The Fucare Taurus fat tire electric bike brings the same fun-loving, off-road riding you’ve seen with plenty of other adventure-style electric bikes. But this time it gives you full speed 28 mph (45 km/h) operation on throttle only!
Technically, that’s not street legal in many areas since it doesn’t fit the class 3 e-bike designation, which allows operation up to 28 mph without a throttle.
The good news is that this isn’t really an e-bike designed for street use. While you could certainly commute around on it, the Fucare Taurus e-bike is really meant for off-road riding and light trail duty.
It’s not a full-suspension bike, but it does feature front suspension as well as fat enough tires to make decently rough terrain manageable. It will never feel as smooth as a true full-suspension e-bike, but it also comes in at several hundred dollars below the cost of most full-suspension fat tire e-bikes.
Check out my testing in the video below, then keep scrolling for the rest of my review.
Fucare Taurus Video Review
Fucare Taurus Tech Specs
- Motor: 750W rear geared hub motor (1,200W peak power, 85 Nm torque)
- Top speed: Claimed 32 mph (51 km/h)
- Range: Claimed 60-140 miles (96-225 km)
- Batteries: 48V 25Ah 1,200 Wh
- Weight: 92 pounds (41 kg)
- Max capacity: 400 pounds (181 kg)
- Wheels: 26-inch x 4.0-inch urban tires
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
- Extras: Large color LCD, LED headlight and taillight, included plastic fenders, 8-speed gearing, front suspension, kickstand
- Price: $1,599 (at current sale price)
Off-road ready!
It’s been a little while since the last time I was on a Fucare e-bike, but the brand has proven itself as highly capable in the heavy-but-respectable category of Asian imported e-bikes. None of these bikes are going to win on maneuverability, ease of transport, or probably even customer service. But damn, if they aren’t fun to ride!
And the Fucare Taurus ratchets up the fun. Compared to the Fucare Libra, the last Fucare model I was on, the Fucare Taurus is less moped-ish and more off-road ready.
That means we’ve got big 4-inch fat tires in the full 26-inch diameter size. I’m normally a fan of 20-inch diameter fat tires since they usually prove to be a bit more nimble, but when you’re really heading off-road, there’s no substitute for large-diameter tires. The downside is they are heavier, bulkier, and slower to accelerate or turn. But the upside is the ability to roll over larger obstacles with less bouncing around on the bike.
The frame is an interesting truss-style frame that Fucare seems to be a fan of, having used similar styles on their other bikes. I’m not sure there’s any real benefit here, but it looks cool and gives the bike a unique appearance next to all the other cookie-cutter electric bikes out there!
There’s an interesting little feature in the lighting where the taillight is integrated into the rear seat stay. The odd thing, though, is that it’s placed on the right side. I assumed it would be on the left since if you do ever ride on the road, you’re more likely to be on the right side of the lane and, thus, showing cars the left rear side of your bike (in countries with roads laid out the correct way).
But the real claim to fame here is the performance, namely a big motor and an even bigger battery. The motor puts out 1,200 peak watts, and the battery is a massive 48V and 25Ah unit. That’s 1,200 Wh of capacity.
The company claims between 60 to 140 miles (96 to 225 km) of range, but that’s ridiculous – you’ll never get 140 miles. The 60-mile estimate is closer to reality for anyone who wants to use higher than level 1 pedal assist, though going throttle-only will also net you less than 60 miles.
However, a 48V and 25Ah battery is still one of the largest packs on the market, so you’re definitely going to get more range out of the Fucare Taurus than you would from most fat tire e-bikes.
And with the throttle operation up to 28 mph (45 km/h), you’re going to have a blast off-road. To be honest, I rarely got it going that fast on trails simply because it’s a big, heavy bike, and that’s a lot of mass to be moving that fast. I generally found that even 20 mph (32 km/h) felt perfectly fast on narrow trails and even wide-open dirt roads, especially when you hit the occasional washed-out section of road with ruts and bumps.
At the MSRP of $2,499, I would never recommend this bike. But the good news is that it’s on sale for $1,599, at which price I would absolutely recommend it! For that price, you’re getting tons of power and a massive battery, not to mention hydraulic disc brakes, fenders, LED lighting and an 8-speed transmission.
Sure, it’s freakishly heavy and too bulky to carry effectively, not that you’d ever want to carry it very far. And yea, it’s a bit sluggish in the turns from those massive tires. But it’s so much fun off-road with its impressive speed and power that I can look past those shortcomings thanks to the pretty darn good sale price.
Author: Micah Toll
Source: Electrek
