Quick gets quicker
Cytronex Cannondale Quick 4 Disc £1645.99 Cannondale’s impressive hybrid with an electric boost
The Quick 4 Disc offers everything we’d want from a commuter bike – and that’s before you add the Cytronex electric system
The Quick 4 Disc is an entry-level sport hybrid designed to be nimble and fast for dashing around town; it even has reflective paint highlights on the frame. We were impressed by just how well it rides – the position is fairly upright but it’s still sporty enough to hustle the bike along at pace. This Cytronex model adds an electric boost to make it even zippier. The Quick’s Microshift drivetrain is a simple 1x system with a good gear range that’ll carry you up steep slopes. The shifting is accurate; it’s certainly not SRAM slick or Shimano smooth, but over a few hundred miles of testing it hasn’t faltered or become misaligned. The Quick 4 offers everything we’d want from a commuter bike – and that’s before you add the Cytronex system. Cytronex started up in 2008, launching what was (and still is) the lightest electric assistance system for bicycles. On average, a Cytronex kit adds 3.2-3.6kg to a bike. You can purchase the C1 kit in three ways: buy a kit to fit yourself; buy a kit and have it fitted to your bike by Cytronex; or buy one of Cytronex’s range of bikes that come fitted with the system. We looked at one of the cheapest options Cytronex offers: a kit built up onto Cannondale’s Quick 4 Disc. The Quick 4 retails at £579.99 on its own, the Cytronex C1 kit adds £995, and our test bike included the optional lights at £49 and £22.
The C1 is a simple system: you replace the front wheel with a hub-motor equipped to run cables to the bottle cage and rear sensor, and plug in the smart battery. This simplicity hides some very clever design. The fluted lithium battery houses the brain of the system and its compact size and low weight (1.5kg) mean it’s easy to remove and carry with you when leaving the bike unattended. The battery shows charge level – off the bike you simply shake the bottle to wake it up and it’ll indicate charge. The system
is operated by a single large button on your bar. You cycle through low, medium and high assistance with a single dab of your thumb and hold as it cycles through the modes.
The smartest element of the Cytronex kit is the sensor. Usually ebikes have up to three sensors: a crank sensor for cadence; a speed one (to limit speed to the legal maximum); and a brake sensor to cut the motor. Cytronex’s patented single sensor reads all this information by pointing at the cassette’s largest sprocket, sensing the movement to engage the motor. If you freewheel, the motor cuts. To set up the system, you plug the battery into a laptop via the charging dock and use Cytronex’s app.
The Cytronex system is very efficient, so even though its 180W/h battery capacity isn’t as big as lighter ebikes (often 250W/h), the range we got was ideal for commuter duties. The maximum distance achieved on a single charge was 78km with 978m of elevation and on a more commutelike ride it delivered an impressive 59.7km with 445m elevation, which should easily cover most commutes. The C1’s power delivery is good, and is more subtle than most crank-based ebikes with the 250W front hub motor gently ramping up the power assistance as you need it. It also tapers out as you near the legal restriction of 25kph/15.5mph.
Getting to grips with the distance range is essential because you don’t have any on-board information, except the lights on the battery. You need to learn what sort of range you can achieve – topography, rider weight and fitness will all have a bearing. Ideally, we’d like to see a system that connects to an app, such as you get on ebikes equipped with Fazua or ebikemotion systems, which give accurate battery information and estimated range remaining.
Overall, Cytronex offers a great solution. Even riding the bike with no power isn’t a chore – at 16kg it’s not light but there’s no drag in the system. We also like that you can easily revert to a standard bike by switching the front wheel back to the original and removing the battery.