Looking for the best commuter ebike without draining your bank account?
The Rattan 26 inch Aluminum Electric Mountain Bike might not be the best e-bike on the market today, but it will surprise you of its quality and performance. Here’s what you need to know about it.
Table of Contents
Features and Specifications
Three Modes of Operation
The three working modes of this e-bike are E-Bike, PAS, and Bike. Choose one mode or switch between modes to get the best experience.
Enjoy the whole ride without working up a sweat by engaging the thumb throttle (E-Bike mode). Use the PAS (power assist system) mode, which has five levels of assist to make sure you cover more distance and get the best possible support when climbing hills.
Maximum Distance and Speed
Its 350-watt brushless motor provides enough power for most types of urban cycling—going to your favorite café, work or school, the supermarket, and whatnot.
Meanwhile, the bottle type lithium battery of this e-bike is from LG. It’s rated at 36 volts and 10 amp hours, which is unheard of at this price level. Under ideal conditions, it could last 25 to 30 miles (pure electric) and 40 to 50 miles (PAS), at an impressive speed of up to 19.8 miles per hour.
Bike Components and Design
Frame: The aluminum alloy frame features a a rear triangle with an elevated bottom design. Using hydroforming technology, the frame is expected to be light, stable, and strong.
Tires: The size of the CST Jet-branded tires is 26-inch x 2.1-inch. These are designed for paved surfaces.
Saddle: The seat height from the top of the seat to the ground is 27.6-33.5 inches.
Lights: It has a bright, energy-saving LED headlight (10 watts) and a battery tail light with four blinking modes to improve your chances of grabbing others’ attention.
Handle: It has comfortable leather handles with a built-in sensor, which makes sure the motor stops when you engage the brakes.
Phone mount holder: Place your smart phone on the rechargeable phone mount holder, so you can keep it in front of you during the entire ride.
Pedals: The aluminum alloy pedals are from Wellgo. They might be narrower than you prefer, but they have good grip and feel good.
Freewheel: It’s equipped with the Shimano TZ500 7-Speed 14-34t Freewheel to allow better and safer movement going up or down hilly areas.
Brake parts: This has 160mm alloy disc brakes and Wuxing brake levers with a built-in sensor, which immediately cuts off the motor when you apply the brakes.
Shock absorber: The spring fork aluminum alloy spring shock absorber has a preload setting to ensure it fits your riding style and weight.
Gear shift system: It comes with Shimano’s standard shifters levers, the Shimano SL-TX50-7R, which is more than adequate if you hardly change gears.
3.1-inch LCD display: It shows the battery status, mileage (in kilometers), pedal-assist level, speed (in kilometers per hour), and lighting status.
Other details of the e-bike:
- Charging time: 4-5 hours
- Battery charger: US standard 2.0 A smart charger
- Bike dimensions: 56.4 inches x 35.4 inches (L x H)
- Weight of the e-bike: 52 lbs
- Rider weight: 280-300 lbs
The Good
Great for Long-Distance Trips
This is one of the selling points of the Rattan 26 inch Aluminum Electric Mountain Bike—a long-lasting battery. When the E-Bike and PAS modes are combined, some were able to ride it 24 to 28 plus miles with a few bars still left on the battery.
Quality Components for the Low Price
Standard components from unknown brands are really not surprising to find in a budget mountain e-bike like this one. Despite this, the performance and quality of this e-bike are still good. It even has components that you won’t normally find at this price level, such as its 10.4 Ah lithium battery and LED display.
Removable and Lockable Lithium Battery
Since it’s removable, you can easily bring it inside with you for charging. It’s also a big plus that you need to use a key to remove it from the e-bike, preventing thieves from attempting to steal it. The lithium battery is usually worth one-third of the total cost of the e-bike, so keeping it safe is a must.
Are you looking for a long-distance commuter e-bike? Get the Rattan 26 inch Aluminum Electric Mountain Bike today.
The Bad
Poor Assembly Instructions
Beginners may take an hour or two to assemble and fine-tune this e-bike. The assembly instructions are practically useless, so you’ll have to rely on YouTube videos to put this together. Fortunately, there isn’t much to assemble. You just need to attach the handlebars, front wheel, fork, and pedals.
Not for Extreme Off-Road Riding
You can probably ride it on gravel roads, but keep in mind this e-bike is not built for serious off-road riding. Most of the e-bike’s components, such as the tires and fork, are designed more for riding on paved surfaces. If you normally ride on soft, unstable terrain, go for fat tire e-bikes, such as the ECOTRIC 26″ Electric Fat Tire Bike.
A Heavy E-Bike
This shouldn’t be a major issue if it gets you where you need to be. But, if portability is one of your important requirements, there are plenty of medium-weight e-bikes, like the Swagtron SwagCycle Classic E-Bike – Folding Electric Bicycle, you could consider.
Who Is It For?
This e-bike is for people who are looking for a quality commuter e-bike that can reach long distances, but don’t want to spend more than $1,000 for it. It’s for people who live somewhere with mostly flat, paved roads, with a few light hills.
Conclusion
The Rattan 26 inch Aluminum Electric Mountain Bike has a few surprising features that you wouldn’t normally find in an e-bike at its price range. Most of its parts are standard, so they’re not hard to replace.
It has a few issues, but they don’t outweigh its good performance and quality. It would’ve been great if it has a rear rack and/or basket, like the Addmotor Electric Tricycle Three Wheel 500W Electric Trike. But, overall, it provides great value for the money.
Go where you need to go in your city with the Rattan 26 inch Aluminum Electric Mountain Bike.