ENGWE MapFour N1 Air review: A carbon e-bike built for commuters

ENGWE MapFour N1 Air: One minute review

To look at it, you’d never guess that the MapFour N1 Air was built by ENGWE. Not only does it have a slimline frame and refined style but there are no chunky ENGWE wheels in sight. This e-bike is part of a new line from ENGWE that seeks to enter the commuter market by providing high-quality, sustainable, and economical travel solutions.

The N1 Air has a carbon frame, which makes it one of the lightest e-bikes of this size and therefore incredibly easy to shift around. It also boasts a 100km battery range, although we all know e-bike ranges drop considerably during real-world testing conditions.

It’s very similar in style and purpose to the Tenways CG600 Pro and Specialized Vado SL2. The former is the current style pick in our best electric bike guide, but if we had a best commuter e-bike award, then all three of these would be hot contenders.

ENGWE MapFour N1 Air: Price and availability

• £1,399 UK
• Available in two frame designs, step-through and step-over
• Not available in US or AU yet

The MapFour N1 Air is available in two frame designs, step-through and step-over, with both costing £1,399 (approximately $1750USD / $2750AUD). This makes it a little more affordable than the Tenways CG600 Pro (£1,799) and significantly cheaper than the far superior Specialized Vado SL2 Carbon Equipped (£5,500).

As a result, it’s one of the most affordable entry-level carbon-framed e-bikes for commuters.

ENGWE MapFour N1 Air: Design

• Carbon frame
• Super lightweight
• Detachable battery

The MapFour N1 Air is a distinct change of design ethos direction for ENGWE. We’ve been accustomed to noticing ENGWE e-bikes on our streets thanks to their seriously chunky wheels and tires as well as their thick frames. Other than the ENGWE logo, I think most people would fail to attribute the N1 Air to ENGWE.

Let’s begin with those wheels. The first ENGWE e-bike I ever reviewed was the M20, which boasted tires measuring a whopping 20 by 4.0 inches. They had a three-layer design of rubber, carbon nano-braiding, and a butyl rubber inner tube. You won’t see anything like this with the N1 Air tires. At 700*42C they are streamlined to perfection, with enough width to provide the necessary grip but not too thick to result in unnecessary friction with the road.

Moving onto the carbon frame, the N1 Air isn’t just seriously lightweight (15.6 kg) but is also beautifully refined, a relative rarity for e-bikes. The top tube, seat tube, front fork, and seat stay are not only delicately thin but also include some nice design touches, such as the top tube moving from wide to thin from the rear to the front of the bike.

Like the Tenways CGO600 Pro, the battery slots precisely into the frame itself, so unless you were looking, you wouldn’t know it was there. Removable batteries are not always guaranteed on e-bikes, with the Specialized Vado SL2 a brilliant example. I’m glad ENGWE has continued its commitment to removable batteries because it gives us the ability to charge the bike wherever we like rather than being limited to wherever the rider can store the e-bike.

We’ll get to how the gears, brakes, and lights perform later in the review, but for now, it’s worth noting that the gears are Shimano, the disc brakes are unmarked, the rear light is solar-powered, and the front light is hard-wired in. The lack of premium parts is how ENGWE manages to keep the overall cost so low.

ENGWE MapFour N1 Air: Performance

• Smooth power delivery
• Excellent range
• Disc brakes could be better

The MapFour N1 Air is powered by a 250W in-rotor motor, which is not only compatible with EU e-bike laws but also powerful enough to deliver that extra assistance when it’s needed. It’s quiet, responsive, and as much as could be expected at this price.

Commuters who have to navigate minimal inclines will be absolutely fine, but if you have more challenging routes, then an e-bike with more torque would be better. I found that steeper inclines required me to drop into the lowest gear and also stand up to get maximum force on the pedals. I was grateful for the minimal e-bike weight and centrally located battery because it meant that standing up while cycling was not only easy but also safe.

Power was delivered with no lag, which is a big improvement from some of ENGWE’s earlier e-bikes and a lot of other e-bikes on the market. It was therefore 100% reliable when pulling away, an important factor especially when crossing traffic.

My body was by no means heavily impacted by the road but compared to the more premium Specialized Vado SL2, I did notice the lack of impact/shock technology. Obviously, this is a privilege you have to pay for and I can’t say it’s worth paying over three times the price for it. I’m glad ENGWE didn’t integrate springs into the design or increase the size of the tires, but they might consider other ways that they could innovatively reduce ground impact on bike and rider.

The N1 Air includes disc brakes at the front and back. These do a good job of managing heat dissipation during longer braking periods but lack the effectiveness to deliver fast instant stops. I didn’t ever feel unsafe, but I did find myself planning speed reduction a little earlier than I might do on e-bikes with better brakes.

The implementation of the lights is probably where ENGWE could make the most significant improvements. The front light is small, and even though it’s hard-wired, it must be installed by the rider. An integrated front light like the Tenways CGO600 Pro would be much better. It also needs to be brighter to light up more of the road.

The rear light is solar-powered and even though it’s built into the fender, it isn’t connected to the battery. It has a built-in speed sensor, which means it should automatically turn on when riding and automatically turn off after about half a minute of stopping. I really didn’t like not being in control of when my light was or wasn’t on and 30 seconds wasn’t always long enough, especially when I was stuck at traffic lights.

In the area of security, ENGWE has seriously ramped up its offering. Built-in GPRS tracking makes it possible to not only locate your e-bike at all times but also set up a boundary (up to 10km) in which the e-bike has to stay. This provided me with the peace of mind to know that even if I lost the e-bike or it was stolen, then it wouldn’t be able to be taken too far away.

Most of the security features are delivered through the app, which provides abnormal bike alerts and automatic SOS emergency notifications. There’s also a ‘ring bell’ feature if you can’t find your e-bike in a bike park. All of these help to elevate the user experience of the e-bike.

Overall, I was incredibly pleased with the performance of the MapFour N1 Air. Despite being ENGWE’s first foray into this market, they have done an incredible job of delivering the level of quality and performance that riders demand.

ENGWE MapFour N1 Air: Battery life

• Up to 100km
• Removable battery

Equipped with a 10Ah high-capacity Samsung battery, the N1 Air is advertised with a range of 100km. This range will be based on the lowest level of pedal assist, no inclines, and no adverse weather conditions. The possibility of achieving this range in real-world conditions is almost zero.

That being said, the real-world range is still pretty impressive. With the highest level of pedal assist and traversing a range of inclines, I was able to achieve around 55 kilometers per charge. This was enough for me to travel to and from work nearly three times, which provided more than enough opportunity to get more juice in the battery. I also had the flexibility of dropping the pedal assist level to manage that battery life.

Quick charging capabilities enabled me to fully recharge the battery in only three to four hours. That meant I could charge it every night and have absolutely no fear of running out of charge and even if I forgot one night, I still had plenty left in the tank to last the following day. Unfortunately, the proprietary charging port isn’t identical to previous ENGWE e-bikes, which means you can’t take advantage of an old charger on the occasions when you’ve left the primary charger somewhere else.

The battery can be detached in a matter of seconds so charging can be carried out in any location. There is also a physical lock integrated into the design for extra theft protection.

• Battery life score: 4.5/5

ENGWE MapFour N1 Air: Scorecard

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

How I tested the ENGWE MapFour N1 Air

I used the N1 Air as my main e-bike for a number of weeks. During this time I covered over 400 kilometers, which equaled around 20 hours of riding time. I took it on city roads, cycle paths, and country roads. I utilized all the pedal assist levels as well as tested the brakes during dry and wet conditions. Additionally, I downloaded the app and paired it with the e-bike. This enabled me to test the additional features, including security features, that are unique to this e-bike.

First reviewed: February 2025