Review: Ford Bronco Electric Bike

There’s an interesting trend in the electric bike industry: Car manufacturers are getting in on the action. One of the latest examples is the Ford Bronco eBike, a motocross-inspired ride that’s so distinctive in appearance that it made everyone from passing drivers to bike mechanics to nostalgic Ford Bronco fans do a double take.

With an aerodynamic seat suspended over the back wheel and a beefy aluminum frame, the Bronco could be mistaken for a motocross bike. On the other hand, the integrated cockpit with an analog speedometer, plus an enormous headlight that outputs 2000 lumens, makes it feel sort of like a car. Then again, with a 190 x 50 mm rear-coil shock and nubby Pirelli Scorpion Enduro tires, it’s also reminiscent of an enduro mountain bike. Given this mashup, I was curious to see how the thing would ride.

Throttle Only

The nearly 68-pound bike has a 750-watt motor (with 85 newton meters of torque) that sits in the rear hub. It offers four power modes: Eco, Normal, Sport, and Baja, the last of which is likely a nod to the kind of riding the bike’s designers envisioned—dirt trails and dunes.

The Bronco comes in Class II and III versions. The one I tested was Class II, meaning that it is pedal-assist and has a throttle that the rider can control without pedaling. (Class II bikes have a maximum speed limit of 20 miles per hour, but this bike’s speedometer tops out at 40 mph.) The 750 watt-hour battery, permanently tucked into the bike’s beefy down tube, promised a 60-mile range in optimal conditions.

These stats are about average for enduro-style e-bikes, but I’ve ridden some that are 10 pounds lighter, with 15 newton meters more torque (the higher the torque, the greater the motor’s power and responsiveness). So while the bike looked powerful, I wondered if it actually was.

The first thing most cyclists do before riding a new bike is to correctly size the frame, adjusting to make sure the standover clearance, seat tube length, and reach are all the right fit. The Bronco has a one-size-fits-all frame advertised to fit heights from 5' 4'' to 6' 5''. My 5' 9'' self was too tall to comfortably pedal, my knees practically hitting my chest on every stroke.

When I stopped pedaling, however, tooling around town using only the throttle, straddling the bike far back on the seat like I was riding a Ducati, it was a fabulously fun ride.

Beach Burner

There is a drawback to a throttle-only joy ride on a Class II bike, however. First, the bike feels like it should fly, but legally it tops out at 20 mph, which is generally slower than pedaling an analog bike on flats. I also quickly chewed through 25 percent of the battery power in less than an hour while riding on steep city streets. (No off-road testing was available due to snowy trails.)

Cold temperatures are notoriously hard on ebike batteries, so the diminishing battery could be the result of 30-degree and below temperatures on testing days, but I still had to turn back on my intended test route because I feared being stuck out in the dark with a dead battery.

The wintry testing conditions weren’t optimal, so I tried to give the bike the benefit of the doubt. What’s a more perfect scenario for this bucking Bronco? The optimal rider is someone either shorter than 5' 9'', who can extend the battery life with pedaling, or it’s a Bronco fan who has a couple grand to burn on nostalgia-provoking toys.

Specifically, it’s for someone who wants to take the Bronco camping south of the border, where the bike is meant to ride wild and free over stretches of sandy back roads to a local market that sells fresh ceviche and cold beer.

If this sounds like a fit, act fast. From now through the end of June, people who buy or even only test the Ford Bronco or its sibling Ford Mustang eBike at a participating US Ford or Pedego dealer, can enter to win an actual $40,000 Ford Bronco Big Bend Edition automobile. (This is also a good way to find out if you live near a shop that can actually fix the bike if something goes wrong.)

Getting a Bronco in the bargain isn't a bad perk for trying an ebike, even if it can only go out for around for an hour.