This E-Bike Proves Less Can Be More | Cikada Urban Cruise Review

At first glance, the Urban Cruise could pass for an analog bike. The 353 Wh battery is stored away in the downtube, but you’d only notice it if you knew what you were looking for.

Cikada claims a range of up to 34 miles with the standard battery. Our results slightly exceeded this: In our range test, the Urban Cruise did 35.6 miles using low power settings and 22.3 miles on maximum power.

The average distance for similar bikes using low power settings is 54.7 miles, which is beyond the Urban Cruise’s showing. The maximum power test results were closer, as the class average was 26.29 – still slightly further, but only by a few miles.

When we dove into the Urban Cruise’s test results, we found that it tends to give more power than average in its lowest PAS level. This is evident in a few areas: First, it averaged 13.5 mph over the course of the low power test, while the average was slower at 11.9 mph. Additionally, we calculated its energy usage by dividing watt hours by mileage. Here, this bike used 9.9 Wh per mile, while the mean was 6.7 Wh per mile.

Put simply, more power = less range. However, Cikada does offer an optional range extender that they claim will enable up to 53 miles total – While we didn’t have this accessory available for testing, it does offer an extra 234 Wh of capacity.

For quick city errands and cruising, this is likely enough mileage. A full 35 miles is a long way in urban areas, so this bike does still have enough capacity to be useful and practical. However, if longer rides are in the cards for you, the range extender could be a worthy investment.

As a general rule, city bikes aren’t typically hill crushers. They’re designed to be lightweight, mobile, and efficient. With that said, they do still offer an easier climbing experience than an analog bike would.

The Urban Cruise generally held true to this; It did not complete the climb on throttle alone, which was also the case on about half of the comparison class. In the pedal test, the Urban Cruise finished in 3:00 at 10.1 mph, which is behind the class average of 2:29 at 12.1 mph.

Is it a fast hill climber? No, not particularly. Does it make hill climbing easier? Yes.

I want to give credit where it’s due, as well as provide some background. Like I mentioned, city bikes are almost never top performers in this test – they generally have smaller motors in the interest of staying light. However, the motor is still beneficial; it does take away significant rider effort.

With that said, there are some more powerful options in this category; a few have 500W motors, and many have more torque than the Urban Cruise. With 350W and 40Nm, this bike isn’t a total powerhouse.

However, I didn’t find the bike to feel super underpowered. You do have to pedal, but I felt that the motor was constantly present. As it stands, the lighter power doesn’t ruin my interest in the Urban Cruise – a little more would be welcome, but this one still gets the job done.

Braking is an important part of the package if you’re going to be weaving through traffic on crowded city streets. Over three runs, the Cikada Urban Cruise recorded an average result of 26 feet 7 inches, while the category average was 22 feet 6 inches.

Most city bikes are not monstrously powerful when it comes to braking; narrow tires and lighter weight don’t bode well for huge stopping ability. With that said, the Urban Cruise is still not quite where we’d like it to be.

The issues I mentioned above are likely factors in the results, but the brake system itself also leaves a bit on the table. Shimano MT200 brakes are paired with (relatively) smaller 160mm, 1.75 mm thick rotors front and rear; I sometimes found the brake levers to feel slightly soft, and they also don’t have a motor cutoff feature.

With all of this said, the Urban Cruise isn’t an imminent threat to safety; I’ve put quite a few miles on it at this point, and the brakes have been reliable and safe enough. I wouldn’t look to bomb hills at speed, but for usual cruising, they’re passable.

We’d recommend that Cikada makes a few upgrades. First, increasing the rotor size up to 180 mm could boost performance and power. A slightly thicker rotor could also help with durability.

Secondly, a braking system with a motor cutoff would benefit the Urban Cruise. EBike specific brakes tend to feel a bit more refined and in-sync with the rest of the experience, so we’d like to see that here.

This is an area where the light weight and streamlined approach pays dividends. The Urban Cruise is not a cushy, luxurious bike – but it has several strengths in terms of ride quality.

The first is that the handling is spot on. The Urban Cruise feels nimble, responsive, and effortless. It’s reminiscent of an analog bike; and I mean that as a complement. I almost forgot that the motor and battery were there.

There are a few reasons for the sharp steering. The first is that this bike is fully rigid, meaning no suspension. Every input to the handlebars goes directly into the pavement, with nothing interrupting that communication. This, along with the narrower tire width, make this bike feel catlike.

Power delivery is another strength of the Urban Cruise. I found the motor to be remarkably smooth. It does require that you pedal with some effort, but the low weight and rolling resistance make it easy to do so. My pedal input and the torque sensor seemed to be in sync with each other about 90% of the time – it’s hard to catch the motor off-guard, and it engages with decent quickness.

Cicada offers three sizes on this bike, with the total height range being from 5’3″ to 6’5″. We received the XL size, which fits riders from 5’11” to 6’5″.

I’m about 6’3″, and found the sizing to be very accurate. The fact that several options are offered is a big plus; I can almost always get by on a unisize eBike, but it usually requires some sort of compromise. The Urban Cruise was comfortable for me both in terms of leg extension and reach. While I can’t speak for the other two sizes, our tester suggests that Cikada understands geometry.

City style eBikes do often mean some compromise in certain areas. Like many others in its class, this bike has no suspension. As a result, you will notice bumps and uneven pavement more – this is the tradeoff for light weight and responsive handling.

The riding position is also fairly aggressive; it’s not as poised as a road bike, but not as relaxed as a stepthrough cruiser. I felt that the stance matched up well with the bike’s city-focused mission – a slight forward lean, but not “race mode”.

Simplicity is a central theme on the Urban Cruise, but Cikada still offers a tech experience for those who want it. A passcode can be set for security, and the brand offers an app with ride tracking and maintenance data.

The app is fairly simple, and so is the settings menu, but they are useful. For example, the app counts the battery cycles, which is great from an upkeep point of view. We would like to see an option for class 3 speeds, but otherwise, the uncomplicated approach works well here.

In summary, ride quality is a strength on this bike. It stays solidly in its genre; this very much feels like a city eBike, and a good one at that.

In our world, “less is more” seems like a fading concept sometimes. We have endless choice in everything – sure, there are positives to this, but sometimes, you just want to hop on your bike and ride.

That’s what I like about the Urban Cruise. This bike is simple, reliable, and uncomplicated, which allows you to focus on the joy of riding.

There’s no doubt that the Urban Cruise is for a specific type of rider. The ideal fit for this bike is someone who likes a streamlined, low-maintence product. Expect to put in some pedaling effort, and understand that it doesn’t pack earth-shattering power.

With that said, if you’re interested in smooth handling, light weight, practicality, and a bike that puts a smile on your face, this is one to look at. To me, this bike has all of the tools to complete its urban focused mission. It’s a great option for city riding.

The main area for improvement is on the braking system. We’d like to see Cikada upgrade to a eBike specific setup with a motor cutoff, as well as potentially larger rotors. These brakes are usable, but this would help improve the Urban Cruise.

All in all though, this bike has the right stuff! It’s a genuinely good city ride, and it’s hard to imagine not having fun on this bike.

Happy Riding! Make sure to let us know if you have any questions or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Cikada Urban Cruise down in our comments section.