Origine Montmartre Air Review: A 15.6 kg Urban E-Bike With Bluffing Battery Life

Presented in 2024 with a derailleur, the Montmartre was the first true urban electric bike from the French brand. Origine bet on a light and versatile model, equipped with a derailleur.

To better suit urban practice, and not necessarily to swallow the Montmartre hill daily, the e-bike has been declined in a belt-driven variant. We thus tested this brand new "Air" version, which retains all the qualities of the original model, as well as the Mahle X30 electric assistance.

While it is possible to configure it in radical mode at less than 13 kg, we had a sample equipped for daily use at over 15 kg. What does such lightness provide compared to traditional city electric bikes, generally 5 to 10 kg heavier? Does this generate compromises? We rode it for over two weeks.

This test was carried out from a model loaned by the brand.

Let us start with the most remarkable asset of this e-bike. The Origine Montmartre is probably one of the lightest city electric bikes on the market. It uses an aluminium semi-open frame, which remains fairly easy to step over on the lowest part.

It hides its cabling as much as possible, enough to confuse it with a mechanical bike. The lower diagonal tube is fairly thin and integrates the fixed battery. This solution is recognised for gaining precious kilos by simplifying rigidity. The rigid carbon fork also helps to lighten the Montmartre, without compromising practicality, since it has 4 fixings for possible accessories.

This recipe allows it to display in theory 12.3 kg on the scale in size S. However, our test model, in size M, comes with its lot of traditional equipment, as well as the pedals and the meter not present by default.

In total, with 2.13 kg more according to the online configurator, our scale displays 15.6 kg in practice. This remains very low, and even the lightest in tester memory.

While it cannot be compared to the Ponomarets Eidolon under 10 kg or the Nilman under 12 kg (unequipped), it can be compared to the Angell Rapide around 16 kg, or the Whyte RHeO2 (15.5 kg). You find yourself carrying it with one hand, like our good old mechanical bike. It is pleasant and especially practical for handling it.

Optional compared to the basic version, the meter allows you to have a certain number of pieces of information. Without it, you would have to be content with the small console on the upper tube with its indicator that changes colour according to the mode and that shrinks as the battery discharges.

The display is monochrome, which makes it sometimes difficult to read with many reflections, and especially impossible to use at night. Yes, there is no backlighting, even with the headlights on...

However, it provides the speed, the time, the assistance mode, the battery percentage, and the autonomy estimate. The very small central button scrolls through the info in the lower right corner: mileage, current distance, duration, average speed, maximum speed, and a power %.

Be careful, it is a little confused on the button side, because we have 3 different controls managing the assistance levels: the upper tube one, the screen one, and the right of the handlebar one!

For a complete statistics report, the Mahle MySmartBike application records everything. The interface is not the most modern, but displays the distance covered in each mode, and offers fine settings for each one.

If it is not automatic, trip tracking is as advanced as Shimano with cadence, motor/cyclist power, and the possibility of connecting devices for heart rate.

Once the trip is recorded, it appears in a list, with a multitude of data: weather conditions, speed profile, elevation profile, power profile, battery discharge, with a geographic route indicating the stops. Ultra-complete!

And it is not over because trips can be exploited via Strava, and serve as a reference to create an itinerary.

More useful for our city electric bike, the application is able to lock the assistance. No question here of completely blocking the engine, and even less of an alarm or geolocation in case of theft.

Within the application, Mahle unlocks a Smart mode, well hidden in one of the windows during a trip. It responds to the name mode 4 on the screen, but it is indeed an automatic mode that adapts to several pedalling parameters.

By default, the Mahle X30 motor only has 3 assistance levels. With 40 Nm in the rear hub, the Montmartre Air struggles a little to take off from the asphalt in the first metres, especially because of its single-speed which requires a minimum cadence to engage.

Once launched, the electric bike heads briskly towards 25 km/h, due to lightness. We easily exceed the limit of 25 km/h with leg force, between 25 and 30 km/h on beautiful flat sections or even 35 km/h on a slight downhill without too much effort.

Beyond, it is difficult to pedal because we reach the cadence limit due to its single-speed system. The Mahle motor, almost silent, is pleasant, soft, invites good restarts, but lacks bite on hills. The 300 W of maximum power is felt quickly, you have to add to the pedals to climb, especially in Montmartre via Rue Lepic.

Once run in, the hydraulic disc brakes work without fail. They offer an excellent stopping distance.

Steering is also light, despite the curved handlebar. The position is therefore neither too sporty nor too passive, it is the right balance.

This also avoids depending too much on the cushioning of a single tyre, or the saddle, while the fork filters some vibrations. Objectively, this does not make it an ultra comfortable electric bike, but we expected worse given the weight and absence of any suspension.

The technical specification does not seem very inviting at first. With its 250 Wh capacity, we expected fairly modest battery life. Well, not at all! The Montmartre Air accelerates much more easily with less energy, and allows beautiful sections above 25 km/h without consuming the slightest electron.

Consequently, the Mahle X30 of this Origine becomes the king of our motor consumption comparison! Consumption is ultra low, at 4.8 Wh/km or about 52 km per charge. This corresponds to mode 3 (maximum), while you can easily pass 75 km in mode 2. An external 185 Wh battery, optional, can further increase the range (about 90 km in mode 3).

Note that our spring test conditions were mixed (rain, dry, and/or wind, between 12 and 16°C), with a load of 80 kg. Also, the assistance does not cut off at 0% but at 2%, and leaves a minimum of energy to power the lighting or the screen.

Fixed and therefore non-removable, the battery is to be recharged only on the bike. Due to the low weight, it is possible to easily transport your electric bike in a staircase.

Otherwise, charging goes through a socket near the bottom bracket, which breaks a little with the sobriety of the Origine e-bike.

But you do not see it much, since the charger is fast with its 4A intensity, enough to recharge 80% in 1h40, and to fill up in 2h40. The follow-up is also practical, thanks to the battery percentage on the screen or the application.

Assembled in France, the Origine Montmartre Air makes you pay a little for its charms. At the price of €2,979 at the lowest, it climbs to €3,460 in our test configuration. This rate therefore varies a lot according to your choices: 21 colours, equipment, handlebar, stem, tyres, seatpost, etc.

To be done on the official site, the configuration — with your size and morphology indications — is then sent to the brand, which promises delivery in 4 weeks. The frame warranty is for life, while the assistance and other components excluding wear offer the legal minimum of 2 years.

Positive Points

• Agility
• Featherweight (~15.6 kg fully equipped)
• Famished consumption (4.8 Wh/km, 52 km in max mode)
• Configurable to the maximum
• Good braking (hydraulic discs)
• App with fine trip tracking
• Lifetime frame warranty
• French assembly

Negative Points

• Fixed (non-removable) battery
• Soft motor at start-up and on steep climbs
• Average comfort off tarmac
• Non-backlit display