Priority Cycles has built their brand by designing durable, low-maintenance bicycles for commuters, all-road riders and kids. Bikerumor has previously checked out the Priority 600, the Continuum, and the Start kid’s bikes (among others), but they’ve just recently entered the e-bike market with the new Embark.
The folks at Priority spent the last few years designing and testing e-bike components to ensure the Embark would follow their typical low-hassle, ‘ready to rock straight from the box’ approach. With a Gates belt drive system, internally geared rear hub, sealed bearing components, and a full complement setup including fenders, integrated lights, pedals and a kickstand, the Embark is ready to take you beyond your daily commute.
The Embark features a Bosch Active Line Plus mid-drive motor, with a Powerpack 400 battery providing the juice. This Class 1 e-bike’s maximum speed is 20mph, and it can cover up to 50 miles per charge. The handlebar mounted Bosch Purion display unit allows you to see which of the four pedal assist modes you’re using, plus your current speed, trip and total distances, range, battery life and charging status.
Like all of Priority Cycles’ bikes, the Embark features a grease and rust-free Gates Carbon Drive Belt. Out back, an internally geared Enviolo Trekking Group N380 CVT hub provides a 380% gear range. Controlled by a grip shifter, the CVT hub offers infinite, seamless shifting instead of clicking through indexed increments.
The Embark’s 6061 aluminum frame is designed with a low standover height, and its geometry puts the rider in an upright position for comfortable cruising. Its head tube angle is 69°, and with a seat mast of 74° the effective top tube lengths remain short enough to keep riders in a relaxed and safe ‘heads-up’ position.
After four years of testing and tinkering, Priority has carefully curated the best combination of durable and reliable e-bike components for the Embark. The bike rolls on WTB 27.5”/650B tubeless ready ST TCS rims, wrapped with 47mm wide WTB Horizon Plus tires. The front hub uses a 15mm quick release thru-axle, while the internally geared rear hub is bolted on.
Priority created their own Electric crankset in two sizes, and they’ve fitted the 17” frames with 170mm arms and the larger sizes with 175mm’s. With their added weight it’s always nice to see powerful brakes on e-bikes, and the Embark gets a pair of Tektro dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes.
One of the cool things about e-bikes is how lights can be smoothly integrated and wired into the battery pack, as Priority has done here. A 700 lumen LED headlight sits on a bracket in front of the head tube, and a flashing tail light is mounted to the rear fender.
The Embark comes ready-to-ride with front and rear fenders, a sealed bearing headset, sealed bearing alloy platform pedals and an aluminum kickstand. For an extra $40, customers can add a Comfort Package, which upgrades the saddle from a WTB Pure to a Selle Royale Gel saddle, and swaps the stem for a shorter, more upright 70mm/35° rise model. All said and done, the complete Embark’s weight is listed at 45lbs.
Even beyond the bikes themselves, Priority Cycles wants to make life easy for their customers. For a limited time, Priority is including white glove assembly and delivery of your Embark, courtesy of Velofix mobile bike shop (this offer is only applicable in Velofix service areas). Test rides are also available in major markets, which currently include San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Denver, Seattle and Orlando. Interested consumers from elsewhere can email Priority and request that their city be added to this list.
Priority also offers 7-day a week customer support, and if your motor eventually requires repairs Bosch has over 1000 service locations within the USA (and many more internationally).
The Embark comes in 17”, 19” and 21” frame sizes, in either Gloss White or Gloss Charcoal colors. Its retail price is $3999, which includes free shipping to the USA, Canada, and some European countries. Priority even offers monthly payment plans for the Embark – Check out their website for more info.
