HPS Domestique proclaims itself lightest stock e-bike available
The new high-performance pedal-assist road bike looks — and weighs — about the same as a standard road bike.
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The HPS Domestique is the self-proclaimed lightest e-bike in the world.
And, at a claimed 8.5kg (18.739 pounds), it weighs less than some road bikes with no motor. If this claim holds true, this e-bike would tip the scales at 4kg less than the recently-announced world’s lightest commuter e-bike, the LeMond Prolog.
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HPS worked with Formula 1 engineers to not only create a lightweight bike but to also integrate it into the bike frame in such a way for it to be elegant, and to allow the bike to perform as an unpowered road bike.
“I thought about building an e-bike, I wanted it to be nice and light, to ride, just like a top-of-the-range road bike with or without electric motor assistance,” said HPS founder and CEO Harry Gibbings. “Swiss precision, German quality, Italian craftsmanship, Formula 1 engineering from Britain and Ireland, all created in our Monte-Carlo headquarters.”
The HPS Domestique — which looks pretty much like a normal road bike — features the proprietary Watt Assist Pro pedal-assist motor, which when activated could add 200 watts and 20Nm of torque to the pilot’s pedaling. The entire motor is housed within the bike’s down tube and bottom bracket, while the modular battery is external and removable, housed in a standard-looking seat tube mounted bottle cage.
The pedal-assist must be manually controlled. When disengaged, the rider spins the Campy cranks normally, but with the pedal-assist system activated, the system kicks in up to 200 watts to boost the rider’s own power.
Currently, two different batteries are available: A standard 193Wh battery which weighs 1.2kg and may last up to three hours on a charge, and an 85Wh battery weighing 720g, with a claimed 90-minute runtime. HPS indicates this smaller battery is “flight-safe” and approved for air travel, however, individual TSA agents may think otherwise.
While the standard battery life may last up to three hours, it’s worthwhile to note that this performance is subject to many variables like ambient temperature, rider weight, elevation gain (requiring more “juice”), tire pressure, and more.
The electronics, battery, and motor status is provided by the HPS-Sync mobile app, which can be paired to a GPS unit like Garmin or Wahoo.
Outfitted with Campagnolo’s latest Ekar gravel component group and Shamal wheels, the Domestique also ships stock with a Deda Superleggera RS handlebars, a Scicon Elon saddle with carbon rails, rolling on Pirrelli P Zero rubber.
The Domestique cockpit does not feature internally routed cables, favoring traditional — non-integrated — components. But does it really matter when you’ve got an 85Wh battery helping to cheat the wind?
HPS brags that Phil Deignan, formerly of Team Sky and pictured above, also assisted in the development of this lightweight, pedal-assist e-bike. The company says that Deignan will be available via email to answer questions posed by prospective and current Domestique owners.
The HPS Domestique is available in four stock sizes: small, medium, large, and extra-large. A special Domestique Launch Edition 21 is available that can be configured with a choice of crank length, stem length, and handlebar width, all for just €12,000.00 ($14,551.20) from the HPS web site, with an expected three months between order and delivery.