The Fantic Living Easy, a Class 1 ebike that touts a smooth, comfortable ride with everything you need to get out there and start riding. At $2699, the Living Easy aims to please one major aspect of commuting, to make it Easy.

Some bikes brag about abundant power and massive batteries to calm your nerves about range anxiety or being able to zip along with easy, the Living Easy doesn’t do that.

Instead, it focuses on comfort, quality, and staying true to its name, making it Easy. Under the hood is is Yamaha drive unit with 75Nm of torque to seek out the hilly routes that you once avoided. A low step-through frame, fenders, a rear rack and lights keep things straightforward, this bike is meant for the city streets and isn’t trying to be something it’s not.

At the heart of the Living Easy is a Yamaha PW S2 drive unit, 250w and 75Nm of torque. An absolute workhorse of a drive unit, that is efficient and even has an Auto Mode, see more about the Pedal Assist Modes below. This is paired to a 630Wh battery that can get you about 60 miles of range. The battery is removable from the frame for remote charging or added security when locking up outdoors. This is a Class 1 system with a max assist up to 20mph.

The Living Easy is equipped with a SRAM SX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain (11-50T) that offers a wide ratio for easy pedaling in the flats or the hills. Braking power comes from Promax hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors.

Support for rider comfort starts with a 100mm Suntour XCR34 front fork, with a lockout and air adjust. This pairs nicely with a suspension seatpost, that softens the blows from any bumps or potholes along the route.

For commuters, all the pieces are there to make the Living Easy ready for daily use. Full fenders front and rear, a rear rack, integrated lighting front and rear and even an ABUS wheel lock mounted to the frame to have a guaranteed lock for those quick stops every ride.

Two sizes are available for the Living Easy, Small/Medium and Large/X-Large. Both share the low step-through frame design that we think is a must have when looking for a new commuter.

From the drive unit, to the wheel lock, everything works together to support the Living Easy in making commuting easy.

When it comes to power and range, the Yamaha PW S2 makes it clear that the Living Easy really is a workhorse that can put the power down when you need it while keeping things efficient and getting you the most out of your rides. The Yamaha PW S2 is the new generation of power from Yamaha. With 75Nm of torque, the S2 gets a 7% increase in power and more impressively a 16% reduction to size and 20% reduction to weight. This embodies the “Less is More” efforts of Yamaha.

As with any E-System, there are multiple pedal assist modes. The PW S2 has four to choose from: ECO+, ECO, STD, and HIGH. ECO+ and ECO are the elected mode of choice for casual riding or maximizing range. STD is where most riders will find themselves spending most of their time. The perfect balance of power and efficiency blended into one. HIGH, of course, is there for when you don’t have time to spare, or need that extra boost to get up those steep climbs before you realize they are even steep. Yamaha’s power curve is very smooth in it’s delivery. There is no jumpiness or surging that can leave you feeling as the bike is hard to manage, the transition is smooth, just a gentle easing of support that keep the pedal feeling as natural as it gets.

Along with the how this bike impressively puts down power when you need it, range is another thing to be impressed by. With the 630Wh battery, the Living Easy let’s you focus on enjoying the ride rather than staring at the range estimator on the display. Loosely with a 60 mile range estimation, after our time riding, we exclusively only saw 70+ miles for max range after a full charge in ECO+ and ECO modes. This says a lot about how a bike can be comfortable and smooth while still being efficient and powerful.

For those of you looking to maximize the “easy” nature of riding, the Yamaha PW S2 has an AUTO mode, which has absolutely changed how I ride the Living Easy. As one would guess, activating the AUTO mode by long pressing the Up button, it takes the thinking of which pedal assist mode you need based on your cadence, torque and incline. It will cycle through the modes quickly and naturally to regulate the on demand power at all times. Turn it on, and enjoy the ride.

After spending real time on the Fantic Living Easy riding through town, climbing hills in every assist mode, and using it the way a rider actually would, what stands out isn’t a single feature. It’s the whole package. Click over to the Auto mode and just start going. Riding the Living Easy truly reflects riding a bike first and riding a quality eBike second. You don’t have to think about being in the “right” mode. You just get on and ride.

That’s what allow me to focus on riding. Enjoying the route and soaking in the nice summer and early fall days.

I found myself relaxed and exploring new paths along my route. Logging miles comfortably without looking down every chance I had to check my range.

Sure, there’s no such thing as the perfect bike. In fact, if you ever see that, you have to know that there’s a catch. While the Living Easy does check a lot of boxes, there are a few things that I would likely change up over time. These aren’t required changes by any means, but tires and brake pads are performance changes I would make to only make this bike that much better.

There’s no lycra involved here. It’s not a race bike, it’s not a beach cruiser, it’s a ride-all-day bike. Packing all the essentials into a comfortable and powerful platform to let you think less and ride more. 

Price: $2699
Sizes: Small/Medium, Medium/Large
Weight: 58lbs
Website: fantic.com