Ariel Rider X-Class 52V Review 2024

Intro

The ways in which people use e-bikes are as diverse as people themselves. Proving this point is the simple fact that we are seeing an ever-increasing diversity in e-bike designs. There’s an e-bike for anyone who wants to ride. What a delight to write that last sentence.

With our Ariel Rider X-Class review we’re going to look at a relatively new class of e-bikes that have been modeled on mopeds. It features smaller wheels, a big bench-style seat and a motor powerful enough that should someone prefer to use the throttle, the X-Class will perform with enough muscle that the rider won’t worry that they’ll need to help this e-bike over the top of a hill.

Armed with a 1000W Bafang hub motor, the Ariel Rider X-Class enjoys a level of power we rarely see. It’s so powerful, in fact, that it is classified as an unrestricted e-bike. More on that in a bit. A 1000W motor gobbles electricity, so the Ariel Rider X-Class ships with a gargantuan 1040Wh battery, which the company estimates will offer riders a range of between 40 and 80 mi.

Ariel Rider has taken some big steps in creating a value-driven e-bike. While front suspension is common enough in this price range, rear suspension is not, and hydraulic disc brakes are a hit or miss proposition, too. Not all e-bikes in this price range have them.

Calling this category of e-bikes mopeds is remarkably accurate. With the old mopeds, the rider could pedal them if they needed to (if they ran out of gas), but most people stuck with the throttle. E-bikes like the Ariel Rider X-Class are a good deal easier to pedal, which is nice, but what’s remarkable is that not only are they easier to pedal, many of them are more powerful than their gas-powered forebears.

Let’s take a look at what makes the Ariel Rider X-Class an interesting option among moped-style e-bikes.

E-Bike Category: Moped

Who the Ariel Rider X-Class Electric Bike Is for: This will suit the rider who wants a big, comfortable seat and may not intend to pedal all that much. It has plenty of power to throttle everywhere.

Ariel Rider X-Class E-Bike Specs

• Battery: 52V, 1040Wh lithium-ion
• Expected Range: 40-80 mi., estimated
• Charger: 52V, 2.5A
• Motor: 52V, 1000W brushless, geared Bafang hub motor, 95Nm torque
• UL Certification: No
• Pedal Assist: 5 PAS Levels
• Throttle: Half-twist
• Display: Backlit LED
• Headlight: Included, 80 lux
• Taillight: Included, w/turn signal
• Frame: 6061 Aluminum
• Fork: Suspension fork, adjustable preload
• Fenders: Included
• Kickstand: Included
• Handlebars: Alloy, 670mm wide
• Grips: Faux leather
• Drivetrain: 7-speed Shimano Altus,
• Brakes: Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, 180mm rotors
• Pedals: Alloy, w/reflectors
• Saddle: Motorcycle-style bench seat
• Tires: 20 x 4-in., puncture-resistant

In-Depth Ariel Rider X-Class Review

Ariel Rider X-Class Review: Comfort, Handling, and Ride Qualities

The Ariel Rider X-Class hails from a relatively new segment of the e-bike world—e-bikes styled like mopeds. Perhaps the best-known among these are the e-bikes from Super73. Ariel Rider’s X-Class is a sharp take on what one of these e-bikes can be.

In broad strokes, this is an e-bike with 20-in. wheels, a bench seat and a very powerful motor that will serve the rider who may not want to do much pedaling. And that’s really the crux of an e-bike like the Ariel Rider X-Class; a bench seat is very comfortable to sit on, but because it can’t be raised or lowered, many riders find it challenging to achieve the right distance from the pedals in order to pedal comfortably. Also working against optimal pedaling is that the bench seat is rather wide, which makes it comfortable, but can make pedaling more difficult.

Not everyone wants a hard workout when they get on an e-bike. Some riders don’t really want to pedal much, if at all. The Ariel Rider X-Class is ideal for someone who wants to ride, but isn’t interested in breaking a sweat. Once saddle height for comfortable pedaling isn’t a concern, the rider can sit lower, making it easy to reach the ground when stopped. For many riders, this one detail makes riding feel inherently safer.

A notable feature of the Ariel Rider X-Class is that, unlike most of ts competitors in this category, can be ordered with a step-thru frame

With front and rear suspension and 20-in. wheels running 4-in.-wide tires, the Ariel Rider X-Class is an especially nimble e-bike. The company makes bold claims about how advanced the suspension fork and rear shock are, but this marketing hype. That doesn’t take away from the fact that this e-bike offers a comfortable ride. Every company wants their e-bike to sound great in the marketing, right? We’re good with that, but potential buyers deserve to know that Ariel Rider’s claims are more hyped than we usually see.

Because the bench seat sits low to the ground, nearly anyone going for a ride on the Ariel Rider X-Class will be able to sit up straight and look around with ease. Overall rider comfort is one of this e-bike’s best selling points.

Ariel Rider X-Class Review: Motor, Battery, and Drivetrain Performance

The thumping heart of the Ariel Rider X-Class is a 1000W brushless, geared Bafang hub motor. In order to make sure that all the juice necessary to deliver 1000W to the rear tire, Ariel Rider chose to go with an electronics system based on 52V, rather than the more common 48V.

We often see motor voltage increase as the power climbs. Many 250W motors feature a 36V system because they simply don’t draw that much current. Most of the 500W and 750W motors run on 48V. Think of voltage as water running through a pipe. As voltage goes up, the pipe grows in diameter, allowing a greater volume of water to flow. Should a motor’s power (wattage) outstrip the circuitry’s voltage, the motor’s performance can falter—think slowing on a steep hill.

What this means is that this e-bike will produce 1000W on command and turn that rear wheel with 95Nm of torque. For the rider who wants an e-bike that is fast off the line, doesn’t slow to a crawl on hills and can accelerate convincingly when already going a good clip, the Ariel Rider X-Class is a notable performer.

That said, potential buyers should be advised that this e-bike is unrestricted. Its top speed is not limited to 28 mph. This is a potential issue for two reasons. First, unrestricted e-bikes aren’t legal in many places; they are expressly forbidden in a number of states. Also, things happen quickly at 30+ mph.

With such a powerful motor, most batteries wouldn’t be up to the task of giving such an e-bike much range, so Ariel Rider equipped the X-Class with a 1040Wh battery. The company estimates that riders will see between 40 and 80 mi. of range, depending on what PAS level they select and, of course, how much they use the throttle.

A 7-speed Shimano Altus drivetrain gives riders a reasonable selection of gears for changing terrain.

Ariel Rider X-Class Review: Braking, Safety & Warranty

Any time we review a Class 3 e-bike capable of speeds approaching 30 mph, we want to see hydraulic disc brakes. Riders need plenty of stopping power to allow them a sufficient sense of safety when riding. The Ariel Rider X-Class comes with Tektro hydraulic disc brakes and 180mm rotors. Tektro has a proven track record for making terrific hydraulic disc brakes for e-bikes in this price range.

That said, considering this is an e-bike that is built to go better than 30 mph, it would be nice to see larger rotors (203mm rather than the 180mm spec’d) to give this e-bike a little extra stopping power. This is a change that Ariel Rider could make without needing to raise the price of the X-Class.

The overall design and spec of the Ariel Rider X-Class is very well done. We love the frame design and maneuverability of this e-bike. Our only concern for safety is its unrestricted motor. A person on an e-bike going 30 mph or more has the capacity to surprise drivers, pedestrians and even other cyclists and the faster someone goes, the less maneuverable their e-bike becomes.

There’s been a steady drumbeat of stories in the media about e-bikes catching fire. Many of those reports lack a degree of accuracy—many of the fires reported as e-bike fires have been caused by other micromobility devices like scooters and hoverboards. While we haven’t seen any documentation showing this e-bike is UL-certified, Bafang has made at least one motor that is UL certified. They are a company with a proven track record of making quality e-bike electronics. Seeing the Bafang name always reassures us.

Ariel Rider’s warranty leaves something to be desired. The X-Class is covered for a single year and for a customer’s e-bike to be covered by the warranty, they need to register it with Ariel Rider within 30 days of their purchase. It is arguably the skimpiest warranty we’ve encountered.

Ariel Rider X-Class Review: Recommendation/Final Verdict

The reasons people buy e-bikes are as diverse as people are. Whether someone wants to reduce their carbon footprint, find a less expensive way to get around, don’t want to pay for parking in crowded urban areas or just because they like the wind in their hair, there are plenty of solid reasons to consider a moped-style e-bike. The only consumers we would steer away from the Ariel Rider X-Class are more athletic types who want to pedal hard and get a workout. Pedaling this e-bike will never be as comfortable and efficient as with some e-bikes.

And to be fair, lots of people look at a traditional bike saddle and think, “Nope, not sitting on that.” The Ariel Rider X-Class offers a reasonable alternative. The big bench seat will do much for a rider’s comfort, but as we showed, rider comfort doesn’t end there, thanks to front and rear suspension.

The 1000W Bafang hub motor is one of the most powerful hub motors we’ve seen. Similarly, we don’t often see a hub motor that can produce 95Nm of torque. Few e-bikes on the market can match the acceleration and hill-climbing ability of the Ariel Rider X-Class.

That Ariel Rider chose to leave the motor unrestricted does give us pause. As much as we love to go fast, going better than 30 mph does elevate a rider’s risk. We also struggle to give a glowing thumbs up to an e-bike that isn’t legal in many places. Simply restricting it to a maximum assist speed of 28 mph and maximum throttle speed of 20 mph would make it legal to ride nearly everywhere.

Those considerations aside, this is a well-made e-bike that can serve commuters, recreational riders and even families who might want to pick up a kid from school without getting in the car. Speaking of passengers, Ariel Rider includes fold-out footpegs for the passenger, but to keep both riders comfortable, buyers will probably need to purchase the additional passenger saddle.

Ariel Rider makes a number of accessories for the X-Class so that riders can carry either a passenger or a load.

Before closing we want to return to one of the most appealing features of the Ariel Rider X-Class: Many potential riders aren’t comfortable on an e-bike when the saddle is raised to a height where they can’t place both feet flat on the ground when they stop. As it turns out, the best saddle height for pedaling isn’t the best saddle height for being stopped and the X-Class offers riders an alternative: Keep the saddle low so the rider feels safe and make the e-bike powerful enough that they can pedal only when they feel like it.

Having an e-bike that’s powerful enough that riders can choose whether to pedal or not is just the sort of reassurance that some folks need to get out the door—without car keys. The Ariel Rider X-Class has the ability to make riding an e-bike attractive to everyone who has thought sitting on an e-bike would be uncomfortable.

Thank you for reading through our review of the Ariel Rider X-Class. Still have further questions? Wondering how it compares to a similar e-bike we’ve reviewed? Let us know in the comments below!