness bike. The geometry of the frame is based on that of a road bike. However, the seating position is not quite as sporty due to the straight handlebars and an adapted stem. Nevertheless, the saddle is raised above the handlebars. Only the E-Sensium 2.2 carries the straight handlebar, from the 3.2, Lapierre installs a typical road bike handlebar.

The E-Sensium 2.2 is available exclusively in red, a women's variant in white. Very nicely solved is the routing of the cables. These are routed between stem and steering head in the frame and leave only shortly before the finish. Even the hydraulic line to the front brake is routed through the fork, which creates a very clean look.

The frame is made of aluminum, for the fork Lapierre relies on carbon. There are eyelets in it, which facilitate the attachment of accessories, such as panniers. A derailleur from Shimano is responsible for the gear changes. Lapierre relies throughout on components from the rather inexpensive Sora series. The rear derailleur manages 9 gears on the rear wheel, with the dual front derailleur on the crank, this results in 18 gear steps.

The Lapierre E-Sensium 2.2 stops with hydraulic two-piston disc brakes from Tektro. In front and behind are class-standard 160 millimeter (~6 in) discs. The grip width of the long brake handles is adjustable.

The Mahle drive offers an app connection via the "My SmartBike" app, which is available for Android and iOS. For the initial connection, the bike must be put into pairing mode. Once the bike and smartphone are connected, the devices automatically find each other when they are nearby.

The app can be used to view data from the motor, battery and control unit, and on the Lapierre it also confirms low mileage. In addition, the software shows the charge of the battery in percent and the calculated range. The use of the respective performance modes in completed kilometers is also displayed.

In addition, the software can record journeys and - if corresponding accessories are connected via Bluetooth - add fitness values such as pulse rate. It is also possible to link the device to a Strava account.

The app can also be used to adjust the performance modes and display the location of the last connection. However, the bike itself does not have a satellite connection, so tracking independently of the smartphone is not possible. System updates can also be installed on the bike or components via the app.