Puckipuppy Poodle eBike review
Puckipuppy is known for its dog-themed fat bikes, and the Poodle marks a big shift: it’s the brand’s first purpose-built commuter ebike, and it’s a surprisingly polished one for under $1,000.
The Poodle is equipped with a 750-watt rear hub motor that produces peak power of 960 watts and can move the bike up to 25 mph in pedal assist mode and 20 mph using the throttle. The 48V 15Ah removable battery, which can be charged on or off the bike, promises up to 75-mile range in ideal conditions.
An adjustable stem allows you to raise or lower the handlebar height and A color LCD display shows all your ride data including speed, trip and total miles, pedal assist mode and battery charge level. The Poodle has five pedal assist modes, a throttle-only mode, a walking mode and cruise control.
The Puckipuppy Poodle eBike is outfitted with Logan hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors, a Shimano 1×7 drivetrain and a front suspension fork with adjustable lockout and rebound. The 27.5″ wheels are wrapped in 2.4 inch tires.
A rear rack and front basket mounting points, front and rear fenders, and front and rear lights are also standard features.
Riding the Poodle
Thanks to its swept back handlebars, the Poodle has an upright riding style, which is reminiscent of Dutch city bikes. For a commuter, I really like this upright style. This is personal preference, but I prefer a smaller seat.
The Poodle’s 27.5 x 2.4 inch tires offer a good compromise between rolling resistance and traction. While not meant for off-roading by any means, the tires did keep traction while rolling over loose sand and gravel. The hydraulic disc brakes provide ample stopping power.
The handlebar is home to the button cluster, where you control the bike’s power, pedal assist, headlight and horn.
Puckipuppy Poodle features
To turn the bike on, hold down the power button. The display starts up with a friendly “Hello” message.
The display is bright and easy to read even in sunshine and with polarized sunglasses on. It shows the current speed, the PAS mode, battery power level, trip distance and trip time. Icons for the light Standard Ride and Cruise Control mode also appear on the display. An alternate Interface displays average and maximum speed, trip distance and total distance. To see that, press and hold the headlight and down PAS buttons at the same time.
The Puckipuppy Poodle is equipped with two cruise control options: Standard Ride (aka walking mode) and Cruise Control.
For the Standard Ride, aka Walking Mode feature. you have to be at a standstill and then hold the down PAS button to maintain a steady walking pace. The manual isn’t clear on what use Standard Ride has, but I realized it’s to help push the bike when you’re not riding it. When the down PAS button is released, the bike will stop.
While you’re riding with the throttle down, press the PAS down button and the bike will maintain that speed.
There are five Pedal Assist modes. With a normal light pedaling action, Pedal Assist mode 1 tops out at about 8 miles per hour, 2 can get you to around 10, 3 about 13, 4 can get about 18 and 5 can get up to 28 mph.
I found PAS 4 to be the sweet spot for casual bike trail riding. I primarily used the throttle for getting started and for cruising along when I needed a break. The throttle gives a surprisingly nimble start and can get up to 20 mph in no time at all.
Another commuter friendly feature is the headlight and rear brake light. To turn on the lights, press the light button on the control panel and both the headlight and taillight will illuminate. The taillight also serves as a brake light and will shine brighter when either brake lever is engaged.
I found the Poodle’s low step thru frame very easy to get on and off.
At 62 pounds, the Poodle is a little lighter than many eBikes and it’s definetly noticeable when maneuvering the bike. It has an impressive weight limit of 350 pounds.
While the recommended rider height is between 5’3” and 6’4”, I think people over 6 feet might find the bike a little small for their liking.
Puckipuppy Shipping and Assembly
The Poodle arrived mostly charged, after a 12 mile ride, the charge had come down a couple notches, so I topped it off. The battery can be charged on or off the bike and uses the same charging cable as the Beagle. When charged on the bike, the charger is inserted into the port on the side of the frame.
When charged off the bike, the battery has an indicator that shows the charge level.
Shipping from Puckipuppy’s California Warehouse to the Tampa Bay Area took about 5 days.
As with all of the other bikes I’ve received from Puckipuppy the bike arrived in perfect condition. It took about an hour to unpack and assemble the Poodle.
The bike is 90% assembled. You just need to attach the handlebars, front fender, front wheel, pedals, display and front light.
An accessories box is also included and comes with the charger, a pump, two crescent wrenches, a set of hex wrenches, a bike cover, phone mount, rear view mirrors, a water bottle cage and mounting hardware and loads of spare bits and pieces, like water bottle bolts and brake pads.
The bike is available in white, sage green, dusty purple and slate blue color schemes and retails for under $1,000 at puckipuppy.com. Use code FBPD50 to save $50.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive commuter or just a bike to ride around town and grab groceries, or a nice little pub bike, definitely check out the Puckipuppy Poodle.
See more Puckipuppy Electric Bikes here.
Use code FBPP50 to save $50 off Puckipuppy.com
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