I have to admit that I had a lot of doubts about how the Propella Mini would perform on our test hill, Hell Hole. With a single speed drivetrain and a very modest 250W motor, I wouldn’t have faulted the bike had the hill got the best of it — bikes far more powerful, better geared and much pricier fail our hill test all the time.
But the Mini did not give out. In fact, it laid down a pretty respectable time.
The Mini crested Hell Hole in 1:36.00 with an average speed of 11.3 mph. Compared to all the bikes we’ve tested on Hell Hole, that time is in the bottom quarter of results. But regardless of where that result is on our leaderboard, we’re incredibly impressed the Mini was able to put up a result at all.
There are several factors that, in hindsight, should have tipped me off that the Mini would do fine on our test hill. The first is the bike’s weight — it’s just 33 lbs. Second is the balanced 46t x 16t gear ratio, which feels soft and spinny at high speeds but actually is a pretty decent climbing gear, even on steep stuff. Lastly I have to give credit to the 250W Bafang geared rear hub motor, which, despite its comparatively low wattage, doles out a solid punch of low-end grunt.
I also should have known better than to doubt the Mini because the Ride1UP Roadster V2 also put up a good time on Hell Hole. That bike has a larger 350W rear hub motor, but it’s similarly a single speed with a gearing that’s much tougher on climbs than the Mini’s ratio.
One thing to note is that, like in our hill test of the Roadster, I had to stand and pedal almost the entirety of Hell Hole’s one-third of a mile length. Had I not stood and climbed a little more athletically, I’m not sure the Mini would have made it.
Athleticism is a theme we saw throughout all our testing on the Mini; it’s a bike that requires some physical input from the rider to perform well.
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