Foldable Bikes Party: Coboc eCycle first ride review

Friday, 26 August 2016

Coboc eCycle first ride review

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E-Bikes are coming – some say they are already here – but until the price and weight come down, I’m going to stick with “coming”. Coboc might not be a company you’re familiar with, but they’re trying to do things slightly differently from many of the big-name brands.

Coboc eCycle spec overview

Frame 7020 aluminium
Fork Carbon
Wheels Unbranded
Transmission Power-assisted singlespeed via 250W hub-driven assist
Brakes Unbranded calipers with Cane Creek 200TT levers

By concealing almost any evidence of the Coboc eCycle’s true identity, Coboc has created a sleek, fast-looking commuter machine, instead of the visually more parochial beast you might’ve come to expect.

That said, the lack of display, battery and motor mean that when you mount and someone shows you the ‘on’ switch – hidden beneath the top tube – you’re not 100% sure what’s going to happen. Start pedalling and the grin grows, along with the rather erratic assistance.

Coboc eCycle ride impression

It’s the blend of excitement as you accelerate, and danger as you realise you’re going way quicker than planned, that’s the thrilling part about the Coboc. For short journeys it’s brilliant, but on longer rides (note: electric charge lasts 80km on 2hr full charge), the EU-imposed 15mph speed limit means it’s advised to nestle beneath the limiter. Go faster and you’ll just end up pushing a heavy singlespeed around.

We also found that on steep hills, unless you had a decent run-up and could keep the cadence going, the motor would struggle to keep up and the power assistance wouldn’t kick in. Having the option to switch to something like turbo mode, for example, would have helped.

Coboc eCycle first impression

Coboc eCycle early verdict

Coboc eCycle pricing and availability

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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