JackRabbit Micro Electric Bike Review, 2024

In our range test, we normally go for two different rides, one on a low PAS level and another on the e-bike’s highest PAS level. In our test of the JackRabbit we went for just one ride—with the throttle wide-open. Our ride wasn’t particularly hilly, but it also wasn’t bowling alley flat.

The JackRabbit performed close to what the manufacturer promises; they claim a range of 10+ mi. In our testing we saw 9.5 mi. That’s a very modest range, but we don’t see that as a knock against the JackRabbit.

So why isn’t a range of slightly less than 10 mi.—one of the shortest we’ve ever tested—not a strike against the JackRabbit when we would certainly criticize other e-bikes for such a short range? Simple. We don’t see the JackRabbit as being the sort of vehicle for long-distance trips. We could easily be wrong about that, but as a mobility solution, its strength seems to be in shorter trips and getting around in situations where a car is a liability rather than an asset.

City planners are finally beginning to address the notion of “the final mile.” That is, they are considering that public transportation like light rail systems aren’t much of a solution if someone gets off the train and has to walk a mile to work from the train station. The final mile conversation has been addressed by cycling advocates more than anyone else, and we see the JackRabbit as being a viable option for people. The JackRabbit would be a welcome alternative to walking nine blocks from a bus stop.

The folks at JackRabbit claim that it can be charged in just two hours. We’ve yet to time the charging beyond noting that it charges reasonably quickly. Quick charging is a great rebuttal to a short range.

Now range anxiety is very real in the e-bike world so you can double it at checkout with a spare battery. The battery comes in a pocket that can bhe stored just under the seat so it’s nearby and at the ready at all times.

In our hill test up Hell Hole, the JackRabbit came up short. Honestly, we’re not surprised. It’s also fair to observe that we aren’t really disappointed, either. We see nothing in the JackRabbit’s marketing to suggest that it is intended to be a hill-dominating performance machine.

Hell Hole is meant to take an e-bike to its performance limits, to show just how robust it is. Not everything is made to be robust. The JackRabbit did not complete the climb up Hell Hole.

Here’s one way to frame the JackRabbit’s performance on Hell Hole: Crazed adventurers aside, no one uses a dinghy to cross the Pacific Ocean. Were the JackRabbit equipped with a 500W motor to propel it up Hell Hole it would be overpowered in some of the circumstances where it is otherwise meant to shine. There really can be too much of a good thing.

So extreme hills aside here’s the general note on the JackRabbit and hills: it holds speed decently through modest hills. While riding around town it doesn’t slow down as much as you’d expect when you hit a hill with a full head of steam. 300W motors are seriously underrated in the hill department, and this thing often felt like the little engine that could.

Even larger hills are still technically managable if you scooter kick with the throttle. You get a nifty little floating sensation like you’re leaping through the water across a pool as you glide foot to foot while still sitting on the JackRabbit. It’s not as great as just being able to throttle or pedal with PAS to the top, but it sure beats walking unassisted up a steep.

The braking on the JackRabbit is a curious thing. It’s hard to evaluate compared to the host of other e-bikes we’ve reviewed.

The simple reason being that the JackRabbit only has one brake; a mechanical disc brake and 180mm rotor is equipped on only the rear wheel of the bike.

You’re likely wondering “what gives? Only one brake!?” but it may surprise you to learn that’s the right call here. The wheelbase of the JackRabbit is short by design. What that means though is that a front brake would make it far too easy to send the rider flying over the handlebars if squeezed too tightly. So when we conducted our brake test and came to a stop of 27′ 9″ from the top 20 mph speeds (or close to that speed anyway) it’s not bad in the sense that it’s only got half the equipment to stop that most other tests we’ve ran have. We’ve had bikes with two brakes get similar distances.

Here’s my overall takeaway: the JackRabbit seems built with mostly flat areas in mind and if kept to flats and operated at slightly less than full throttle I think the brake works fine. It can lock up the wheel if you pull hard enough so it’s not as if more stopping power is needed. I’d avoid taking it down any long / steep grades unless your prepared to drag the soles of your shoes for a little more stopping ability.

But if you are operating it as intended you’ll find the JackRabbit brakes perfectly safe and you don’t have to sweat it.

The JackRabbit takes a somewhat different approach to the idea of comfort. Their contention is that sweating is the least comfortable part of the bike experience, so they dispensed with the sweating. With no pedals, the rider will never, ever sweat—they take no responsibility for the dog days of August, though.

Many of our traditional concerns about rider comfort, such as a good fit that allows someone to pedal comfortably, go out the window. Again, we return to the idea that we think the JackRabbit rider won’t intend to be on this e-bike all day.

A highlight of the JackRabbit vs traditional standing scooters is thanks to the wheels. The 20″ tires (1.95″ in the front, 2.5 in the back where the rider’s weight really is) make a massive difference in going over bumps in the road vs the standard 8″ scooter wheels. And hitting those bumps from a seated position is far prefereable than standing in this rider’s opinion.

The JackRabbit has the single shortest wheelbase of any bike marketed to adults that we’ve ever tested. Its turn radius is just 33 in.—tight enough to do donuts around a trash can. People on roller skates can’t turn that tightly. Even so, the JackRabbit was surprisingly stable at speed.

That short wheelbase is a fundamental part of the JackRabbit’s appeal. It puts the Z in zippy. The JackRabbit’s videos showcase just how agile this thing is. Someone could ride a JackRabbit through a mall and not collide with the shoppers.

The throttle has a fairly short throw, but in testing our experience was that it seemed to offer essentially three speeds—slow, medium and fast—depending on how far down the throttle was depressed.

What might be helpful would be to take this idea a bit further. We would appreciate a series of settings comparable to PAS level that could serve as speed governors so that fully depressing the throttle would limit the JackRabbit to speeds of, say, 4 mph, 8 mph and 12 mph, before unleashing all of its wattage and freeing a rider to go 20 mph – food for thought for the future. But today just know that thumb modulation is what’s offered here and getting one of those three speeds is easy enough.

Last, while I’ve said a lot about how it handles, I haven’t mentioned enough about how it feels in the emotional sense: the JackRabbit is borderline silly, and that makes it a whole bunch of fun. I love the bikes that cause heads to turn, and you’ll turn a lot of them on this bike – doubly so if you’re passing people on the path riding on slower machines. The JackRabbit’s a novel idea and that has it’s own sense and charm which adds to the joy you get out of riding around on it.

Here are my final thoughts as we conclude this JackRabbit review: one of the great facets of the human experience is the sheer diversity the world offers. The JackRabbit is an idea none of us here at Electric Bike Report would ever have dreamt up. And this e-bike or e-scooter or e-whatever, is a really creative take on getting around.

Mobility is where the JackRabbit has the opportunity to shine. Plenty of people will pick this up because it’s fun and reasonably practical. The 300W motor can get you around town in a hurry. The battery is modest, so yes the JackRabbit won’t run for a long time, but it’ll be an eventful time.

The fact that the JackRabbit is just 24 lbs. is a game changer for anybody who deals with stairs, and it’s overall footprint is so small it’s hard to imagine much difficulty finding a place to store it.

The JackRabbit is no ordinary e-bike, but why should it be? It holds plenty of potential for everything from fun to errands to freedom.

‘Happy Riding, make sure to let us know if you have any questions down in our comments section or if you think we left anything out in this review of the JackRabbit.