cyclamatic power pro cx1 electric bike

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If you are on a tight budget and looking for a cheap electric bike, this might just do the trick. The Cyclamatic Power Plus CX1 seems like a bargain, but would it be money well spent? Read my review to find out what I think of this bike.

Introduction

When I was doing my research for this article, I had to trawl through a lot of customer reviews, and the answer to the above question seems to be quite varied.  On the whole, I would say that most customers who brought this bike are satisfied with their purchase. The Cyclamatic CX1 has generally favourable reviews. A lot of the poor customer reviews are a few years old and it seems that Cyclamatic has sorted a lot of the early reliability issues.

At the end of the day,  these bikes are built down to a price and the general quality of the bike and electric components is not going to be as good as something like a Cube Hybrid electric bike. But then you will pay three times the price for the aforementioned bike.

Ultimately, you get what you pay for.  I have ridden one of these and I will give you my personal opinion based on my knowledge and experience with e-bikes and bicycles in general.

Summary

The bike itself has a fairly standard steel frame and is only available in a 19″ frame. The frame size should give it a fairly broad appeal, and should be suitable for most riders. I am 6’1″ and have ridden one of these without feeling uncomfortable.

cyclamatic cx1 front forks

The components on this bike are low-end Shimano fayre, but at least these parts are cheap to replace if they break. For example, a rear derailleur for this bike costs about £12 / $15. The brakes are unbranded mechanical disk brakes, and there have been some concerns raised about the availability of replacement brake pads and the effectiveness of the braking performance (more on that later!).

The Shimano 21-speed gears work through a triple front chainring and a 7-speed rear freewheel. The gears work well enough, as long as they are periodically adjusted.

The suspension forks are very basic and are the kind you would usually find on a £150 / $200 bike.

The seat is comfortable enough and the overall finish of the bike frame is actually quite good. There is also a useful kickstand fitted.

Electric motor

The 250w rear electric hub motor is a generic unbranded model. This type of motor uses nylon planetary gears, which are generally reliable but can sometimes fail if the motor is subjected to a constant heavy load. Under everyday riding conditions, this shouldn’t be an issue.

the cyclamatic cx1 36v 250w electric hub motor

The motor speed controller is located in a plastic box on the underside of the downtube, this may make it somewhat vulnerable to water ingress. These controllers are usually water-resistant to a degree, but whether they can handle prolonged wet spells is another matter.

There have been some customer reports of the motor cutting out after heavy rain, although this was on earlier models and the supplier has now stated this problem has been remedied.

The controller is again, a generic 36v 250w controller and should be easy to source and replace in the event of failure (at a cost of approximately £35 / $50).

cyclamatic CX1 battery and motor speed controller box

Battery

Power is provided by a frame-mounted 36v 8.8ah Lithium battery pack that uses unbranded Chinese cells. There have been some complaints regarding this battery’s longevity.  Samsung or Panasonic Lithium battery cells usually have a service life of 20-30k miles, but with the cheaper generic cells, this can be greatly reduced.  Thankfully, e-bike batteries have come down in price substantially and a direct replacement battery for this bike would cost around £170 / $250.

Battery range: The total energy capacity of this battery is 317wh (watt hours), so using the 20wh  per mile energy consumption calculation, would mean a range of 15 miles.  In real-world terms that could increase to around 25-30 miles, if pedal assist is only used occasionally.

The Ride

I was offered one of these second-hand, early last year and had a little go on it. Unfortunately, the bike had obviously been exposed to the elements and a lot of the Allen bolts were rusting, and there was pitting on the suspension fork stanchions. The brake disks also had some surface rust.

as far as riding the bike was concerned, it performed as expected. The motor didn’t feel as willing and strong as other 250w hub motors I have used, but it did the job. The general feel of the bike was okay. It is worth noting that Cyclamatic has fitted a better motor to the 2018/19 model.

I can relate to some of the negative reviews about the brakes. They weren’t particularly good and felt vague at best. I can put this down to the condition and use of the bike, and I’m sure with some adjustment they could have been improved.

The forks seemed okay at soaking up road bumps, but remember, this is marketed as an electric mountain bike – I certainly wouldn’t want to be taking it off-road on anything too severe!

In fairness, the bike I tested was a couple of years old at the time, so it would have been a 2016 model. The owner said that he had covered quite a lot of miles on his daily commute and had never experienced any issues with either the battery or the motor.

Features and Specifications:

  • 19″ steel frame
  • 26″ wheels
  • More powerful 250w brushless motor
  • Upgraded 36V 8.8AH lithium battery
  • 4-6 hours for a full recharge
  • Max distance: 25-31 miles
  • Max speed: 15 mph
  • Fully sealed battery
  • Padded saddle
  • Disc brakes
  • Kenda tyres
  • 21 Speed Shimano gears
  • Quick release battery
  • Quick-release front wheel
  • Bell and reflectors
  • Suitable for rider height up to 162 cm/age 14 upwards
  • Maximum rider weight: 100KG
  • Weight of bike: 20Kgs
cyclamatic power pro cx1 electric bike

Conclusion

For the price the Cyclamatic CX1 is okay. Personally, I would rather save up a bit more money and go for something like the NCM Prague – it might be more expensive, but the build quality and general feel of the bike puts it on another level.

Having said that, the Cyclamatic is a decent enough starter e-bike. If you are just after something to get you to the shops or a short commute to work, then there’s no reason why it shouldn’t meet your needs.

My only riding experience with this bike was on an older model, so I can only go by recent customer reviews as to the quality and performance of the latest incarnation.

If you are on a tight budget and don’t need anything too fancy, then the CX1 should do the job.

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9 Comments

  1. Hi Tony, interesting review. My Cyclamatic mountain bike type was bought Dec 2017, so an older model. The key appears to be just an ornament, the bike runs regardless of the key in or out! The battery and engine are very reliable. I now need to replace the brake pads and finding it impossible to get the same. Do you have any suggestions?
    Many thanks.

    1. Hi Kaitlin,

      The mechanical disc brakes fitted to the Cyclamatic are Chinese and very difficult to get replacement parts for here in the UK. I would recommend changing the brakes altogether for a more common brand like Zoom – here is a link for a complete set (with pads and discs) from eBay UK. They are fairly straightforward to install and should be a direct replacement for the ones you have on there (they should also provide slightly better braking performance).

      I hope this helps, if you need any more advice, please let me know.

      All the best,
      Tony

      1. Hi Tony I got a cyclamatic step through gte i am having trouble getting the peddle assist to work swopped magnet thing sencer just won’t work any idiea thanks Gail twist and go works no pedel assist ?

        1. Hi Gail,

          Did you change the magnet and sensor together? Usually it’s the sensor that causes the problem. Another thing is to make sure there is a gap of at least 3-5mm between the sensor and magnet ring, and the sensor is properly aligned with the magnet ring. If it still doesn’t work it may be down to a fault in the motor controller.

          Let me know how you get on and If you need any more advice, let me know.

          Cheers,
          Tony

  2. Excellent review- impressive! Thanks!

    What do you think of me buying a refurbished bike from Amazon?
    Is the 3-year warranty for $58 worthwhile?
    How easy is assembly for an old clutch?

    I liked you on Facebook!

    1. Hi John,

      Thanks for your positive comments, glad you found the review useful.

      In answer to your question a refurbished bike would be fine, and it should come with a statutory warranty. I can’t vouch for the $58 3-year warranty, as most electric bike parts (including battery) have a limited service life. I would check the small print first to make sure all the electric components are covered.

      Replacing the clutch / planetary gear system on a geared hub motor is a fairly straightforward process. Getting the right planetary gear can be problematic at there are so many different manufacturers. If it was a well-known brand like Bafang or MXUS then it wouldn’t be a problem, but the motor on the Cyclamatic is unbranded, so you would need to go direct to the supplier – the part usually costs around $30-$40.

      If you need any more advice, please let me know. And thanks for the like on FB!

      Cheers,
      Tony

  3. I thought the cyclamatic cxi was to slow and couldn’t sustain the power over 5 miles and the further u went to cover those 30miles they talk about it got heavier and slower and I didn’t use the pedal assist very much

    1. I would tend to agree with you, the battery has a very limited capacity and the voltage drops off quite quickly after only a few miles. I think if they fitted a slightly more powerful battery (maybe a 36v 13ah) it would make things easier.

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