Total Weight:
61.5 lbs (27.89 kg)
Battery Weight:
7 lbs (3.17 kg)
Motor Weight:
6.61 lbs (2.99 kg)
Frame Material:
7005 Aluminium
Frame Sizes:
18.89 in (47.98 cm)19.68 in (49.98 cm)20.86 in (52.98 cm)21.65 in (54.99 cm)23.62 in (59.99 cm)Geometry Measurements:
27" Stand Over Height for Step-Thru Model
Frame Types:
High-Step, Mid-Step
Frame Colors:
Satin Silver with Matte Black and Blue Highlights
Frame Fork Details:
SR Suntour CTS 29, 63 mm Travel, Lockout and Preload Adjust, 11 mm QR Skewer
Frame Rear Details:
11 mm QR Skewer
Attachment Points:
Fender Bosses, Rack Bosses, Bottle Cage Bosses
Gearing Details:
20
Speed 2x10 Shimano Deore XT Derailleurs, 11-34TShifter Details:
Shimano Deore XT SL-M780 Triggers on Right and Left
Cranks:
FSA, 44-30T
Pedals:
Wellgo Alloy Platform with Rubber Tread
Headset:
FSA Tapered 1-1/8"
Stem:
Humpert Ergotec 6 Adjustable Angle Stem, 100 mm Length
Handlebar:
Low Rise, Alloy Ergotec Plus XL, 610 mm or 630 mm Length, 12° Bend or 14° Bend
Brake Details:
Tektro Dorado HD-E715 Hydraulic Disc with 203 mm Rotors, Tektro Dorado Levers with Motor Inhibitors
Grips:
Ergon GC1 Locking, Ergonomic
Saddle:
Selle Royal Respiro Moderate, Cool X Senium Mesh Ventilation
Seat Post:
Aluminum Alloy, Humpert Ergotec
Seat Post Length:
350 mm
Seat Post Diameter:
31.6 mm
Rims:
RYDE Double Wall, 36 Hole
Spokes:
Stainless Steel, 14 Gauge Front 13 Gauge Rear, Black
Tire Brand:
Schwalbe Energizer Plus, 28" x 1.75"
Wheel Sizes:
28 in (71.12cm)Tire Details:
Performance Line GreenGuard, Reflective Sidewall Stripe, 45-70 PSI
Tube Details:
Presta Valve
Accessories:
Velo Battery Protector Pad, Fuxon Integrated LED Headlight, Toplight Line E LED Backlight (Goes Extra Bright When Braking), SKS Plastic Fenders, i-RACK with Pannier Blockers and Spring Latch with 25 kg Max Load, SKS Rookie Mini Pump, FSA Bash Guard, Plastic Chain Cover, Hebie Auto Spring Adjustable Length Kickstand
Other:
IP56 Ingress Rating, 2.5 lb 5 Amp Energy Bus Charger from BMZ
BULLSreadTHIS
7 years agoBulls, I bought this bike and it arrives this week. I’m a bit peeved that the bike doesn’t come stock with an IGH. Now I have to buy a rim an IGH and have it laced up, expensive and a pain. Why not offer a service called myBull? Which allows a user to customize their bike?
ReplyCourt Rye
7 years agoHmm, that’s a cool idea, kind of like what Dell did with PC Computers years ago. I think there’s a long wait time between manufacturing and shipping from Asia and Europe before the bikes could be delivered as specced but maybe in the future we will see more manufacturing in North America and customization like this could make sense, I’d love that kind of service! I hope you enjoy your bike and welcome your comments once you’ve had a chance to use it some ;)
Replybullsreadthis
7 years agoI received my new e45 and have about 90 miles on it so far. As an update to the article, there is now a new firmware on the Bulls bike, and from what my dealer said, every Bulls bike gets it. It now has 5 power modes, off + 1-4 levels of assist. I mostly ride the bike in level 3 and it ranges from 9-10 miles per battery bar (5 bars total). I have done several 20 mile round trips using 2 bars of battery. I’m averaging about 20 miles per hour. As Court states in the review, you have to work for 28mph, but staying in the 22-24mph range is pretty easy. I have noticed a decrease in power at temperatures over 100 degrees outside (may be protection sensors). If you want to buzz around fast in the mid 20’s at level 3 of 4 assist, you can expect about 45-50 miles of real range.
One bummer is that the Specialized Levo chargers do not work on the Bulls bike, seems kind of silly to me. They are probably all made in China at the same factory. This bike comes with a whopping 5amp charger!
Final verdict, I think this bike is the best commuter bike on the market. The serious contenders are the Giant (loud motor) and the Integrale 11 (noisy and creaky). I have rode all 3 and the Lacuba wins, hands down. The brakes, quiet ride, and the capacity put it over the top. I can’t overstate how nice it is to have 203mm (8 inch) rotors when you are in a jam at 28mph. I bought mine at Great Western Ebike.
ReplyCourt Rye
7 years agoAwesome comment, thanks for sharing your experience with the Lacuba and other models… it’s great to hear from an owner and yeah, it’s too bad that the charger doesn’t work with the Turbo. I think the bigger ebike companies are being super careful so that their batteries don’t have any issues (like the Samsung phones did). It sounds like you’re quite the ebike connoisseur given that you also have a Turbo Levo?!
Replybullsreadthis
7 years agoI have too many ebikes…but the Levo FSR Comp is my favorite. My only complaints on the Levo’s are the crappy brakes and no initial option on the battery upgrade. I do a lot of long, steep descents and the stock brakes are just junk. I eventually switched them out for Shimano Zee’s. The bad brakes are the reason I passed on the Vado for my commuter, which comes stock with 180/160mm. So in addition to paying nearly a grand more for the Vado, I would have to pay another $500 for decent brakes.
Way to go Bulls on putting some really nice stock components on the Lacuba. In fact, I was initially bummed about the lack of IGH, but the XTs have shifted pretty smoothly. We’ll see after 1,000 miles though. The Lacuba is soo smooth, feels like a BMW 7 series or something. btw, I went with your suggestion on the XCR suspension seat, I like it, thank you!
BULLSREADTHIS
7 years agoI did a leisure ride today of 28 miles averaging 16mph. I was able to get 18.1 miles per 1 battery bar on level 2 of 4 assist, that puts the range at about 85-90 miles in level 2. After the 28 mile ride, I still had 4 bars remaining.
Here’s my guess on range at this point, based on my rides:
I’m super impressed with the battery and motor efficiency. I’ll post some high-speed numbers in the next week or so.
ReplyCourt Rye
7 years agoThis is very useful, thanks for sharing your experience with the bike since you’ve had a chance to really use it. There may be a drop over time but you should get 1,000+ solid cycles of high output before the Lithium-ion batteries begin to fade.
ReplyGreg
7 years agoI bought the Lacuba Evo E45 a few months ago, partly because of your review. I LOVE this bike! It’s smooth, quiet, powerful, has good range, and I love all the touches. The lights, the brake light, the rack, the fenders, the shifters, the bell, the display the water bottle bosses…. all of it adds up to greatness. The brakes work. What I mean by that is, I’m not really into what size they are, or how they’re mechanized, I only care about the result, and the result is perfect. I weighed 270 pounds when I bought the bike, and have panniers on it, so it’s well over 300 pounds total, and it stops easily and smoothly, without me thinking about it other than to put on the brake.
Also, I have a Giant LA Free (very old, I know) and it also has the motor in the bottom bracket. It CAN be ridden without motor assist, but it tires me out in about 2 blocks. Functionally, it doesn’t really work. The E45, however, rides amazingly well for such a big and heavy bike. I actually have repeatedly ridden several blocks before I remember to turn on the assist. Admittedly it’s a slight downhill slope coming out of my home, but the bike can truly be ridden without assist.
I keep the bike on level 3 assist all the time (when I remember) and it probably does only have 50-60 mile range going above 20MPH most of the time with a 260lb rider, but that’s still pretty impressive. The integration of power is so smooth, it makes me literally smile. The LaFree used to surge when you applied torque. It was fun to feel, but I’d subjectively describe the way this bike rides differently. You can tell the bike is helping, particularly when you change assist levels, but if you just leave it, and don’t think about it, the feeling you get is just that you’re riding a bike, and you’re just stronger and faster and have more endurance than you thought. It’s so seamless, you can forget it’s helping. Don’t think that means it’s not helping or underpowered because nothing’s further from the truth. It’s just perfectly matched to you so it amplifies what you do.
My only complaint has already been noted – saying it’s a 28MPH top speed is technically true, but you have to seriously work to get there. If you think you’re going to commute at 28MPH, forget it. I’m not sure whether the motor doesn’t have the power, or if the firmware just drops it’s assist, but anything above 25 is mostly the rider, even at the highest assist. That said, I can pretty easily sustain speeds between 20 and 25 on level ground.
It’s expensive. Once you get past that, it’s close to perfect.
ReplyCourt Rye
7 years agoHey Greg! I loved reading your comment, so glad you found my review helpful and thank you for giving back and sharing your weight and ride experiences… that seriously helps others and that’s what EBR is all about! Ride safe out there man :D
ReplyBULLSREADTHIS
7 years agoGreg, did you get the new firmware update? The new firmware has 4 Assist levels. Mine came with the new firmware, but mine is only a week old.
ReplyGreg
7 years agoI bought the bike online, since the closest Bulls dealer is an hour away, and I can’t transport the bike anyway. I contacted Bulls about the upgrade, as well as the closest dealer, but neither has responded to me (it’s been a week). I’ll try again. I want the upgrade, but I’m worried it’ll be tough to get it, after reading other people’s comments.
Gert
7 years agoHi Court, I am confused. A lot of websites (mainly in USA) claim that this bike has a Brose 350W motor. But most European websites write it has a Brose 250W motor. Also the official Bulls website.
Today I did a test ride at a bike shop here in Belgium with an Bulls E-STREAM EVO 45 FS. The reason I did the test ride with this bike is that the shop owner told me it has the same build (motor, …) as the Lacuba Evo E45, but just an other frame and tires. I asked him if he knew how much the motor power was. He claimed it had 350W.
Do you know more? I am planning to by the Lacuba for commuting and selling my car but I like to be sure of all the specs this bike has. And if it would be a 250W motor, wouldn’t that be to low for a 45km/h bike, meaning also that I have to work harder to drive at higher speeds compared to a 350W? Sorry for all these questions.
BTW, nice reviews of all these ebikes. Keep up the good work. They explain a lot. Best regards, Gert
ReplyCourt Rye
7 years agoGreat question Gert! It’s confusing for me too sometimes… There’s the reality (Bosch and Brose hardware is the same regardless of country) and the marketing (Europe says 250 watts to be legal there and the US says 350 because people want more power). The truth as I understand it is that the motors offer 90 Nm of torque and that, along with the smoothness and responsiveness of the controller, is what makes it a good system. You have to shift gears to hit the top speed but with that torque, the nominal wattage is not an issue… most of these motors peak above 500 watts (the Bosch CX above 600 watts) but they don’t focus on that as much for legal reasons. They don’t want people like you to feel confused but they do also want to seem competitive against these hub motors that say 1,000 watts (which is illegal but not really enforced unless there’s an accident). I would say, don’t worry about the watts. Look at the rated top speed, think about how it rode, assume it’s the same (especially since this is the speed pedelec so not tuned down to 25 km/h (15.5 mph) for Euro standards. Does this help? I’m happy to clarify or answer more questions :)
ReplyGert
7 years agoThanks, Court, for the very fast reply. You definitely helped me out here. Things are more clear on wattage and peaks values and so. Still, I am a bit unsure about the 250W Brose motor because it seemed to have had some overheating issues in the past on these speed pedelecs. Maybe Brose wanted to jump on the train too fast with these speed pedelecs, not having developed a 350W motor yet. In 2018, they will have 3 new motors coming out. Here in Belgium a 350W motor is legal for a speed pedelec. Yesterday, I also contacted Bulls via FB with the question how powerful the motor was. They answered it was a 250W motor.
Today I did a test drive with a Stromer ST1 (500W hub motor). I could definitely feel the difference. The Stromer was much easier to keep the +40 km/h range. But what I don’t like is the seating position on the Stromer. The Lacuba is more my way of riding, ie more upright. Well, my search continues. Thank you very much for your help. Gert
John Wiseman
6 years agoCourt: It would be helpful when talking about hills to actually provide the % grade. Easy and cheap to measure and provides a number to use in someone’s analysis rather than an adjective like steep or big. Thanks for your great reviews, I am relying on these heavily in my decision making.
Replycourt
6 years agoThanks for the feedback, John. How would you suggest measuring the grade? It’s not something I’ve done before and I do like your idea and see how it could help people by being more objective vs. qualitative. Is there a special tool or something?
ReplyJohn Wiseman
6 years agoCourt: I downloaded a free app on my phone, that is probably the easiest/least expensive method. One can also find inexpensive inclinometers on the web. I was thinking that it would also be of use if you could estimate the distance of the slope, not precisely but just an approximation would be helpful. Keep up the good work!
John Wiseman
6 years agoI use Bubble Level. I did not do a lot of research but this one seems to work fine for my purposes.
ReplyMSB
6 years agoAfter 8 months of loving our bikes EXCEPT for that darn kickstand I just discovered the foot is adjustable. They arrived at full extension which make the parked position extremely precarious, even on level flat ground. From the max length indicated, there is about another 25mm of adjustment by turning the foot in. By adjusting (shortening) that kickstand the bikes are much more leaned over and far less precarious to be knocked over. With this discovery, I see no issue with the folding kick stand. I guess we live and learn.
ReplyCourt
6 years agoFantastic! Based on your feedback here I’ve updated the bike details to mention that the kickstand is adjustable ;) thanks for taking the time to chime in, glad the Lacuba EVO E45 is working so well for you :D
ReplyPaul in Philly
5 years agoI bought this bike (in 2019) for an 8 mile commute with 420 feet of elevation change one way. It has been the perfect commuter, but of course you get what you pay for! A few comments:
This is exactly what I was looking for, and the EBR review was spot on (although a little dated now). I got the diamond frame. For me, Class 3 was a must. Truth is, most of the time on flats I’m cruising around 22 mph, and I wouldn’t want the motor cutting out at 20 (which in reality would probably be more like 19. The rear rack is perfect for my Arkel Bug convertible backpack/panier bag. The rear light is great, although I found the front needed supplementation with a cygolite metro. Yes, the bike is heavy, but with this motor/battery, it doesn’t matter. The weight is well spent, as the bike is such a comfortable to ride. I installed a Kinect 2.1 seatpost further adding to the ride’s cushion.
The lack of shift sensing, which I had a little concern about, ended up being a minor issue- one just needs, as Court notes in the review, to briefly let up on the petal pressure/torque prior to each shift, analagous to letting up on the gas prior to shifting in a manual transmission car. I will say that I never shift to the smaller front chain ring- all that I need is available in the rear sprockets with the large chain ring.
Overall it’s a well made bike, a blast and comfort to ride, and the quality shows in the details.
ReplyCourt
5 years agoHi Paul! Very astute comment here, I especially like how you recognized that a 20mph ebike will realistically cut out closer to 18 or 19mph and that your Class 3 speed pedelec runs around 22 (for me it’s like 22-25mph depending on terrain, wind, and how hard I’m pedaling etc.)
Good call on the Cygolite Metro and Kinect suspension seatpost upgrades. It’s so nice to hear that my review felt on-point with the shifting and the additional chainrings being less-useful. I feel like most ebikes would be fine with a one-by setup, but for a speed pedelec, I can see how a wider range could benefit those who cycle on steeps and also want to keep up going faster. Great comment Paul, thanks for taking the time to share with us!
Reply