The Werk is an electric commuter bike with a utilitarian bend. In addition to its mid-step frame, the bike also comes with a sturdy welded rear rack that should be plenty for just about any cargo you’d want to throw at it.
But, most notably, the bike comes with a torque sensor. This is actually a hallmark of Surface604, which specs all of its bikes with the more sensitive motor engagement device.
It’s got a 500W Bafang brushless rear hub motor that makes 65Nm of torque, which is what in part gives the bike its snappy and hard-accelerating ride feel. That motor is engaged via a dropout-type torque sensor, which is a strain-gauge type sensor that measures the amount of torque your legs are creating and applies power accordingly.
The Werk comes stock with a 48V, 14Ah (672Wh) semi-integrated battery that promises a range of up to 45 miles. But the bike we reviewed was actually spec’d with Surface604’s upgraded battery, a 48V, 20Ah (960Wh) unit that claims a range up to 65 miles. We put that claim to the test, the results of which we’ll share later, but to sum it up the bike can has an impressive range on a single charge. The battery upgrade option will run you an extra $300, which is notably affordable for a battery that large.
Connecting the rider to the motor is the mid-tier 9-Speed SRAM X-5 drivetrain, a component package that represents some of the additional cost you see in this bike over some of its other competitors. X5 is somewhere in the middle of the SRAM drivetrain ecosystem — it’s not top tier, but it’s certainly not at the bottom of the totem pole. Notably, Surface604’s product page for the Werk advertises that the bike comes with the Shimano Alivio 9-speed groupset. The X5 components we got on our review bike are comparable to the Alivio drivetrain, but it is worth keeping an eye out for should you get a bike with a different groupset.
This groupset is going to give the rider the ability to more finely tune their gear ratios, and the shifting will be crisper and more reliable than some cheaper drivetrains. Investing in a nicer groupset I think proved to be an incredibly wise move from Surface604, as I found myself really wanting to fine tune my cadence and gearing choice to really make the most of the more sensitive torque sensor.
The Werk ships with a set of Tektro Auriga hydraulic disk brakes with 180mm rotors front and rear, a powerful setup for this Class 2 commuter that we’ll put to the test in our braking section.
And finally this bike rolls on a set of 27.5-inch wheels with Kenda Kwick semi-slick tires. They hook up well and have not flatten over our extensive course of testing.
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