Super Monarch e-bike hits 30 mph with 2 batteries, AWD, and full suspension

At a time when many e-bikes are beginning to seem like cookie-cutter copies of one another, the brand new Tremendous Monarch electrical bicycle has gone a special course. And that new course contains including an additional motor, an additional battery, ratcheting up the pace, after which tossing in full suspension on prime.

The result’s a quick and highly effective e-bike with loads of vary that may present as a lot enjoyable off-road as it might probably on-road.

The Super Monarch electric bicycle from E-Cells launched at present and is accessible in two codecs.

The entry-level mannequin sports activities twin 350W hub motors, whereas the higher-powered mannequin opts for twin 500W hub motors. Whether or not you need 700W or 1,000W of energy is as much as you.

Me? I check rode the 1,000W model, or moderately a preproduction prototype of the 1,000W model, and had a blast flying up my native forrest trails after which hopping again within the bike lane after I was achieved.

You’ll discover out extra about your complete expertise beneath, however first try the video of my check journey to see this epic e-bike in motion.

Tremendous Monarch check journey video

Tremendous Monarch e-bike tech specs

• Motor(s): twin geared 500W hub motors (350W motors additionally accessible)
• Prime pace: 32 km/h (20 mph) from the manufacturing unit, can unlock to 48 km/h (30 mph)
• Vary: 51-93 km (32-58 miles) with AWD and relying on whether or not utilizing throttle or pedal help
• Battery: 1x 48V 14Ah (672 Wh) & 1x 48V 17.5Ah (840 Wh) with Samsung 35E cells (1,512 Wh complete)
• Cost time: 8 hours with 2A charger (beneficial for finest battery life)
• Weight: 41.7kg (92 lb)
• Body: 6061 aluminum
• Entrance suspension: 120 mm adjustable air shock fork with lockout
• Rear suspension: DNM adjustable air shock with lockout
• Tires: 28-inch x 4-inch Kenda Okay-Protect puncture-resistant tires
• Brakes: Tektro Auriga hydraulic disc brakes with entrance 203 mm rotor and rear 180 mm rotor
• Extras: LCD show with speedometer, wattmeter, battery gauge, PAS stage indicator, odometer, tripmeter, gentle standing indicator, entrance and rear LED lights, 9 PAS pace settings, left-side thumb throttle, Shimano Deore shifter, Shimano Alivio derailleur, and an elective accent listing together with helmet, gloves, cargo internet, rack-mounted instrument equipment, and two panniers

What units it aside?

I’ve ridden plenty of e-bikes. I’ve ridden plenty of fats tire e-bikes. I’ve even ridden a number of twin battery fats tire e-bikes.

However the Tremendous Monarch stands aside in numerous methods.

Initially, there are some fairly good parts on this bike. Not the whole lot is top-end, thoughts you. However the necessary stuff is.

The Auriga brakes from Tektro are on the upper finish of the standard spectrum and provide wonderful braking with only a gentle two-finger pull. The enormous entrance 203 mm rotor provides you extra stopping energy and in addition retains the disc from heating up as a lot. The rear doesn’t assist as a lot of the braking drive (which is true on any bike), but it surely nonetheless will get a big 180 mm rotor for good measure.

The Deore shifter set can be close to the highest of the road for Shimano elements and can give faster, extra exact shifts with no need the fixed adjustment that cheaper shift units require. Plus they need to stand as much as much more off-road abuse.

The batteries use real Samsung 35E cells, that are Samsung’s highest capability 18650 format cells. Every of the 2 battery packs are additionally of comparatively excessive capability by themselves (672 Wh and 840 Wh) and thus needs to be greater than sufficient to offer energy to the twin motors.

You then’ve received a pile of what I might name “sensible decisions” in relation to parts which can be ok, however don’t drive the value of the Tremendous Monarch to skyrocket. Elements just like the Kenda Okay-Protect tires, affordable however not over-the-top DNM suspension, and the Promax adjustable stem. Once more, first rate elements that don’t break the bank. That’s a $25 adjustable stem, and there are others on the market which can be nicer, however this one positive beats a $10 non-adjustable stem that you just’ll discover on most bikes, and it seems like a Goldilocks resolution of being “excellent.”

Positive, I might have beloved to see some excessive finish RockShox or Fox suspension parts, however that may have simply added one other few hundred {dollars} to the value and would have made many individuals flinch. And sure, the suspension geometry is moderately fundamental in comparison with some other higher-end full suspension e-bikes. However once more, we aren’t speaking a couple of competition-level bike right here. We’re speaking about one thing you possibly can rip round on for enjoyable, go locations you possibly can’t go on low-cost funds bikes, and all for a worth that gained’t make you cry.

Talking of worth, let’s hit that one, too. For the 700 W mannequin, we’re talking $2,895. To improve to the 1,000 W mannequin, that’ll be $3,249. For a 30 mph (48 km/h) bike with twin batteries, twin motors, twin suspension, and an inventory of high-end elements, that’s a reasonably first rate worth, in my view.

How does it journey?

The Tremendous Monarch AWD e-bike rides fairly superior. You’ll be able to choose between single and twin motor drive modes, although I normally stored it in twin motor (AWD) mode. It’s particularly helpful for off-road using. In case you’re doing plenty of bike lane commuting, you possibly can in all probability get by with single motor mode a lot of the time to extend your vary.

I used to be on a preproduction prototype, so there have been just a few wonky issues. The entrance fender was tough to maintain as an alternative with out touching the huge knobby tire, and the connector for the entrance motor was a bit quick and would generally disconnect, however each of these points had been addressed on the manufacturing model now transport.

The very best indication I can provide of this bike is simply how enjoyable it’s to tear by means of unfastened gravel and filth, or up and over obstacles. With twin motors you get twice the propulsion, which is tremendous useful in tender terrain. It additionally helps you rip round corners, although it’s important to watch out to not overdo it since you possibly can break the entrance wheel free simpler than regular, because of it housing an additional 500W of energy.

I additionally discover that the combo of entrance and rear drive on the Tremendous Monarch helps sort out various conditions. Entrance wheel drive is nice for climbing obstacles. With out it, rear wheel drive simply mashes your entrance tire into the impediment and hopefully it pops up. However with entrance wheel drive, the entrance tire truly climbs over obstacles reminiscent of roots, tree trunks, and rocks. And when terrain will get slippery, rear wheel drive can have the impact of pushing you alongside whereas your entrance tire simply skids about, looking for course. However with entrance wheel drive, it truly pulls you within the course you’re turning, serving to you get out of a mud gap or by means of any icy patch.

On the similar time although, most individuals don’t need to quit rear wheel drive because it provides higher traction and extra pure journey traits. So with AWD, one thing we hardly ever see on e-bikes, you get the most effective of each worlds!

And the twin battery function on the Tremendous Monarch is nice for those who truly need to cowl some critical off-road terrain. It’s uncommon that you just’d want this a lot battery on the road, however on trails you’ll end up chewing by means of battery faster. So twin batteries provide extra to feed these twin motors and helps provide higher vary.

Why two motors?

Some persons are going to ask the apparent, which is, “Why do you even want two motors?”

And that’s a good query. I addressed this partially within the best-of-both-worlds bit above, about getting some great benefits of each entrance and rear wheel drive on the similar time.

However one other large benefit is stealth. I’ve ridden large 1,000W hub motor bikes, and whereas they’re enjoyable, too, that enormous hub motor is a lifeless giveaway that you just’re on a strong (and perhaps unlawful) e-bike.

Then again, these smaller geared motors virtually disappear, providing you with a a lot stealthier journey.

That has come in useful for me many instances. For instance, the place I reside in Tel Aviv, we have now very strict 250W e-bike legal guidelines, and the police know to search for these large, black 1,000W rear hub motors which can be widespread on high-power e-bikes. So as a substitute of choosing an enormous motor to get the ability I desired, just a few years in the past, I constructed myself a 1,000W e-bike utilizing two small 500W hub motors that each disappeared behind the disc brake rotors and left me with a motorcycle that hardly regarded electrical in any respect.

I’m not saying you need to journey in areas the place a motorcycle of the Tremendous Monarch’s energy stage isn’t allowed. I’m simply saying, you in all probability might. And if you happen to’re frightened about 1,000W being over your native restrict, then there’s all the time the 700W model with twin 350W motors.

There’s additionally the redundancy issue right here. Nobody ever expects to have an issue with their e-bike till they do. In case you’ve received one motor and it goes out, you’re strolling or pedaling residence — which may very well be a reasonably lengthy distance or uphill out of your current location. However if you happen to’ve received a second motor, then it’s clean crusing all the way in which residence, the place you possibly can then test your connections and seek for the issue at your leisure.

Now, positive, there are some tradeoffs right here. Particularly weight. That additional motor and battery are going so as to add someplace round 7 kg (15 lb) of weight to the bike. And for these that concentrate on shaving each gram off their bike that they will, that may sound scary. And at a complete car weight of 41 kg (92 lb), that is one hefty e-bike, though not the heaviest e-bike I’ve ridden. Positive, you possibly can drop about 9 kg (20 lb) off the bike by eradicating the batteries, which might be useful if you wish to elevate the bike up right into a van or truck. But it’s nonetheless a heavy e-bike, any manner you slice it.

However one of many greatest advantages of e-bikes to me is that the burden penalty isn’t as extreme, a minimum of whenever you’re using. In fact if you happen to had been pedaling an additional 15 kilos of weight, that’d be fairly annoying. However with pedal help and even throttle management, most individuals don’t discover the additional weight till it involves technical maneuvers like jumps and different stunts.

So all in all, I had a blast using the prototype model of the Super Monarch. And now that I’ve seen the manufacturing model and the way the few complaints I had had been addressed, I can positively give this e-bike two thumbs up. It’s a quick, thrilling journey that may take you to unexplored trails and summits which have been ready for you.

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