BIKE/BOARD

The Cyke Falcon A Full-Suspension Electric Mountain Bike Review

August 6, 2024

The Cyke Falcon A has a 500W Bafang mid-drive motor with a 750W peak output and 130Nm of torque, providing a top speed of 20 mph (Class 2).
With the Cyke Assistant App, you can adjust it to Class 3 for a 28 mph top speed or Class 1 compliance.
The 720Wh battery offers a claimed range of up to 67 miles and includes a torque sensor for smooth power delivery.
The Cyke Falcon A comes with a lifetime warranty on the bike frame.

If you’ve been on the hunt for an electric mountain bike (eMTB) that combines power and durability, the Cyke Falcon A is a ride that deserves your attention. This full-suspension electric mountain bike has impressive specs, and the thoughtful design makes it a joy to ride, whether you’re scaling rocky trails or cruising through forest paths.

Unpacking the Cyke Falcon A: Power and Performance

At the heart of the Cyke Falcon A lies a powerful 500W Bafang mid-drive motor that peaks at 750W, delivering a wall-climbing 130Nm of torque. To put this in perspective, Bosch, Shimano and Yamaha’s electric mountain bike mid-drives output 85Nm. That’s 50% more torque to help you climb any trail you point the front wheel up.

_{With this much torque, is it any wonder actor Bill Allen, a huge e-bike fan, could climb any hill with a big smile on his face?}

To put it in simpler terms, electric dirt bikes like the Surron have 250Nm of torque but are heavy, weighing over 110 lbs. If you’re looking for a fast adult electric dirt bike that you can also pedal, the Falcon A is a much better choice.

The bike’s 720Wh lithium-ion battery, cleverly integrated into the down tube, offers a claimed range of up to 67 miles. While real-world use might bring this down to about 30-40 miles, it’s still more than enough for a full day of riding without the fear of running out of juice. You really don’t have to worry about range anxiety. And you’d need an iron butt to last nearly 70 miles on an electric MTB! The removable battery, key included, adds a layer of convenience, allowing you to charge it on or off the bike.

_{The generous 720Wh battery is located inside the bottom of the down tube. You can see the charge port at the top of the down tube on the right (drive) side.}

Versatility and Customization: The Cyke Assistant App

One of the standout features of the Falcon A is its adaptability. Shipped as a Class 2 e-bike, it can reach speeds of up to 20 mph using either pedal-assist or throttle. However, with the Cyke Assistant App, you can connect your phone via Bluetooth to customize various settings. You can adjust power levels in different assist modes and upgrade the bike to a Class 3, allowing pedal-assist speeds up to 28 mph. If needed, you can also disable the throttle to comply with Class 1 regulations, which is especially useful for many trails.

_{The cockpit is clean and controls are well-placed on the wide handlebar.}

Who is Cyke?

Though the brand is young, the people behind Cyke bring years of U.S. e-bike industry experience. Their goal is to create safe, sustainable, and fun bikes that will last for years. They achieve this by using sustainable materials, including recyclable metals, renewable plastics, and environmentally friendly coatings. Their production lines are powered by solar energy, and they’ve designed their packaging to reduce waste.

Cyke also prioritizes safety and quality in their manufacturing processes. Their electrical systems are UL certified, and they adhere to the automotive industry’s International Automotive Task Force (IATF) 16949 standards, ensuring the highest quality and reliability. This commitment to excellence shows in every part of the Falcon A, from its sturdy construction to its well-designed features.

Exploring the Falcon Lineup

Cyke offers two other bikes in this impressive lineup. The Falcon S shares many features with the Falcon A but comes with 29” tires that make rolling over obstacles smoother. It also features a more powerful 1000W motor with 160Nm of torque and a larger 960Wh battery, extending your range and improving performance on challenging terrains.

For those who need even more specialized capabilities, the Falcon X features the same motor specifications as the Falcon S but with 26×4.8” tires. These fat tires provide exceptional grip on snow or dry sand, making it the perfect choice for extreme conditions.

User-Friendly Cyke Falcon A: Quiet Power, Seamless Control, and Versatile Performance

The Falcon A is designed to be user-friendly. The bike features an internal battery and cable routing, giving it a clean and stylish look. Throwing a leg over, the Falcon A turns easily. The monitor is easy to read and provides tons of information at a glance. There are four different modes: Zero, Comfort, Tour+, and Boost. Comfort mode is sufficient for most rides, while Boost is ideal for tackling the steepest hills.

I’m a bigger fan of pedal-assist over throttle, but I can definitely see the usefulness of the throttle for carrying gear, whether it be photo gear or trail-building stuff.

The bike’s mid-drive motor, combined with a torque sensor, ensures natural power delivery that responds to how hard you pedal. The harder you pedal, the more power it gives you to assist, and it starts almost instantaneously. The stock setting engages the motor at an 11-degree crank rotation, which can be adjusted for more immediate or delayed power response. The stock setting felt good to me, as I didn’t have to hold the brake if I was moving the bike back and forth a bit while sitting on it with one foot on the pedal.

The motor is also fairly quiet, and Bafang is a trusted brand for me. Having ridden dozens of bikes with Bafang motors, I’ve found them consistently reliable. They are constantly improving their motors, making them stronger yet smaller with each generation. The M560 motor in the Falcon A is no exception, offering immense torque and seamless power delivery. Despite its powerful performance, the motor remains within U.S. legal limits, providing 500W as a mid-drive motor and peaking at 750W, which ensures you have ample power at your control.

Superior Full-Suspension and Precision Braking for Ultimate Control

What sets the Falcon A apart from many other electric mountain bikes is its full-suspension setup. The Rockshox adjustable suspension, with 150mm travel both front and rear, ensures that every ride is smooth and controlled. The Rockshox suspension is plush and adjustable in rebound, high-speed, and low-speed compression damping. Setting sag (adjustment for rider weight) is easy for both the fork and rear shock, making it easy to set up for your weight and riding style. Rockshox is a great brand that makes excellent suspension components, and mated with the Falcon A’s 4-bar rear triangle, the ride quality is superb and controllable, with excellent small bump compliance.

Cyke Bikes Falcon A Electric Mountain Bike - four-link four bar soft-tail design

Equipped with Tektro hydraulic brakes, the Falcon A offers impressive stopping power and excellent modulation. The front brake features a 4-piston caliper, while the rear uses a 2-piston caliper, both paired with large 203mm rotors that provide plenty of leverage and cooling. This setup ensures you can modulate your braking with precision, making it safe and effective for all kinds of terrain.

The levers have cutoff switches, which is somewhat rare with hydraulic brakes, it’s something you normally see in mechanical brake levers. The cutoff is mostly useful for riding, as it does decrease braking distance because you’re not fighting the motor. However, on mountain bikes, this can be a disadvantage, because sometimes you’re powering up a hill and turning around a tight switchback, so you want to feather one or both brakes to make the turn but not lose momentum. To quote friend Hans Rey, “E-bikes are the only bikes that you use your brakes going uphill!”.

You can disconnect the switches, but that requires doing specific wiring changes inside the frame with the battery out, and as much as I love playing amateur electrician, even I would take this to a shop to have them do it.

Comparing the Cyke Falcon A

To offer a comparison, Aventon’s Ramblas electric mountain bike, a direct competitor, is $100 cheaper but it’s a hard-tail, meaning it lacks rear suspension, and you can’t add that after the fact. This makes the Falcon A a better choice for those who prefer a full-suspension mountain setup. Riders who have experienced a good full-suspension mountain bike often find it hard to go back to hardtails.

If there’s one minor tweak, I’d rather have this electric bike come stock with a dropper seatpost for added convenience during climbs and descents. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a type of seatpost that raises or lowers using a lever on the handlebar. For mountain bikes, this is an easy way to raise your post to allow full leg extension for climbs, then you can drop it out of your way for descents, so you can easily get your butt back to keep your weight back for steep descents.

Of course, this can be added after the fact, and many mountain bike riders love customizing their rides to make it their own based on equipment preferences, especially touch points like the saddle, pedals and grips. Others will replace the 9-speed drivetrain with a 10- or 11-speed, though with an e-bike, that’s less necessary.

Some riders may opt for narrower tires for a bit more precision, but there’s definitely something to be said about the 3” Maxxis tires. They’re a fantastic middle ground between the more knife-like 2.4-ish” tires and true 4”+ fat tires. For most trails, these 3” tires offer incredible grip, even more damping of bumps and obstacles, and less likelihood that they’ll basketball down off-camber trails.

The Verdict: Is the Cyke Falcon A the Right Bike for You?

Priced at $2999, down from an MSRP of $3799 (a savings for $800), the Cyke Falcon A offers exceptional value for a full-suspension electric mountain bike. It’s designed to appeal to both beginners and seasoned riders, providing a powerful, reliable, and fun ride. It rides smoothly and is easy to maneuver, despite having a relatively long wheelbase.

Should you consider it if you’re looking for a full-suspension mountain e-bike? You’re Falcon A right, you should! For more information, visit https://cykebikes.com.

Check Out Cyke Bikes at Electrify Expo!

Cyke Bikes is thrilled to be participating in the Electrify Expo on August 24-25 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The new electric bicycle brand will be showcasing its new Cross Series electric mountain bike lineup, featuring the Falcon A, S, and X models.

Additionally, Cyke will be demoing its Family Series, including the Lynx e-Commuter bike, the Cheetah e-Hunting bike, the Grizzly e-Folding bike, and the Collie e-Cargo bike. Stop by Booth #516 and Get Cyke’d to experience the future of electric biking!

Cyke Falcon A Full-Suspension Electric Mountain Bike Specs

Specification	Details
Price	$2999
Frame	Aluminum
Fork	ROCKSHOX FS RCNS RL, 150mm travel, pneumatic bumper, hydraulic lockout
Rear Shock	ROCKSHOX RS-DELUXE SELECT-C1, 190mmx45mm, iDebonAir+ air spring, 150mm travel
Motor	Bafang Mid-drive, 500W rated power, 750W peak power, 48V, 130 Nm of torque, based on CAN6.3 protocol
Battery	48V/15Ah, 720Wh Lithium-ion battery with LG 21700 cells
Controls	Bafang, LCD display with Bluetooth, 4″ TFT color screen, IP66
Charge Time	6-7 hours
Top Speed	20 mph (Class 2 with throttle)
Range	Up to 67.1 miles (claimed)
Rear Derailleur	SRAM RD X5 9S, 9 speed
Brakes	TEKTRO HD-E730, 4-piston caliper (front), 2-piston (rear), hydraulic disc w/203mm rotors
Saddle	VELO, boron steel, 160mm width
Rims	Aluminum ring, 12G 36H AV
Tires	Maxxis DHF II, 27.5×3.0″ (front), Maxxis DHR II, 27.5×3.0″ (rear)
Color Choice	Dark Blue or Military Green
Sizes	17” or 19” frame
Weight	55 lbs
Weight Limit	300 lbs