Priority Current e-bike

Two-minute review

The Priority Current is a special set of wheels that rubs elbows with the best electric bikes around. Although it doesn’t come cheap, starting at over $3000 in the US (it's not yet available in the UK and Australia, but we hope it arrives soon), it still manages to undercut many of its direct competitors to make for a strong value offering—a value that gets even stronger with an absurd discount available to Costco members.

You’ll find some serious hardware under the ‘hood’ of the Priority Current. It runs on a 500W mid-drive motor with a peak torque of 140Nm for some considerable get-up-and-go. It puts transfers that power over a silent and dependable Gates carbon belt drive and runs it through an internally geared hub, either a Shimano Inter-5 or an Enviolo Sportive CVT for $200 more. 

This all makes for smooth, easy shifting and riding whether going up a hill, starting from a standstill, or flying along at the user-programmable top speed, which can be cranked up to 28mph if your state allows Class 3 bikes.

The bike is also built and equipped well, with a solid frame that doesn’t creak or groan even as we push it to the limit. It sits on thick, quality wheels that help smooth out the ride some, and it packs a ton of reliable stopping power with hydraulic dual-piston brakes.

While there are no shortage of cheaper e-bikes on the market, most don’t match the quality of this bike, and almost all will rely on a hub-drive that, while speedy, can’t match the natural riding feel of a mid-drive motor. While there are a few cheaper options on the market, the only one that feels like a comparable alternative is the Ride1Up Prodigy we recently tested, and Current offers a number of upgrades that help justify the increased price.

Priority Current: Price and availability

The Priority Current is available for $3299 with the Shimano hub or $3499 with the Enviolio CVT hub. It comes in White or Charcoal colors. While the  Priority Current is sold direct, the brand is also part of the Costco Next program; as such, Costco members can order the bike for an almost ridiculous $700 off.

Priority Current: Design

• Not too aggressive, not too laid back
• Middling weight
• Stealthy design bogged down by cables

The Priority Current is understated in design. It puts off a casual vibe like it’s not made for hauling down roads and keeping pace with traffic. Part of that comes from the low, curving top tube that makes the Current almost a step-through while still providing some clearance in the frame geometry for bolting a water bottle or lock into the included braze-on derailleur adaptor. 

A big part of what drives home the Priority Current’s subtlety is the bike's penchant for hiding things. It looks like a single-speed until you discover it uses an internally geared hub—either an Enviolo Sportive CVT or Shimano Inter-5. It hides its battery into a locking slot in the downtube, which is just a bit thicker than you’d find on non-electric bikes. The mid-drive motor is the best hint this is an electric bike, but even that feels hidden as the black belt of the Gates Carbon Drive doesn’t draw the eye quite the same way that a shiny, silver chain does. 

Unfortunately, Priority couldn’t go as far hiding all the cables this bike uses. Even though many are internally routed, there are just so many cables coming out of the handlebar that they make the front look messy. Given all the cables already going on, it’s a blessing and curse that Priority left out motor cut-off cables for the brakes, which would have added another set of wires but can improve safety. 

The leisurely cruiser vibe of the Priority Current is furthered along by the bike’s inclusion of lengthy fenders, a plump saddle, beefy Goodyear Transit Tour 650b tires (that alone add over 3 pounds to the bike on), a sturdy kickstand, and the slightly upright position of the handlebars. Though don’t confuse it for the truly laid-back beach cruiser-style bike.

Priority has done an exceptional job kitting this bike out for the price. Though branding is obscured in a few places (the brakes and the motor, for instance), they prove themselves in practice. Many of the parts step above the basics in a way that helps justify the price of the bike. The disc brakes use a dual-piston, hydraulic system that’s a substantial improvement over the single-piston mechanical type.

The motor 500-watt motor boasts 140Nm of torque, well exceeding what most of its competition offers. And the use of a belt drive and internally geared hub not only promises to save on maintenance but also simplifies setup—the gearing just works out of the box with no tedious indexing. The large display for viewing speed, battery, settings and such is also an elegant option. There’s also a tail light built into the rear fender and a headlight on the handlebars.

The grips on the handlebar are ergonomic, though made of a rubber that doesn't feel as high-quality as other aspects of the bike. Similarly, the pedals themselves are rather basic, plastic ones.

All of these extras come with some added weight though. The bike comes in at 53.4 pounds for the large model. While that’s weighty for a bike, it’s by no means unprecedented for a bike, and still reasonably light next to many e-bikes. The low top-tube doesn’t help make its weight easier to carry, though a flattened section helps some.

• Design score: 4/5

Priority Current: Performance

• Responsive, natural ride
• Engaging drivetrain
• Active, but near effortless cruising

The Priority Current is a very capable e-bike. The motor doesn’t struggle to provide enough power for speedy riding, and being a mid-drive motor, it gets to put that power through a wide gear range. 

We tested the Current with the Enviolo Sportive hub. This provides substantial range, making it easy to take off from a standstill, push through wind and hills, or fly along flat terrain. The wide 650b tires offer a nimble feel and fairly low rolling resistance for solid coasting. The Enviolo hub takes a bit of getting used to, requiring us to stop pedaling and wait to hear the motor stop a moment before we can smoothly shift.

After getting the hang of it, the Priority offers an incredibly quick and smooth system that also proves incredibly handy for commuting, since we can shift gears even when we’re stopped, so slamming on the brakes for a red light doesn’t leave us stuck in a high gear that’s hard to pedal out of.

The bike does a great job responding to our pedaling. While it’s clear the motor is working (especially because we can hear it), it feels incredibly natural to pedal. Thanks to the wide gear range, it’s also easy to find a comfortable cadence.

The Priority Current can operate as a Class 1 e-bike with a 20mph cap or bump up to Class 3 with a 28mph. It just takes a quick settings change to alter the top speed up to 28mph, and the motor and gears are more than up to the task of getting there. While it still feels like we’re putting in some effort when we bike, the ease with which we can get up to speed and maintain is undeniably enabled by the motor.

Unfortunately, if the motor isn’t running, the Current proves as tough to ride as most other e-bikes. We’re able to get going along at 12-13mph with a bit of effort, but the same effort on an analog bike would have us going much, much faster, rendering it very difficult to use on an empty battery.

The bike is on the stiffer side, using an aluminum frame and lacking any suspension. The big tires help it feel plenty supple for smooth road riding, but it’s not immune to potholes and small divots in the road. The use of a thru-axle for the front fork should at least keep the wheel in place over those potholes.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Priority Current: Battery Life

• Easy to go through the battery
• No range estimates

It would be a thing of beauty if the Priority Current could just go further on a charge. It’s not coming up short, hitting an average of 25.7 miles in our testing, which included plenty of stop-and-go riding, high speeds in Class 3 mode, and a 235-pound rider. 

While 24.5 miles isn’t bad, it’s not exceptional. We’ve found similar range from cheaper bikes, and no matter how much value it’s delivering, the Priority Current can’t be called cheap. It would matter less if the Current was easier to continue riding after the battery died. 

Despite having a useful display for riding details, one that’s lacking is a range estimate for the battery. The cheaper Ride1Up Prodigy offered range estimates that did a great job keeping us from getting stuck with a dead battery.

• Battery life score: 3.5/5

Priority Current: Value for money

• A value for all it’s packing
• Not cheap for casual riders

While the Priority Current isn’t a cheap bike by any means, it marks a clear value with the quality and equipment it offers at its price. Even at its full price of $3299, it doesn't have much competition from other mid-drive e-bikes, let alone ones that offer the refinement of a carbon drive or internally geared hub. 

Rounding out its package with quality brakes, fenders, and lights helps push the value even further. The fact it’s so easy to customize top speeds also means users in different regions can get the most out of the bike based on their local laws. 

If we factor in the $700 discount Costco members can get (a membership that costs only $60, and a purchase that doesn’t require actually setting foot in a Costco), the value of the Current is near unbeatable. All of its refinements and price do put it in a different tier of e-bike though, and that leaves it vulnerable to competition from many cheaper hub-drive e-bikes, which can still provide a satisfying ride and competitive range.

• Value for money score: 4/5

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Also consider:

Ride1Up Prodigy XR

If the Priority Current is a deal, then the Ride1Up Prodigy is a steal. It’s $1,000 less but ready to rip at 28mph with its own mid-drive system. It doesn’t have as much torque and relies on a typical cassette for gears, but it’s still a strong option.

Specialized Turbo Vado 3.0 IGH 

The Specialized Turbo Vado 3.0 IGH is the lower-cost sibling to the Turbo Vado 4.0 and a neck-in-neck competitor to the Priority Current. It’s packing so many of the same ingredients. But it costs a bit more unless you skip the internally geared hub, and it can’t match the cost for Costco members.