California e-bike company launches new fat tire electric bikes with 1,000W mid-drive motors

CSC Electric Bicycles has a new mid-drive e-bike ready to enter its lineup. The new CSC FT1000MD e-bike will be the most powerful model launched to date by the brand.

CSC Electric Bicycles is the e-bike arm of CSC Motorcycles, a popular motorcycle importer located on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

The Azusa-based company has worked in the motorcycle industry for over 30 years. In 2018, they began incorporating light electric motorcycles and scooters into their lineup, starting with their popular City Slicker model.

By 2019, they added electric bicycles to the mix with two fat tire e-bike models – that’s when the motorcycle company began CSC Electric Bicycles. New models followed including electric cruisers and cargo e-bikes.

Now, CSC is stepping it up a notch further with more power than ever before.

The new CSC FT1000MD e-bike (they apparently never lost the motorcycle naming scheme from their roots) will also be the brand’s first mid-drive e-bike.

The centrally-located Bafang M620 mid-drive motor is famous for its power. The drive unit is listed as a 1,000W continuous-rated motor, but is known to put out even more power when pushed to the limit.

The bike will ship in Class 2 mode with a 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit, but it can be unlocked by the rider to reach 28 mph (45 km/h) on either throttle or pedal assist.

The motor also puts out a maximum of 160 Nm of torque, which is more than any other consumer e-bike mid-drive motor on the market. That high torque makes short work of hills and powers the bike through quick acceleration off the line.

Speaking of torque, the motor includes a true torque sensor to provide the most comfortable and responsive pedal assist. It provides a more natural motor response than cheaper cadence-based pedal assist sensors.

The CSC FT1000MD e-bike combines the high power mid-drive motor with a stainless steel KMC chain for longevity and an 8-speed Shimano Altus derailleur.

An adjustable handlebar riser helps riders dial in their bars to the most comfortable height and angle. Full aluminum pedals adorn the cranks and a hydraulic suspension fork up front provides added comfort and better handling when the trails get rough.

Stopping power comes from Tektro’s Auriga E500 dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes clamping down on 180mm rotors.

The e-bike system comes paired with a color display and five selectable levels of pedal assist, plus a thumb throttle for those that want to take a break from pedaling.

LED lighting in the front and rear runs off of the main battery, so you never need to swap in AA batteries to stay lit at night.

All of the parts seem to be of very nice quality from name brands. Sure, a Shimano Alivio derailleur might have been nice, but a Shimano Altus is plenty for almost any recreational or commuter rider out there. And while many companies have moved to off-brand components to save money and shore up dwindling supply lines, CSC seems to be sticking with name brand components.

Energy comes from a 48V 16Ah lithium-ion battery.

The battery is semi-integrated into the frame for a more streamlined appearance, and its 768 Wh of capacity are slightly above average in the industry.

We’ve seen higher capacity batteries before, but many leaders in the market still use smaller batteries that we see here.

The 76 lb (34 kg) e-bike is hefty, likely in large part because that massive motor and big battery aren’t lightweight components. Neither are those 4″ fat tires, though they make up for their weight with awesome performance in sand, dirt and snow.

The bikes don’t come standard with racks or fenders, though there are mounting points to add them if you’d like.

The Bafang Ultra M620 motor is not a cheap piece of kit. Most of the e-bikes we’ve seen that boast this motor are priced in the $4,000+ range, though they are usually full-suspension e-bikes as well.

CSC has priced the FT1000MD with an MSRP of $3,295. To further sweeten the pot, the bike is currently on pre-order with free shipping and a $300 discount dropping the price to $2,995. Hell, my daily driver mid-drive e-bike costs more and has half the power.

And unlike most e-bike companies that require an entire upfront payment, CSC just takes a $200 deposit to hold your pre-order.

CSC’s new e-bikes are currently en route and expected to ship in early 2022. The company explained that they don’t have an exact shipping date to offer yet due to the bikes’ present predicament of waiting in a sea of cargo ships currently parked off of Long Beach.

That’s a problem facing most e-bike companies in the US right now.

Oh yeah, and you can have the e-bike in any color you want, as long as its green. Though you do at least get two different flavors to choose from: Moss Green or Wasabi.

My past experience with CSC has been quite positive, both with their electric motorcycles and e-bikes. So I’d expect more of the same on these bikes.

I previously tested out a couple of their 750W fat tire e-bikes last year and gave them two thumbs up. You can check out that experience in the video below.