Mokwheel Basalt ST Review, 2023


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Built To Roam Most Places and Power Almost Anything Electric Thanks To Unique Accessories

How do you make a fat tire e-bike standout in a pretty crowded market? A bright splash of color helps, make it fast as a bullet and you’ll be sure to get noticed too, and round it off with the promise of accessories that enable you to use the sun to power the bike, or have the bike power up most of your electronics too. Yup, that’ll help it standout! In our review of Mokwheel’s newest iteration of its fat tire Basalt Step Through (ST), we cover this e-bike’s performance and cover all its best features.

The Basalt ST has all the hallmark traits of the Basalt high step model we reviewed, with the added bonus of being easier to get on ride without a top-tube. Shorter riders, or folks who don’t love swinging a leg over a bike in general will appreciate the ST frame here.

Mokwheel’s Basalt line is known for the massive batteries that lend many miles to a speedy motor. This bike has a torque sensor for splitting the work difference better with the rider, but it’s still the type of bike that’ll happily do all the work for you if that’s your preference.

Thanks to the large 26″ X 4″ fat tires, and just enough comfort features and adaptability for different riders, the Basalt ST can dominate the roads or the dusty trails alike. But if you spring for the optional power inverter and solar panels, it can become you’re roving power plant that charges all manner of electronics via that big ball of burning gas in the sky. It becomes enticing and easy to imagine some camping trips with, doesn’t it?

Overall the bike is a solid value and left us with a lasting impression. It isn’t without a couple of drawbacks, but the Basalt ST overall is a bike worth a further look into if you’re on the hunt for something that’s burlier and ready to go fast. For all the details, continue on in our Mokwheel Basalt Step-Through review.

Bike Category: Fat Tire / Hybrid Path

Unclassified E-Bike: Throttle and pedal assist above 28 mph

Mokwheel Basalt ST Video Review

Pros
  • Plenty of power, but easy to control. You get nice ride quality with the torque sensor that helps the motor deliver the amount of power you want when you want it.
  • Really unique accessories! It can be used as a backup power supply, when you use the optional inverter to recharge your phone and laptop as well as powering an assortment of small electronic appliances and devices.
  • Impressive carrying capacity. Rated for up to 400 lbs.
  • Easy to hop on and hop off thanks to the step-through frame.
  • It rides well on and offroad thanks to the 4″ large fat tires.
  • Ride longer distances, up to 60-80 miles, with the 19.4Ah battery and calibrated controller.
  • Zip ahead of traffic and climb steep hills using the powerful 750w motor.
  • See more and be seen more in the dark thanks to the integrated front and rear lights.
Cons
  • The 14 tooth top gear cog causes ghost pedaling at around 24 mph, in Class 3 mode. We would like to see Mokwheel install a different cassette with a 11 or 12 tooth top gear to allow meaningful pedaling and motor engagement at higher speeds.

ELECTRICAL SPECS & FEATURES

  • Motor: 48V 750W brushless rear hub motor
  • Battery: Samsung 48V 19.6Ah
  • Charger: 48V 3.0A 100-240V
  • Range: 37 72 EBR tested miles.
  • Display: Color LED integrated
  • PAS Sensor: Torque Sensor
  • Controller: 20-amp
  • Lights: Integrated LED headlight and twin tail lights

Weight & Dimensions

  • Weight capacity: 400 lbs
  • Bike weight: 81 lbs
  • Rider height: 5’8″ ~ 6’2″

Components & Accessories

  • Brakes: Tektro HD-E350 hydraulic disc brakes
  • Fork: Overlord hydraulic suspension, with 110mm travel
  • Frame: 6061 aluminum alloy with internal battery
  • Tires: Chaoyang 26” x 4.0″ puncture resistant fat tire
  • Throttle: Left thumb throttle
  • Handlebar: Aluminum alloy 31.8mm, 720mm
  • Stem: Zoom Quick Comfort 6061-T6 adjustable stem
  • Grips: Custom ergonomic faux leather
  • Gearing: Shimano 7-speed trigger shifter
  • Cassette: Shimano 14-28T
  • Chain ring: 48T double-sided aluminum alloy
  • Derailleur: Shimano Tourney
  • Chain: KMC Stainless Chain
  • Spokes: front 13 and rear 12 gauge
  • Saddle: customized comfort leather seat
  • Kickstand: 6061 aluminum kickstand
  • Rack: aluminum rear rack
Mokwheel Basalt ST Review 2023Mokwheel Basalt ST Review 2023

Getting down and dirty: We had lots of fun hitting the dirt trails on the Basalt ST.

Mokwheel Basalt ST motorMokwheel Basalt ST motor

Ready to go: 750w motor, with 90+Nm of torque, with 5 PAS levels and 7 gears to take you just about anywhere your heart desires.

Mokwheel Basalt ST batteryMokwheel Basalt ST battery

Under wraps: Frame integrated 19.4Ah battery, not only hides the fact it’s an e-bike, but will also take you further than you might’ve imagined.

Circuit Speed Test: Mokwheel Basalt ST

The Speed Test is meant to tell us how well the motor engages with the rider’s pedaling, and establish the motor’s speed profile at each PAS level. The chart above indicates the average speeds for this bike, in each of the pedal assist settings.

We liked the immediate power output when switching from no pedal assistance to PAS 1, going from 11.4 mph to averaging almost 16 mph. But when we moved to PAS 2 the 1.3 mph speed increase was somewhat underwhelming. Fortunately, the Basalt ST showed better average speed increases going into the remaining PAS levels. Cruising in PAS 4 and 5, our average speeds were 21 mph and 22.9 mph, respectively, which satisfied our interest.

One important note here: I think the bike could have gone faster but I ran into some issues of the bike being undergeared. It get’s ghost pedal-y around 23 or 24 mph. Had I moved my legs faster, not harder, I could have gotten more motor help out of the bike.

The motor can produce top speeds if you’re quick with your feet, but we’d love it if Mokwheel expands the gear range down the line as the 14-28 on the rear cassette is a little limiting.

Mokwheel Basalt ST Review 2023Mokwheel Basalt ST Review 2023

All terrain adventure: The Basalt ST made us feel right at home when pedaling across the outskirts.

Mokwheel Basalt ST forkMokwheel Basalt ST fork

Leveling the playing field: as the dust line on the stanchion shows, these forks can absorb a lot, giving you better handling and a smoother ride.

Mokwheel Basalt ST chainringMokwheel Basalt ST chainring

Crank it up: the 48-tooth chainring was easy to pedal, but sometimes we experienced ghost pedaling with the 14-28T cassette.

Range Test & Battery Performance: Mokwheel Basalt ST

“How far will the battery take me?”is a common question we get about e-bikes. We perform two separate range tests, using two different scenarios: the Minimum PAS Range Test, where we use minimum motor power output for maximum possible distance; and the Maximum PAS Range Test, where we use maximum motor power output for traveling as quickly as possible.

Mokwheel advertises that the Basalt ST can travel 60 – 80 miles on a single charge. It’s a bit optimistic on the the low, but not far off on the high end.

Equipped with a 19.4 amp-hour battery this bike was able to go 71.59 miles in eco, at an average speed of 13.2 mph.

Representing real world riding conditions, our test course has an elevation gain of 1350-feet. We can assume that if our course was mostly flat terrain, with little or no elevation gain, our range might’ve come closer to the 80-mile maximum range Mokwheel alluded to.

In the Maximum PAS Range Test, using PAS 5, I rode the Basalt ST 36.80 miles, at an average speed of 19.6 mph. I was impressed with the results for a couple of reasons. First, the bike uses a powerful 750-watt motor, and I’ve seen motors this size use up battery power quickly. Also, this is a 81 lbs fat tire e-bike. Both the weight and the fat tires can hinder e-bikes from getting a decent long distance range. So, it’s pretty cool to know that if you’re in a hurry to get somewhere, you can expect the Basalt ST to average close to 20 mph in PAS 5, and take you up to 30 – 35 miles.

Hill Climb Test: Mokwheel Basalt ST

“How does this bike do on hills?”, is another common question we get, here at EBR. That’s part of the reason why we test e-bikes in hill climbing. We also want to know what kind of raw power the motor can put out for handling extraneous situations. This bike’s 750-watt power plant motor cranks out up to 90 Newton meters (Nm) of torque, making this bike an enviable candidate for testing on our gargantuan test hill.

We use Southwest Utah’s infamous “Hell Hole Trail” for this test. As the name implies, this hill climb is one of the toughest you’ll encounter on a bike. Some really good e-bikes have had a hard time on this test. So we were curious to see how the Basalt ST, which Mokwheel hails as an “all-terrain” e-bike, would fare on this test. The short answer: the bike’s performance was awesome!

Having a hub motor benefited the Basalt ST on the throttle-only test because hub motors don’t need to rely on rider pedaling like mid-drive motors do. Reaching the top of Hell Hole in 1:25, at an average speed of 12.8 mph put this bike in the middle compared to other fat tire e-bikes. But the impressive part is when we looked at the distance range results for all the fat tire e-bikes that reached the top quicker than the Basalt ST, all of them couldn’t go as far as the Basalt ST.

Tackling this hill in the second test, using PAS 5 and doing minimum pedaling, this bike bodied to the top with an impressive time of 1:11. The Basalt ST’s time and average speed of 15.3 mph was one of the faster results among the fat tire e-bikes we’ve tested here at EBR.

Mokwheel Basalt ST Review 2023Mokwheel Basalt ST Review 2023

No stopping now: we had unlimited fun testing the Basalt ST on different types of terrain.

Mokwheel Basalt ST tire treadMokwheel Basalt ST tire tread

Getting down and dirty: the Chaoyang 26”x4” knobbies can take care of business when we rode the Basalt ST off-road.

Mokwheel Basalt ST display closeMokwheel Basalt ST display close

See the light: You’ll want to remove your sunglasses to see the data under midday sun, especially the small font for battery life left.

So the important takeaway from our hill climb test is that the Basalt ST has a motor, battery, and pedal assist system that work together very well in distributing power assistance to the rider, as well as economizing battery usage for power output. Not a lot of fat tire e-bikes are able to jam on up the Hell Hole Trail, like the Basalt ST did, while also giving good range using the same battery.

Safety and Brake Test: Mokwheel Basalt ST

Safety starts with having brakes that stop you when you need them to. I was satisfied with the performance of the Tektro HD-E350 hydraulic disc brakes during my 50-plus miles of test rides. The average stopping distance on our brake test was 23’11”. It’s a bit longer than the average result, but not entirely unexpected for a heavy bike like this. Ultimately, we’re fine with the general safety of the brakes

Using 180mm rotors and dual-piston calipers, the Tektro brakes are pretty common, meaning it’s easy to find replacement parts and bike mechanics who know how to service them. That’s good to know because it’s a fun e-bike to ride and chances are you’ll want to ride it a lot.

My test rides involved a healthy mix of city streets, bike paths and fire roads in the nearby canyons. Whether I was dashing around slower bikes or pedestrians, these brakes gave consistent stopping power. Riding up and down some steep hills, where I had to engage the brakes for more than 300 feet, these brakes continued grabbing and slowing the bike safely. The other test riders on our team confirmed they had similar experience with the brakes in our performance tests, leading us to agree we were all satisfied.

Ride Comfort & Handling, Cockpit, and More: Mokwheel Basalt ST

Helping us maneuver the Basalt ST and stay in control was the 720mm wide aluminum alloy handlebar. The faux leather ergonomic grips fit our hands well and were mostly comfortable, except when our hands got wet (sweat and outdoor moisture), making it more difficult to keep our hands from slipping off. If you’re like us when it comes to faux leather grips, then the easy remedy is to pick up a good set of after-markey ergonomic rubber grips.

Mokwheel Basalt ST front brakeMokwheel Basalt ST front brake

Gimmie a brake: these Tektro brakes worked really well during all our test rides.

Mokwheel Basalt ST cockpitMokwheel Basalt ST cockpit

You’re in control: 720mm wide bars really helped with the handling, and great rides.

Mokwheel Basalt ST saddleMokwheel Basalt ST saddle

Home and home: custome leather seat and wood panel rear rack offer a nice place to rest you and your goodies.

Mokwheel Basalt ST pas controlMokwheel Basalt ST pas control

Many riders prefer the left thumb throttle – it’s less prone to accidentally accelerate. T4-button PAS panel doesn’t get any easier.

Making the ride more comfortable was the custom leather seat. Not all bike seats have been conducive to my tush, but I had no complaints with the Basalt Step Thru 2’s seat after riding more than 30 miles straight. Seat height adjustment was a breeze using the quick release adjustable seat post.

Working with the Overlord suspension fork, with 110 travel, rebound adjuster and lockout, the Chaoyang 26″ x 4″ puncture resistant fat tires provide great handling on the street and in the dirt, making this an easy bike to have fun riding.

Summary / Where to Buy the Mokwheel Basalt ST

Our conclusion is that Mokwheel made some well-thought out changes with the new version of the Basalt Step Through. Riders looking for a Class 3, fat tire e-bike will appreciate the improved motor engagement, thanks to the new torque sensor, as well as getting great battery range. Getting a 81 lb e-bike to travel over 70 miles on a single battery charge is not common, so we really appreciate what Mokwheel accomplished adding the torque sensor to help make this possible.

Riding with the 7-speed bike gearing and motorized pedal assist system, this bike has the gusto to take you to a lot of places other e-bikes can’t. One thing we would like to see, however, is for Mokwheel to take a look at is some of the ghost pedaling that kicks in around 23-34 mph. It’s a common issues we see on a lot of class 3 bikes.

Along with the Basalt ST’s improved motor and battery performance, we also appreciated the quality ride this bike offered. The step-through frame was easy to hop on and handle. The 4-inch wide fat tires really gave us good control of the bike, wherever we rode it, and we are sure new riders and riders returning from long layoffs are going to feel more confident when they ride this bike.

If you want to learn more about how you can get your hands on one of these bikes, click the pricing link above. Mokwheel ships directly to consumers at no additional cost to buyers in the contiguous 48 US states and to Canada.

Happy Riding! Make sure to let us know if you have any questions down in our comments section or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Mokwheel Basalt ST.

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