To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This review was sponsored by Biktrix. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased, this video and written review are not meant to be an endorsement of Biktrix products.
New for 2019, Biktrix has presented us with the Kutty LT. The Kutty LT is a electric folding fat-tire bike. I’ve been told that the LT delineates that the bike is a hub drive, and that is part of what is so special about this particular offering. The Kutty LT is equipped with a 750watt nominally rated motor that peaks at about 1000watts! Extremely powerful for such a small bike. More about that later, for now, let’s look at some of the features. Part of what makes it so small are these 20” x 4” Kenda Krusade Sport fat-tires. These tires are super capable, and I love the nobby grips all over. It is rated for 5-30psi, and lowering the pressure might be something you would thinking doing if you were taking it on soft or loamy terrain like sand and snow. However, do be mindful of pinch flats (aka Snake Bites) from the rubber rubbing together. Another part that makes the bike small is this step-through frame and folding capabilities, overall it weighs 61.6lbs which isn’t bad for an electric bike. I also really appreciate that this bike comes with an integrated bolt on rear rack. It is adjustable and removable too, as well as having wire rails which is really good for additional weight like a gallon of milk or something. However, the tubing is a little thinner… so you do want to make sure your panniers and accessories fit nicely before riding off. There are some included metal fenders here which are very sturdy and help keep you dry when riding in wet terrain, but they are a little shorter length than usual. I am told this is to help keep the folding tight and compact. Also assisting in the folding are the folding pedals, quick release to rotate the handlebars, quick release for the telescoping stem, main folding joint, and even a joint that folds the stem down as shown in the video. The seat post here even has a quick release for telescoping and a tab underneath that folds the seat forward so you can access the battery in the back, the seat itself is a gel saddle so it is very comfortable. Other features include an adjustable length kickstand mounted in the rear away from the pedals to eliminate pedal lock, integrated headlight, bell, locking grips, internally routed cables, and a folding stand built into the frame.
Driving this bike is this 750watt hub-drive motor. The 750watt is very powerful and very capable and it is complimented well by the throttle. I should also make note that the 750watt rating is actually a nominal rating and at its peak is rated for around 1000watts. A small bike like this coupled with the shorter wheel base means you get a mechanical advantage. Overall, it felt extremely zippy during my test ride and quite capable. Mechanically you have a 7 speed Shimano Tourney 14-28 tooth cassette in the rear and a massive 52 tooth chain ring in the front. For shifting, you get a SIS index thumb shifter. These work great with gloves, but I personally prefer trigger shifters, although I am told that to maintain a throttle setup, manufactures chose the thumb shifter for space on the handlebar. Last but not least is the brakes. Stopping the bike are these 160mm mechanical disc brakes. Mechanical disc brakes are easy to maintain as well as adjust, however, they lack the immediate stopping power that hydraulic brakes offer. Mechanical brakes are still quite capable, but they take a little bit more hand actuation compared to hydraulic brakes. Thankfully, this bike includes motor inhibitors, a motor cut off switch built into the brakes making stopping easier.
Powering the bike is an efficient, larger-than-average, 48 volt 10 amp hour Lithium-ion battery. It’s housed in a rectangular box that slides down behind the seat tube. At the top of the pack is a flip-up handle for secure transport and LED power indicator so you can see how full it is even if you’ve got it stored away from the bike. The best way to keep this pack going is to charge it up every month or so when not in use and store it in a cool, dry location. On the left side of the pack is the keyed ignition and charging port. I appreciate how this port is positioned up high, out of the way of the left crank arm. I love that you can flip the saddle up to slide the battery pack off (even when the bike is folded) and that’s very handy for charging and simply reducing the overall weight for lifting the bike. Note that the charger is very generic and standard, putting out 2 Amps and weighing under 2 pounds. Toss it in a trunk bag to extend your rides and create a space for bringing a water bottle since there aren’t any bottle cage bosses on the frame. Note that neither the battery pack or display panel on this bike offer USB charging, which is too bad considering the large capacity.
Controlling the Kutty is done though this plastic display mounted on the left. It is backlit, but is not removable as far as I can tell and doesn’t seem to swivel either. The controls feature a Power button as well as an Up and Down button for scrolling. Along with the speed here in MPH, it shows a 4 bar battery info graphic, with the outline of the battery logo itself acting as a 5th bar. So basically, it reads out in 24% increments. It also has readings for a timer, distance, and what level of assist you are in. Assist levels range from 0-5, but I did notice that 0 also locks out the throttle, so if you want to use that throttle, make sure to push the assist into 1-5. If you press Power lightly again, you can cycle through current speed, average speed, max speed, voltage, and odometer. Holding down the Up button will get the display to turn on its backlight. This also activates the integrated headlight too. Hold the Down button will active a walk mode. Finally, if you turn the display off, then back on, begin to hold down Up and Down together and you get a deep menu that lets you configure things like top speed, wheel diameter, and MPH to KMH. Believe it or not, you can go even deeper by holding Up and Down again and again to get into a series of coding menus if you really want to get into the nitty gritty.
All in all, the Kutty is a great bike if it falls under your consideration, but there are some tradeoffs I should mention. For example, I noticed the tubing on the rack is not standard gage, so you may want to test fit your panniers and other accessories. Also, when folded, the bike cannot be walked quite as easy as some of the other competing folding bikes currently out there and there are no straps or magnetic claps to keep it folded. Probably the biggest tradeoff however would be with the battery. And finally, you have to keep the keys in at all times to operate it leaving them to bounce around and make noise. All these may seem like nitpicking, and for a bike priced at $1,399-$1,899, it is hard to fault. Considering you get a powerful motor in a compact setup with fenders, lights, and rack, this bike could make the right person very happy. I would like to thank Biktrix for inviting me out to check out their lineup.
As always, I welcome questions and feedback in the comment section below. Whether you own the bike, have taken a test ride, or are brand new to the space, my goal is to provide an objective and honest resource. You can also join the Biktrix Ebike forums and share your own photos, videos, and review updates to help others! Have fun out there, and ride safe :)
Pros:
- A value priced electric folding fat-tire bike at $1,399-$1,899, comes with rack, fenders, and headlight, a great combo for a folding bike
- Kenda Krusade Sport 20” x 4” fat tires with 60 threads per inch casing, rated for a 5psi-30psi, and has some bump absorption with its nobby tread
- I also really appreciate that this bike comes with an integrated bolt on rear rack, it is adjustable and removable too, as well as having wire rails which is really good for additional weight like a gallon of milk or something
- The metal fenders here are great, you will notice they are not full length, but I am told that helps with folding and keeping everything compact, little touches like this make a bike easier to live with in the long run
- Comes standard with battery integrated headlight, something that more bikes are doing these days and I love since it adds visibility and safety
- The adjustable kickstand included is mounted away from the pedals in the rear, so that eliminates pedal lock, an annoying occurrence when reversing a bike with the kickstand down that this bike doesn’t have to worry about
- You can tilt the seat up and forward with a tab underneath so that you can easily access or remove the battery, this is great because I have reviewed other folding bikes with a similar battery setup that forces you to remove the entire seat
- 160mm mechanical disc brake rotors paired with motor inhibitors, the inhibitors help cut power to the motor when braking
- The 750watt rear hub motor is powerful and I love that coupled with the small wheel diameter, it gives you a great mechanical advantage overall a really capable electric setup
- The 48v 10ah battery is a high capacity for this setup, it really can go the extra mile since it doesn’t have to work as hard with these smaller diameter wheels with a mechanical advantage
- A lot of cool little touches like a integrated bell, locking grips, folding pedals, and included steel fenders
Cons:
- I noticed when folded, the bike cannot be walked quite as easy as some of the other competing folding bikes currently out there and there are no straps or magnetic claps to keep it folded
- The tubing on the rack is a little thinner and more narrow, make sure to test fit your pannier bags and other accessories to make sure that they fit well
- It is great that there is an integrated headlight, however, it would have been nice to see a battery integrated rear light here as well for safety
- The drivetrain is a bit basic with just a 14-28 tooth cassette so it would be nice to see a larger sprocket to help the more active pedaler have that range
- To operate the bike, you have to keep the keys in at all times on the side of the battery to operate it, this leaves them hanging around to bounce while riding as well as make noise
- I love the step through frame, but there are no bottle cage bosses to be found anywhere, this is a bit annoying as it is a common accessory mount found on many bikes, even folding ones
Resources:
Champignon
5 years agoThese reviews are great to have; thank you. Although it’s great to have the standardized format you use, for specs and pros and cons, this seems to lead to a lot of cut and pasting with resultant errors. For example, this bike really has a 12 AH battery, plus the rear hub motor is 500W nominal, but here the nominal power is misstated as what is the peak power, 750W. So you could compare this bike to other similar ones, but in fact there are significant differences if you compare real numbers to other real numbers.
ReplyCourt
5 years agoGood points, this is part of why the comments and forum are present and so open here. We seek information from readers who own the bikes or can go deeper. There’s a new guy on the EBR forums called Electric Bike Test Lab who is doing some deep dives and getting more technical, I think we will grow from there, and I appreciate your input :)
ReplyBonnie
5 years agoHello all, I have 350 miles on my Kutty LT that I bought in September of 2018. I am enjoying it. The folding part is not working out as I had hoped. I feel that the wiring is not robust enough for folding and unfolding it twice a day. I can lift it fine by myself but turning it and getting it in the car feels risky to the bike and my car, however I do have a pretty high lip on my trunk. I could not get it on our bike rack because it does not have a crossbar so I bought a dirt bike hitch mount rack. Love the rack so far. On the Kutty, I can ride 20 miles at level 2 or 3 assist with no reduced performance, but I have not tested farther on a single charge. (I weigh 150 lbs.) On my manual bicycle, it takes me ~65 mins to do the 10 miles to work. The e-bike takes ~40 mins. This is my first e-bike and I love the throttle for starting back up at a intersection. Sadly, I did have the bike tip over and it broke the kickstand in half. I had expected the kickstand to be made from more durable material.
ReplyBonnie
4 years agoI just hit 1,000 miles on my Kutty. I am still happy with its performance. Battery life seems about the same as before. I have never ran it dry but most of our trip are only 12 – 15 miles. I have done 35 miles but I was worried it wouldn’t make it. I use level 2 or 3 most of the time, Pedaling all the time and throttle off the line at stop signs or hill at the river.
We rode bikes before buying our e-bikes but not like now. I try to not move the car on weekends, weather permitting. I find I go slower than guys in spandex when there are people on the bike path. I don’t want the masses thinking the e-bikes are going to run them down.
Cons:
Pros:
- It is soooo fun.
- I love the acceleration off the line. (I am 140lbs so I can rocket to 20 mph.)
- We are on the bikes multiple times a week.
ReplyCourt
4 years agoThanks for the feedback, Bonnie! I’m sorry to hear that your kickstand broke, but thanks for sharing your list of pros and cons :D
ReplyBonnie
3 years agoI have now done 1,500 miles. I guess that is not much for avid cyclist but it’s a lot of trips to lunch without moving the car for me. Only problem this year was the rear cassette came loose. This was a little difficult to fix because I could not find the right tool. After looking online, the Biktrix site and 3 bike shops, I ended up just getting a regular new cassette.
Bonnie
2 years agoMy fourth year review: 1,834 miles. I still love ebikes. Ran into two issues this year. I thought my battery was loosing range but it turned out it was my charger going bad which was easy and cheap to find a replacement. Next, the motor would no longer spin the wheel under load. I opened up the motor and it looks like the “ring gear” was slipping. Much to my surprise, it was a big plastic gear somehow mounted to the metal housing. Other motors I saw taken a part on youtube had metal “ring gears”. I have been told by some ebike stores that the hall sensors are what they have seen go bad but the videos show missing teeth on “planetary gears”. So, I needed a whole new motor. Biketrix didn’t have replacement motors but offered to sell me a motor, controller and display. So I decided on a whole new bike. I am disappointed that.
ReplyCourt
2 years agoThanks for the update, Bonnie! I hope your new ebike lasts for many years and brings you a lot of joy and adventure. What are you planning to get?
Reply