Overall, the Biktrix Challenger 2 is a well-built solid bike with a lot of great features offering good value for your money.
There are a lot of good things about this bike. It came quickly, just a few days after I ordered it. It was well packaged and didn’t suffer any scratches or scrapes. Assembly was pretty straight forward, and everything worked with no issues. It is a very good-looking bike in person, easily stands out amongst the sea of generic fat tire bikes. It is also incredibly comfortable to sit on, and the step-thru design makes it effortless to hop on and off. I was able to adjust the angle of the handlebars and controls to get perfect fit. It is a heavy bike, but despite this it feels very nimble and fun to ride. I am really pleased with it.
There were 2 things I wish I had known. The first is that it is bigger than it looks. Even at 5’-6”, I am not able to flat foot this bike. It is also too big for my wife to ride, which was disappointing. The second is that selecting “No Limit (Off-Road Use)” just means it is limited to 40km/h. Mine came limited to 36km/k, and I increased it to 40 (which is the maximum the display will allow). I wish that it had no speed limiter as advertised because it feels like it can go quite a bit faster.
The main two reason I’ve given it 4 stars is first because I had to spend a lot of time with needle nose pliers to straight out the brake rotors (they were bent). The second was because I found the information on the website was very vague. There were not a lot of reviews for this bike, so I kind of felt like I was taking a leap of faith. It turned out well enough, but to help you guys out, I am going to list some of the omitted information I couldn’t find.
1. Motor: From what I understand it is a Lüanxing 750w hub motor, this is a nominal wattage, not peak.
2. It really does come with 2-piston hydraulic 180 mm brakes (some reviews I saw said they were mechanical brakes, I wasn’t really sure until I saw it in person). These are great btw, nice linear feel and strong enough to lock up the tires for quick stops.
3. It comes with 23” diameter (on 20” wheel) Kenda Krusader 30tpi (not 60tpi). TPI is “Threads per inch”, but unlike sheets, less threads mean it uses thicker and more durable threads. It’s a good tire, but noisy for the road.
4. It has a 22 amp controller. The battery has a voltage range of approximately 54v (charged) down to 43v (near dead). This means your theoretical peak power range will be 946w to 1088w. I’ve never found a peak rating for the motor though.
5. When I weighed it, it was 91lbs with the battery on it. The website says it is 92.6lbs without battery, that looks to be a mistake.
6. The battery is a Samsung unit, not a no-name brand. This is a big selling feature for me, so I was happy it turned out this way.
Some final thoughts.
-The rear suspension is very stiff, and not adjustable. It nearly feels like a hard tail bike to me.
-This bike is not comfortable for pedaling because the seat is so wide. It is a moped style and most of the time you will be just using the twist throttle. So long as you understand this, it is a non-issue.
-Its real-world range is probably 25km to 35km if you are cruising around with the throttle. You can coax a bit more out of if you pedal or keep your speed down.
-My wish list for this bike is signal indicators and a proper built-in bell or horn. It would really tie this package together.
-It is charming and eye catching. People love it and it really punches above its weight in looks.
-The shorter wheelbase and BMX style handlebars make it nimble and dynamic. It is great to ride around in the city. The fun factor on this bike is near the top of the scale.
