Winter is coming and for the hardcore ebikers in cold climates, that means time to batten down the hatches. I’ve been trying some “snow ebikes” for years and have mostly landed on a Heybike that has made Husky walking a lot easier.
But along comes this Enffe EAES-2D Ultra bike that has AWD, lots of battery and a super unique look that might be the best thing yet for getting around in the snow…
Let’s get these crazy specs out of the way first:
- 2x 48V/22.5Ah 1080Wh batteries = 2.16kWh
- 2x 1.5kW peak motors = 3kW
- 4 piston Tecktro hydraulic brakes on 180mm rotors
- 20×4-inch wheels and knobby tires.
- Charger: 48V 4A
- Top speed: 32mph
- Range: up to 200 miles (?!)
- Shimano 7 speed
- Big display and dual headlights
As you might imagine, this bike is heavy and powerful. One battery sits on the downtube like a traditional fat tire ebike while the “gas tank” battery sits much higher between the seat and handlebars. Each of the batteries is over a kWh and must be charged independently. The bike comes in Yellow/Black and Red/Black varieties, and we got the yellow head-turner for the review.
You are sitting much higher in the very comfortable seat than a typical fat tire ebike, and the handlebars are raised for comfort, not aerodynamics.
And that riding position is helpful when you punch the accelerator off the line. While this thing tops out at 32mph, it gets there a lot faster than most lesser-powered bikes. It doesn’t accelerate quite like a Sur Ron or Talaria, but in the very important 0-20mph speed curve, it will accelerate as fast as most cars.
Off-road and snow
We took this thing out to the trails and had a good time on the mild hills and turns. It is much too heavy and front-motor bulky to enjoy turns and maneuverability exercises, but for easy trails and gravel roads, this thing is fun and the mild full suspension and fat tires make the ride smoother than I was anticipating.
We only had a little snow during the review time but it handled snowy conditions amicably. The front tire acceleration does help get off the line in slippery conditions and the power is helpful when going through the deeper stuff.
That 200-mile range?
No. Sorry guys. Even if this was an efficient bike, and it is the opposite of that in every way, it would have a hard time getting to 200 miles, even out of that over 2kWh of battery. Sure you can pedal like a madman and barely use the motors and stretch it that far but zero people are going to do this. If you use this like most people which is hammering the throttle, using the pedals like pegs, and bumping up against that 32-mph speed, you will be lucky to get 50 miles of range. But that’s still respectable. I think we just need to stop being silly about the range here.
What’s nice is that you don’t have to use both batteries and you still have enough – 1kWh – for most commutes. You can leave a battery on the charger for the longer weekend adventures and have a much lighter ebike.
Extras!
What made this bike noteworthy to me is all of the extras. We’ve talked about the dual motors and dual batteries but those have existed on fat tire ebikes like Ariel Grizzly before. The Enffe also has a big, beautiful display which can be locked to an NFC tag, similar to the Talaria XXX and other higher-end machines.
It also has dual headlights, which are amazing at not only lighting up the road in front of you at night , but also throwing off a safety beam to let others know you are on the road. The turn signals in the back are nice as well but going to be hard to discern from farther away.
As this is a heavy bike, I would expect nothing less than 4-piston tecktro hydraulic brakes which are table stakes when stopping a bike llike this. They do the job.
I also think this thing looks pretty unique. I’m sure it is polarizing to some but it kind of takes that Super 73 vibe to the next level.
Electrek’s take
At $1400, the Enffe EAES-2D Ultra takes the very common 20-inch fat tire ebike and throws a ton of extras onto the platform. For those looking for something a little flashier, a lot faster and a bit more premium in this popular form factor, I’m on board with this thing. Just don’t expect you’ll be able to handle your 200 mile commute.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments