Berlin (dpa) — A curved frame and wide balloon tires — these are the most obvious features of cruiser bikes. This type was invented in the US and has been around for about a century, but it remains a niche product with some manufacturers.
One innovation that might help sell more of them is electrification. The French brand Bocyclo (formerly United Cruiser) sells its cruiser bikes as e-bikes once they’re retrofitted by German electric motor specialist Pendix.
We tested a model called the Beach Cruiser. Bocyclo managing director Denis Veyrenche thinks the bike will mainly be used in cities. However, the e-bike also copes well on unpaved, small paths because of its wide tyres.
He highlights the bike's weight of 20.8 kilos — "it's very light and well below the average electric bike weight of 25 kilos."
The battery capacity is 325 watt hours (Wh) and it takes 3 hours and 20 minutes to charge. Pendix puts the electric range in eco mode at 72 kilometres — as always, this is dependent on variables such as total weight, riding style, topography and pedalling cadence.
However, that range should be enough because cruiser bikes aren’t intended for long-distance riding anyway.
The riding position feels comfortable. The handlebars are curved backwards, which helps to relax the shoulders.
Pedalling efficiency is a different matter: as is typical for cruisers, you sit rather hunched over on the wide saddle and your legs remain quite bent when pedalling. The posture takes some getting used to.
If you’re going uphill, it's rather exhausting so it’s just as well that there’s a motor onboard.
The motor offers three modes (Eco, Smart and Sport) and the maximum torque is 65 Newton meters (Nm). That’s a relatively low value compared to mid-range motors from Bosch or Shimano.
The support provided by the motor is not always as smooth or as sensitive to the pedalling force being applied as one would like but the software that controls it is supposed to adapt more and more to the rider over time.
When pedalling with the motor switched off the pedalling resistance is about the same as that of a hub dynamo. The bike rolls along smoothly on asphalt and thanks to tyres that are 6 cm wide the Beach Cruiser also copes quite well on sandy ground.
Using the Pendix app, you can change your riding profile, install firmware updates and check the number of charging cycles.
If you attach your smartphone to the handlebar using a bracket, you can also use the app to navigate. Another useful feature is that you can power your smartphone from the bike’s battery.
On the Beach Cruiser you can cruise around feeling and looking super cool and electrification makes up for the fact that the power output is somewhat on the back burner.
An electric cruiser like this is, like most e-bikes, a significant investment, however. The basic, no-frills non-electric version of the bike without mudguards and lights costs €559 (about $600), but if you get the electric version it will set you back around €2,600 ($2,800).
