# Got to ride FS Cube e-bike. Interesting but quirky.



## ghoti (Mar 23, 2011)

Was riding and met a guy who just got this e-bike. He's crossing over from motocross riding and the shop said an e-bike would suit him well. We swapped bikes and it was an interesting experience. 

Climbing was where this excelled. On smoother but fairly steep terrain it was like peddling up a slight incline. Very easy and you could carry a lot of speed whereas normally I might be seated and spinning yet only moving 6mph. The guy on my 29er was left in the dust. I stopped where there was a technical rocky ascent and rode back down and switched bikes. On the e-bike it required about 1/4 the effort to go twice as fast. 

On the rocky technical ascent the guy didn't have the skills to make it up. So he let me take the e-bike up while he waited. The lower center of gravity kept the bike planted and the front never felt like it was going to come up. It was also much easier to maintain good grip as it was easier to maintain a consistent speed. 

Now time to go back down. Even though it's a 27.5 it rides kinda like a 29er. Pick a line and mow it over. Lower center of gravity so the bike doesn't bounce around but it sure does use all of it's suspension. If someone bought a 27.5 for it's flickability then you'll probably be disappointed with this e-bike version. 

Rode it a tiny bit down the smoother part and it's very planted. The guy wasn't used to the speed the 29er wheels build up so he was on and off the brakes and had his weight shifted too far forward so we switched. I let him lead since I wasn't sure of his skill level and didn't want him plowing into me. He was a bit slow so I gave him a nice lead before meeting him at the bottom. 

I had a good amount of speed and on the leveler ground I caught up and blew past him doing a moderate 24mph. He wasn't catching up so I coasted to a stop and waited. Now he was wondering if I had a motor in my bike lol. So we switched again and here's where it got quirky. When you hit 16-17 mph the assist seems to stop and you hit a wall. It's like you were riding in your small chainring and upshifted as you encounter a fair bit of resistance. So now you're having to peddle a 50lb bike in a high gear. It should cut out at 25mph and not 15mph but I guess the speed limit is 15mph in must places. Still stupid though. 

Didn't really get to test out any sharp corners except for on the downhill and the lower center of gravity did help there. Probably the same for flatter corners too. 

So for climbing it really excels as you'll expend far less energy. easier to maintain speed and traction so you can also possibly climb more technical trails. 

Where it sucks is when you hit the speed limiter and now you're just pushing a heavier bike around. And that weight also kills the more poppy nature of 27.5. The speed limiter really sucks but if you rarely go above 15mph then it won't be an issue for you. The weight also is a factor but if you tend to keep your wheels planted to the ground then again it won't matter. 

E-bike isn't for me at this point. It's an interesting ride for sure though. As technology progresses though and the weigh and size come down I can certainly seeing this becoming the standard and we will all wonder how we managed without e-assisted climbing.


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

Great review; be interesting to know where you are located since many US bikes have the cut off at 20 mph, especially in socal where I reside. Interesting thing, as you probably realize, is that for really good riders, the ebike is slower on a "real" MTB trail (not just a smooth climb and descent) than their race bike. As you say, probably change in the near future. Look at the Vivax system, low power now, but....


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

fos'l said:


> Great review; be interesting to know where you are located since many US bikes have the cut off at 20 mph, especially in socal where I reside. Interesting thing, as you probably realize, is that for really good riders, the ebike is slower on a "real" MTB trail (not just a smooth climb and descent) than their race bike. As you say, probably change in the near future. Look at the Vivax system, low power now, but....


Yup, that Cube only has a 250W motor AFAIK. With 500W motors out, my guess is that it'll take a year or so for Bosch et all to provide 750W motors specifically for the North American market. Looks like a fun ride.


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

Harry, like (I think) you said once before, it's tough to classify motors. For instance the Haibike Yamaha is rated at 250w, but can produce 500w. Then there's battery voltage which is somewhat proportional to power. Kind of confusing TO ME. The watt rating is supposed to be what the motor can produce on a continuous basis (AFAIK), but it could be a somewhat arbitrary number.


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

Yep, I don't want to derail the thread, but I've yet to see clarification in any reg about stated wattage. Everyone operates on the assumption that it's nominal, but it's vauge. As you said, you can set up the same motor to operate at very different power levels with different voltage batteries and different controllers. Which will no doubt allow for future upgrades for OEM bikes like this.

This isn't a bad explaination:

How Much Power Does An Electric Bicycle Need? - EbikeSchool.com


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

ghoti, did you notice what brand of motor system the bike was equipped with? Thanks.


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