BULLS ICONIC EVO TR 1 SPEED Review

To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This in-depth review was sponsored by BULLS North America. 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.

UPDATE: The review unit had a Bosch Kiox display panel attached, but I have been told that the production version of this electric bike will use a Purion. I have covered this display in detail (including with video and images) in this forum post. My apologies for the inconsistency here, I hope this helps you! Note that you can purchase a Kiox or Nyon display as a retrofit upgrade later in 2020 if you wish ;)

Observations:

• Bosch Gen 4 motors no longer use a reduction gear, so the standard sized chainring freewheels without producing any drag and the Performance Line motors don’t clunk when you stop pedaling like some of the Active Line models… though the chain does not cycle backwards when you backpedal
• BULLS really stepped up their game with the charging port and battery locking core position, both positioned high on the right side of the frame, making them easier to reach, and having a leashed cover so they wont get lost as easily
• The Powerpack 625 weighs a pound more than the 500 (~14% heavier) but gives you 25% more battery capacity! It’s a bit of a trade-off for an all mountain electric bike, where being able to lift the bike, handle it on rough terrain, and put it on car racks makes weight savings important. It’s great to have more battery capacity given that higher speeds drain the battery more quickly… this is one of the only full suspension Class 3 ebikes on the market from a mainstream brand with shops and solid support/warranty
• BULLS offers a few neat proprietary hardware features on their 2020 models, including a disc brake rotor integrated magnet that measures rear wheel speed… it’s a lot more protected and durable than the older spoke-mounted designs. They are also using a cool ACR branded rectangular spacer system that break apart for easier height adjustment of the stem while concealing the Bosch button pad electrical wire. This ebike comes with a magnetic Monkey Link bottle cage mount on the downtube, which can easily be removed if you prefer traditional bolt-on accessories

Pros:

• A unique full suspension Class 3 electric bike that’s setup for cross country or urban commuting… the 120mm air suspension with compression and rebound adjust gives your wrists, shoulders, back, and neck a break, while also reducing knee pain whereas a suspension seat post on a hardtail model would not. The bike offers a beautiful aesthetic and lots of utility extras with a reliable drive system from Bosch, high capacity 625 watt hour integrated battery, upgraded Kiox color display panel is removable and features a Micro-USB charging port
• The bike comes in four frame sizes and features an sturdy adjustable angle stem. This means it can fit a wide range of rider sizes and body types while still offering multiple body positions for comfort or aerodynamic efficiency…
• As with most high-end electric bicycles, all of the cables and wires are internally routed through the frame here, it looks nice and reduces the potential for snags
• Despite the rear suspension element, BULLS managed to find space for a downtube bottle cage mount, and they threw in the magnetic Monkey Link water bottle adapter. Check out their optional quick swivel Monkey Bottle to utilize this feature. Note however, the adapter can be removed to reveal standard threaded eyelets below
• This is a feature complete electric bike that comes with quality integrated lights, aluminum alloy fenders, thick plastic slap guard, a sturdy rear rack with pannier slide stopper knobs and bungee notch (even an optional top platform for trunk bags!)
• In addition to the 3-LED rear light, BULLS has included a very large back reflector. I also noticed that the saddle has a handle built into the bottom, so it’s like they really thought about the urban use case and made conscious decisions to optimize this ebike for that sort of environment :)
• Comfort is also a big deal to me, the high capacity battery pack means the bike can go further… but if you’re not comfortable, you may not enjoy the distance, so the lightweight adjustable air suspension components, ergonomic locking grips, and ebike specific Selle Royal E-ZONE saddle really shine here. The saddle is cupped at the back, almost like a little back rest, so you don’t slide backwards! That’s a neat addition for a speed pedelec like this ;)
• Large 180mm hydraulic disc brake rotors provide a mechanical advantage for stopping larger wheels, they cool faster, and the front caliper offers four pistons (two on each side) that support a longer brake pad that also stops more efficiently with more surface area that cools faster… the rear caliper is a standard dual piston (one on each side), which is good enough to get the job done here
• I noticed that the stem and spacers here are a rounded rectangle vs. standard circle, and this provides room for the Bosch button pad cable to run through and be hidden, the spacers are actually two parts that can be taken apart to change positions and de-couple from the cable! Note the beautiful internal cable routing of the other electronics, shifter, and brake line all across the frame, it looks nice and keeps the cables safe
• Solid 10-speed drivetrain here with a reliable Shimano Deore derailleur that has a clutch for tighter chain tension when riding fast or going off-road, note the narrow-wide chainring that reduces chain drops on bumpy terrain!
• The bike has walk mode enabled, which is especially useful if you encounter a section of road or trail that you aren’t comfortable riding or maybe you get a flat tire, considering that the bike weighs ~61lbs and has pannier racks for cargo, it could be really nice to get help moving it along in some situations
• Very cool seat post dropper! The Limotech Jovial provides different extension lengths depending on which frame size of the BULLS ICONIC EVO TR 1 SPEED you get, but the post doubles as a suspension seatpost with just a little bit of give to take the edge off of a hard hit
• Adjustable length kickstand is positioned perfectly at the rear end of the bike, clear of the left crank arm and not colliding with the large 180mm disc brake rotor… it should support a loaded rack well from its position
• Premium 4th generation Bosch Performance Line CX Speed motor is 2.5lbs lighter than Gen 3, offers even more torque at 75nm vs. 63nm, and is more compact. I like how BULLS tips it up and blends it into the downtube… it’s almost hidden behind the 42 tooth chainring from the right hand side. I found the motor to be smoother and more dynamic than previous generations. It still offers shift detection and can support over 120 pedal strokes per minute, so you don’t have to upshift gears to maintain motor support, the motor controller is extremely smart and consistent, it measures rear wheel speed, pedal cadence, and pedal torque over 1,000 per second
• Top-end PowerTube 625 battery pack offers the highest possible capacity for this generation of ebikes with the Bosch drive system, it’s a 25% increase over the standard Bosch PowerTube 500 or PowerPack 500
• The included high speed 4 amp charger is a perfect fit for the higher capacity battery, it features a proprietary plug that won’t get mixed up with other Bosch products and the compact size (with removable wall-side cable) and lightweight 1.7lb design makes it easy to bring on longer rides
• I love that BULLS not only included a charging port cover on the frame (to keep dust and water out as you ride), but they also moved the charging port location up high on the right side of the frame! This means you don’t have to bend way over to plug in the bike and your charging cable won’t get snagged as easily on the crank arms
• A high-end ABUS locking core is used to secure the battery pack and the keyset includes a code card that lets you order ABUS locks with the same core. Ultimately, this means you can use the same key for your bike and locks instead of multiple keys that add weight, clutter, and hassle
• The battery pack can be charged on or off the bike frame (for convenience, battery protection, and reduced weight for transport), I recommend storing lithium-ion battery packs in a cool dry location to keep the cells healthy, try not to store it below 50% over long periods
• Unlike some other Bosch PowerTube battery implementations, this one can be forced into place without using the key to unlock the core, just push on it and listen for a click to know that it’s securely mounted
• The Kiox display panel is well protected at the center of the bar, is connected via magnets and can be removed easily, uses Gorilla Glass so it won’t scratch up like plastic if it gets dropped, and it offers Micro-USB charging for portable electronics. The display is fairly easy to interact with using the remote button pad, mounted near the left grip and it provides a Bluetooth option for use with mobile devices
• I love that the Kiox LCD is color because it’s easy to interpret which assist level you’re in without squinting to read a small font (the display isn’t especially large at 1.9″ diagonal). I love that it lists battery percentage in addition to range estimate for more precise trip planning, and I love that Bosch is working on Bluetooth applications which could sync with heart rate monitors and other devices in the future
• During this ride test I hit 40 miles per hour (coasting down a large hill) and the bike felt stable and stopped very well, note most electric bikes allow riders to go beyond their maximum assisted speed, they just won’t help you do it, however not all of them feel this solid
• Excellent two year warranty covers everything on the bike, including the motor, battery, and display system with a vast network of dealers in the US and other parts of the world who can help with fit and maintenance
• BULLS updated their battery cover design to a more universal black plastic, which is much lighter than the older aluminum alloy shields that were paint matched… these are lighter, cheaper, and much easier to replace

Cons:

• This ebike is on the heavy side because it has wider Boost hub spacing, sturdy thru-axles, high volume tires, alloy fenders, a sturdy rack with integrated bright Supernova tail light, as well as a high powered motor and high capacity battery pack… but at least you can remove the battery to reduce that weight by roughly 7.7lbs and the front wheel has quick release
• I’m not a huge fan of smaller rubberized pedals like the ones included with the BULLS ICONIC EVO TR 1 because they don’t offer a lot of surface area and aren’t as grippy as alloy with pins, consider swapping for some Wellgo alloy or magnesium platform pedals if you’re concerned about slipping off or have larger feet
• The Bosch Performance Line motors are slightly heavier and larger than the latest Brose Mag S, Shimano E8000, and Yamaha PW-X while also having a slightly wider minimum Q-Factor, but this isn’t really an issue given the wider axles and larger tires here. None of those competing products offer a speed pedelec full suspension ebike to compete with this
• I love the way this ebike looks, how they matched the frame color to the motor casing and suspension fork perfectly, but it only comes in one color option, and it’s fairly dark… thankfully, I was told that the final version will come with tires that have reflective stripes! (I’d definitely wear reflective clothing and get panniers with reflective fabric or patches, also consider black reflective stickers like these if you ride in the dark frequently)
• Being a Class 3 speed pedelec, it seems like the lights automatically come on whenever you power up the bike and you cannot turn them off, which bothers me a little bit because sometimes I don’t want to blind my fellow riders on early evening rides
• BULLS chose a bottom-up battery mount design and this can feel a little snug when there’s high volume tires with fenders in the front, I appreciate the two-step dismount for safety, but it can still clunk out when released and is heavier than it looks, so take your time and be careful!
• 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 before completely coming off the bike, you are less likely to drop it when removing
• Because of the high speed motor, upright body position, and heavier build of this ebike, it’s not going to get as great of range as some others… but at least you should be comfortable :)
• Despite moving away from the reduction gear (with smaller chainring) the high-powered Bosch ebike motors still produce a fairly audible whine at high RPM and high power settings, it’s not a deal killer, but seems a bit louder than Brose at times, keep in mind that the video was filmed on a demo bike with pre-production motor… so it might be quieter on the final units
• I feel that they could have upgraded from 11-42 tooth to 11-48 or even 51, given the wider range of supported speeds. It might have reduced durability or just added to the price? Wasn’t a huge issue during my test rides however, and I love the trigger shifters they chose (two way high shift lever, multi-step low shift lever)
• Minor consideration here, the rear rack is not suspended, so your gear will bounce up and down as you ride over rough terrain vs. if it were attached to the main section of the bike. For comparison, check out the Riese & Müller Delite with suspended rack (heavier bike, more expensive, but better rack design)

Useful Resources:

• Official BULLS North America website
• Bosch Kiox display panel overview
• Bosch 4th Gen Motors (including the Performance Line Speed)