Moustache is a French company whose e-bikes are known for looking a little bit different. The name derives from the moustache-shaped handlebars, which swing back and provide a more upright position on the bike. The Lundi was the brand’s first design. It’s been refined through the years with the bright yellow 27 you see in this review the latest iteration.

If you don’t remember your early French lessons singing Frère Jacques, you may be unaware that Lundi translates to Monday. According to the Moustache website, the Lundi is so named because it’s designed for daily activities like commuting and shopping. Sorry weekend workers, the commute (apparently) belongs to us weekday folk.

There are four models in the Lundi 27 range, with the 27 part of the name denoting the wheel size. Prices start from £2,799 for the 27.1.

The model I tested was the Lundi 27.5, the second-highest in the range, which costs £3,999 new. It’s by no means a cheap e-bike, but if you’re looking for a head-turning, comfortable urban ride, it’s a decent investment.
 

Motor and battery

The Lundi 27.5 takes advantage of Bosch’s Smart System, with the star of the show being the Bosch Performance Line mid-drive motor. This provides up to 75Nm of torque, which should be more than enough for typical urban usage. I tried it up several steeper inclines, just to make sure, ranging from 9-15% and it didn't miss a beat.

The battery is a Bosch PowerTube 500Wh. Using mainly Auto mode, I tended to get about 100km out of it. The usual provisos and disclaimers about battery range of course apply.
 

Living with it and riding it on a Monday

The Lundi 27.5 is a bit of a beast. It weighs 28kg, so if you have narrow hallways or a flight of stairs to tackle then I wish you the best of luck. If, however, you have somewhere easy to access on a ground floor then perhaps the bulk won’t bother you.

But 28kg is hefty even for something like a full powered electric mountain bike, so I do wonder if there could be weight savings to be had. That being said, the spec list of this bike is rather good – and it’s not a bike that’s claiming to be a lightweight machine, so it could just be me being picky.

The saving grace of all this weight is the superb ride quality. The swept-back moustache-shaped bars really do provide an upright position – something that Moustache claims allows you to get a better view of where you’re going. Personally, with the absence of A and B pillars to contend with on bikes, I don’t think visibility is an issue, but I understand what they’re saying. You’re not hunched over, you’re upright and able to get a better field of view than if you were on drop bars.

The comfort of this bike is absolutely sublime. I'm not saying you don't feel the road imperfections (of which there are many after the recent flooding), but the general feel of this bike is that you're gliding. You're not completely numb to the road, but after years of riding road bikes and gritting my teeth whenever I see a slight bump in the road, the Lundi 27.5 is a refreshing experience.

I also personally like that Moustache hasn’t gone down the route of adding in suspension forks to an already weighty bike. I don't think this bike needs it, because it's so comfortable anyway. And for urban applications, I’m still not entirely convinced suspension forks are anything more than a ‘nice to have, but something else to go wrong’.

However, one area that does utilise suspension is the seatpost. Personally, I think the results are negligible with 40mm travel – but I think it’s also difficult to set up for the massive weight differences in the general population. Basically, what might work for me at 55kg won’t necessarily work for someone at 80kg.

You’ve also probably noticed the rectangular shape of the front-end. It’s pretty slick, I’ll give it that, but it does give me ‘aerodynamic as a cow’ vibes. I realise that’s not the point of the bike - I just mean aesthetically. It's certainly a striking look and the headlight also sits really neatly in the head tube.
 

Components and accessories

The Performance Line motor kicks in nice and quickly and you’re not left wanting more out of it. I rode it through a pretty poor winter even by Yorkshire standards and it never missed a beat. It can handle the undulation of a varying head and crosswind, as well as actual undulations.

Speaking of winter, I also appreciated the long mudguards front and rear - colour matched too, which just adds to the overall aesthetic.

The Enviolo hub gears are an excellent choice for this bike. They’re easy to use, and if you find yourself in the wrong gear at a junction you don’t need to set off and grind your way out of it. The Lundi 27.5 comes with a chain, but the new 27.6 uses a belt drive, if that’s more your style.

The brakes are courtesy of Shimano and the MT200 hydraulic disc brakes, with 180mm rotors up front and 160mm on the rear, worked reasonably well - although given the weight of the bike, this must be close to the threshold for adding ABS, which we're now starting to see on a few urban e-bikes.

In terms of actual utility – or how well it performs as a commuter or a shopping bike - I’d say it’s very functional. The rear QL3/MIK HD rack is easy to use (with a compatible bag), and I didn’t have any problems with my feet catching the bags when riding. You also get a kickstand, front and rear lights, and chain guard.

Moustache also sells other accessories like front racks, so if you feel you need more storage space, there are options. I also liked that it comes with a wheel lock. It’s not going to stop someone just carrying the bike off (the weight of it is more likely to do that), but it’s a good little ‘café lock'.
 

Value

At around £4k you’re getting into premium e-bike territory here, with competition from the likes of Riese & Muller. Their Charger e-bike is also an urban e-bike, but with a bit more capability in terms of a bigger battery and the option to run a range extender. It does, however, manage to weigh even more – and starts at £4,819. We’ll have a review of this coming soon.

If you’re after something similar but aren’t as bothered about a step-through frame, then the Raleigh Centros Hub Gear uses the same motor and battery combination but for significantly less money at £2,999.

The Canyon Precede:ON is also around that ballpark, with Enviolo hub gears to boot. It’s priced at £3,349.

Perhaps the best of the rest, however, is the Specialized Turbo Vado, which has dropped down in price to £3,250. It uses Specialized’s 2.0 70Nm mid-drive motor and a 710Wh battery - a fearsome combination for urban streets.
 

Conclusion

Overall, the Lundi 27.5 is a beautifully functional and extremely comfortable urban e-bike. And if you don’t mind the weight or the price - which is going to reflect on personal circumstances more than anything - it’s a reliably smooth and delightful bike to use as a commuter, leisure, or shopping bike.

moustachebikes.com