Buzz Bicycles has just launched its newest electric tricycle model, pushing prices even lower as older riders continue to gravitate towards electric three-wheelers as accessible e-bikes for both recreation and transportation. Now with the Buzz Cerana T2 hitting the road, the lower end of the market is heating up even faster. And Buzz may now have one of the best-priced mid-drive e-trikes in town.
There’s no shying away from the massive competition in the electric trike space. After Lectric eBikes launched the second generation of the US’ best-selling electric trike model last week, everyone now has a new target to beat. Priced at $1,499, the Lectric XP Trike2 sets a new standard for any retailer that wants to compete on price.
In the weeks since, we’ve seen other e-bike companies roll out their own next-generation models in an attempt to keep up with the driving force in the growing three-wheeler market. But the Buzz Cerana T2 is the first “second-gen” model I’ve seen since the XP Trike2 launch that has actually managed to undercut Lectric’s price. With a $1,399 sticker, the Buzz trike is a solid $100 cheaper.
So what does one Benjamin less get you? Let’s dive in and find out.
First of all, the Cerana T2 rolls on relatively large wheels, with a 24×3.0″ front tire and 20×3.0″ rear tires. The trike is also powered by a mid-drive motor mounted at the bottom bracket, offering 500W of power.
The product page claims a 20 mph top speed, though that’d be pretty fast for a trike and may be a copy/paste error from another product page, which I’m entertaining as a possibility because right next to it is a graphic touting the rear hub motor – which this trike clearly does not have.
What it does have though is torque, and a lot of it! The mid-drive motor is rated for 130 Nm of torque, which is pretty far up the chart and exceeds the torque output of the vast majority of e-bikes on the market today.
With a throttle on the handlebars, the Cerana T2 qualifies as a Class 2 electric bike, though the five different levels of pedal assist and the cadence sensor mean that riders can also still get a nice workout at varying levels of effort if they choose to ignore the enticing throttle.
Considering the battery is a 48V 10.4Ah unit with only 500 Wh of capacity, pedaling is going to be important if riders want to achieve the claimed 40 miles (64 km) of maximum range on a single charge. If using the throttle frequently, a range of closer to half of that figure is more likely.
And for those who like to keep an eye out for UL certifications, you’ll be happy to hear that Buzz reports full UL2849 certification for the bike.
Other features on the Cerana T2 include the fender set, LCD display, 7-speed shifter, mechanical disc brakes, LED lighting in the front and rear, and an included front rack with matching rear basket.
There’s also an oversized saddle that features a manual drop post. It’s a hand lever found under the saddle that can instantly drop the post down several inches – a great way to quickly lower the seat when coming to a stop to dismount. It’s always a great way to get people to raise an eyebrow the first time you fiddle around for it in a fairly… intimate location.
Electrek’s Take
On the one hand, it feels a bit unfair to compare the Buzz Cerana T2 to the Lectric XP Trike2 instead of discussing this new model in its own right. But on the other hand, it’s one of several second-gen trikes to recently hit the market in the wake of the Trike2’s groundshattering unveiling, so I’d be doing the journalistic version of closing my eyes, putting my hands over my ears and shouting “La la la la!” if I pretended the two unveilings weren’t at least somewhat related.
Of course everyone is looking to save a buck (or a hundred of them) where they can, and the Cerana T2 even offers some cool things the XP Trike2 doesn’t, such as that dropper seat post and the mid-drive motor – though I’m not sure if the cadence sensor is worth it, not to mention that the XP Trike2’s jackshaft motor is essentially a hub motor functioning as a mid-drive. And while the Cerana T2’s lack of suspension is disappointing, the 3″ tires will help earn back some of the cushion lost to a rigid fork and frame.
On the other hand, the Cerana T2 has a few downsides, such as the lower-end mechanical disc brakes and the lack of a folding frame.
But hey, if it can really do 20 mph on the straightaways, then that might be its biggest selling point right there – other than the $1,399 price. Just watch out for those turns…
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