7 Best VanMoof Alternatives 2026

I sold a fair few VanMoofs back when the shops were open. People didn't buy them because they were the best-specced e-bike on the market — they bought them because they looked like nothing else on the street. That single top tube, the integrated everything, the matrix display: it was a bike you wanted to be seen on, not just ride.

Then came the bankruptcy, the parts drought, the owners who couldn't get a battery for love nor money. I covered the full VanMoof saga here if you want the whole story — the short version is McLaren Applied's Lavoie bought it out of administration in 2023 and has been slowly rebuilding a service network since. VanMoof technically still exists. But "technically still exists after one bankruptcy" isn't much of a guarantee, and I don't blame anyone who wants that same sleek, design-led feel with a steadier hand on the wheel.

So here's where I'd actually point you: seven brands doing the "this doesn't look like an e-bike" thing properly, with the kind of backing, ownership or track record that gives you a better shot at still getting spare parts in three years.

Ampler Nova Pro — the closest thing to VanMoof's original idea, done properly

Ampler is Estonian, self-funded through steady growth rather than the boom-bust venture rounds that sank VanMoof, and it shows in how unshowy the engineering is. The Nova Pro hides a 48V 336Wh battery in a double-butted aluminium frame, runs a 250W/45Nm rear hub motor good for 50–100km, and charges over USB-C — so you can top it up with the same cable as your laptop. Weighs 16.6kg with the belt-drive option, which is genuinely light for something this well equipped. €3,490. The only knock: it's not sold in the UK/US through a dealer network, so servicing is more DIY-friendly-manual than walk-in-shop.

Shop at Ampler →

Tenways CGO009 — the ruler-drawn one

Tenways is backed by proper Chinese manufacturing scale and has been profitable and expanding since 2021 — no bankruptcy chapter in this one's history yet, and I say that as someone who now sells the bikes directly, so I've had a good look under the bonnet. The CGO009 is the design flagship: clean top tube, integrated lighting and GPS tracking, a Gates carbon belt instead of a chain, and Tenways' most refined motor tuning. £1,700, which undercuts a comparable VanMoof by a wide margin. It's heavier on the "smart features" side than some of the others here, which is either a plus or a distraction depending on how much you want your bike talking to your phone.

Shop the CGO009 at Velorution →

Urtopia Carbon 1 Pro — carbon fibre and a genuinely daft amount of tech

If VanMoof's appeal for you was the gadgetry as much as the looks, Urtopia goes further: fingerprint unlock, 4G/GPS theft tracking, on-board navigation, voice control, the lot. The carbon fibre frame keeps the whole bike to 37lbs (about 16.8kg) despite a 750W peak motor and 352.8Wh battery good for up to 80 miles in eco mode. Currently $2,099 (down from $2,499). Honest limitation: Urtopia is a younger company than most on this list, funded through a Series A rather than years of profitable trading, so it carries more of the "promising startup" risk than the more established names here — worth knowing going in, even though nothing currently points to trouble.

Shop at Urtopia →

Schindelhauer Emil — for the "beautiful bike first, e-bike second" crowd

Schindelhauer is a Berlin brand that's been quietly building belt-drive bikes since 2009 — no crash-and-relaunch story, just steady, design-literate engineering the whole way through. The Emil pairs a Mahle X20 hub motor (250W, 55Nm) with a 250Wh in-tube battery, a Pinion gearbox and a Gates carbon belt, for a bike that looks more like a beautifully finished city bike than a piece of consumer electronics. That's rather the point if VanMoof's touchscreen-and-app approach never quite appealed. Weighs 18.3-18.6kg depending on gearing. From €4,995 — genuinely the priciest bike on this list, and it doesn't apologise for it.

Shop at Schindelhauer →

Gocycle G4 — the folding option, and the oldest brand here

Gocycle has been making bikes since 2009 under the same founder, Richard Thorpe, a former McLaren car designer — so if it's McLaren-adjacent engineering pedigree you liked about VanMoof's new owners, Gocycle got there first and never needed rescuing. The G4 folds properly for a hallway or train commute, weighs 17.6kg including mudguards and lights, and runs a proprietary front hub motor (250W EU-spec) off a 300Wh battery. £3,499. It's the only true folder on this list, which matters if space is the actual problem, not just aesthetics.

Shop at Gocycle →

Cooper CG-7E — the classic-English answer, not the minimalist one

Cooper is the bike offshoot of the original Mini Cooper name, built by a company with decades of design heritage rather than a two-year-old app. It's not chasing VanMoof's minimalist look — the CG-7E is a classic steel-framed roadster with a Brooks leather saddle — but it earns its place here on the same brief: distinctive, design-first, not trying to look like every other hybrid on the bike rack. Under the retro shell sits a genuinely clever Zehus all-in-one motor-and-battery hub (250W, 173Wh) with regenerative braking, giving around 37 miles of range. £2,199, and it's sold on Amazon UK, which is more purchase-and-return convenience than any bike above offers.

Shop on Amazon UK →

Cowboy Cross ST — the one with the closest history to VanMoof's, worth saying upfront

I'll be straight with you on this one: Cowboy is the riskiest pick on this list. It's Belgian, design-obsessed in the same triangular-frame, integrated-light way VanMoof was, and it also came close to its own collapse in 2025 before French group ReBirth (which also owns Peugeot and Gitane's cycling arms) took it over in December 2025, with production restarting in France through 2026. So it's a genuine VanMoof parallel — sleek, loved by design press, and now rebuilding under new ownership. The Cross ST runs a 250W/45Nm motor and a 540Wh battery for 60-120km range at 26.5kg, for $3,999/€3,499. Only put your money here if you're comfortable being an early customer of the relaunch, same as you would be with the new VanMoof.

Shop at Cowboy →

The verdict

If I were spending my own money and wanted the closest thing to what VanMoof originally promised, minus the drama, I'd go Ampler Nova Pro or the Tenways CGO009 — both from companies that have grown steadily rather than lurching from crisis to relaunch. If you want the tech-forward, gadget-heavy version of that same idea, Urtopia's carbon frame and absurd feature list is genuinely good fun. And if "certain future" matters more to you than "looks like VanMoof," Schindelhauer and Gocycle have both been quietly, boringly reliable for well over a decade — which, after the VanMoof rollercoaster, might be exactly the point.

Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them, the brand or retailer may pay Velorution a small commission at no cost to you. This doesn't affect what we recommend — these bikes only make this list because they're genuinely good.