2021 Cyrusher XF800 Review

Video Review

Written Review

The Cyrusher XF800 is a full suspension fat tire electric bike that excels at trail riding. The fat tires allow it the XF800 to float over soft terrain like snow, sand, gravel and mud, and the powerful Bafang hub motor will help you ride like the wind.

The XF800 has a starting price of $2,350 USD and comes with a 1 year limited warranty. There’s one frame size and four different color options to choose from — Blue, Green, Red and White, and if you’re watching this review during the 2020 holiday season it’s definitely worth mentioning that right now Cyrusher is offering $200 off this bike, which does help lower that checkout price just a bit.

Alright, so let’s dive into the specs here on the XF800, starting with the motor. The XF800 has a 750 nominal watt Bafang hub motor with 80 Newton meters of torque, bringing this trail blazer up to a top speed of around 28 mph. You can reach this top speed using the half-grip twist throttle on the right-hand side of the handlebars, or with the cadence sensing pedal assist. 

So, here’s the deal: I mentioned the XF800 excels at trail riding, and it does, but because of the way it’s set up it’s not really geared for extreme off-road use. The cadence sensor is the first indicator of that. Cadence sensors inherently have latency with motor activation and deactivation, and when you’re trying to navigate an extremely technical section where a mistake carries a heavy cost, that’s the last thing you want. Thankfully, the throttle on the XF800 is live from 0 mph, which means you can use it to bypass the cadence sensor for acceleration. And for braking, you can use the motor inhibitors to in the same fashion since they instantly cut power to the motor the moment you depress the brake levers. With a starting price of $2,350 USD, it would be nice to see a torque sensor here, but again, the XF800 isn’t really aimed at Red Bull competitions so in my opinion this is by no means a deal breaker but for sure something to keep in mind.

The battery on the XF800 is going to be a 48 volt, 13 amp hour system with a max estimated range of around 40 miles under ideal conditions. As with most estimates, real-world range will be around half that, especially here since we’re looking at a power-hungry 750 watt motor. I love that Cyrusher opted for Samsung cells here and I think in the long run that’s really going to pay off in terms of reduced battery sag, and should help extend the life of the battery system compared to generic cells. The battery is locking and removable and also has a quick-check battery level indicator on top, and a USB-C port on the side, which is awesome in case you need to charge one of your devices in a pinch. 

For the derailleur, we’ve got a Shimano Tourney with a 7-speed cassette and SIS Index thumb shifter on the right-hand side of the handlebars. These are both entry-level components, and since we’re looking at a $2,350 USD starting price, it would be nice to see at least a Shimano Alivio with some trigger shifters. Still, this setup is tried and true and performs great for light to moderate trails. 

The XF800 also an aluminum bash guard, which is just a great piece of gear. This bash guard will help protect the front chainring in the event of a strike, which is a real possibility with this ebike since I know a lot of you will be trail riding with it. That being said, it’s not a double-sided bash guard so you may still get some derailments towards the inside of the chainring.

Even with full suspension and huge, fat tires, the XF800 is surprisingly light with a curb weight of nearly 70 pounds. The frame is pretty robust as well, with a max load capacity of 330 pounds. The rear rack is great and seriously increases the functionality of this ebike. If you plan to go bike-packing, you’ll most definitely be using this. It also comes with a pretty sweet bag stuffed with goodies, and I was actually really impressed with its quality.

To bring the XF800 to a screeching stop we’ve got a pair of Stars Union hydraulic disc brakes with a 203 mm rotor in the front and a 180 mm rotor in the rear. Cyrusher did an excellent job here prioritizing the front wheel for additional braking power instead of rear. Still, these brakes don’t feel quite as grippy compared to a Tektro Auriga setup, which is what we normally see for ebikes at this price point. 

I’m a sucker for full suspension ebikes and the XF800 did not disappoint here. It’s a really smooth ride and the suspension worked great on the light trails I took it on during testing. The front fork is a Partner suspension with approximately 80 mm of travel. It also has preload adjust and lockout so you can dial it in until it’s exactly right. The rear suspension is a HLT with approximately 20 mm of travel, and this one also has preload adjust, which is awesome. 

Probably my absolute favorite thing about the Cyrusher XF800 though is going to be the headlight — the beautiful, bright night-shattering 2,000 lumen headlight. It’s honestly just so refreshing to see an ebike with a high-power headlight integrated directly into the electrical system. And if you guys enjoy night riding then you’re going to seriously appreciate having powerful lighting at your fingertips. 

The XF800 is going to work really well for moderate trail use and particularly for anyone who has to deal with mud, sand or snow. The rear rack and rack bag are also pretty sweet and will come in serious handy for carrying gear on longer rides. And I think that 2,000 lumen headlight is just aces.