Testing a budget-priced full-suspension e-bike

Fat tire electric bikes are all over the place these days. Full-suspension fat tire e-bikes are a bit rarer. But full-suspension fatties that can hit 30 mph (48 km/h) on throttle-only riding – that’s a unicorn right there. But that’s exactly what the KKBike K26S offers.

Despite the unfortunate name that puts too many Ks way too close together, the bike itself is actually quite awesome.

It’s something of a no-name brand, in that KKBike is one of many newcomers to the e-bike scene. That means I wasn’t expecting too much from the bike.

But despite the bar being low, the K26S hurdled so far up and over it that I can just about look the other way on the name.

To see what I mean about this surprisingly high-performance electric bike, check out my review video below!

KKBike K26S video review

KKBike K26S tech specs

• Motor: 750W geared rear hub motor with peak-rating of 1,200W
• Top speed: 30 mph (48 km/h)
• Range: Claimed 40-70 miles (64-112 km)
• Battery: 48V 17.5 Ah (840 Wh)
• Weight: 73 lb. (33 kg)
• Max load: 330 lb. (150 kg)
• Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes on 180mm rotors
• Extras: 8-speed Shimano drivetrain, large color LCD display, LED headlight with rock guard, thumb throttle, removable battery, plastic fenders, kickstand

High performance, medium quality

The KKBike K26S is not one of these weak-sauce fat tire e-bikes that looks like its built for off-road but is really meant to stick to the bike lane. This is an e-bike that can actually handle the trails.

Of course it’s not going to work great on super winding, technical trails with tight turns and switchbacks. It’s just not a nimble enough bike for that due to the large 4″ wide fat tires.

But the large volume tires that allow you to run lower air pressure make it great for cruising on dirt trails, fire roads, nature paths, packed sand or grassy fields. In those settings, this thing can really rip.

The combination of a powerful motor and full-suspension give it exactly what you need to actually handle rough terrain.

If it was just powerful but not comfortable, it’d shake you to pieces. I’ve ridden fully rigid electric fat tire bikes before. On rough fire roads they can get a bit dicey.

And if it had nice suspension but no power, it really wouldn’t be much fun since you couldn’t blast through the rough stuff.

But fortunately the KKBike K26S has both comfort AND power, which is what makes it such a hoot on the trails.

Granted, the suspension isn’t top shelf stuff. This is a $1,999 e-bike that’s on sale for $1,799. You’re just not going to get amazing suspension at this price.

But you still get some pretty decent stuff that’s fine for this type of recreational riding.

The hydraulic disc brakes are plenty grabby with what seem like overbuilt calipers. Plus they’re candy apple red, which surely adds a good few extra pounds of braking force.

And to make that braking force even stronger they come with 180 mm rotors, which is a nice thing to have on a fast e-bike like this. More on that in a moment.

The rest of the components on the KKBike K26S are all “good enough,” too.

The 8-speed Shimano shifter is basic yet acceptable (though bike snobs will surely pan it for being rather entry-level). The tires are simple Kenda fat tires, but they work just fine, even if they don’t have the same puncture protection as something higher-end. The headlight is perfectly adequate and even comes with a rock guard. And the touch points are decently comfortable.

Again, not amazing stuff, but it’s all fine for the type of recreational and leisure riding I was testing it with.

The plastic fenders aren’t my favorite and tend to flop around a lot, but I can live with it. If you don’t ride in wet stuff very often, you might even want to leave them off. I often leave plastic fenders off when they seem like more trouble than they’re worth.

The color screen was a nice addition, and it was actually quite visible in daylight — something that isn’t true of many color screens.

Can it really hit 30 mph?

Yes, the KKBike K26S hits 30 mph (48 km/h) top speeds. And to answer the next question, yes it can do so on throttle alone.

That’s not strictly legal for road use in many states in the US that rely on the three-class e-bike system. Class 3 e-bikes can only reach 28 mph (45 km/h), and they can only do it on pedal assist.

But if you’re mostly getting this bike for off-road use, then it doesn’t really matter. It’s a free country and you can ride however you like on private land.

In practice, I rarely found myself actually needing to get up to those speeds. Even with the suspension, doing 30 mph on dirt or gravel trails is a recipe for disaster. I don’t really want to wrap myself or the KKBike K26S around a tree, and so I was usually in the teens or twenties when I was keeping the bike on the dirt.

I’m not racing here, I’m just having fun.

Is it a deal?

The $1,999 price feels reasonable to me. The bike is solid, has a decently large battery and good power, and it even has full-suspension.

At the current $1,799 sale price (with $100 coupon that is clipable on the Amazon page), that seems like a seriously good deal. We’ve seen plenty of e-bikes that cost more and deliver far less.

There’s nothing super high-end about the KKBike K26S, but it does an excellent job at giving a taste of full-suspension off-road riding. I wouldn’t take it to Whistler, or really to any bike park with actual jumps, but it’s more than enough for little bunny hops on your local trail.

And for anyone hoping to soak up a few potholes on their way to work, it’ll handle that just fine too.

What do you think of the KKBike K26S? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments section below!