“Sir, there is no accelerator on this bike.” My intrigue about Decathlon’s Rockrider E-ST100 started the moment it was delivered. I have checked out a few e-bikes in the past couple of years, but how does an e-bike work when it does not have an accelerator? This was going to be one interesting review.
The Rockrider E-ST100 is a large but compact e-bike, not much larger than a regular cycle, except for the 380 Wh Samsung Li-Ion battery pack in the main frame. You will also notice the 250W Rear Hub Motor with 42 Nm torque, which you would not find on regular cycles. There is a small LCD panel on the left handle bar which lets you switch on the assist modes and also shows how much distance you have travelled as well as your speed. This is pretty much the only real indicator that this is an e-bike.
In fact, this is exactly what I loved about the Rockrider E-ST100 — the fact that it is a proper cycle first and an e-bike later. It can be a cycle that you use like any regular cycle with the same riding experience and the electrical assistance can be something you switch to only when needed.
Back to the lack of an accelerator. So how does this bike work at all? If you switch on the assist mode and then pedal, it automatically switches to the e-bike mode and you can feel the motor kick and make your life easier. There are three modes here, from Eco to Standard and Boost. And trust me, the first is good enough for most urban conditions. With Boost you can easily reach a top speed of 25kmph, but I suggest you do that only on wide roads with less traffic.
For me, having learnt to pedal on half cycles I used to take for rent at Re 1 an hour, and graduated to my own StreetCat as a teen, the experience on an e-bike is almost surreal. Cycling is not always easy, especially if you have grown up in North Kerala where you have to negotiate with a hill or two every few kilometers, not an easy task when you are on a cycle. And this is where the boost an e-bike gives you feels almost godly. As you go up a bridge without any effort, you do get some stares. And when you overtake someone on a swanky bike you get more than stares, especially when you are biking on Noida roads.
The Rockrider E-ST100 is very comfortable to ride and I did not even opt for a soft seat. Even at higher speeds, the cycle is more than stable and offers good shock absorption when you negotiate a pothole or a bump on the road thanks to the Suntour XCT30 fork with 100 mm travel. The Tektro mechanical disc brakes too are smooth and do the job even when you are hitting them at high speeds to avoid a cow that’s crossing the highway. The 27.5-inch tyres with 2.35-inch width make this bike good for some offroading too as I discovered by taking it down from the Yamuna dyke towards the flood plains where there roads are great for offloading, especially after the last floods.
Interestingly, even without the electric assist, the Microshift 1 x 8 speed drive-train lets you navigate hills and bridges with minimum effort. You can shift gears even while on assist though you won’t feel much of a difference in the resistance.
On a weekend ride with my 12-year-old who was on his regular bike, I had to keep circling back as he struggled to keep up with me, even when I was not using the battery. After about 8 kilometers of cycling without the assist, my Apple Watch told me I had burnt about 150 kcal, which is near impossible on regular e-bikes which are made to work primarily with assist mode. And this is what I believe is the edge of Rockrider E-ST100, its ability to transform into an e-bike from a regular cycle, on demand.
On a full charge, the battery will last about 50-60 km easily though the fact is you are unlikely to burn out the battery by doing a full trip completely on assist mode. I did keep switching the assist on and off as this is a bike that is a pleasure to ride and the battery boost does take away that experience a bit. You can unlock the battery to charge it inside your home if needed or just charge it on the frame if that’s more convenient to you.
On the negative side, since this is too much of a regular bike in its moorings, it does not have a key lock system. So you will need to get a good cycle lock to protect this when you are leaving it on the roadside to grab a coffee. After all, this bike comes with a tab of Rs 84,999 which needs more protection. Also, do remember this is a heavy bike. So if you, like me, have to keep it in the corridor of a fifth floor apartment then it can be a bit of a hassle.
The Rockrider E-ST100 from Decathlon is without doubt the best e-bike I have used so far and that is primarily because it is a proper cycle that takes care of your health and hobby needs along with the ability to zip back home from a long Sunday morning ride. However, this is an expensive bike, even by e-bike standards. But given the dual capabilities, the price seems justified to a large extent.
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First published on: 02-12-2023 at 10:46 IST
