After recently riding and reviewing the E-Cells Kings Crown and taking it on a 37 mile off road ride up into the Santa Monica mountains climbing over 2000 feet of elevation gain, getting a flat tire, and plenty of time to ponder life in the 3+ hour outing in nature, a few things have been on my mind that I want to share here about what truly makes an ebike great. It boils down to 3 things basically. Power, Suspension, and Size.
1. Power: Voltage isn’t everything
Running higher voltage on an electric bike is all the rage, and for a good reason in some regards. But the Kings Crown is proof voltage is not everything. In general, higher voltage is going to equal higher overall power, and also higher voltage equates to the electric bike being able to achieve a higher top speed. This is simply a generality however, ultimately at the end of the day power is equal to voltage times current (amps).
Power = Volts * Amps
So, it is possible to achieve the same power running a lower voltage, all you have to do is dial up the current. When I was riding the E-Cells Kings Crown it became apparent that voltage is not the full story. This Ebike “only” runs a 52V system, but it is actually able to achieve a higher speed than some of the 60 V bikes I have reviewed.
There are two things that makes this possible.
1) it is running dual motors, so you’re able to basically put down twice as much overall power to the ground
2) the amount of current (amps) being pumped into the motors. The controller on the E-cells Kings Crown is a 52v 60amp sinewave controller with 18 mosfets.
Simple math reveals Power = 52V * 60amps = 3120 Watts
This power spread across the front and rear motor lets you achieve high total power, without stressing out just one motor running at 3120 watts, it allows the rear motor to run at around 1500 watts, and 1500 watts on the front motor too. Each motor can dissipate it’s heat independently.
Despite this electric bike “only” being a 52V Ebike, it is one of the strongest accelerating, torquiest, and fastest top speed bikes I have ever tried.
2. Suspension
Good suspension on an electric bike definitely adds to the cost, and maybe it’s just my old age starting to show, but there’s really nothing better than a electric bike with nice suspension. It totally transforms the riding experience and riding the E-Cells Kings Crown made this very apparent.
I actually ended up getting a flat tire on this ride and even rode for several miles on a flat rear tire, but with the superior rear suspension on this Ebike, it was actually totally tolerable, which is pretty insane if you think about it.
My experience while riding this, I got a flat tire was only part of the story though. When riding this electric bike on the upgraded RockShox Deluxe and KKE invereted front fork, it is just a totally buttery smooth riding experience. It truly makes the electric bike a joy to ride and makes for much less overall fatigue on your body as you stack on the miles.
As a dude who has reviewed hundreds of ebikes, and who regularly rides 20 mile rides 3 to 4 times a week, I can tell you there is a significant difference in how enjoyable some of these full suspension bikes are to ride.
And also, you might think since the bike is electric, it means it is not going to cause you fatigue, but I can tell you firsthand this is not true at all…
There are often days. I am just completely wiped out and worn out from riding electric bikes. Part of it has to do with handling the heavy weight of them, and also building them, but riding them is bit fatiguing in itself even if you don’t pedal.
But, the overall fatigue you experience can be significantly reduced from how good your body is insulated from the bumps that you ride over.
Good suspension on an electric bike will totally transform how often and how enthusiastic you feel about riding your electric bike, as well as how fatigued you feel after the ride is over.
As you get older and older, I can promise you that good suspension will significantly impact how you feel about riding your electric bike, and how enjoyable the experience is.
In my younger days, I didn’t even need suspension at all, and when I first got into reviewing electric bikes, just having SOME suspension made a huge difference. But, as I’ve had the opportunity to experience good suspension and bad suspension, I can really appreciate a good suspension ebike, and if you have the extra money in your pocket to buy one and you want a truly wonderful riding experience, I would recommend you buy an electric bike that has good suspension.
Size
I’ve ridden a lot of awesome ebikes, but there’s really nothing quite like an ebike that FITS me. When I can get the proper leg extension andmy body is sitting just right on the handle bars so that it does not stress out my neck or arms… I mean whats better?
The E-Cells Kings Crown I was riding while having these insights is a great fit for me at 6’5″, I can get the proper leg extension for each pedal stroke. The handlebar position is good too, although not as relaxed as the E-Cells Dual Star or Five Star, but the slightly more aggressive lower bars on the Kings Crown give me more control of the front end, and also incentivize me to pedal some. I’ve been on other faster ebikes, such as the Billy Goat, which is awesome, but ultimately I’m a bit scrunched on these smaller moped style ebikes. Often times my hamstrings will feel sore and fatigued on an ebike where I can’t fully extend my knee for each pedal stroke, especially on longer rides.
Conclusion
This isn’t really an all inclusive review or end-all-be-all ebike review post, I’m just sharing a few insights from my most recent ride on the beast mode E-cells Kings Crown and what makes me feel like it is such a great ebike. It’s not cheap compared to the “budget stuff” I often review, but in my opinion the quality of this particular dual motor ebike is miles ahead of most stuff, and it’s an absolute joy to ride since it checks the 3 things in the list above.
Check out my review on the E-cells Kings Crown to learn more about it, and if you end up grabbing it don’t forget to use my link and discount code to save a solid chunk of change and also help support my work in the ebike world.
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