Momentum Cito E+

It’s safe to say that just about any bike is proper enough for commuting. However, as you dive deeper into bike you may realize that a downhill race bike or even a full carbon road bike might not be the proper vessel to pace with traffic on your way to work in the morning. The Momentum Cito E+ is the ideal commuter especially if you’re looking to carry some serious gear from time to time.

Starting at $3200, Momentum offers a cargo/ utility eBike that is worth paying close attention to.  Complete with turn signals, a horn, and a 408-lb load capacity we couldn’t help wanting to know more about Cito E+.

The Cito E+ is a fat tire, rear hub powered class 3 electric cargo bike. Complete with front suspension, lights, and fenders. Quite the complete package all for $3200.

The drive unit is a Syncdrive Move S 750w rear hub motor with 80Nm of torque. This is paired with an EnergyPak 780Wh battery that is removable from the frame. The Cito E+ is dual battery compatible with a single battery offering up to 75 miles of Class 3 support.

There is a twist throttle located on the bars for smooth and powerful Class 2 (20mph) support.

A microShift Acolyte 8-speed drivetrain is paired to the Syncdrive Move S rear hub. While Tektro Dorado 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes supply power to 203mm rotors.

While the Cito E+ has a robust and stout aluminum, comfort is not lacking.

The 20″ wheels and  4″ wide fat tires are the first point of contact issuing road comfort. The smooth riding characteristic is enhanced with the RST GUIDE MNL Coil fork with 60mm of travel and a lockout.

The Cito E+ will come with fenders and lights. The front light is super bright 1900 lumens with a daytime running light. The back is an LED tail light with integrated turn signals and an activated brake light. Completing the package of vehicular like traits is an e-horn and the option of bar end mirrors are also available.

The overall length of the Cito E+ is an impressive 73″ from the front tire to the back of the rack. The rear deck height sits at 25.5″ from the ground. It does have a step thru frame design or you can opt for the top tube accessory which may sit up too high for some riders, but offers additional storage and a great bike like mounting point.

As mentioned the Cito E+ is dual battery compatible which mounts in the rear storage box located parallel and behind the seat tube in front of the rear wheel. This box can double as storage although it is a bit tricky to open the top door when the rear passenger pad is mounted. This is something that will be remedied in the future according to Momentum.

The list of accessories encompasses those that we’ve grown to be familiar with for cargo bikes. Including, floor boards, a rear hoop for passengers, and a front basket, to name a few.

The Momementum Cito E+ absolutely cruises. Our first ride was without the accessories mounted and minimal gear with us. Cruising on up to 28mph was effortless and bridging long straightaways with the throttle at 20mph allows you to relax and take in your surroundings.

Coming to a rapid stop and changing directions is smooth and reactive. Where some cargo bikes tend to feel a bit tipsy when making slow tight turns, the rider position is aggressive enough to leave you confident in turning tight radiuses on tight bike paths or navigating slow traffic to a bike rack.

When loaded up the Cito puts out the power and offers a very effortless riding experience. On the flip side those slow speed tight turns begin to feel less comfortable. I think the load being slightly higher than some other cargo bikes puts the weight up causing the balance to tip a little quicker.

This quirk comes with a brief learning curve, as do all things. Once you get a few miles in and get familiar with the weight and new balance, the feeling is intuitive and easy to compensate for.

This likely is just a general reminder in regards to loading up gear or kids onto a cargo bike. Pay attention to where that weight is and take it easy at first to feel confident about how that weight affects the balance.

Something that is worth mentioning is the twist throttle performance. Unlike some Class 2 electric bikes, the Cito E+ will not give power from a dead stop with the throttle. You have to get the cranks spinning before the throttle will kick in. I’m not sure if this is a safety call on Momentum’s end or just the luck of the Syncdrive system.

Normally I don’t find myself reaching for throttles a whole lot on electric bikes. I enjoy pedalling. That being said, on cargo bikes and urban bikes I do enjoy having a throttle. As the bikes tend to weigh more it takes a bit more effort to get rolling especially if you’re on an incline and that’s where a throttle is nice. The way I circumvented the delay in throttle assist was to change gears to an easy gear as I approach a stop and apply the throttle as I began pedalling to have easy rotation of the pedals quickly to engage the throttle. Once up to speed I would shift my gears accordingly and keep pedalling on.

We really do find the Cito E+ to be the ideal cargo bike for commuters. It’s vehicular accessories for enhanced visibility on the road and abundance of power make it a great bike around town. If your daily riding needs demand a bit more capacity to carry gear along with you, or you happen to have one little one that would like to join you on rides, its the perfect size and has 408-lbs of load capacity to comfortably bring life along with you.

I’m reminded of the Lectric XPedition, a similar more budget focus electric cargo bike that is stout and powerful with room to bring plenty of gear or kids along. Similarly the Cito E+ is a more refined version with higher quality build spec and finish that has smoother power and ride thanks to the torque sensor and front suspension.

Overall, the Momentum Cito E+ is the commuters cargo bike. I don’t want to abuse the word utility, but it is a proper utility bike with the comfort and accessories necessary to shuttle kids around and offer smiles to all.

The looks of the Cito E+ especially with the top tube accessory and the BMX style bars really has a tough look to it that we’re big fans of.

Having ridden the PakYak (another Momentum offering) in the past, I was eager to see how the Cito E+ would ride and perform. It delivered nothing shy than my expectations. In fact it has been one of the fastest and smoothest electric cargo bikes we’ve tested this year.

Little luxuries of onboard storage and a USB port to keep your phone charged up. These are all great features that make a great bike greater. For a long time I found cargo bikes too robust and that they take up a lot of precious real estate in the garage. After months of testing cargo bikes the Cito E+ now seems like just one of the rest of the bikes in the garage taking up space that I’m glad to offer up.

Price: $3200
Colors: Aquarium, Metal
Weight: 86lbs
Load Capacity: 408 lbs
Website: momentum.com