Fat-tire electric bikes are a lot of fun to ride on and off-road alike, but their sheer proportions don’t always look good. The Gen3 Outcross manages to keep a sleek-looking frame despite having big chunky 4-inch tires. And while we try not to judge a book (or a bike) by its cover, I’ll never say “no” to an electric bike with thick, good-looking tires.
The reasonably powerful electric bike is currently on sale for a great price of just $1,399 with coupon code BF300, lowered from its MSRP of $ 1,699.
Be sure to check out my Gen3 Outcross electric bike test drive video below. Then read on to see the rest of my thoughts on this fun electric bike.
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Electric bicycle Gen3 Outcross tech specs
- Motor: 500W geared rear hub motor (1,000W peak)
- Top speed: 32 km/h (20 mph)
- Range: 56 km (35 mi)
- Battery: 48V 10.4Ah (500 Wh)
- Max load: 127 kg (280 lb)
- Frame: 6061 aluminum
- Suspension: 100 mm travel spring suspension fork with preload adjustment and lockout
- Brakes: Gen3 mechanical disc brakes with 160 mm rotors
- Extras: LCD display with speedometer, battery
- gauge, PAS level indicator, odometer, tripmeter, light status indicator,
- front and rear LED lights (though rear use AAA batteries), 5 speed
- settings, left thumb throttle, kickstand
What really makes the Gen3 Outcross stand out is that bright red frame with a well-integrated battery.
The glossy paint really stands out, unlike most plain matte electric bikes.
But the inclusion of the integrated battery pack results in surprisingly clean lines for a large format electric bike.
I got multiple compliments from outsiders on how good the bike looked, which is a near-effective method that I use to judge the look of the electric bikes I ride. The more people say “Wow, nice bike!” for me at intersections and parks, the more I trust my own subjective opinion.
The downside to fully integrated batteries is that they are limited in size. There is a limited amount of battery that you can fit into a bicycle frame before running out of space.
The Gen3 Outcross’s 500Wh battery is a bit below industry averages, especially for inefficient fat tire e-bikes that require a bit more power to get those big tires rolling over loose terrain.
These days we generally find batteries in the 650Wh range on e-bikes with fat tires, and sometimes a lot more.
The 35-mile (56 km) range rating given by that battery is, of course, the pedal-assist range, which means you’re doing at least some of the work yourself.
You can select the intensity of pedaling assistance and maximize it if you want an easy ride, or you can just go on the throttle and ride it like a motorcycle.
The throttle is built into the screen on the left side of the bars, which I really like.
However, one thing you should probably know about me is that I’m a stickler for the right-side half-turn throttle at heart, so the left-side thumb throttles aren’t my favorites.
Half-turn throttles simply offer the best control, especially on rough terrain or off-road where the thumb throttle bounces up and down along with the handlebars.
But if you’re going to give me a throttle, at least I like this design where it’s built into the display. It takes up less space on the bars by combining two components into one and appears less busy.
We don’t see this combined throttle/display setup often, but I like it.
The bike is more powerful than I expected for a 500W motor, although they point out that it is a 1000W max power motor. That probably means a 20A or 22A controller paired with that 48V battery. I wouldn’t call it “jaw-dropping” power, but it was enough for all of my recreational driving on flat, rough terrain.
The speed limit is capped at 20 mph (32 km / h), which is frustrating for those of us who like to go faster. But it keeps the bike legal as a Class 2 electric bike and also helps the battery last longer by not consuming more power than necessary at high speeds. Believe me, 20 mph on off-road trails feels pretty fast.
For what it’s worth, I played through the settings on the screen and didn’t see an easy way to hack the speed limit.
Pedal-assist is based on a cadence sensor, which is what you would expect at this price. That means there is a telltale delay of about a second from when you apply force to the pedals until the motor kicks in. It is not a deal-breaker, but it is remarkable.
Another thing that surprised me was how small the front plate is. Pedaling at 32 km / h (20 mph) is a bit higher cadence than I would like due to the somewhat lower gear, so maybe it’s a good thing that the bike doesn’t go faster or that you run out of gears.
A few more teeth on the front chainring would be a nice addition. But again, this is a 20mph bike and that’s probably why you chose a smaller chainring.
The disc brakes are quite good, although they are not from any brand. I would have loved to see some basic Tektros in there, but since supply chains are what they are, everyone struggles for parts.
The brakes worked fine for me, even if the 160mm rotors were a bit small. I could still easily lock the wheel and therefore the braking force was not an issue. If you are doing long stretches downhill, the smaller discs will heat up faster. But this is more of a recreational bike anyway. Even if you live in a mountainous environment, you probably aren’t going to blitz downhill like a competitive rider on a fat tire bike.
The only area I want to activate Gen3 in is the battery-powered rear light mounted on the seat post.
They went most of the way to good e-bike lighting by including a headlamp that comes off the main package. But the taillight runs on AAA batteries, which is a concern for me.
I don’t want to have to change the batteries on my little finger when I have a giant battery between my knees that I’m already charging every day. It makes sense to turn off all the lights on the main battery of the electric bike, doesn’t it?
Although in fairness, many e-bike companies looking to save a bit of money simply leave the taillight completely off and avoid the hassle of running the wiring through the seat tube, which is why we support Gen3 for at least giving us something to do. let the cars know that you are in front of them.
Although I complain about the taillight, I have to say that I am quite happy with the bike as a whole.
It’s a lot of fun riding the trails and even the bike path, and it looks pretty cool too.
In an age where many e-bikes still come with crazy graphics, bolt-on batteries, and rat-nest wiring, the Gen3 Outcross’s cool styling is uncommon for sore eyes.
The $ 1,699 MSRP is a bit of a request, but not unreasonable compared to similarly priced e-bikes that don’t look that great. But the current sale of $ 1399 with the code BF300 makes it a good deal for an affordable and stylish fat-tire electric bike.
