Brief Overview of the Buzz Electric Trike Model
An electric trike is perfect for offering stability and storage on the go. The three oversized tires provide a smoother ride and traction to offer safety for all riders. I was sent this bike by Buzz to test and review with my unbias opinion. I’ve had friends and family try the bike ages 10 to 80 years old to provide feedback on the bike. Whether you are looking for a stable bike to get some exercise around the neighborhood or looking to take a trip to your local grocery store the Buzz electric trike offers assistance peddling to help you along the journey. If you are wondering if the Buzz Cerana Trike is the right trike for you, keep reading I’ll easily help you make that decision.
Buzz Bikes offers the Cerana in a bicycle and tricycle version. The bicycle retail price is $1499 USD and the trike retail price is $1699 USD. I constantly see sales on their website so be sure to check for current updated prices even as much as 40% off.
Our Video Review of the Buzz Cerana T Electric Trike
You can check the price here: Check Price on Buzz Electric Trike
Electric and Eco-Friendly Features
Trikes without electric assistance can be hard to pedal on an incline or on long rides. The battery-powered electric motor starts to help you pedal based on the lever of assistance you select on the large LCD screen. Additionally, you can remove a car from the road and save gas in your car by using a trike to run errands around town.
Key Features and Specifications
Electric Motor and Powertrain
Motor Power
The Cerana Electric trike is equipped with a 36v 350w pedal assist motor. It’s a mid-drive motor that will assist you in 4 adjustable levels. In addition to the motor assisting the bike also has 7 gears to further adjust the the level of effort needed to move the bike.
Torque and Acceleration
A really nice feature of the Cerana trike is the motor tuning on the torque and acceleration. It takes a single revolution of the pedals before you feel the motor assistance kick in and start to help. You always need to be peddling for assistance to push you forward. Once you stop pedaling, the electric motor will stop helping you. Keep this in mind, as you may want to select an easy gear as you are heading uphill to ensure you can always keep the pedals and bike moving. This was something I found that everyone trying the trike mentioned they didn’t understand how the electric assist bikes or trikes worked.
Design and Construction and Parts
Delivery
The bike is very large and must be delivered by freight on a pallet. I would guess it weighed about 80 lb on the pallet when it arrived at my home from a FedEx freight truck. It was easy enough to push into my garage to remove the packing material and begin the installation. One of the benefits of the bike coming on a large pallet is that the majority of the bike is fully assembled. The only assembly required was the front wheel and handlebars and the storage basket to be attached.
Assembly
The assembly process is very easy. First, cut away the packaging materials. Then you’re left with the front wheel handlebars and basket as well as the front fender to attach. Lastly, you will need to attach the pedals and you’re ready to go.
The included instructions make it easy to assemble the bike. I do recommend having an extra set of hands to lift up the bike to install the front wheel and fender. The handlebars are attached easily with one bolt. In my experience, it took longer to remove the packaging material than it did to assemble the bike.
After the bike is assembled be sure to plug it in and give it a full charge before you head out on your first ride.
Handlebars
The handlebars sit at a comfortable level. There is minimal adjustability for height. The handlebars are curved to a nice ergonomic position making it easy to use the hand brakes bell, shifters, and assistance adjustments with the thumb remote on the left side.
The grips on the handlebars are a hard foam to feel nice on the hands but don’t offer a lot of grip.
A safety bell is also installed on the handlebars.
The brake levers attach directly to the handlebars in an ergonomic position and are easy and comfortable to pull even for smaller hands.
On the right side of the handlebars, there is a thumb shifter with two buttons to adjust the bike shifting through the 7-speed. These gears work just like a normal bike and work together with the electronically powered assistance that also has 4 levels of assistance.
Also attached to the handlebars is the central control unit which is a large LCD panel with a USB plug in the bottom to charge your phone if needed.
Storage
There are two storage compartments included with the Buzz electric trike. The front basket is 12 in wide by 10 in long it attaches to the front of the bike with a built-in bracket and four screws. It also has a front reflector for added visibility and safety.
The rear cargo basket on the trike is one of my favorite features. Its large size and ability to fold down make it perfect for grocery runs or even small pets. It measures 23 in wide by 18.5 in deep and 11 in tall. To collapse the basket there are two pins that can be removed allowing the basket to fold down flat.
Wheels and Tires
The front tire is an oversized 24-in by 3-in width. The oversized tire offers additional comfort on rough roads.
The rear two tires are 20 in by 2.25 in wide. The smaller wheels in the back make it easy to maneuver and more easily accessible to the large basket in the back. For added safety, all of the wheels have reflectors and high-quality metal fenders that are securely attached to the frame. This avoids any rubbing and is great when writing through puddles and avoiding any rubbing of your feet on the rear tires.
The back left tire also has a sensor built in This is to monitor the speed of the bike and the motor output.
Brakes
The Buzz Cerana cycle has a front and rear mechanical disc brake they work very well for slowing the bike down. They are specifically designed not to lock up the tire into a skid but to gradually slow the bike down. I’ve found on steep downhill descents quite a bit of pressure is needed to keep the bike at a slow speed. However, riding on flat ground the brakes work great. The 6-in rotor on the front and rear of the bike offers stopping power and performs much better than older style of breaks especially in the rain.
Seat
One of the biggest compliments I hear about the bike is how comfortable the seat is it’s oversized with a lot of padding. It also has a quick release to make adjustments to the height of the seat easily. The bike is offered in two sizes and the long seat post makes it easy to accommodate short and tall riders.
Battery System
The battery is located In the middle of the frame It has a plastic cover and a rubber plug to cover the charging port The battery is locked to the frame and can be removed with keys additional batteries are available for purchase to extend the range of your electric trike.
With the key inserted using the handle on the back of the battery, it can be removed.
The battery is a 36 volt 300 74.4 watt hour 10.4 amp hour lithium-ion battery that is made in China.
You should keep the battery dry and make sure not to pressure wash the bike where water could get near the battery. The battery should also be charged for at least 3 hours every 3 months when not in use The battery will power the LED screen as well as the bike motor.
The battery weighs about 5 lb when removed and is easily reinstalled
The bike comes with two keys to remove the battery.
Charging Time and Options
The battery charges from a small plug on the side of the bike plugged into a wall outlet. It takes about 4 hours to charge when the battery is completely dead. Topping off the battery after a ride will require less time. You can always check the battery levels on the LED control to give you an idea of the battery level and range.
Frame Material and Aesthetics
The bike frame is made from aluminum construction. It has partially internally routed cables which make it nice to have them out of the way in some places. The motor is fully enclosed in the mid-bottom of the frame it’s fully protected by the aluminum frame.
The frame is extremely durable and oversized and offers a safe and stable feeling.
The Motor
The motor is a mid-drive motor meaning it sits in the pedals as opposed to a hub motor that might sit inside of a wheel. These motors are durable and connect directly to the pedals. This type of electric assist offers great control and adjustment to the manufacturer’s specification for acceleration and assistance.
LED
The main control unit for the electric assist is on a large LCD panel in the middle of the handlebars. It can also be controlled with the remote on the left-hand remote control.
Safety Features
Trikes are designed around stability, the wide width of the rear tires the step-through frame design, and the ergonomic handlebars make a trike much more accessible to a wider audience. A slight word of caution, riding a trike on uneven roads or trying to turn too fast can cause the bike to feel unstable. As long as you keep the bike at a safe speed and on level ground the comfort and confidence of writing a trike is far better than a 2 wheel bicycle.
Lighting and Visibility Enhancements
For added safety, the bike is equipped with many reflectors on the wheels front and back of the bike that lights up when car lights shine on them. In addition to the reflectors the bike also has a headlight and tail light that run off of the battery. The lights are bright enough to ride at night as well as offering additional visibility to cars and are a great safety feature.
Riding Experience
Performance and Handling
The overall performance and handling of the bike feel very stable and secure when compared to a normal bicycle. When you first step on the bike you’re supported by the three wheels and can easily adjust on the seat and balance yourself before taking off. I suggest selecting a lower assist level for your first ride after you pedal a little over a revolution you will feel the electric assist start to make the pedaling easier with a little push forward. You can then increase the pedal assist which makes it easier to pedal. When you feel the Revolutions of pedaling too easy you can then use the gear shifter on the right side of the handlebars to increase. This will allow you to still feel some resistance in the pedals while also having the electric motor assist in pedaling. This makes it a lot easier to get up to speed on the electric bike.
Maneuvering a trike can be a lot different than riding a normal bicycle. Simple things like pulling into a driveway from the street or going up onto a sidewalk can be a lot different because the bike will shift from side to side and go on uneven ground a lot more than a normal bicycle would. In some other reviews that I’ve read people complain that this makes them feel unstable, however with the expectation and the anticipation this can be done safely and will not scare you the first time you feel the bike shifting side to side. It’s also worth noting that when writing on uneven terrain or a curved street so that the rain runs off the bike can feel like it’s leaning to one side.
User Interface and Controls
The electric bike is controlled by a large easy-to-use to easy-to-view centered control. The controls show battery levels, speed, and level of Assistance being output by the motor. you can also adjust the assistance level get information from the odometer speedometer trip and more Lastly you can control the headlight and taillight from this control interface.
All the functions you can do directly on the control unit you can also do from the remote control with your thumb on the left-hand side of the handlebar. All the controls are easy to use and press buttons. There aren’t any overly complicated button sequences just what you need and nothing you don’t.
Noise Levels
Electric bikes can have a slight noise to them when being assisted by the motor. The Cerana is fairly quiet you will hear a slight very quiet whining sound coming from the motor and that is normal.
Practicality and Convenience
Parking a trike at your home or at a normal bike stand can sometimes be difficult. They are much wider than a traditional bicycle and require more room for parking. It is worth considering this when purchasing a trike to ensure that you have a location to store and lock up your trike.
Aside from parking the bike the amount of cargo you can carry in the front and rear basket on the buzz trike exceeds the majority of other electric trikes I’ve reviewed. The rear basket is one of the biggest I’ve seen on an electric trike it offers plenty of room for carrying an entire grocery trip. I also like that the basket can be folded down in case you want to strap an unusual-shaped item directly to the rack.
Maintenance and Support
Maintenance Requirements
The buzz trike doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. When writing in clean dry environments you may need to lubricate the chain and replace the brake pads depending on the amount of use. This can easily be done at home if you’re able to reach the chain. Changing the brake pads can be a little bit more involved and might require a bike mechanic.
That brings me to another topic transporting the trike is very difficult. even in the back of a truck with the weight of the bike requires two people to load it in the back of the truck. Additionally with it being a trike, ramps for motorcycles or four wheelers or also difficult because they are designed for two or four wheels, not three. if you do need to transport the bike to a bike shop the easiest solution is to just ride the trike there.
Manufacturer Warranty and Customer Support
Buzz Bikes offers a two-year limited warranty on electronics and a 10-year limited warranty on the frame. This is pretty standard for most electric bikes on the market from a reputable name.
Conclusion
Electric trikes are great for people who have balance issues or injuries that prevent them from riding a two-wheel bike. My experience with the Buzz Cerana bike is that it is a quality build trike with a solid frame that Makes me feel more stable on the trike. When comparing it to other trikes on the market and a wide variety of price ranges the Serena offers a great value for the cost. I really don’t have any complaints about the trike. the component selection the overall build quality I feel like it will last for many years. The only thing I might wish for was a larger battery, and with the oversized frame, it seems like that would have been an easy option.
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