Cyclamatic GTE pro Electric Bike Review

Introduction

This e-bike is an absolute bargain for those of you who are looking for a cheap and cheerful entry-level bike that is going to be reliable and get you from A to B in comfort. In this review, I will show you why I think that this is one of the best step through electric bikes for the money. The Cyclamatic GTE pro Electric bike is distributed in the UK by Sports HQ and like a lot of electric bikes is Chinese in origin.

Summary

The classic step-through frame design is great for male and female riders of all ages and abilities and is especially suited to older riders (with no high frame to climb over, getting on and off the bike is quick and easy).

This bike comes in one frame size but has quite a lot of height adjustment in the seat post and handlebar stem. The supplier states a recommended rider height of 5’4″ – 6’2″ which is quite a broad range. Customer reviews have suggested that 5’4″ is definitely the lower limit. I am 6’1″ and found it to be a reasonable fit with the seat and handlebars adjusted accordingly.

Don’t be fooled by the bargain-basement price, this is an excellent electric bike for the money.  It comes kitted out for commuting, with mudguards, lights, pannier rack and kick-stand

Electric Motor

Power is provided by a compact 250w geared electric hub motor (located in the front wheel) and is controlled through a King-meter KM529 LCD display. This offers the rider up to 5 levels of pedal assist with ‘0’ being no assist to ‘5’ being maximum assist.

On the road, the motor provided a decent amount of assistance on the hills. The cadence-based pedal assist worked very well, and provided instant power, as and when required. The small geared hub motor on this bike incorporates a free-wheeling system enabling the rider to pedal easily with the motor switched off.

The power source of the electric motor is a 36v10.4ah Lithium rack battery. With a total capacity of 374wh (watt hours), you should get an assisted range of 18 miles (based on a constant 20wh per mile consumption), a realistic range to expect for everyday use would be in the region of 20-30 miles. The battery can be unlocked and quickly removed for charging indoors. This battery is also water resistant, and the bike can be safely used in the rain – although I would not recommend using a pressure washer to clean it.

The front and rear V-brakes offer acceptable (but not great) levels of braking and the entry-level Shimano 6-speed rear derailleur with grip-shift produced nice and predictable gear shifting.

The front suspension fork is Suntour CR8 – this fork is quite common on trekking bikes at this price point. It offers around 40mm of travel and will be ample enough to take the sting out of small pot-holes and road bumps. It will also be fine to use on canal towpaths and light trails.

Build quality is very good, for the price, with internal cable routing and a nice matt mid-grey paint finish.

Conclusion

Don’t be fooled by the bargain-basement price, this is an excellent e-bike for the money. The build quality is good and the bike is versatile enough to be used for commuting and leisure riding. You could even get away with some light trail riding. Having a single chainring up front limits the gear range, but with the 250w motor, it will be fine at getting up all but the steepest of hills with ease.

The step-through frame is a perfect unisex design allowing for ease of use and comfort. This bike would make an excellent daily commuter bike.

Specification

• 250w front geared electric hub motor
• 36v10.4ah rack battery with charger (4-6 hours charging time)
• Front and rear composite mudguards
• Front and rear lights
• Kick-stand
• Pannier rack (which doubles up as a battery holder)
• Comfort saddle.
• Suntour CR8 suspension forks
• 6-Speed Shimano gears with grip-shift
• Internal cable routing
• Assist mode: 5-assistance levels
• Size: 187cm x 64cm x 104cm
• Weight with battery: 22.8KG
• Weight without battery: 20.8KG
• Range of seat height: 92-99cm