Carrera Crossroad Electric first ride review
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Carrera Crossroad Electric first ride review

An electric road bike that nips in under a grand

Our rating

4

1000.00

Robert Smith

Published: May 11, 2020 at 10:00 am

Pros:

Price, handling, assistance

Cons:

Bars and fork could be more comfortable, no bottle cage mounts

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