NIU BQi-C3 Professional E-bike: Specs
Weight: 70.5 kilos
Motor: 500W (750W max) rear hub motor, 45Nm torque
Battery: Two 48V, 20Ah detachable batteries
Drivetrain: Carbon Gates Belt Drive
Max marketed vary: 90 miles (each batteries mixed)
Help ranges: Three
The BQi-C3 Professional from NIU welcomes riders of all heights and talents with a generously deep step-through design. That units the tone for what the BQi-C3 Professional is all about: ease, consolation, and adaptableness.
In step with that pattern, there’s just one gear — no shifter to cope with. It contains a maintenance-free belt drive system somewhat than the extra typical chain drive discovered on bicycles. And the motor help gives loads of energy to get you up and over even the steepest hills in your commute. And when you’ve bought an extended commute, the BQi-C3 Professional gives an unbelievable vary as a result of twin battery system.
It’s a easy, ready-to-ride bike for city commuters. Whereas the singlespeed design does lead to a couple on-bike challenges, total the BQi-C3 Professional gives all the things an city commuter wants for each day use over various terrains and lengthy distances.
NIU BQi-C3 Professional overview: Worth and availability
The BQi-C3 Professional is accessible for buy by way of the NIU web site or by way of Finest Purchase. The common retail value is $2,199, however as of this writing, the bike is on sale for $1,299.
You may finance your buy by way of Klarna when shopping for by way of the NIU web site. And NIU gives a 30-day free trial, in addition to a 2-year guarantee.
NIU BQi-C3 Professional overview: Design
The BQi-C3 Professional contains a step-through body design that makes it simple to get on and off the bike. The seat adjusts up and down as effectively, making the bike applicable for a wider measurement vary of riders. The stem adjusts as effectively to deliver the handlebars in nearer to the rider, or additional away, relying in your wants.
A Gates Carbon Belt Drive replaces the extra widespread metal bicycle chain discovered on most bikes. The belt drive gives quiet operation and a for much longer lifespan than a metal bike chain — in addition to virtually no upkeep wanted.
Whereas the BQi-C3 Professional is heavy for a motorcycle like this at 70.5 kilos, a few of that additional weight may be attributed to the dual-battery design. There’s one detachable battery within the down tube, and one other within the seat tube. This successfully doubles the bike’s vary, because it’s fast and simple to swap the batteries when one runs out of juice.
The batteries energy a 500-watt rear hub motor that may be engaged by pedaling, with three help modes to select from. Or, the motor may be engaged utilizing the throttle mounted on the handlebar.
To sluggish issues down, the BQi-C3 Professional comes outfitted with mechanical disc brakes entrance and rear. Different good touches embrace built-in entrance and tail lamps, and an built-in rear rack.
All the pieces rolls on 27-5-inch wheels shod in puncture-resistant tires. There are additionally built-in entrance and tail lamps, entrance and rear fenders, and a rear rack to enrich the experience.
NIU BQi-C3 Professional overview: Efficiency
There’s an terrible lot of Styrofoam packaging within the field while you begin to construct the BQi-C3 Professional. Not precisely environmentally pleasant stuff, nevertheless it did preserve the bike effectively protected. And constructing the bike is fast and simple if in case you have a little bit of familiarity with the instruments.
Getting on and off the bike is a breeze too, because of the very low step-through design. I’m
5’ 11”, and my spouse is nearer to five’ 3”. Each of us had been in a position to get on and off comfortably.
The BQi-C3 Professional is pretty heavy for a motorcycle this measurement, doubtless as a result of twin battery design. Its footprint is sufficiently small to maintain it maneuverable, although, and the load largely isn’t an element when you begin pedaling.
The experience itself is a bit on the stiff facet, although I most likely may have lowered my tire strain to get a bit extra compliance. I used to be happy to see that NIU opted for a inflexible fork as an alternative of a suspension fork; most bikes on this class gained’t profit significantly from cheap suspension forks, they usually can in truth change into a detriment to the steering and dealing with of the bike.
Three help ranges can be found to you as quickly as you begin pedaling. Often, once I experience a motorcycle for the primary time, I’ll put it within the highest help degree to start out draining the battery as shortly as I can. I’ll additionally use the throttle rather a lot. However on this case, the decrease two help ranges had been so highly effective that I hardly wanted the very best help setting. Getting as much as full velocity was fast and simple with out having to go full-power.
That’s each nice, and never so nice, relying on the terrain on which you’ll be using. It’s nice when you’re not all that enthusiastic about pedaling. The one-speed drivetrain mixed with the short help means you’ll get spun out fairly shortly. Pedaling gained’t do a lot of something at that time, so that you’ll be reliant solely on the throttle and inertia.
It’s additionally nice in case your commute entails quite a lot of climbs. The BQi-C3 Professional makes brief work of them, even within the decrease help ranges. When you don’t wish to work going uphill, you actually gained’t must.
There’s one exception: ranging from a useless cease on a hill. The rear hub motor struggled to get going, even whereas utilizing the throttle, while you’re ranging from a useless cease on a steep little bit of tarmac. Often on this case, I might shift the drivetrain into the best doable gear to beat this downside. However the BQi-C3 Professional solely has one gear, so you could discover this tougher.
NIU BQi-C3 Professional overview: Battery life and efficiency
NIU contains two batteries with the acquisition of the bike. Each batteries are detachable and combine flush into the body. The mixed marketed vary is as much as 90 miles, with 60 miles because the goal for extra widespread utilization.
On my first experience over about 9 miles, I observed that each batteries had been draining as I rode. I assumed the bike would work by way of one battery first, then both swap robotically to the second, or require me to bodily change one battery out for an additional. However that wasn’t the case.
Over the course of these first 9 miles, each batteries went from a recent cost (100%) to 90% charged as indicated by the top unit. Whereas I used to be dissatisfied to see each batteries draining concurrently, this mileage nonetheless signifies that the bike can come near the marketed 90-mile vary in sure circumstances.
One different factor to notice concerning the batteries: NIU advertises them as “light-weight” at 12 kilos every. However that’s not notably light-weight for an ebike battery, even ones of this measurement and capability.
NIU BQi-C3 Professional overview: Equipment
The NIU web site gives a variety of equipment for all its merchandise — which embrace scooters in addition to ebikes. An additional battery is accessible for buy for $250, in addition to different widespread alternative components like chargers, inside tubes, grips, tires, and brake pads. Apart from the electronics, that are particular to the BQi-C3 Professional, nevertheless, many of those equipment are simply out there at native bike outlets.
NIU BQi-C3 Professional overview: The competitors
Many bikes available on the market in the present day are available two designs: a excessive top-tube model, and a step-through design. Notably, the BQi-C3 Professional solely is available in a step-through design.
Notable comparisons to NIU’s bike embrace Propella’s model new 9S Professional V2 step-thru. A overview on Tom’s Information is coming quickly.
One other nice comparability is the Gazelle Arroyo C8 HMB Elite. The Arroyo comes with many extra bells and whistles, together with extra gears within the drivetrain, a suspension fork, and a a lot lighter weight. However it additionally prices excess of the NIU. For the value, the BQi-C3 Professional gives rather a lot for a barebones value.
NIU BQi-C3 Professional overview: Verdict
The BQi-C3 Professional gives quite a lot of energy, vary, consolation, and performance for commuters who will deal with hilly terrain. On the present value of $1,399, it’s an important deal, too.
It’s not a lightweight bike, however that may principally think about provided that you could choose up the bike. The load is way much less of an element while you’re truly using, and the trade-off of getting two batteries makes it worthwhile.
For simplicity’s sake, the single-speed drivetrain is sweet for people who need the least quantity of upkeep and operational complexity doable, however the bike would profit from extra gears within the drivetrain, particularly if the rider wants to start out from a useless cease on a steep hill.
Finally, the BQi-C3 Professional is enjoyable to experience, snug, and tremendous highly effective. The step-through design is an actual win, as is the highly effective help.