Riding the Alpine Hawk was like riding in a peloton of one. My overall average speed was higher and — while I still got a great workout — I covered more ground faster and with less effort.
This, obviously, is due in part to the spectacularly well tuned Fazua motor, but I’ve also got to give credit to BULLS for building a really quick and responsive bicycle: The Alpine Hawk pedals well and rides fast without the help of its motor. Add in the additional 250W of energy, and you’ve got a bike ready to crush hills and cruise flats.
So, returning to the question posed at the beginning of this e-bike review: Who is this bike for?
After a month of riding the Alpine Hawk, I think this bike was built for the traditional cyclist who’s on the fence about e-bikes. They’re not categorically opposed to them, but they’re not willing to sacrifice weight, ride quality or the feeling of riding a bicycle for some pedal assistance. They want a bike that’s going to feel like a normal road bike 95 percent of the time, but they wouldn’t mind a little help when things get steep, windy or they just need to get home on time.
So, if BULLS built the Alpine Hawk EVO to make converts of the e-bike curious, I think they nailed it.
I’ve got a strong background in road riding and racing, but the truth is I do very little of it nowadays. Living in the mountain bike mecca of southwest Utah, I typically choose dirt, pads and knobby tires over lycra and pavement. So, when the BULLS came in, I didn’t really know how my reentry into the roadie world would go. To put it short, I had an absolute blast. And, if I’m being honest, I don’t know if I would have had as much fun had it not been for the motor. The power from the Fazua motor perfectly complemented the stiff and efficient carbon frame. On flats, the bike pedaled so well I felt like I hardly needed the help to cruise at the motor’s 20 mph max pedal assisted speed. And when the road got steeper, the motor perfectly mimicked my pedaling — it felt less like there was a motor and more like I was having a stronger-than-average day on the bike.
I also really liked the bike’s subtle styling and very stealthy look. Thanks to the Fazua drive system, the downtube and bottom bracket weren’t obnoxiously oversized and the lack of electronic buttons or displays on the handlebar really grew on me — I often forgot I was on an e-bike. The 252Wh battery gave me a 35 to 40 mile range, which is about perfect for an early-morning ride before work. And at just 33.5 lbs, I had no problem turning the motor off and cruising under my own power (especially on the flats) to save battery on longer weekend rides.
The BULLS Alpine Hawk EVO can be bought or test ridden at one of the manufacturer’s many dealers across the U.S. Or, if you’re already enamored with the Alpine Hawk, you can also buy their bikes online and have it shipped to your local BULLS dealer to have it professionally assembled.
