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.
The Stunner lineup from Biktrix has a lot of variation. Today, we will be looking at the Stunner-X. This bike has a lot in common with the regular Stunner, so if you read that review you may see a lot of parallel information. The Stunner-X here is an electric cruiser bike with a super powerful mid-drive motor, capable and comfortable knobby fat tires, and a a relaxed seating style. Everything works together quite well, but let’s go over some of the bike features before we get straight into that. So as I mentioned, it is a cruiser bike with a relaxed style and upright riding position. It comes in just one size and one frame style (step-through), 2 different colors, and a number of battery options. Today we are checking out the Caribbean Green step-through with the entry level battery. It retails for $1,999 and has a lot of comfort features like swept back handle bars that kind of meet you as you sit in the lower seat. This comfort is extended from the adjustable angle stem and front suspension fork. The front fork is a RST Guide fork with 110mm of travel and helps absorb the bumps quite nicely. For tires, the Stunner-X is equipped with a set of Kenda Gigas 26” x 4” fat tires, so you get kind of higher volume and good grip at the same time which is really nice. These really helped the ride achieve a comfortable feel, especially when combined with that front fork, and the weight is kept low thanks to the punched out rims. The Stunner-X also has a battery integrated headlight as well as rear light. These are a single LED light which is great for visibility, however, the front light is mounted on the front suspension fork, so the light could bounce up and down if you were on bumpy terrain. There are some nice metal fenders here which are nice with a couple of points for adjustment…I love all the little features like the ergonomic grips and integrated bell, but probably my favorite is the included rear rack. This particular rack is set up well for many sizes of panniers, something I really appreciate. This is also color matched to the frame, really a nice touch. An adjustable length kickstand rounds off the bike well, however, it is mounted near the crank. This means you can get pedal lock when reversing the bike with the kickstand down, so do be aware of that when you are moving the bike around the garage or other places.
Driving the bike is a unique mid-drive motor from Bafang. This is a BBS02 motor so you get a 750watt nominally rated mid-drive that has a peak rating of 1000watts and 120nm of torque! Very fast, very capable, and a lot of fun to drive. The bike is electrically powered by either the throttle mounted on the left, or by cadence based pedal assist. Either work great although cadence based systems can have a very pronounced feel of being ‘on’ or ‘off’. The twist throttle here is on the left as opposed to the typical right side, but it still works great. It should be noted however, there is no throttle override here as the throttle moves according to the mode of pedal assist you are in. So if you are in level 5 pedal assist, you will get top speed throttle, where as level 1 will limit that throttle quite a bit. Mechanically, the bike is equipped with a Shimano Altus 7 speed system. I love the trigger shifters and windowed gear indicator. These make for a lot of fun going up and down the gears. Stopping the Stunner-X is a set of 160mm mechanical disc brakes. I do like mechanical brakes since maintenance and adjustment is much easier, but I do think hydraulic brakes would have done well here to stop the powerful motor.
Powering the bike is a 48v 12ah lithium ion battery pack. I would consider this a high capacity battery pack and really necessary for that super powerful motor. But in case you wanted more juice, Biktrix offers battery upgrades on the battery to either a 16ah or a whopping 21ah… very cool! Anyway, the battery is mounted via lock and key, however, you don’t need the key to start the bike, it is just for battery security. The battery has a power button and I love the LED display read out on it so you can check to see round about how much juice is left. To really care for this and other lithium-ion packs, I have heard that storing in a cool dry location vs. extreme heat or cold will extend the life and try to keep it about 50% full when not using for long periods so you won’t stress the cells. Try not to let it run down to zero, because that’s really hard on the cell chemistry.
Operating the Biktrix Stunner-X is straightforward and easy. The LCD is large, backlit (if you hold the up arrow), and adjustable angle to reduce glare. It is not removable, but there does appear to be a disconnect spot for easy replacement if you experience damage at some point down the line. All of the standard readouts about current speed, battery capacity, and assist level are shown, and if you tap the power button (the little rubber button on the remote pad) it will cycle through advanced readouts like average speed and max speed. Holding down on the button pad activates walk mode, and double tapping the power button opens a menu where you can adjust the maximum speed of the bike, though you’ll need a password from Biktrix to do so. This cold be handy for people who want to ride slower for safety reasons… but you can always just arrow down on assist for less power. The real consideration is how fast the throttle will get you going, because it’s always offering up full power when pushed all the way down. I was able to reach just over 20 miles per hour in the highest assist level during my tests. After a bit of practice, it’s easy to click up or down without even looking at the display for feedback. The one thing I have noticed about this particular button pad is that if you snag the buttons with fabric or somehow bump them when parking, the plastic cover can get bent up and become vulnerable to breaking off. I have only seen this once, but I have never seen the rubberized buttons get broken, so I consider it a point of consideration and extra care.
When it is all said and done, I found the Stunner-X to be a ton of fun. The reason I like this bike is due to the comfort of the saddle, relaxed position, front fork, and fat-tires to eat up the bumps. However, there are some tradeoffs here so I did want to call those out. For example, the fat tires may inspire you to do some hard core off roading, but it is much more at home on the pavement and very light trails. Also, the integrated headlight is a nice touch, but having it mounted on the fork means it can bounce up and down with visibility if on rough terrain. Probably the biggest tradeoff though is having such a powerful and fun system without hydraulic brakes. Hydraulic brakes provide more immediate stopping power, but the mechanical brakes here are still sufficient while being easier to maintain, adjust, and keeping cost down. It should be noted you can upgrade to hydraulic on their site for $249 extra. Overall, the bike is really a blast and well put together, I would like to thank Biktrix for inviting me up to come check it out.
As always, I welcome questions and feedback in the comment section below. Whether you own a previous version of 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 comfortable cruiser ebike with capable knobby fat-tires, a mid-drive motor, throttle, and comfortable riding position as well as a suspension fork
- This is an extremely comfortable bike thanks to all the touches like centered weight distribution, relaxed seating position, plush saddle, front suspension fork, ergonomic grips, and bump absorbing fat tires
- Lots of included features like a bell, aluminum alloy fenders, chain guard, adjustable length kickstand, and some internally routed cables
- It comes in a step-through as well as 2 different colors and a number of battery options like 12ah, 16ah, and a massive 21ah!
- Features swept back handle bars that kind of meet you as you sit in the lower seat, this works great wit the adjustable angle stem
- I love the RST Guide front fork with 110mm of travel which helps absorb the bumps quite nicely, also you have a higher volume fat tire with good treat for comfort as well
- You get a great battery integrated headlight and rear light, these are a single LED light which is great for visibility and safety, I love that more companies are including it
- Rounding off the features is an included rear rack, this is paint color matched to the frame and has setups for varying pannier lengths
- Features a powerful 750watt nominally rated mid-drive that has a peak rating of 1000watts and 120nm of torque! …very fast, very capable, and a lot of fun to drive
- Large, easy to read display with a lot of information and features you can deep dive into
Cons:
- The controls for the display have a groove in them that can catch cloth and other material, so if you are wearing gloves for example, be aware of that
- The throttle is not an overriding throttle, which means that level 1 pedal assist will give you level 1 throttle power and so on, this has benefits for control, but I wish in the moment you need it, you could throttle past an obstacle or oncoming danger
- Has an LED headlight which is great for visibility, however, it is mounted on the front suspension fork, so the light could bounce up and down if you were on bumpy terrain
- For having such a powerful and fun system, you may expect hydraulic brakes, however, they are not here, hydraulic brakes provide more immediate stopping power, but the mechanical brakes here are still sufficient while being easier to maintain, adjust, and keeping cost down, you can add them to the bike for $249 more
- Control center can’t be removed, leaving it vulnerable to theft and scratching when the bike is left at a public bike rack
- Only one frame size and style may limit the range of rider heights the bike can accommodate
Resources:
- Official Site: https://www.biktrix.com/
duck says
“front suspension seat post”?? Might want to fix that…
Court says
Thanks duck! Looks a little sloppy, I don’t think this model has a suspension seat post so it must have been a mistake when referring to suspension fork. I appreciate you pointing this out and have made a correction. I am also working with my team to become more detail oriented…
Norm says
Hello Court; I love your reviews and they are my source of information. I just bought the Stunner-X for my wife and she loves it. But I was looking to buy a bike rack for my car to carry the Stunner-X and my Radrover when I ran into a problem I can not find a rack which will carry the Stunner-X with a 52 inch wheel base. The overall length of the Stunner-X is over 80 inches. You list the overall length as 72 inches. You may want to correct. Any help in recommending a car rack will be appreciated.
Court says
Hmm, thanks for the feedback, Norm! I had a contributor review this ebike and perhaps they measured the overall length wrong. Can you confirm the 80 inch length from the front of the leading tire to the rear of the back tire? I’ll think on the bike rack question but nothing comes to mind instantly… I do like the sturdy racks that Küat sells, I believe that the NV 2.0 is their longest. Maybe you could use a hanging style rack, but you’d probably want to use a crossbar adapter for the bike and then remove the battery so it isn’t as difficult to lift up and strap down :)
Daniel S says
How does this bike compare to the Ariel C-Class? The Ariel seems to have better components but the mid drive seems better on the Stunner-x. They are both in the range I am looking for but I really want best overall quality on the total bike. All of my rides with be commute, gravel or road riding with moderate hills. I would like to be able to ride the hills as a bike if the battery dies as well. Maybe another bike fits me better?
5’10” 210 – 220 lbs Need the ability to store gear in water proof packs so would like a quality luggage rack. Need great fenders to avoid water tails from the tires.
Court says
Hi Daniel, those are two very different bikes! The Biktrix Stunner has fat tires which are capable on varied terrain, and comfortable, but they weigh more and produce drag. I think the Ariel Rider C-Class is a good option to consider, but the rear-rack battery takes up some of the cargo capacity you’d otherwise use for your waterproof panniers or trunk bag. Both products could get the job done for you, but there are lots of options in the city/commuting categories to explore here. If you get the C-Class, do it because you like the unique front rack, the deep step-thru frame, and the vintage styling. Otherwise, for just a bit more, you could get the Magnum Metro or something similar. This ebike has the unencumbered rear rack and excellent battery position like the Biktrix Stunner, but uses more efficient tires for those moments that you wish to pedal without assist to extend range. Here’s the full commuting category to explore, all of these ebikes have fenders, a rear rack, and integrated lights. I also look out for puncture resistant tires, suspension, and companies with the right mix of price, reliability, and shops (if I want to work with a local shop). You can also ask around for input on the EBR Forums. Good luck :)
Daniel S says
I think I have decided on a BH Easy Motion Evo City Pro, it is a great price point. I did not see a specific review on this bike from you but the general ones look positive. I especially liked the Interbike 2018 Easy Motion update and the EVO update you did. I am a long time rider first time ebiker and have watched all of your initial ebike rider guides. Thanks for all the great info! Fun to watch and very complete.
Court says
Wonderful! I hope it works well for you, and I’d love to hear more thoughts once you’re out riding… to see if it meets your expectations. You could share back in the BH Ebike Forums we setup here :) and this might be the closest ebike to the Evo City Pro that I covered, it’s the Evo City+ from 2017. Here’s the full list of BH Easy Motion reviews I’ve done.
Sherry says
Hi. On the review for the Biktrix Stunner X you have listed that it uses mechanical disc brakes. But in your video review and on their website you say Hydraulic brakes.
Question: How does this bike do going up hills. That’s my main concern with living in East Tennessee… I need some assist with going up the hills and want to just make sure you think this bike will preform good for that? Thank you :-).
Court says
Hi Sherry! I actually didn’t film this review, but I looked at the pictures and they do appear to be mechanical. Maybe Biktrix upgraded to hydraulic recently? Sorry about this lack of clarity, we had a team member who was helping do reviews but that person isn’t available now.
Regarding power, most hub motor ebikes with large fat tires need a very powerful motor just to turn the weight. The bike should perform decently, but if you’re climbing steep hills and are starting from a standstill or you aren’t willing to pedal at least a little bit, you could end up going very slow or even overheating the motor. I always shift down to a lower gear and help a bit when climbing, I will also jump off and walk if the hill gets really steep. The best climbers are mid-drive motors, but they require a low gear and pedaling too, since they power the drivetrain and not just the wheel. I hope this helps! Here’s one of the more powerful mid-drives with a throttle (unique setup) that is a good climber even if you aren’t pedaling as much (but you still need to shift to a lower gear).
Sherry says
Thank you so much!!! That was very very helpful!!!! :))
Dennis says
I purchased my Stunner X in April of 2021. I live in a northern Canada community (Whitehorse, Yukon), and so was unable to view or ride the bike before purchasing. If I had been able to do so, I would not have purchased it. Before purchase I had found a YouTube video where someone talked about how they had to get help from Biktrix to re-program the throttle and pedal assist so that the motor gave a gradual increase in power, and how it improved the ride enormously. I asked Biktrix about the possibility of having the bike re-programmed before purchase and was told:
“We strongly recommend that customers wait until their bike arrives before doing any reprogramming. We want the customer to get a feel for the bike, have the chance to ride it for a couple of weeks, and then make the decision if they want to reprogram. It is after this period that we would typically send a cable.”
So, I took a chance and went through with the purchase. As soon as I started riding the bike I noticed that the power control was not set up correctly. The slightest touch to the throttle or the pedal resulted in the motor sending full power. Instead of a gradual increase, it was more like an off-on switch. This made the bike very twitchy and it never felt like I was really in control of the bike. The bike is also very big and felt clumsy and awkward to ride. And I dread turning corners on it, as it steers so clumsily!
A couple of days after I started riding it, I was walking the bike up to my apartment door and took one hand off of the bike to retrieve my door key from my pocket. While doing so, I accidentally hit the throttle and the bike jumped forward out of my hands and hit the ground so hard that the left brake lever broke off. Biktrix sent me a new lever at no cost, but I have yet to replace it.
I contacted Biktrix and asked to have them set up a re-programing of the bike so that the power would be more gradual instead of coming on full at the slightest touch, and we set up a video call to do this. This involved allowing the Biktrix tech to control my computer in order to reprogram the bike. After the session I was told to disconnect the cable from my bike to my computer and to reconnect the cable to the bike. I found out that these cables are extremely tight fitting, and that it is very easy to damage them while pulling them apart or when pushing them back together. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. I ended up damaging the cable connection to the main power harness. Now, I get no power from the motor.
The Biktrix tech said that I would have to replace a main power harness on the bike. This main connector has four of the same type of connections as the cable that got damaged during the video call. So now, I have four cables to disconnect and replace, giving me at least four times the chance to damage one. Or, they said I could get a bike mechanic to do it AT MY COST!!!
Biktix sent me a link for the cable harness I needed from Amazon, which I had to purchase with my money. It cost me $28 Cdn. and would not be delivered until about three weeks. When I told them how long it would take to get the part from Amazon, they offered to sell me the same part for $47 Cdn and claimed that this was their price after a $40 discount! I told them “NO THANK YOU!”
I really think they should be paying for the whole thing, because they were the ones who told me that I could not have the bike re-programmed before purchasing. If it had been, I would not have had to be pulling cable connectors apart and re-attaching them. These connections are very delicate and the customer should not really be touching them. Also, I believe that Biktrix should not be selling this bike to customers with the bike set up to deliver full power to the pedals and throttle at the slightest touch. This is an accident just waiting to happen. Some poor soul is going to end up in a situation where the bike receives too much power to control properly and is going to get seriously hurt.
I have since found quite a few customer reviews where they mention having to ask Biktrix to reprogram the bike because of this very problem. This whole event has left me regretting very strongly that I ever bought the bike in the first place. Even if I manage to get the cables replaced without any more damage, I’m still left with a bike that is clumsy and awkward and no joy to ride.
Court says
Wow, that’s a sad story to read. I’m sorry to hear that the bike feels clumsy, that the brake lever broke, that the wire harness is required after damaging one of the connections AND that Biktrix convinced you not to have the bike setup with a more gradual power ramp from the start. It sounds like you knew what you wanted all along, that’s frustrating. Thanks for sharing your experience here, so others might be able to plan better and the company might adjust their settings in the future. Hope everything works out for you Dennis :(
Dennis Wade says
It’s been a week now and I am still waiting for the new power harness cable to arrive from Amazon. It’s supposed to arrive on June 4. Then I have to decide whether I should try to replace the harness myself or take it to a bike shop. There are a total of 5 connectors on the harness, all of which are very hard to pull apart and are easily damaged. I only did one cable before, and damaged it, so I’m a little concerned about doing it myself. We only have one bike shop where I live and there are a lot of mountain bike trails here, so in the summer it can mean waiting for quite a while for an appointment. I could end up having no bike to ride for most of June. And then there is the cost of having a bike shop doing it.
I have heard absolutely nothing from Biktrix since having the cable damaged, so I guess I’m completely on my own. The things that make me the most angry and disappointed are:
I am very disappointed that Biktrix would just ignore me completely after having the cable connector get damaged. Not even a “so sorry you damaged your bike” or anything. All they did was offer me a $40 discount on an overpriced part that should have been covered by warranty.
Court says
Hi Dennis, this is really frustrating and sad to read. I’m sorry man! You were trying to do something great, ride your bike instead of drive, and now you’re without a bike and spending extra money. I keep a little money set aside extra to help people from time to time, and if you’re short on funds for this repair or considering switching to another bike completely, I’d be happy to send you $300 using PayPal. If you’d like the gift, just text me at 650.930.0342