Electric is a thing. Because of short commuting distances, Europe is full of electric bikes, especially electric bicycles and cars in and around the cities. Over there, you can ride most electric bikes in the bicycle lanes without a licence or helmet.
If you are a pedestrian, you really have to keep your eyes wide because they are silent.
Entry into the SA market has been relatively slow – but if Europe is anything to go by, we predict that we’ll be seeing more of them. This one is the Tromox MC10
We grabbed it and gave it to Stefan and told him to tell us all about it…
When I fetched the bike from the guys at Dirt And Trail, Sean handed me a remote fob as well as what looks like an access card. I put the card into my wallet and forgot about it.
Later that evening, I started the bike from inside, left it idling in the driveway, kitted up and went for a ride. When I stopped at my destination, I tried to switch off and realised that I’d left the remote at home.
That’s where the card came in. It has a chip reader, so you simply tap to switch off – and tap to start up again.
Technology is so cool!
This bike feels like a tiny, nippy dirtbike. It feels more like a bicycle thanks to the lack of any engine braking or rotating mass. Out on the open tar roads it feels fairly twitchy and light – if you just bump the bars, it turns.
Brakes are only on the bars, but if you ride a bicycle it’s the same thing – linked brakes, no ABS or Traction control. The brakes are fairly simple setup – a single disc up front with a twin pot caliper, single caliper out back, it all works perfectly.
As expected, the Tromox MC10 delivers quick acceleration, especially in Sports mode. The top speed of 94KPH shows up quickly on the digital display.
And it’s limited to that speed. It his 94KPH and try as I could, I did not exceed that speed.
The display is small and quite difficult to read, but it does exactly what it’s supposed to. Importantly, you can see what range you still have – but you cannot read the percentage of battery remaining unless you stop.
The ergonomics are good, but the narrow seat is very firm, so after a few kilometres you find yourself meerkatting through the traffic.
4 Modes: 4, Park, Reverse Eco and sports. Eco is a lot tamer with a top speed of 62 KPH.
Reverse is really handy, especially in the dirt.
No complaints in the suspension dept (I weigh 75KG’s), you need to get used to the handling, but the suspension fits the purpose.
The bike is a bit slow for freeway use, but I took back roads from my place to Eastgate (22KM’s), 90 percent of the time in eco mode, and back. According to the dash, I used 70 percent of the battery. What’s nice is the fact that you can hop pavements and have a good time while you ride. In fact, it feels more at home playing around on the verges than it does on the open roads.
On one of my trips, I carried a charger with me (Fits in a backpack) and stopped off at Plato Coffee Shop in Bedfordview who allowed me to charge up while I sipped on a few cups of Coffee. Charging to full takes roughly four hours and the charger switches itself off when you are done.
The Tromox MC10 is fun for the road, but this bike is not built for a long trip. Flat out all the time you will run out of power quite quickly, so you need to plan your trip. If however, you live in a suburb or a security village, it is absolutely perfect. Lots of fun and convenient to pop around the block or shoot to the shops.
Yesterday, I rode it to our local mountain bike track, 2KM’s from home. Hopped onto the 20KM track and had an absolute blast for two laps. Nobody knew that I was there because the bike is absolutely silent.
That’s where the bike shines. Sports mode is way too fast, eco mode is your friend. The track we ride is lekker twisty and I often had the rear wheel stepping put through the corners. It’s not about the speed on a trail like this, it’s about the nippiness and the fun factor and this bike delivers that in wheelbarrow loads.
It’s light, stable and turns so easily… and there is lots of torque (Claimed 280nm) available on demand when you hit slopes or hills. The only sound is the wind in your helmet and chain as it rattles along.
For this feature the guys from Tromox fitted these Vee-Rubber Trail tyres onto the wheels and I was seriously glad that they did! Traction was never an issue.
I am impressed with the ground clearance too – I reckon I did better on this through the rough stuff than I would have on a dirtbike.
Don’t laugh at the reverse function, it’s so convenient when you want to do a quick U-turn on the trails.
Curiosity:
Electric bikes are still quite a novelty in SA and I was quite taken aback by the number of people who stopped to have a good look at the bike and even get a quick selfie. On the streets, people would hang out of their cars to get a better look. It’s pretty cool!
Weight limit:
The rated weight for this bike is 110KG’s. Sean, who weighs a bit more than that, had a blast playing out on the fields.
“It’s a lot of fun” He Says. “Reminds me of my BMX days – just a lot less effort.”
Licenced?
One of the biggest attractions to electric vehicles is the seamless, instantaneous power delivery. This bike is licenced for use on the road, and obviously bar emission controls, they go through all the usual tests associated with getting a vehicle roadworthy. We’d be happy popping our teenager onto this one’s saddle.
However. Some of the bigger electrics that we’ve ridden are pretty berzerk in the power department.
Does this mean that anyone with a 125cc licence can ride them on the road? We did ask people in the know – and right now it’s a grey area. We suspect that eventually, the KW output or BHP will determine the licence required.
If you are contemplating an electric for road use, we’d recommend first just checking out the details with your insurance company.
Whatever you decide, this bike is simple and a lot of fun to ride. We’ll post up a video on our You Tube Channel soon.
Some specs:
Retail Price: R135 000
Claimed Torque (wheel): 280N·m
Peak power: 10kW
Battery: Lithium/ 72V30Ah (Dual batteries optional)
Weight: 100kg
Frame: Aluminium
Front Suspension: Inverted spring hydraulic damping type
Rear Suspension: Mid-mounted spring-damped
Front/Rear Wheel: Spoked rims Front：70/100-19 / Rear：80/100-18
Seat Height: 850mm
Ground Clearance: 280mm
Drive: Chain
Headlight: LED
Turn Signal: LED Flowing lights
Charger: 10A
Charge Time: Single battery 3h, Dual batteries 6h
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