I remember getting a three-speed bike as a kid and thinking I was riding something high-tech, and the Urtopia Carbon 1S is an electric bike that offers much more than a simple shifter. Starting with the carbon fiber frame, this ultralight e-bike has all the bells and whistles, including fingerprint sensors, voice control, direction indicators, an anti-theft alarm, GPS tracking, and an app that integrates everything and connects you with other Urtopia riders. [On top of that, the Carbon 1S is also a fun bike to ride, with a powerful, responsive motor and a large battery that will take you far. But these gizmos and the $2,799 price tag may not be for everyone, so read the rest of my review of the Urtopia Carbon 1S to see if you like its features as much as I do, or if you prefer a less futuristic, but more practical, less expensive, best electric-assist bike I hope you'll see if you should opt for one. [The Carbon 1S with a 350W motor and Shimano 7-speed shifter costs $2,799, but the company often offers discounts to bring the price down. Utopia also offers the Carbon 1 with a 250W motor and single gear and a carbon belt drive.

The Carbon 1S comes in three sizes: small (5'3" to 5'9", up to 30" inseam), medium (5'7" to 6'1", 31" inseam), and large (5'11" to 6'5", 33" inseam).

In our review, we requested the medium model (approx. 180 cm tall, 32" inseam) and found the bike comfortable but a bit too small. [Black with orange accents, black with green, red, and orange accents, white, black. Accessories such as a rear carrier ($99), fenders ($99), kickstand ($29), and water bottle holder ($39) can also be purchased.

Utopia offers a two-year warranty and a 14-day test period on this bike.

If you're going to build a carbon fiber electric bike, why not make it look as cool as possible? The Carbon 1S frame has a unique design that really stands out. The top tube extends all the way to the seat, where it zigzags before connecting to the rear wheel. This gives the effect that the seat is floating in the air.

The weight of the Carbon 1S is as impressive as its design. Having never ridden a carbon bike before, I was surprised at how light the Carbon 1S is. At about 33 pounds, it is lighter than many electric scooters I have tested over the years.

The large display in the center of the handlebars is hardly high-tech, a collection of dots in black and white, but it shows speed, battery level, and assist level at a glance. And when paired with a smartphone or Apple watch, it adds even more clever features. For example, if you set up a route using the Urtopia app, the bike's display will give you turn-by-turn directions; if you connect your Apple Watch, it will show you your heart rate; if you connect your phone to the bike, it will show you your heart rate; if you connect your phone to the bike, it will show you your heart rate.

On the left handlebar is a diamond-shaped directional pad for changing pedal assist levels and activating the direction indicators, and on the right handlebar is a circular button that is also a fingerprint reader (more on this in the next section).

There were a couple of things about the design of the Carbon 1S that I found disturbing. The seat must be raised or lowered by loosening a bolt with an Allen wrench. The seat has to be raised or lowered by loosening a bolt with an Allen wrench. Another minor issue is that the control pad on the left side of the handlebar is set about 0.5" too far inward. As a result, I had to extend my thumb a little more than I wanted to in order to change assist levels or use the bike's direction indicators.

Normally, a discussion of bike features would be incorporated into the rest of this review, but the Carbon 1S has enough to warrant a separate section. Until Apple or Elon Musk introduce an electric bike, the Carbon 1S is probably the most high-tech electric bike available.

For starters, the bike has a fingerprint reader built into a circular pad on the right handlebar that is used to both turn on and unlock the bike. When the bike is on, pressing the button activates the electronic horn, the sound of which can be customized via the bike's app.

Pressing and holding this button for three seconds activates the bike's voice control. The voice can be used to change the assist level, indicate sleep, or activate the direction indicators. It is not a time saver and a bit distracting since you just press the button. There were a couple of times when I tried to activate the turn signal and wasn't paying attention to what was in front of me.

In dark conditions, the signal light projects light onto the pavement on both sides of the bike so the direction of the turn is clearly visible to cars. This is a nice feature, but I would like to see the rear lights on the bike itself flash as well. Also, when the bike's display is changed to the extended data mode, the side turn signals are not activated. This means more information at a glance or to let cars know when you are turning.

Bicycles also have a built-in anti-theft system. When the alarm mode is activated, if the bike is moved a few feet without being unlocked by fingerprint, a siren will sound and lights will flash. In addition, it has a 4G eSIM, which allows the Urtopia app to locate it on a map. The first year is free, but after that it costs $39 per year.

The Carbon S1 was a real pleasure to ride; the 350W motor provided plenty of power on steep hills, and the torque sensor activated the motor as soon as I started pedaling. While riding, the rider can select from four pedal-assist modes: eco, comfort, sport, or turbo.

Although the bike does not have a throttle, I found that the assist mode provided more than enough power. I climbed a fairly long, steep hill on the bike, nearly a mile, and it didn't feel like it was working that hard.

I found the Shimano 7-speed shifter a bit simplistic for such a high-tech bike, but it responded quickly when I needed to change gears.

As mentioned, the size M seemed a little too small for me. Even with the seat maxed out, I couldn't stretch my legs as far as I wanted to; I didn't try it on gravel or rough roads because of the narrow 700 x 35C tires.

According to Altopia, the estimated range of the Carbon 1S's 9.8 Ah, 352.8 Wh Samsung lithium-ion battery is 25 to 60 miles, depending on various factors. I set the bike's pedal assist to Sport mode and rode 10 miles round trip up a fairly steep hill. At the end of the ride, the battery had dropped from 94% to 41%, so the company's prediction was fairly accurate.

The Carbon 1S battery is removable and can be secured with a key. Additional batteries cost $449 each.

The Urtopia app allows users to customize various aspects of the bike (horn sound, TK, TK) as well as track all rides and connect with the larger Urtopia community to share rides and ask questions about the bike itself.

Like some of the best fitness apps, each ride graphs where you went, average speed, calories burned, cadence, and power; if you have an Apple Watch, heart rate data is added as well. Super clear and easy to read.

In the interest of environmental protection, the app also estimates the amount of CO2 saved by riding a bike and the amount of CO2 saved by driving a car. These credits can be redeemed for a variety of items ranging from refrigerator stickers (600 credits) to a Hover X1 Pocket drone (35,000 credits). But you need to ride a lot; at 18 miles, I had accumulated 13 credits, so it will be a while before I can get a drone.

The Urtopia Carbon 1S is the most high-tech electric bike I've ridden. From the carbon fiber design to the security to the app-based ride tracking, it has all the bells and whistles you'd expect from someone who loves bells and whistles. And with the exception of voice control, all of it is very well executed.

Now, I admit that most e-bike riders don't need all these features. There are cheap electric-assist bicycles that cost half the price of Ultopia and can get you around just as well. For example, the Rad City RadPower 5 Plus, while not flashy, offers a wonderfully comfortable ride for under $2,000 and can be easily customized with many accessories. And as we saw with the Van Moof, there is risk in buying an electric bike that relies heavily on an app to function. But if you are willing to take that chance, the Urtopia Carbon 1S will make you feel like you are riding into the future.