Eleglide Citycrosser in the test: trekking e-bike for the city for less than 1000 euros

Thanks to electrical support, an e-bike is much less strenuous to ride than a classic bicycle. This makes this type of vehicle an attractive alternative to the car or public transport in the city, at least in the warmer half of the year. The Eleglide Citycrosser is primarily suitable as an e-bike for the city, but combines the design with elements of a trekking and mountain bike.

If you are on two wheels in city traffic, you have to pay attention to a few features. A bell is mandatory here – but no horn – as well as lighting to the front and rear, including reflectors. There are also orange reflectors in the spokes and pedals. The city crosser from Eleglide brings all of this with it – but still tries to make a sporty and robust impression, at least visually.

A trekking bike is designed for longer rides on different terrain. It usually has a robust frame construction, and a spring-loaded fork is often part of the equipment. Visually, it is something in between a mountain bike and a city bike. It usually offers a luggage rack, fenders and lights. It is a versatile bike that is suitable for both everyday rides and longer bike rides.

Our test from the e-bike theme world shows how well the e-trekking bike from Eleglide drives. We have a special treat for our readers: You can get the Eleglide Citycrosser with the code for a short time 1HZH3BRB for only 990 Euro instead of 1200 euros.

As usual, the Eleglide Citycrosser reaches the customer in a large cardboard box. Buyers then have to attach the handlebars, the saddle, the front mudguard and the luggage rack with the front light, the rear light, the bell and the pedals. The required tools and instructions are included.

What initially sounds very simple turns out to be fumbling. Although the instructions are available in several languages, translation errors are also limited. However, some assembly steps are only described in a rudimentary manner, and the drawings are partially incomplete. Here you have to pay special attention to the screws, which are different in length and width. Which exactly is used cannot be seen from the manual at first glance.

The bicycle computer is already integrated in the handlebars, so assembly is quick and easy. In addition, you have to attach the brake caliper to the fork, which is rather unusual. The assembly of the front light, front fender and luggage rack turns out to be unexpectedly tedious. So we spent a total of more than two hours screwing. This is significantly longer than the other tests. Then you should inflate the tires and, if necessary, adjust and tighten the brakes correctly. The front brake tended to grind a little at the beginning.

The processing of the Citycrosser leaves a good and valuable impression without annoying gaps or wobbly components. Only the front fender was not aligned 100% centered over the front tire right away. All cables are already held together with cable ties. The mudguard made of unpainted plastic looks less valuable – as is otherwise known as a retrofit kit from mountain bikes. However, you can’t just take it off. At this point, a fancier painted fender would have been appropriate.

The handlebars are wide and almost straight, as known from trekking bikes. The shift handles are on the right. The LCD is on the left and shows the speed in kilometers per hour, the selected support level and the kilometers currently driven – but not the total mileage. Readability is also given in sunshine. The top button activates the bike computer and electric drive, the bottom button turns the front light on and off. A total of five support levels are available, which can be selected with the plus and minus buttons. However, there is no port for charging a smartphone.

The grips on the handlebars are provided with a ribbed rubber coating. This feels a bit uncomfortable and pricks at first. This can be uncomfortable on a longer tour. In contrast, the handles on the Eleglide T1 Step-Thru (test report) are much more comfortable and visually appealing. In addition, the e-bike comes with a classic bicycle bell. The brake levers are wide and allow four fingers to be used.

The front light provides sufficient lighting and is powered by the on-board electronics. However, this does not apply to the rear light – that is a pity. Only an LED rear light with AAA batteries is used here – if these are empty, you cannot operate the light using the on-board battery.

Eleglide states that the bike is suitable for people between 165 and 200 centimeters tall. The test rider himself is about 184 centimeters tall and managed well on the bike. The handlebars and stem cannot be adjusted in height, the e-bike could be a bit too big for people just over 165 centimeters tall, but it’s probably too small for a giant of two meters. We would say that the city crosser can be ridden comfortably from around 170 to 195 centimeters.

Since it is not a step-through bike but uses a diamond frame, it is less suitable for rock wearers or older people. The saddle height controls a quick release. The saddle itself is comfortable but quite sporty. On a longer tour, it could be uncomfortable to sit on it in the long run. However, the city crosser is not for heavyweights. The maximum payload is 120 kilograms. If you subtract the dead weight, there are still around 98 kilograms left for the driver and any luggage.

For an e-bike suitable for city use, the Eleglide Citycrosser is extremely light at just under 22 kilograms. In conjunction with the powerful electric motor, the pedelec accelerates rapidly to 25 kilometers per hour. Even if the electric support stops at this speed, you can get the bike up to an even higher speed without much effort. The shifting process with the seven gears works seamlessly. However, the disc brakes at the front and rear are a little too weak. We had to readjust here again, and the front brake rubbed a bit.

With the large 27.5-inch wheels, the e-bike sits well on the slopes and drives straight ahead. It keeps the track stable and is simply great fun driving on asphalt. Even on gravel you can still get along well with the bike. However, despite the at least optical off-road character, the city crosser does not have a suspension fork. If you take a curb or other bumps, it can get uncomfortable. But the lush tires absorb some shocks. That’s the price you have to pay for the low weight.

The fenders hang low enough to protect the rider from splashing when riding through a puddle. The luggage rack above the front wheel is designed for a maximum of 18 kilograms. In the absence of a spring clip, you also need a rubber strap with a hook to attach objects stably.

A look at the technical data shows why the city crosser is so fast: the brushless electric motor has an output of 250 watts and generates a decent torque of 45 Newton meters. For comparison: The heavy Eskute Polluno (test report) only has about 32 Newton meters. However, the city e-bike Eleglide T1 Step-Thru (test report) offers even more torque with 50 Newton meters.

The electrical assistance is available in a total of five levels: 1:0.2, 1:0.5, 1:1, 1:1.5 and 1:2. The higher the level, the more powerful the electric motor pushes the rear wheel. You don’t notice much in the first three stages. There is also a sliding mode. This is activated by pressing and holding the light switch at the bottom of the LCD. Now the electric motor automatically pushes the e-bike at a speed of around 6 kilometers per hour. A free cable on the handlebar can optionally be connected to a handle with throttle. The use of this is not permitted in Germany according to the road traffic regulations.

The battery can be removed from the frame and unlocked with a key. So you can easily charge the battery at home with the corresponding power pack without having to take the whole bike with you. The capacity of the lithium-ion battery is 360 watt hours. Compared to the two city e-bikes Eleglide Step-Thru or Eskute Polluno, that’s relatively little. The manufacturer specifies a range of 70 kilometers.

How long the battery lasts depends on many factors, such as the weight of the rider, the speed, the selected support level and the nature of the surface. During a test drive of around 30 kilometers on a level, asphalted surface with a driver weighing just over 90 kilograms, the battery indicator was still around two thirds. We think around 60 kilometers is a realistic range in the city on flat roads.

The Eleglide Citycrosser normally costs 1100 euros. Geekmaxi provided us with the test device. There TechStage readers get the e-bike with the code 1HZH3BRB for a short time for only 990 Euro! This is a real bargain.

Driving the Eleglide Citycrosser is a lot of fun. Thanks to its low weight and powerful engine, it accelerates quickly. It stays on track and is comfortable. However, the off-road look is deceptive, the e-bike primarily belongs on asphalt – despite the massive tires. Because there is no suspension fork. The battery capacity is not excessive, but sufficient for daily short trips through the city.

We didn’t like the fender made of unpainted plastic that much. It’s not quite centered over the tires and looks very makeshift – you can’t take it off. In addition, it would have been nice if the rear light had been permanently coupled to the on-board electronics. But if you like to ride briskly through the city and are not looking for a suspension or a low step-through bike, you will have a lot of fun with the Citycrosser. The price is extremely fair.