As electric fat tire e-bikes become increasingly popular, more designers are getting creative with their suspension setups to differentiate themselves from the sea of other e-bikes out there. Now, the Fucare Scorpio takes a classic dual rear suspension design and applies it in a unique way to electric bicycles.
And it raises the question: Can you have too much suspension?
Fucare Scorpio Video Review
Fucare Scorpio Tech Specs
- Motor: 750W (1,400W peak-rated) rear hub motor
- Top speed: 32 mph (51 km/h)
- Range: 30-60 miles (50-100 km)
- Battery: 48V 20Ah (960 Wh)
- Weight: 84.4 lb (38.3 kg)
- Load capacity: 400 lb (181 kg)
- Frame: 6061 aluminum alloy
- Brakes: Dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes
- Extras: Color display, front and rear LED lights, included rear rack and full fenders, front and rear suspension, kickstand
Outfitted for multi-purpose riding
The Fucare Scorpio is obviously a multi-role e-bike. They set it up with front/rear LED lighting, full fenders, and a rear rack, showcasing utility and commuter-style riding gear. But then again, it’s got full suspension and fat tires with dual-sport blocky tread for better off-road performance.
So this isn’t just a single-purpose electric bike, but rather something of a dual-sport electric moped, in my opinion.
There’s also the high-speed operation that is capable of reaching up to 28 mph (45 km/h) – or technically 32 mph (51 km/h) in unlocked mode. Few people ride that fast off-road, meaning Fucare likely gave the bike that much speed as a nod to road riders who want to treat the Scorpio as a small commuter motorbike.
And all of that sounds great – especially for the rather modest price of $1,399. But then there’s the suspension to talk about.
So much suspension
On the face of things, the suspension sounds great. There’s a conventional suspension fork up front and a pair of shocks in the rear. The issue is that those dual rear shocks, which seem to harken back to classic dual-coilover rear suspension design popular on motorcycles and mopeds of yesteryear, don’t seem to fit the bike.
It’s not that the design isn’t sound. Dual shocks is a tried and true setup. The issue seems to be the spring rate of those shocks. I’m not 100% sure, but I have a hunch that they forgot to halve the spring rate when they doubled the suspension.
I’m only 150 lb, which isn’t even half of the 400 lb rated max load of the bike, but I can barely make the rear suspension budge. If I jump on it, I can get a small amount of flex in the tail, but that’s it. It feels almost like a hard-tail bike when I’m riding off-road, which isn’t that bad considering 4-inch fat tires can make even hard-tail bikes feel pretty good off-road. But if you were expecting that two shock absorbers equals twice the shock absorption, then that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
The front suspension feels comparatively great and right where I’d want it to be. I rode this bike off road a lot, from dirt trails to no trails at all, even straight up overlanding. I never felt like the bike couldn’t handle it, especially with its 750W rear motor putting out 1,400W of peak power. But I also found that I would often raise out of the saddle to make the ride more comfortable and avoid getting taint-punched by the saddle.
So the bike seems to work well for both on and off-road riding, and has good performance in both scenarios. The powerful motor offers good acceleration and a fast top speed, though there are some downsides to the bikeas well. For example, the pedal assist lag is quite long on this e-bike, sometimes taking a full two seconds or so to kick on the motor power when you start pedaling. Many riders will only use the throttle and so that won’t be an issue, but if you like to pedal sometimes like me, then the pedal assist lag at startup can be a downer.
Speaking of the pedaling, the derailleur for the pedal drivetrain isn’t very high-end. It’s a Shimano Tourney, which is fine, but just not very robust. For a $1,399 e-bike though, it’s probably par for the course and will serve most people well – even if it needs some occasional tuning.
And lastly, I was surprised that the DYISLAND hydraulic disc brakes weren’t as grabby as I had expected. Perhaps some better brake pads with stickier braking compound could help. But for hydraulic stoppers, these just weren’t the strongest I’ve tested. The adjustable levers are a nice touch, but I’d rather just have brakes that stop on a dime with a slight pull.
On the upside though, the bike looks great and I really like that trellis frame. Not only does it protect and cradle the battery well, but it likely makes it even harder for thieves to work around the battery and try to break it loose in order to steal it. And on that note, the frame gives you a thousand different places to put your bike lock in it, which is nice for when you roll up next to weird-shaped bike racks and need a few different options for locking points.
Speaking of locks, lately I’ve been testing the Foldylock Forever and have found it to be my favorite bike lock in a long time. This thing has become my primary go-to bike lock. It’s well made and has insanely good security – likely the best folding lock on the market. I say that without exaggeration, as I’ve tested a pile of them!
Sum it up for me!
To put a bow on this review, I’d say that at $1,399 for the Fucare Scorpio, you’re getting your money’s worth. I’d have loved some softer springs in the rear suspension and perhaps some sticker brake pads, but the bike rides well and is a ton of fun for cruising on the streets or in the dirt.
You could always swap the rear suspension yourself if you were so inclined, but starting with a frame and platform that is powerful while offering long range is important since those are traits that are hard to upgrade yourself, so it’s great to see Fucare give you those basics right out of the gate.
