30 | Cycling World
E-bike Review by Simon Postgate
Kudos Stealth £ 935
The wail of sirens fill the air as searchlights flash across the darkening sky : something ’ s broken loose ! Something sleek and cunning , sneaking away just beneath the thousandpound barrier , could it be ... ‘ The Stealth ’?
If it is , you ’ re in luck because the Stealth is a useful bike , particularly if you ’ re looking to get the best out of both worlds , the physical and the er ... electromagnetic . You see , this is a bike that is designed for you to ride as fast as you like and then helps you up the hills with a kick-ass motor in the back wheel . Great concept and a good-looking bike too with a new generation-style frame and a long , slim battery tucked unobtrusively into the rectangular down tube . The finish is a nice dark gunmetal take-no-prisoners paint . It tips over on its side stand with a casual lilt like it ’ s waiting for the rest of the world to catch up .
Looking closely , the details are purposeful and unfussy with everything necessary . The brakes are conventional V rim blocks but are effective particularly on the Stealth ’ s narrow profile wheels shod with unusual buff-coloured tyres . There ’ s an informative and classy-looking digital display at the centre of the handlebar with simple ergonomic buttons on the left bar when you want it to do things such as alter the powerlevel .
So what ’ s it like to ride ? Well , apart from the initial existential dilemma that seems to plague the start-off moment for many Chinese motors : it rides well . Once you ’ re moving the motor buckles down to the job with an enthusiastic but muted whirr and away you go . The assistance only lasts until around 15.5 mph , thereafter you ’ re on your own , but , and this is the clever bit , the bike is built for you to take advantage of its relatively light weight of 19.2 kg ( this is a budget bike , remember ) and narrow profile tyres and give it a bit of muscle-based welly .
To be honest , the bike works best on smooth roads where the weight-based compromise of no suspension or fat tyres works best . The Stealth is an electric bike for someone who is clear about what they want , which is likely to include not spending too much money . I would also venture to suggest that not being too tall might be on the list because at 6 ’ 2 ’’ I found the Stealth to be a little , how shall I say ... compact ? Kudos assure me that they sell plenty of these machines so maybe I ’ m the one with the problem , though I do think that if it were possible to supply the option of a larger size it would be a welcome addition to cater for the loftier brethren . There ’ s no doubt , however , that this is a very stylish , classy-looking bike for the money , an elegant machine that , from a few paces away could be mistaken for a bike costing three times as much .
So grab yourself a bargain while you can and pedal off under the radar .