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Their best-selling electric bike, the Bakcou Mule, is an electric fat bike equipped with an ultra-powerful mid-motor that takes you and some gear to remote areas discreetly and efficiently.
Bakcou borrowed Electric bike review a mule for test drive during the Big Gear Show in Park City, Utah in August. We had limited time and little access to e-bike-friendly terrain, but I was thoroughly impressed with the Mule’s super-powerful motor, stable handling and well-thought-out component package.
Evidence of Bakcou’s hunting roots is never hard to find.
Bakcou is one of several e-bike companies with roots in hunting. Although they are building on these roots and now designing their bikes as a type of all-terrain electric utility vehicle, the first Bakcou bikes were built to replace the noisy and smelly ATVs or side-by-side fighters that were once common access to Places in the hinterland. These motorized vehicles disrupted wildlife, so e-bikes became a great replacement. Now Bakcou e-bikes are designed for anyone who wants to ride difficult-to-access terrain.
Bakcou Mule Review: Performance and Handling
Speed and handling
Bakcou built the Mule based on the incredibly powerful Bafang Ultra mid-engine, capable of producing 1,000W of power and 160Nm of torque.
That’s a significant amount of energy, actually exceeding what is considered legal for street use in most U.S. states and on some public lands. Bakcou addresses this issue by giving riders the option to dial the power down to 750W, making the bike compliant with the three-tier regulatory framework that governs e-bike legislation in most of the United States
Why does Bakcou even make super-strong, unclassified e-bikes? The answer is simple: Because on private property or in areas that allow OHVs such as ATVs and side-by-sides – often the same areas where hunters and outdoorsmen frequent – you are allowed to use the engine’s full 1,000W power use without coming into conflict with the law. And not only does this power make the bike go really fast, the Mule is also designed to carry trailers loaded with gear far into areas that typical e-bikes would have difficulty accessing.
The Mule is equipped with wide handlebars that give the rider more control and stability on uneven terrain.
The Mule handles really well. It’s a hardtail and features a front fork with slightly less travel than Bakcou’s flagship full-suspension electric fat bike, the Storm, but the lack of crushing noise means this bike climbs and feels like it is very efficient copes very well with full equipment. The big engine eats up climbs and those fat, knobby tires feel good in the dirt, although I didn’t get to ride them on a real mountain bike trail/
Bakcou Storm Review: Components
Motor and Battery: A 1,000W Bafang mid-drive and large battery options
The Mule’s Bafang Ultra mid-engine.
The Mule features a Bafang mid-mounted motor with 160Nm of torque and a power rating of up to 1,000W. Power for this motor comes from one of three semi-integrated battery options, ranging from the stock 48V 17.5Ah battery a mid-range option with 48 V and 19.2 Ah up to a long-range battery with 48 V and 21 Ah.
It comes with a relatively standard Bafang display that lets you choose between a Sport mode and an Eco mode, as well as five pedal assist settings per mode. The bike also features a throttle that is limited to 20 mph in a street legal environment.
Drive: Shimano Alivio 9-speed
The Mule we rode in Park City was equipped with a 9-speed Shimano Alivio drivetrain.
This is a reliable and cost-effective entry-level drivetrain from Shimano that works well in most situations. It has fewer gears and isn’t as high-tech as some of the drivetrains we see in modern e-mountain bikes, but it has one big advantage: replacement parts are very affordable. Given the torque that the Bafang engine produces, it is likely that your drivetrain will wear out quickly.
The Mule we tested in Park City featured a 9-speed Shimano Alivio drivetrain.
The Bafang motor has a switching sensor that briefly interrupts the power supply to the motor when changing gears. This is intended to help protect the drivetrain from bent gears or unexpected chain breakage when shifting under high load. Regardless, with so much power, chains and gears are likely to have a shorter lifespan.
Brakes: Tektro hydraulic disc brakes
Bakcou has equipped the Mule with Tektro Auriga e-comp e-bike-specific four-piston hydraulic disc brakes with a 203mm rotor at the front and a 180mm rotor at the rear.
These brakes feature an engine emergency switch that shuts off the engine as soon as you apply the brakes and are powerful enough for a bike of this size. They handled the larger descents in Park City well without any noticeable overheating or brake fade.
Other notes: Large load capacity and many specially made accessories
The Mule has a load capacity of 300 pounds and has a few extras like an integrated front light, a kickstand, and a bolt-on rear luggage rack.
It is also compatible with Bakcou’s extensive range of accessories, which include purpose-built trailers, racks and bags that allow you to load the bike with the equipment of your choice.
The rear luggage rack of the Mule.
Bakcou Mule Review: Final Word
It makes sense that the Mule has been Bakcou’s best-selling e-bike in recent years – it’s efficient, powerful and does exactly what it was designed to do.
There’s no denying it’s a tough bike, but it’s a slightly less aggressive option than Bakcou’s Storm full-suspension electric fat bike. As the name suggests, the Mule is more of a pack mule than an aggressive trail bike. It is designed to be loaded and used in areas where other bikes would have trouble.
The handling was impressive and the mid-engine performance was amazing. It’s hard not to look at this bike from a more traditional mountain bike perspective, but I’m starting to think that companies like Bakcou are forging their own new category of e-bikes. I call it the “all-terrain” category, a class of off-road e-bikes that go where few others can.
Bakcou is a direct-to-consumer company, so you can do this Buy the mule on their website and have it delivered straight to your door.
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