Mokwheel Basalt E-Bike Review, 2023

In our range test, the Mokwheel Basalt performed so well our intrepid tester was out for almost nine hours. Yes, nine; that’s because we needed to let him do things like, you know, eat and drink. Thanks to its 960Wh battery, the Mokwheel Basalt set one of the highest distances ever covered on a single battery, a whopping 85.4 mi. It may not be the highest we’ve ever seen, but it’s the highest we’ve recorded in our testing this year.

With its controller set to PAS 5, our tester then took the Mokwheel Basalt for a much shorter ride. Shorter, relative to 85 mi., that is. We wouldn’t call 32 mi. a short ride, though. Our tester was still on the road for just more than 90 minutes.

Someone with a 6-mi. commute could ride in PAS 5 each day and still only charge the Mokwheel Basalt once a week. Our testers found a sweet spot in PAS 3, which still delivered terrific speed while giving terrific range. Riders looking for an e-bike that gets around well but can cover 50-ish miles on a single charge will want to look at the Mokwheel Basalt closely.

If we say that the Mokwheel Basalt was an above-average performer on our trial of its climbing ability on Hell Hole—our ⅓ mi., 12 percent test hill—that would be accurate, but doesn’t paint the whole picture. In both our test of the e-bike in PAS 5 and with throttle alone, the Mokwheel Basalt beat our average times up Hell Hole by 10 seconds or more. Bearing in mind that e-bikes that don’t finish the climb can’t be factored into our average speed and we have an e-bike that performs decidedly above average.

In PAS 5, the Mokwheel Basalt climbed Hell Hole in just 69 seconds, for an average speed up the hill of 15.7 mph. This owes in large part to the fact that the 750W motor produces a very aggressive 90Nm of torque.

On our second pass, propelled by throttle alone, the Mokwheel Basalt made the ascent in just 89 seconds—10 seconds faster than the average set by those bikes with enough power to complete the climb with just throttle assist—for an average speed of 12.2 mph.

There’s a sort of irony to riding an e-bike that weighs nearly 80 lbs. uphill at speeds that most riders can’t reach on lightweight racing bikes, kinda like a flying T-Rex.

Any time we review an e-bike that weighs more than 70 lbs., we give the brakes a little extra scrutiny. The Mokwheel Basalt is built with Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, which are paired with 180mm rotors. In broad strokes, this is a fairly standard setup, though differences in the various makes of brakes can see notable differences in stopping distance.

As we’ve mentioned in our recent reviews, we’ve changed our brake test protocol. Previously, we performed a panic stop; that is, we applied the brakes as hard as we could, with the rider pushing their rear behind the saddle and steering carefully to keep the bike upright as it skidded to a stop.

It was a good measure of absolute stopping power, but it didn’t accurately reflect how most of us bring an e-bike to a stop, which is to say, even under urgent circumstances, we stop pedaling and brake firmly while remaining seated, but don’t brake so hard to skid or risk going over the handlebar.

With that in mind, the Mokwheel Basalt’s average stopping distance following three complete stops from 20 mph was 23 feet 3 inches. That’s noticeably longer than our previous average stopping distance, but when considered against other e-bikes tested in the same fashion, it’s not a bad result. To put that distance in context, it’s just a bit shorter than the biggest sprinter vans.

The Mokwheel Basalt is a fat bike, so it’s good on dirt, sand and snow. With its 4-in.-wide tires—which can be run as low as 5 psi—it gives riders a degree of comfort that few e-bikes can match. It comes in two different frame designs—a traditional frame and a step-thru design—to give a broad range of riders the opportunity to ride it comfortably.

The $2000 price point in e-bikes is super-competitive. It is arguably the price tier in which the consumer’s dollar goes farthest. As a result, it’s hard for a company to introduce a bike that presents a significantly greater value than its competitors are. We see bikes that are different from their competitors, but we rarely see one that can easily be called “better.”

The Mokwheel Basalt takes a fair run at the notion of better. With its 960Wh battery, it can lay claim to one of the biggest batteries available in this price range. A bigger battery can mean different things to different riders. For the absent-minded among us (who, me?), it can mean not having to worry about a dead battery after forgetting to charge it … three days in a row. A bigger battery can mean long adventures, or it can mean riding everywhere at PAS 5. Or it can mean putting some camping gear in panniers and taking off for the weekend.

Thanks to the optional power inverter, the Mokwheel Basalt can serve as a weekend camper’s power supply, charging a phone or electric grill. For anyone who wants to drive to their camp location, the inverter’s wall outlets mean that weekend getaway can include a coffee maker, portable fridge or DJ table. Add the optional portable solar panels and a rider might not feel a need to return home.

Typically, when we see one noticeably superior feature on an e-bike, we will either see a jump in price, or the quality of some other components shaved in order to bring the price down. Rather than make sacrifices to try to bring the price of the Mokwheel Basalt closer to $1500 in price, the manufacturer stuck with a 7-speed Shimano drivetrain, Tektro hydraulic disc brakes and two frame designs, features we consider pretty standard in this price range. Mokwheel equips the Basalt with front and rear lights as well as a rear rack; fenders can be difficult to make work well on fat bikes, but they do offer them as an accessory.

As much as we were impressed by the Mokwheel Basalt’s performance in our battery of tests, particularly the range test and circuit test, the presence of 4-in.-wide knobby tires pumped to a cushy pressure undercut these performances. This isn’t a knock against those tires. For anyone wanting to ride both on and off road, these Chaoyang tires are quite nice. However, a narrower tire with no knobs would boost the e-bike’s performance even further.

Mokwheel’s warranty covers the motor, battery, frame and components for two years, a full year longer than most of its competitors. Reviews of the bike on Mokwheel’s site are very positive, though one user did note that a 5 feet 9 inches, they wish the traditional frame was a bit smaller; they also expressed a desire for more low gears when riding steep hills offroad.

Mokwheel offers a number of accessories for their bikes. In addition to the power inverter and the foldable solar panels, Mokwheel’s site includes front and rear baskets, helmets, a pet carrier, panniers, and a number of replacement parts, taking the guesswork out of replacing worn parts.

Our reviews look at the bike we rode, as equipped. Our job is to report on that experience to our readers and viewers to give them the clearest explanation possible of what their experience will be should they buy the bike. With the Mokwheel Basalt our crew here positively drooled at the possibility of riding off into the sunset, equipped with the inverter, some food, a stove and a hammock. For riders interested in camping or touring, this e-bike presents possibilities we hadn’t really considered until now, and one of the best things an e-bike can do for someone is to let them imagine new ways to get out and see the world.

‘Happy Riding, make sure let Electric Bike Report team know if you have any questions down in our comments section or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Mokwheel Basalt.