VanMoof

VanMoof spent a decade making electric bikes that looked like nothing else on the road — lights built into the frame, a battery you couldn’t see, a whole bike pared back to a clean line. It became one of the most recognisable city bikes in the world.

The S6 series is its next chapter. Now part of McLaren Applied, VanMoof has rebuilt the bike from the inside out — the first generation designed entirely under the new ownership, and the most considered yet. The silhouette is unmistakably the same. Underneath, it’s been engineered for the long run: a three-speed hub that shifts itself and needs next to no maintenance, the electronics consolidated into one redesigned core, and a three-year warranty across the range. Everything people loved about the original, on a platform built to last.

Designed to disappear

The appeal of a VanMoof was never the spec sheet. The 487 Wh battery sits inside the frame, the lights are built into the top tube, and the welds are smoothed away until the whole bike reads as a single clean line — it barely looks electric at all. The three-speed hub shifts itself as you ride, and a glowing Halo ring on the bars stands in for a display. No menus, no gears to think about, nothing to set up. You hop on and go.

Security that comes built in

One of the quiet pleasures of a VanMoof is that the security isn’t something you add on afterwards — it’s part of the bike. A tap of your foot engages the waterproof Kick Lock and arms the alarm, with no chain to wind around a post. The bike knows where it is, too: built-in location tracking works alongside Apple Find My, and the fixings throughout are made to resist tampering. For everyday city riding, it’s simply one less thing to think about when you lock up and walk away.

Dutch design, McLaren engineering

VanMoof has done one thing since 2009: design its own city bike from the ground up, rather than assemble one from off-the-shelf parts. That’s why it looks and rides like nothing else — the lights built into the frame, the Halo ring, the Kick Lock, the unmistakable silhouette. The S6 takes that bespoke character and engineers it for the long run. Under its owner McLaren Applied — whose roots are in McLaren’s motorsport division — the electronics were rebuilt around a single Control Core and tested to keep working through rain, cold and heat, with a three-year warranty across the range. The design is pure VanMoof. The engineering underneath is built to last.

Why buy a VanMoof from Flying Dutchman

A VanMoof is a city bike you buy to replace short car and bus journeys, and to stop thinking about — which only works if someone can keep it running. As an authorised VanMoof retailer we set every bike up before it leaves the workshop, handle servicing and warranty work, and can talk you through the security and the app honestly. We keep some of the range in stock, and can usually get the rest to you without a long wait. Come and ride one before you decide; it’s the quickest way to know if the VanMoof way of doing things suits you.

Frequently asked questions about VanMoof

Yes. VanMoof is now part of McLaren Applied, which rebuilt the company and its service network, and the S6 is the first bike designed entirely under that ownership. It comes with a three-year (or 7,500 km) warranty, and we set up, service and handle warranty work on every one we sell. It’s a city bike built to be kept, not replaced.

Yes. As an authorised VanMoof retailer we service and repair the S6 in our own workshop, including warranty work, and the new generation has been deliberately designed to be more straightforward to maintain than earlier models. If something needs attention, you have somewhere local to bring it.

It comes down to the frame. The S6 has a high top tube and larger 27.5-inch wheels for a sportier, more planted ride, and suits taller riders. The S6 Open has a low step-through frame and 24-inch wheels, weighs around a kilo less and is easier to get on and off — the easier first VanMoof for most people. The motor, battery, gears and security are identical, so it’s purely about fit and how you like to ride. The quickest way to decide is to try both.

VanMoof quotes roughly 37 to 93 miles (60 to 150 km) depending on how much assistance you use. The 487 Wh battery is built into the frame rather than removable, so it charges on the bike — a full charge takes around six and a half hours. For most London commutes that means charging once or twice a week.

For most London flats, yes. A VanMoof has the footprint of an ordinary bike rather than a cargo bike, so it fits a hallway, a stairwell or a bike store. The one thing to plan for is charging: the battery is built into the frame rather than removable, so the bike needs to be near a socket when it’s topping up. If your storage is a flight of stairs away from power, that’s worth thinking through — and something we’re happy to help you work out.

The S6 is built to make theft hard in the first place: a tap-to-lock Kick Lock, an alarm, anti-theft fixings, and location tracking that works with Apple Find My. On top of that, VanMoof’s Theft-Proof service — included for the first year — will help track down a stolen bike, and replace it if it can’t be recovered. We’d still recommend pairing it with a good independent lock and somewhere sensible to keep it, and we’re happy to talk that through.

Up to a point. VanMoof offers front and rear racks, and the heavy-duty rear rack is approved for a child seat and loads up to 27 kg — fine for a single younger child and the daily shopping. It’s a city bike rather than a cargo bike, though, so if you need to carry two children or serious loads every day, our cargo and family range is the better place to look.

Yes — and it’s a fair question, because it’s exactly where the new ownership has focused. VanMoof has opened up repair documentation, built out a wider service network, and is co-designing parts with established manufacturers so they stay available. Combined with servicing here at Flying Dutchman, it’s a far more reassuring bike to own day to day.