In our uphill testing we got a mixed bag of results from the Cafe Cruiser, but before I dive into the details, let’s make one thing clear: This is an electric cruiser bike, made for cruising bike paths, boardwalks and casually riding around town.
It’s not a thoroughbred hill climber, so it’s no surprise that our test hill Hell Hole gave the Cafe Cruiser some problems. Hell Hole, for context, is a one-third of a mile long section of bike path that pitches at an average gradient of 12 percent. That’s quite a bit steeper than the average hill, let alone the average hill in this bike’s natural habitat.
But enough of me couching the results, here’s how the bike did:
We conducted two timed tests of the Cafe Cruiser up Hell Hole. The first using just the throttle and the second in PAS 5.
It was in the throttle-only test that the bike had issues. Relying on the motor’s power alone, the Cafe Cruiser made it about one-third of the way before the motor cut out.
But in PAS 5, adding in just a nominal amount of effort using my legs, the bike cleared Hell Hole in a respectable 1:26.00 with an average speed of 12.6 mph.
It’s not at all uncommon that Hell Hole gets the best of an e-bike. In fact, the Cafe Cruiser is one of several just this month to struggle during the throttle-only test in particular. But what makes this incomplete more significant than normal is the fact that the Cafe Cruiser uses a 750W hub motor, a motor size that is almost always powerful enough to clear the hill.
But, as evidenced in the Cafe Cruiser’s result, motor wattage alone doesn’t tell a complete story of how well a motor performs — especially uphill. Torque is more important, and torque is exactly what the Cafe Cruiser lacks. Rated for just 60Nm of torque, the Cafe Cruiser’s motor is markedly less torquey than many 750W motors we test, which likely explains why it didn’t clear the hill on motor power alone.
That said, add in just a little additional torque through pedaling, and the Cafe Cruiser will likely clear most any reasonable (and paved) hill you put it against.
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