After long months of a harsh northern winter, 20 minutes got back in the saddle for another e-bike test. Well, not in the saddle, because there isn’t one, and not on a bicycle, because there isn’t one. The machine we had in our hands for a week was a VX 450 all-road cyclo from the French brand Cyclodebout. A kind of mix between an electric scooter and a mountain bike, which is used for almost nothing other than to enjoy riding.
Based in Saint-Germain-la-Prade, in the Haute-Loire, the Cyclodebout company was born from the idea of a former banker who did not want to crease or sweat in his suit on the way to work. “I wanted a means of transport that you could practice in any dress and on which you could stay balanced without having to set foot on the ground,” recalls Olivier Joux, the founder of Cyclodebout. The basic concept is a bicycle suspension fork connected to two independent arms supporting the rear wheels. No saddle, but pads for the feet, fixed on the arms. “On the first prototype, we could pedal but the feet were strapped to the pads and we didn’t like it,” recalls the designer.
“To turn, it’s a bit like skiing”
In today’s version, the Cyclo runs solely on the power of the motor located in the hub of the front wheel. This is a model from the Asian manufacturer Bafang with a power of 500 W, developing a torque of 45 Nm. On the flat, this allows you to slightly exceed 25 km/h, the maximum speed authorized in France for EDPMs. . However, uphill, when the slope is frank, the beast of about thirty kilos is struggling. The “all-road” version that we had in hand is equipped with tires with nipples, wider than on the city version. Perhaps a little too wide at the back since they sometimes come to rub on the frame. We’re not going to quibble, it still goes everywhere and quite comfortably, thanks to the suspension fork and independent arms.
Getting started is not necessarily very intuitive and requires (very) quick training. “To turn, it’s a bit like skiing. You have to bend over and bend your knees,” explained Louis of Tous Ergo, a retailer in Bondues, near Lille. You have to dare and, the first minutes, it’s not easy. We tend to want to put our foot down on the side, as we would on a bicycle, instead of descending from the back… Fatal error which has nearly cost us our dignity several times. But since we’re not in heats and in reality, it’s easier than it seems, we get out of it quite quickly. Too much maybe, because by gaining confidence and because it’s still super fun to drive, you can quickly scare yourself.
The price of fun
Since the start of marketing three years ago, Cyclo Debout has sold a thousand of its machines. The beast is rare and stands out. “The bulk of our customers are communities, for their municipal police for example, or leisure businesses. Individuals represent approximately 10% of our customers at the moment,” acknowledges Olivier Joux. It must be said that it is not cheap either, the “all-road VX 450” version equipped with the 17.5 Ah battery being displayed at 3,490 euros.
This is the price of an entry-level electric cargo ship with which you can transport your groceries or your children. With the standing cyclo, there is no question of it since it falls in the category of EDPM anyway, without the possibility of taking a passenger or sticking a trailer to it. At the same time, this is not what is asked of it and its designer is well aware of addressing a fairly limited market.
The conclusion is that the machine is well made, despite a few small flaws. Of course, we would have appreciated the addition of cruise control, just to let go of the acceleration trigger over long distances. Certainly, we would have liked a more torquey engine to climb the mountains. Certainly, we would have welcomed a less complicated way to turn on the lights. There remains the undeniable playful side of this UFO in the landscape of soft mobility.