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Power — Bafang hub drive, 1000 nominal watts, 1500 peak watts, 160 Newton meters of torque
Speed — 35+ mph
Battery and Range — 48 volt 17 ah, 40 miles
Pedal assist sensor — Torque sensor
Display — Bafang Color LCD
Frame and weight — 6061 Aluminum alloy, 70 pound curb weight, 300 lb carry capacity
Suspension — GT860 Inverted Air, 120 mm of travel
Gearing — Evniolo CVT
Brakes — Tektro Dorado, hydraulic disc, quad piston, 203 mm front rotor, 180 mm rear rotor
Warranty — Limited lifetime for frame, 1 year comprehensive, 30 day return from date of order if unused, just remember to register the bike to activate the warranty
Price — Starting at 6,499 USD, free shipping for contiguous United States
Hello and welcome to Electrified Reviews! I hope you are having an awesome day and we’re happy you’re here. Today we are reviewing the Rambo Prowler electric bike. I’m just going to tell you right now, if you’re a hunter, bike packer, or just love camo, you’re gonna love this ride.
The Prowler is a powerful, capable and accessory ready deep woods machine that is geared for extreme adventures and stowing tons of gear. And I think this e-bike genuinely enjoys challenging terrain. It feels like it comes alive when the tires hit the trails.
The Prowler is a top-shelf electric bike with premium components and a frame perfectly designed to attach a load-bearing front basket, rear rack and trailer. This ride pretty much has it all, and it had better because the starting price on this monster is a hefty $6,499 USD. Ouch. It currently comes in one frame size, a 19.7 inch frame — and for reference I’m 5’10” and it fits me great — and it currently comes in one color, a camo pattern proprietary to Rambo, which is pretty cool. Rambo offers a limited lifetime warranty on the frame, a 1 year comprehensive warranty and a 30 day return policy. Just remember to register your bike to activate the warranty. Rambo also offers free shipping to the contiguous United States, which is a nice little bit of savings.
Right! Let’s dive into the specs.
The Rambo Prowler has a Bafang mid-drive motor with 1,000 nominal watts and 1,500 peak watts of power, and a massive 160 Newton meters of torque. This motor is ridiculously powerful! It’s like a very tiny nuclear reactor. And because it’s a mid-drive it’s able to leverage the gearing for even more torque or speed. Speaking of speed, the Prowler will hit 30 mph easy with just the throttle, and we were able to get it up to about 35 mph while pedaling on flats. That’s fast.
When it comes to climbing hills and accelerating, the Bafang Ultra is a hard motor to beat. And if you plan on towing a trailer or loading the Prowler up with cargo, well, it’s just a thing of beauty really. It also has a super smooth and super precise torque sensor, which means you’re always getting just the right amount of power. It really makes it feel like the Prowler is an extension of yourself.
The Bafang Ultra is a great motor on its own, but in this case it’s paired with an Enviolo continuously variable transmission. Not only does this gear hub offer a wider range of gearing compared to most traditional derailleurs, but it also locks the gearing whenever the drive train is under stress to prevent damage. In other words, you have to briefly let off the gas and stop pedaling to change the gearing ratio. Honestly, it feels a lot like switching gears on a motorcycle, which is pretty sweet.
The battery on the Rambo Prowler is a 48 volt, 17 amp hour system with a max estimated range of 40 miles. This range is totally doable if you keep the pedal assist in a low setting and use the throttle sparingly, but at full power, that motor demands a lot of juice and will eat up the battery in a few big gulps. So, basically, just keep that in mind if you plan on going for an extended trek.
The battery is locking and removable and is housed inside the downtube, which keeps the frame looking sleek, and also helps to keep the Prowler well balanced.
The Rambo Prowler weighs in at 70 pounds and has a 300 pound carry capacity. Rambo did a really good job at planning ahead and provided bosses all over the frame. We’ve got four on the downtube, which is great for a bottle cage or battery holder; there’s four bosses on the stem in case you want to attach a load-bearing basket, and there a few sets of bosses at the rear of the frame that can accept a rear rack or even trailer.
The frame is also super rigid and seems well suited for rough paths and trail blazing. The thru axles are another good testament to what Prowler was designed for.
For suspension, the Prowler has GT 860 inverted air forks with about 120 mm of travel. These forks are fully adjustable and are pretty smooth. While they’re not really geared for big air, they’re perfect for leveling out rough roads and making huge roots feel like little twigs.
The huge Maxxis Minion 27.5” by 3.8” tires act as another layer of suspension thanks to their huge air volume, and they also provide great traction on slippery terrain, especially when they’re aired down.
To bring the Rambo Prowler to a stop we’ve got Tektro Dorado quad piston hydraulic disc brakes with a 203 mm rotor in the front wheel and 180 mm rotor in the rear wheel. These brakes got grip. Like, throw you over the handlebars kind of grip. It may seem like overkill in perfect riding conditions, but again, the Prowler’s home is deep in the woods, where it’s wet and muddy, and that’s when the extra grip comes in handy.
The Promax 770mm handlebars feel like the perfect width for maintaining good control, and the locking grips ensure you don’t get any slippage. On the left side we’ve got the independent control pad, and on the right we’ve got the Enviolio twist shifter. The Bafang display is big, bright and beautiful. You can easily see it in direct sunlight and you can even adjust the angle if you’d like.
Overall, the Rambo Prowler is an impressive machine that boasts not just impressive specs, but a well thought out, purpose built design. The Prowler doesn’t like the roads. No the Prowler scowls at pavement. This electric bike wants to roam free, and you can feel that when you ride it. I love the added bosses on the frame for that extra functionality, I mean, you could load this thing to the hilt with a front basket, rear rack and trailer, and with that 1500 peak watts of power, 160 Newton meters of torque and super low gearing from the Enviolo, you could ride for miles without even breaking a sweat. For hunters, bike packers and trail blazers, the Prowler is a ride worth checking out.
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