2022 Mokwheel Scoria Review

Video Review

Written Review

The Mokwheel Scoria is a sporty, accessible, electric cargo bike that’s compact, versatile, has great components and has a starting price of $1,799 USD. And this is currently at a steep discount to its regular price of $2,300 USD. 

The Scoria comes in four different colors — Green, Grey, White, and Red— and one frame size that will comfortably fit riders from about 4’8” to 6’. 

Mokwheel offers a 15-day return policy, which is a great amount of time to get in some good test rides, and a 2-year limited warranty.

Alright, let’s take a look under the metaphorical hood.

Set into the rear wheel, we’ve got a Mokwheel-branded hub motor, with torque for days. The Scoria can ramp up to a top speed of 28 mph, straight out of the box, and that top speed can be reached using the half-twist throttle, or the pedal assist. The motor has 90Nm of torque, which is exactly what it feels like. The overall impression here is that the motor and controller pair are finely tuned and offer a very pleasant, and powerful riding experience. 

The Scoria has a huge max payload capacity of 400 pounds. And with the additional mechanical advantage gained from the smaller 20” x 4” wheels, the Scoria feels like one of the torquiest Ebikes in the cargo category we’ve tested in a while.

Since we’ll probably be loading up the Mokwheel Scoria with some decked-out saddle bags, or other means of transporting all the groceries for the week,  we’re going to want a big battery. Thankfully, Mokwheel came through here by giving the Scoria a massive 48V, 19.6 Ah, locking and removable battery.

This battery is positioned on the front-facing side of the downtube, putting it slightly front of center, which keeps this ride well balanced, considering the cargo we’ll be toting around here. This battery offers a max estimated range of 80 miles in perfect conditions, but in real world conditions, when this Ebike is loaded to the gills and tackling steep climbs, we can safely expect a little less than that, or somewhere around 50-60 miles. 

I love the Scoria frame, and I think this is what makes it such a cool addition to the Ebike industry. A couple of my favorite aspects here are the manageable 24” reach and the 15” standover height. That’s pretty awesome, and it makes the Scoria super approachable and an ideal vehicle choice for deliveries, or any other use that would require the rider to mount and dismount several times a day. 

And I really appreciate that the rear rack comes in two flavors, which I lovingly refer to as “little cargo mode” and “lotta cargo mode”. The extended rack is not included, but is available as an upgrade for those that want to ascend into the “lotta cargo mode”. 

There’s also bosses for a front basket or front rack that are drilled directly into the head tube, and this really is the ideal location for a front basket. It will be interesting to see how the front basket interacts with the wiring, but at first glance it appears that this shouldn’t be a problem, with plenty of wiring to navigate the added bulk of a front basket. 

The Scoria is a 7-speed Ebike, and it utilizes the Shimano Tourney rear derailleur. Shimano is a great choice here, especially considering the price point. And on the handlebars, just left of the locking ergonomic grips, is the Shimano SIS Index thumb shifter. It’s nice to see that Mokwheel went with a name brand like Shimano, but it would be great if we had the option to upgrade to trigger shifters for those who want them. No complaints on this current setup, though. And now, I think it’s time to take a brake.

Speaking of brakes, the Scoria is ready to do just that. It is outfitted with Tektro HD-E350 hydraulic disc brakes, with 180 mm rotors in the front and rear wheels. Tektro is another brake that we’re familiar with in the industry, and we were glad that this choice is spread across the Mokwheel lineup. 

These brakes are also equipped with motor inhibitors, which instantly cut power to the motor whenever you hit the brakes, great for ensuring you never have to fight against that extra torquey motor during an emergency braking situation.

Similar to their Basalt line of bikes, in the front we’ve got Overlord Adjustable front forks, with 110mm of travel. They do a good job of mitigating vibrations from rough roads, and make for a smooth ride. These are not extreme forks, so my motto is “Say NO to jumps, but say YES to bumps.”

As mentioned earlier, the Scoria can accommodate a wide-array of riders. We’ve got a minimum saddle height of 26”, and a maximum saddle height of 34”. There’s no adjustment to the handlebars from a Y-axis point of view, but you can slightly tweak the cant to decrease, or increase, the reach if desired. 

The Scoria has an integrated headlight which is pretty bright, and there’s also an integrated tail light. Now, these are both adequate for riding around with additional ambient lighting, but I would look to upgrade to a brighter light if this were going to be my sole source of illumination for an evening excursion. 

The display is nestled in the center of our BMX-style bars, and is perfectly visible in direct sunlight. We love this interface! If I said it once, it’s worth saying again! The display is large enough to see all the information I need, but small enough that it fits in well with the bike and doesn’t stick out too much, which could seriously throw off the BMX-aesthetics of the cockpit. Thankfully, that’s not the case! 

Another feature that is cool to see, is the center, double-kickstand! This will be helpful in the delivery department, as the added stability and ability to park your bike anywhere, and grab things off the back rack, is a huge plus for those in the delivery industry. 

Overall, the Mokwheel Scoria is a great choice for anyone who needs the capabilities of an electric cargo bike, but in a more compact form. The Scoria has plenty of power and range, and with a rear rack and optional front basket, the options are pretty much limitless here. 

The Basalt step-through and Scoria lines are known as the world’s first electric bike with integrated power station technology. Now, when we first read that, we thought that this was a solution built into the bikes themselves, but it turns out you need an additional Inverter. The 1000W inverter is not terribly expensive, coming in at $400 as of this writing, and we’d love to test it out! Unfortunately, we did not receive a unit with our Ebikes, so we can’t speak to the efficacy or usability or the inverter. It seems like a great idea, and the streamlined Mokwheel carrying case makes it all that more appealing. Be sure and check it out!