This review was provided for free using a demo bike, but BULLS North America paid for a hotel and split the cost of flights to visit and film. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased with you, this video and writeup are not meant to be an endorsement of BULLS products. I welcome your corrections, additions, and feedback in the comments below, and the BULLS electric bike forums.
Pros:
- This is a feature complete electric bike, meaning that it comes with everything you need for riding in different weather, day or night, and carrying ear. The fenders and rear rack are aluminum alloy, the front and rear lights run off of the main rechargeable battery pack.
- Available in four frame sizes to improve fit and comfort. This is a big highlight for people who are riding farther and faster, something this bike is very capable of with the high capacity battery and Class 3 28mph motor.
- Clean aesthetic with black fork stanchions and lowers, rims, spokes, posts, and handlebar. I also love that they included two bottle cage mounts here vs. just one!
- Safety is important to me, so I appreciate the bright 50 LUX headlight, 24 LED rear light, reflective tires that are also e-bike rated for 50km speed and puncture resistant.
- The battery pack offers very high capacity 625 watt hours, and can be charged on or off the frame. The included charger is fast 4 amp but not too large or heavy. The proprietary plug is durable.
- The battery pack locks into the frame using an ABUS locking core with XPLUS Code keys that can be matched to ABUS locks (like folding locks, u-locks, and frame locks), so you don’t need multiple keys! They seem to be high quality locks in general that would be more more difficult to defeat.
- I LOVE that the locking cylinder for the battery and charge port are mounted high on the right side of the frame. They are easy to access and reach when the bike is parked! Many other ebikes put these low on the left side, often near the crank arms where they can be blocked, are exposed to water, and are simply more difficult to reach.
- The motor offers high 85 Newton meter peak torque output for excellent starts and climbing ability. Even so, it is Class 3 rated for 28mph top assisted speeds. This is one of the top motors in the Second Generation Bosch lineup.
- One of the things that makes the motor controller special is that it measures rear wheel speed, pedal cadence, and pedal torque over 1,000 times per second! It’s very responsive, but also smooth, and even has shift detection to help reduce chain and sprocket wear.
- I like the Bosch Kiox display and button pad for many reasons. The display is removable (loosen the set screw below), has a tough Gorilla Glass screen, includes a Micro USB charging port below, and uses color which makes interpretation easier when you cannot focus on the assist level text readouts.
- This electric bike is compatible with the free Bosch eBike Connect smartphone app that offers route planning and tracking, as well as heart rate monitor integration. You can synchronise your ride data with Strava, Apple Health or Google Fit, see dynamic range estimates while riding, and disable the electronic drive systems with a lock setting when you park!
- Outstanding Shimano Deore 10-speed drivetrain with wide 11-46 tooth cassette. This is useful given the wider range of assisted speeds 0-28mph. I appreciate the one way clutch on the derailleur, to reduce chain bounce, and the narrow-wide chainring that reduces drops.
- The hydraulic disc brakes are easy to actuate and perform well. With a 180mm rear rotor and large 203mm front rotor, you get improved cooling and mechanical advantage over the larger tires and higher speeds that the bike is capable of reaching.
- High quality air suspension with compression and rebound adjust. Note the wider 110mm Boost hub spacing that provides a sturdy spoke bracing angle, and the thicker 15mm thru-axle.
- BULLS has positioned the magnet for measuring rear wheel on the wheel hub near the rear disc brake rotor mount vs. a spoke. This means that your wheel can stay more balanced and you won’t end up with a loose spoke over time, it also improves reliability because this tucked-in position isn’t exposed to mud and debris as much.
- This is a small thing, but I appreciate how the front fender supports mount directly to the suspension fork lowers vs. having plastic cuffs. This is a sturdier, cleaner design, that won’t slide out of place over time or dry out and crack.
- I believe that BULLS started in 1997 and launched their first ebike models in 2009. They are a global company with an excellent warranty and a wide network of dealers. This means you can test ride easier, get support, and retain resale value.
- Excellent two year warranty from Bosch, their hardware is UL certified, IP54 water and dust resistant, and I was told that they provide support on retired products for 10 years.
Cons:
- The frame only comes in dark grey with black accents, there are no other color choices. This probably helps to keep the price low, and I appreciate the lighter accents and reflectivity on the tires to help keep it visible to cars and other cyclists.
- Although the bike is produced in four sizes, there is only one frame style: high-step diamond. This is the sturdiest design, which is also the easiest to hang on many rack systems, but it isn’t as approachable for people with hip sensitivity and short inseams.
- This is a minor complaint, but the headlight is mounted to the suspension arch vs. the handlebar. It’s lower, and unsprung in this position, depending on the angle it could be partially blocked by the fender and front tire.
- Although the drive system and smartphone app are excellent, they are not the most current generation from Bosch, which is called Smart System. This means that future batteries and displays will not be cross compatible. BULLS chose to outfit the Second Generation hardware to take advantage of the Performance Line Speed motor, which had not been released for Smart System yet.
- The bike comes with city tires that are rated for high speed riding on mostly paved surfaces. If you wanted to use the bike off-road, I think it could handle it, but if you try to switch the tires for knobby ones, they might not fit with the alloy fenders… and the rear fender provides support for the rack. So, you might have to remove the fenders and rack in order to convert this to a Cross Country all-terrain platform.
- Due to the high capacity battery pack, suspension fork, higher volume tires, and aluminum alloy fenders and rear rack, the bike is fairly heavy at 59.7 pounds. I would definitely take the 7.7lb battery out when servicing the bike or transporting it on car racks.
- I think this electric bike would be a great candidate for a seat post suspension. These can be purchased aftermarket for $100 – $200 and many offer adjustable preload for different sized riders. Just look for 30.9mm diameter and it should work here, but keep in mind it will raise the minimum saddle height by about three inches.
- The battery mounts from below the downtube, and can be tricky to work with. It’s fairly heavy at 7.7lbs, has to be balanced and set into place, then the ABUS key must be turned to open the locking mechanism. This is a two hand job for sure, and the area is crowded by the front fender.
- Be careful when lifting and transporting the PowerTube battery because it does not have an integrated handle like the PowerPack mid-frame and rear-rack models. I do appreciate how it clicks down one step when unlocking, before completely coming off the bike because you are less likely to drop it when removing.
- The plastic shield that covers the battery pack, once mounted, does not lock to the frame! The result is that it could be taken or tampered with. The upside is that I believe they are less expensive to replace because many models use the same design.
- The rear rack did not have a weight rating stamped on it, but I’m guessing it could be 20kg which is roughly 44lbs because of how it is attached to the fender vs. directly to the seat stays. It might not be sturdy enough for child seats, and does not include dedicated pannier rods… so you might not be able to use a trunk bag and panniers simultaneously.
- The Bosch Performance Line Speed motor is very responsive and powerful, but it uses energy faster and produces more noise than a lower powered variant, and some of the competition. It’s gotten a lot better, so this is more of a “high powered motors make noise” comment than a Bosch specific critique.
- I noticed that small rocks and pebbles would occasionally get caught between the tire tread and flung off into the fenders while riding on gravel trails. I noticed this when editing the video, and it makes a tinking rattling noise.
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