Ruff Cycles Biggie

Ruff Cycles Biggie is a Stylish and Fun Urban eBike

We were really looking forward to picking up the new Biggie urban e-bike by Ruff Cycles, a German-based company that launched in 2012 with the vision of creating products that have great style and are fun to ride. Ruff’s flagship Ruffian e-bike took the world by storm with its cool looks and unique motorcycle styling. Their dealer network quickly expanded to more than 150 bike shops across Europe and North America.

I picked up the cool-looking Biggie from Timeless eBikes in Ottawa, Ont., the official distributor for Ruff Cycles in North America. They also have a U.S. office in Newark, Delaware.

Offered in several funky colour schemes, our test model was Midnight Black. The frame is a powder-coated steel construction with a very unique scrambler-motorcycleinspired look.

Powered by Bosch’s top-level Performance Line CX 250-watt motor featuring 85Nm of torque, the Biggie is also available with a Bosch Active Line 250W motor with 40Nm of torque. With four levels of assist — Eco, Tour, eMTB and Turbo — and a maximum pedal-assisted speed of 32kph, the Biggie is rated as a Class 1 e-bike in the USA and Europe.

Supporting the e-drive system is a removable 500Wh battery pack (with a 400Wh option also available) tucked away neatly beneath the long seat. To keep you rolling smoothly, an innovative and reliable Enviolo TR rear-hub transmission features gearless shifting, a type of CVT shall we say, accessed via a grip-shift style shifter.

Featuring attractive white-wall wheels and cushy Tyron tires (26x3.0”), the Clarks hydraulic disc brakes deliver stable and modulated braking on both road and trail surfaces.

Our test model also featured Bosch’s Kiox on-board computer, available as an upgrade from the standard Purion model. Featuring anti-reflective Corning Gorilla glass that is shatter- and scratch-resistant, the compact Kiox clicks easily into place via the stem-mounted bracket by a magnet.

Along with standard riding data like speed, distance and battery/power-assist levels, the Kiox also features a navigation function for exploring. The unit connects via Bluetooth to your phone to access Bosch’s Smart System Flow app that offers lots of additional information, functions and customization options such as adjusting the assist modes, power output, etc. You can also set the brightness manually or let the display automatically adjust brightness depending on ambient light. The Kiox features six buttons to control the various functions, along with a walk-assist button hidden on the back.

The Biggie really excels at cruising around town to destinations like the beach, ice cream shop, coffee house, and even when you’re bombing around with your daughter

Ruff Cycles’ stylish Biggie e-bike features Bosch’s Performance Line CX 250-watt motor with 85Nm of torque.

eBI k E t E st

Ruff Cycles Biggie is a cool e-bike that gets a lot of attention.

sitting with you on the long leather seat for school drop-offs and pickups. This was by far my 7-year-old’s favourite e-bike, and every evening it was super fun going for a ride with her sitting in front of me on the long seat bench.

There seemed to be little difference between the Tour and eMTB levels for pedal-assist, but the Turbo mode is very punchy and was my preferred mode when riding this e-bike. I also found it was best to ease up a bit on pedalling when shifting to lower or higher gearing, as under load it was not as easy.

Our test model also included optional Bosch’s Kiox onSupernova front and rear lights controlled board computer is an via the display unit. The waterproof light upgrade option. set featured bright and wide illumination for great visibility while delivering a safety factor, making it a recommended add-on. on your height, which also may affect your comfort on longer

Like most e-bikes, the Biggie is heavy, and at more than journeys. According to Ruff Cycles, the Biggie is “the ideal 70lbs it’s best to make sure the battery is fully charged. We bike for riders between 175cm (5’ 7”) and 200cm (6’ 5”).” found that the battery range was about 40km while using A large assortment of other accessories is also available, mostly Turbo mode with lots of stop-and-go. It took about 4 including front/rear racks and fenders, a frame bag, hours to fully charge the removable battery from empty. mudguards, foot pegs, etc.

The walk-assist is a nice feature for e-bikes and will come The Ruff Cycles Biggie is a cool e-bike that gets a lot of in handy from time to time. When transporting the Biggie by attention, is well-built and features high-quality components. It vehicle, it’s best to ensure that it fits your rack system. fills a unique niche in the e-bike marketplace, especially if you

The cool frame design and long leather seatbench are have a 7-year-old at home. great for looks, but adjusting the seat height is not possible, The SRP starts at $5,295 and as tested is $7,105 — for and there could be challenges with leg extension depending more information, please visit www.timeless-ebikes.com

The removable battery pack tucks neatly away beneath the long leather seat.

Smooth gearless shifting with the Enviolo TR rear- hub transmission.