September 29, 2022 - (Ottawa, Ont.) We were really looking forward to picking up the new Biggie urban e-bike by Ruff Cycles that launched in 2012 with the vision of creating products that have great style and are fun to ride.
Based in Germany, the company’s flagship Ruffian e-bike took the world by storm with its cool looks and unique motorcycle styling. Their dealer network quickly expanded to more than 150 bike shops across Europe and North America.
I picked up the cool-looking Biggie from Timeless eBikes in Ottawa, Ont., the official distributor for Ruff Cycles in North America, that also has an office in Newark, Delaware, USA.
Offered in several funky color schemes, our test model was Midnight Black. The frame is a powder coated steel construction with a very unique scrambler-motorcycle-inspired look.
Powered by Bosch’s top-level Performance Line CX 250-watt motor featuring 85Nm of torque, the Biggie is also available with a Bosch Active Line 250w motor that has 40 Nm of torque. With four levels of assist – Eco, Tour, eMTB and Turbo – and a maximum pedal-assisted speed of 32km/h the Biggie is rated as a Class 1 e-bike in the USA and Europe.
Supporting the e-drive system is a removeable 500Wh battery pack tucked away neatly beneath the long seat – a 400Wh option is also available. To keep you rolling smoothly, an innovative and reliable Enviolo TR rear hub transmission features gearless shifting, a type of CVT shall we say, accessed via a grip-shift style shifter.
Featuring attractive white-wall wheels and cushy Tyron tires (26×3.0), the Clark hydraulic disc brakes deliver stabile and modulated braking on both road and trail surfaces.
Our test model also featured Bosch’s Kiox on-board computer, available as an upgrade from the standard Purion model. Featuring anti-reflecting Corning Gorilla glass that is shatter- and scratch-resistant the compact Kiox clicks easily into place via the stem-mounted bracket by a magnet.
Along with standard riding data like speed, distance, and battery/power-assist levels, the Kiox also features a navigation function for exploring. The unit connects via Bluetooth to your phone to access Bosch’s Smart System Flow app that offers lots of additional information, functions and customization options such as adjusting the assist modes, power output etc.
You can also set the brightness manually or let the display automatically adjust brightness depending on ambient light. The Kiox features six buttons to control the various functions along with a walk-assist button hidden on the back.
The Biggie really excels at cruising around town to destinations like the beach, ice cream shop, coffee house, and sometimes bombing around with your daughter sitting with you on the long leather seat for school drop-offs and pickups. This was by far my 7-year-old’s favourite e-bike, and every evening we had to go for a ride with her sitting in front of me on the long seat bench – super fun.
There seemed to be little difference between the Tour and eMTB levels for pedal-assist, but the Turbo mode is very punchy and was my preferred mode when riding this e-bike. I also found it was best to ease up a bit on pedaling when shifting to lower or higher gearing as under load it was not as easy.
Our test model also included optional Supernova front and rear lights that are controlled via the display unit. The waterproof light set featured bright and wide illumination for great visibility while delivering a safety factor, and would be a recommended add-on.
Like most e-bikes the Biggie is heavy, and at 70+ lbs it’s best make sure that the battery is fully charged. We found that the battery range was about 40 km while using mostly Turbo mode with lots of stop-and-go. It took about 4 hours to fully charge the removeable battery from empty.
The walk-assist is a nice feature for e-bikes and will come in handy from time to time. When transporting the Biggie by vehicle it’s best to ensure that it fits your rack system.
The cool frame design and long leather seatbench are great for looks, but adjusting the seat height is not possible and there could be challenges with leg extension depending on your height which also may affect your comfort on longer journeys. According to Ruff Cycles the Biggie is “… the ideal bike for riders between 175cm (5’ 7”) and 200cm (6’ 5”).”
A large assortment of other accessories are also available including front/rear racks and fenders, a frame bag, mudguards, foot pegs etc.
The Ruff Cycles Biggie is a cool e-bike that gets a lot of attention, is well built and features high quality components. It fills a unique niche in the e-bike marketplace, especially if you have 7-year-old at home.
The SRP starts at $5,295 and as tested is $7,105 – for more information please visit here.
