The Carrera Crossroad E is an electric road bike at a bargain price. It makes some concessions to hit the £1,000 mark but, all things considered, offers plenty of value for riders who wants electric assistance, without a weighty price tag.
Your grand gets you a drop-bar, battery-assisted bike with composed handling, decent ‘oomph’ from Suntour’s rear hub-mounted 310W motor and mechanical disc brakes that will stop you and 19kg of bike when descending at 30mph.
On the flip side, there are some industrial-looking welds, it is on the heavy side, and some compromises have been made on the spec.
Remember, however, this is a £1,000 road electric bike, so forget top-end components like Shimano Dura-Ace and the kind of weights associated with the lightest electric road bikes.
The motor cuts out at 15.5mph (the limit in the UK), but even the lowest ‘eco’ setting gives you perceptible help; ‘std’ pushes you up gentle slopes and the ‘hi’ got me up my commute’s short, 11 per cent climbs (other ebikes have failed).
The torque-sensing motor is also great for quick, safe getaways from traffic lights, recognising how much force you're putting through the cranks and adjusting assistance accordingly.
Range is claimed to be up to 64km and I managed over 56km with over 300m of ascending at full battery-draining power, so your mileage will vary according to the terrain. Charge time is claimed a 5-6 hours.
In terms of gearing, the Suntour Alloy 42T single chainring is paired with an 11-32T nine-speed Shimano cassette, with Microshift shifters.
Downsides? The slab-sided aluminium fork and compact bar form a super-stiff double-act that your hands and shoulders will notice, and there are no bottle cage mounts.
Thicker, padded bar tape and good gloves will help with the first and you could fit aftermarket adaptors to the top tube to carry a bottle.
There are mudguard fittings and clearance for ’guards (or wider tyres) and rear rack mounts, emphasising the Crossroad’s year-round commuter potential.
Carrera Crossroad E early verdict
Super-cheap ebike with all-round performance that belies its price.
Product
| Brand | carrera |
| Price | 1000.00 GBP |
| Weight | 18.7500, KILOGRAM (M) - |
Features
| Fork | Aluminium |
| br_stem | Carrera |
| br_chain | KMC x9 |
| br_frame | Aluminium |
| br_motor | Suntour HESC, 310Wh battery |
| Tyres | Kenda Kwick 32mm |
| br_brakes | Tektro Mira mechanical discs |
| br_cranks | Suntour Alloy 42T |
| br_saddle | Velo foam |
| br_wheels | Double-wall alloy rims |
| br_shifter | 9-speed Microshift levers |
| br_cassette | Shimano 11-32 |
| br_seatpost | Carrera |
| br_gripsTape | Velo Black Comfort Cork Grip |
| br_handlebar | Carrera |
| br_bottomBracket | Suntour |
| br_availableSizes | S, M, L |
| br_rearDerailleur | Shimano R3000 |
