CyCrown’s Fat Tire Full-Bounce CycUltra E-Bike Is A Budget MTB Blaster

Affordable fun! The Cycrown CycUltra fat tire full suspension ebike works better off the road than ... [+] many competitors.

I love a good surprise when it comes to an e-bike review, and while I was initially reluctant to review the oddly named CyCrown CycUltra fat tire e-bike, I’m glad I went ahead with it.

Full suspension fat tire “mountain bike” e-bikes, often called eMTBs, can often be a mixed bag (or fairly terrible), as one persons (or company’s) idea of what constitutes a “mountain bike” can be quite different from what is required for actual “mountain biking.”

But I liked the accessible $1,599 price point of the CyCrown CycUltra, and spec-wise, it seemed a good compromise between an in-town rambler with decent range and what appeared to be some hopefully decent capabilities off the pavement. It was a gamble that paid off in some fun biking.

The Cycrown Cycultra's 4-inch wide tires can surmount most obstacles and give lots of grip.

The CyCrown CycUltra is technically a Class 3 e-bike with a top pedal assist speed of 28 mph when set to maximum assist. But like many e-bikes of this type, it also includes a thumb throttle that will push it to 20 mph on electrons alone. On balance, the CyCrown CycUltra appears to be a by-the-numbers hub-motor powered fat tire e-bike, but small differences make it an above-average performer.

Power for my 75-pound black and yellow CycUltra review bike comes from a stout and removable in-frame 48 Volt 15 Amp-hour battery that takes about 5 hours to charge from flat and will power the CycUltra for 30 to 50 miles according to CyCrown. The power flows to a Bafang rear motor CyCrown says can put out 1,250 Watts of power, I suspect at peak for short durations. Torque output is not specified but I felt the motor was likely in the 70 pound-foot range.

Hydraulic disc brakes front and rear come from Dyisland, and a Shimano Altus rear derailleur packs nine speeds instead of the usual seven. The suspension components are no-name bits and include a non-adjustable rear shock and a front fork with lockout and preload adjustment. One fork cap reads “ABS+” but to be clear, the bike does not include anti-lock (ABS) brakes. I’m not sure what the acronym stands for in this case but I wish it was different or removed as I feel it’s a bit misleading to have the acronym for such a well-known safety feature on the fork when it’s not actually a feature on the bike.

A vertical-style color LCD shows the usual basic bits including speed, assist and odometer. It appears it should show relative power output via a bar graph, but it does not. Fat four-inch wide knobby tires on 26-inch wheels round out the CycUltra, and a large sprung beach cruiser type seat forms the rider’s perch. A quad-element LED headlight runs off the battery while a small battery-powered light sits under the seat for rearward conspicuity.

The Cycrown works better than expected off the pavement.

CyCrown had pitched the CycUltra to me as a mountain bike, but before I pointed it toward the dusty trail, I had to run some errands so I topped up the battery, grabbed a backpack and hit the road. On the street, the CycUltra behaves as expected, the fat tires rolling easily over pavement cracks, small bits of debris in Portland’s bike lanes and the full suspension allowing for soft landings off curbs and other low-altitude challenges. Overall, it is a quick and comfortable commuter and errand runner, the ride soft but brisk thanks to the 28 mph top speed with light pedaling. As with most fat tire bikes, handling is a bit vague, but airing the balloon tires up to near their maximum of 20 psi adds a bit of sharpness and speed while the full suspension keeps the ride plush.

With 80% charge showing on the battery gauge, I dispensed with the backpack full of groceries and headed for my mountain bike test area, a butte with a myriad trails, some technical, and non-paved roads both dirt and gravel. This is where the surprise came in.

Heading up the hill in 1st gear with the assist set at 4 out of 5, the CyCrown displayed unexpected grace and prowess. The CycUltra does not use a torque sensor, so I expected motor engagement to be more abrupt, but even at level 4, it still came on with a certain evenness that didn’t have the bike bucking or surging. That may be due to CyCrown using a 12-magent cadence sensor, which smooths out power delivery a bit more than typical cadence sensors. Tap into Level 5 assist and the power hits a bit harder, but when ascending a steep section of single track, it was a welcome companion nonetheless.

I’m not that familiar with the brake brand Dyisland, but the 160mm rotors and single-piston calipers had decent feel and good power, only fading when I hammered them for an extended amount of time on a long, steep descent. Outside of that, they performed well, including while wet.

But best of all, the non-name suspension, including the non-adjustable rear hydraulic, was up to the task. Fat tires and all, it fared far better than I expected blasting down a muddy, rutted trail at well over 20 mph, helping to maintain control and even allowing me to egg on the speed past expectations. The front fork could use a bit more damping, but when the front wheel left the ground, it didn’t bang into its extension limit, a frustrating flaw I’ve seen in many lower-budget ebikes I’ve taken on the same test course. And even when lofting the CycUltra off small jumps, it didn’t bottom out front or rear, and I’m a heavy rider, so lighter pilots should be able to up the pace if they desire. But I certainly did not spare the whip.

Riding home after dark, I pushed the small headlight button on the left bar (next to the underwhelming horn activator) and the headlight put out a decent pool of light, but anyone riding off-road after sunset should bring some supplemental lighting with them, such as Outbound Lighting’s excellent Detour light that I now bring as a mandatory backup on all my after-dark outings.

The rear suspension is not adjustable, but it worked well as is.

For the price, the CyCrown CycUltra gets a lot of things right, but there is room for improvement. The huge seat, for one, is not a mountain biking seat by a long shot. Cruising around town, it’s certainly comfortable, but it interferes with mountain biking in standover riding and is also heavy. A few weeks into my review, I swapped it out for a proper (and inexpensive) mountain biking seat and had a much better experience riding off-road while still being plenty comfortable on the pavement thanks to the bike’s full suspension.

That seat be the main change I would suggest to CyCrown, along with perhaps swapping the rear shock for a similar spec’d unit with some air preload adjustability. I understand meeting price points means using economical parts, but I would imagine a Brand X rear shock (perhaps from the same supplier) with air preload isn’t that much of a premium. A better tail light would also be welcome, I eventually strapped a rechargeable Knog Cobber to the seat post for a huge improvement in visibility.

Aside from those small (and easily remedied) complaints, the CyCrown CycUltra was a fun and fast fat-tire bike with unexpected off-road prowess. And at an MSRP of $1,599 (and I’d watch for sales), it’s easy on the budget to the point that getting two for a partner or friend isn’t a budget breaker. There are several colors to choose from as well.

Recommended.

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