Troxus Explorer Plus iQ
A 750W Bafang fat-tire adventure bike that unlocks when you walk up to it and always knows where it is parked. 28 mph on the GPS, and it stopped inside 20 feet from top speed.
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From the Review
Out on the Trail
Up Close
Detail Gallery
The Engineering
Built On Better Technology
Geared Just Right
Bafang 750W · 86 Nm · 48V 22A controller
Hills On Throttle Alone
With a full battery it held 14 to 15 mph up a long 15 percent grade on throttle only. At 57 percent, on a steeper hill, it slowed to 12 and pulled back to 15 near the top. No pedalling either time.
Torque Or Cadence, One Button
A dedicated T/C button on the right-hand control swaps between the torque sensor and the cadence sensor, and the display shows which is live. No app, no button combos, no menu. Ben has not seen it done this well on any other bike.
A Chainring You Can Actually Use
The 8-speed Shimano drivetrain runs a large chainring for a 28 mph bike, so the gears keep up with the motor. Ben pedalled it to 28 in torque mode without ghost pedalling, then ghost-pedalled to the same 28 in cadence mode.
Ride iQ
Two years in the making, says Troxus
Walks Up, Unlocks
Proximity unlock off the phone in your pocket. No key, no app to open. Arm it from the app and it pushes a notification the moment the bike moves; Ben triggered one just nudging it in the shop.
Tracking, Geofence, Honk
Live GPS location on a map, a geofence that alerts you when the bike leaves an area you draw (handy when a kid borrows it), lights on and off remotely, and a horn to find it in a rack of 150 other bikes.
A Range Estimate That Was Honest
The app shows miles left for whichever assist level you are in and lets you edit the power curve of all five. At 54 percent with 16 miles done it estimated 32 more miles in level one and 14 in level five. Ben's verdict: not over-embellished, about right.
Brakes and Rubber
Tektro hydraulic · 203 mm rotors · Kenda Krusade 26×4.0
Stopped Six Inches Short
Our braking test is 28 mph to the second marker, 20 feet on. Ben expected the two-piston front to keep rolling and it did not: the bike stopped about six inches before the line, an hour into the ride with the pads barely bedded.
The Tire Ben Keeps Praising
Kenda Krusades: short, sharp, deep tread that digs into gravel and sand when you lean it over, with a near-continuous centre channel that keeps them quiet on pavement. Run at 25 psi for the tests; he would drop to 15 to 20 for an afternoon on loose stuff.
Thick Rotors, Easy Upgrade
The 203 mm rotors are thick enough to stay true and not rub. If you are heavier and want more bite, Tektro sells a four-piston front caliper that fits without routing through the frame or bleeding. A half-hour job, in Ben's estimate.
Security & Ride Modes
Smart Where It Helps — Class Switching and a T/C Button
Proximity unlock + Class 1/2/3 in the menu + five editable assist levels (and a horn)
Out of the box the Explorer is a Class 2 bike, capped at 20 mph on throttle and pedal assist, and the cut-off is real: Ben felt the power drop at 20 in the acceleration test. Hold plus and minus, go to advanced settings, pick Class 3, accept the warning, and pedal assist runs to 28. The bike manages the limit for you.
The display is small and plain, which he liked: battery percentage, speed, watts, trip, max, average and a range readout. Two blue rings tell you the phone is linked. The right-hand control carries the horn, the turn signals and the T/C button; the left has the thumb throttle, the plus and minus buttons and power. Hold plus for the lights.
Find Your Fit
Size & Fittings
Troxus Explorer Plus iQ 3 sizes · 26″ × 4.0″
Ben is 5'9″ on the medium step-thru. Seat all the way down he can almost flat-foot it, and there is room at the knees.
| Small | Medium | Large | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frame | Step-thru 16.5″ | Step-thru 18″ | Step-over 20″ |
| Reach | 383 mm | 392 mm | 387 mm |
| Stack | 677 mm | 677 mm | 691 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1163 mm | 1171 mm | 1173 mm |
| Seat tube | 419 mm | 457 mm | 500 mm |
| Top tube (eff.) | 609 mm | 625 mm | 625 mm |
| Head angle | 68° | 68° | 68° |
Troxus's own geometry table. Colours follow the frame: Matte Black and Deep Moss are step-thru, Desert Tan and Charcoal are step-over.
Will It Fit You?
- Frame sizesSmall / Medium step-thru
Large step-over - Bottom bracket height305 mm
- Fork travel90 mm, lockout + preload
- Seat postSuspension, 30.9 × 350 mm, quick release
- Handlebar700 mm wide riser, 75 mm stem
- Max load400 lbs (100 lbs on the rack)
- Bike weight83.8 lbs
The medium put Ben in an upright, spacious position with the high-rise bars, and he pedalled it for two hours without complaint from the seat. He is just under 200 lbs and gets full travel from the suspension seat post; his guess is that a 300 lb rider might bottom it out, and anyone from about 120 lbs up will feel it work. If you have a big frame and do not want your knees near the bars, the medium is the size he would point you at.
Plan Your Ride
Your Range, Not Mine
Troxus says up to 90 miles. Ben used 46 percent of the battery in 16 hard miles and the app reckoned 32 more in level one. Put in how you actually ride and what you weigh, and plan inside the window it gives you.
The Numbers
Full Specifications
Source: troxusmobility.com →⚡ E-System
🏁 Performance
🔧 Suspension & Brakes
⚙️ Frame & Fit
The Bike Cave Verdict
Ben's Take
“I got to hand it to them. They built a solid, solid bike. The welds are immaculate on this bike and so is the paint. Very, very nicely done.”
“86 Newton meters is just enough to get through hills unassisted. Anything less, and you would probably hear this motor really struggle and anything more, well, then you'd be accelerating uphill, which might not be for everyone.”
“At $2,099, it's a pretty premium price for a premium bike, but if you can catch yourself this bike on sale, and there's a lot of sales coming up here in the holiday seasons, it might be time to get yourself a new bike.”
👍 What I loved
- One button between torque and cadence sensing, shown on the display
- Stopped inside 20 ft from 28 mph on two-piston Tektros
- Kenda Krusades hook up on gravel and sand and stay quiet on the road
- Suspension seat post plus a soft fork make it comfortable for hours
- Ride iQ range estimate turned out honest, and the tracking works
- The most controllable thumb throttle he has used in a while
👎 What to know
- $2,099 is a premium price; wait for a sale if you can
- Usable power, not fast: 15 mph on the hill and a soft 60-foot sprint
- Hardtail. The rear wheel does not track rough ground like a full-suspension bike
- Two-piston brakes are enough, but heavier riders may want the four-piston front
- Headlight is punchy for its size but not big
- No bottle cage in the box
Frequently asked questions
How fast is the Troxus Explorer Plus iQ?
It ships in Class 2, which caps both throttle and pedal assist at 20 mph, and Ben confirmed the cut-off is real. Switch the display to Class 3 and pedal assist runs to 28 mph, which he hit on the GPS with a 200 lb rider aboard, both pedalling in torque mode and ghost-pedalling in cadence mode. The throttle stays at 20 mph in every class.
What real-world range did it get?
Troxus claims up to 90 miles. Ben rode 16 miles of deliberately hard testing, including hill climbs, top speed runs, the beach and a lot of throttle, and used 46 percent of the battery. That points to roughly 30 to 35 miles ridden that way, and the Ride iQ app estimated another 32 miles in assist level one, which would put a gentle ride near 50. He found the app's range estimate honest rather than optimistic.
What does Ride iQ actually do?
The bike unlocks when your phone gets near it, with no key. The app arms the bike and pushes a motion alert if it moves, tracks it on a map, lets you draw a geofence and get told when it leaves, honks the horn to find it, toggles the lights, and lets you edit the power curve of all five assist levels. It also shows remaining range for the level you are in, which Ben checked against the odometer and found accurate.
Is 86 Nm enough power?
Ben's words were that it is geared just right. It held 14 to 15 mph up a long 15 percent grade on throttle alone with a full battery, and 12 to 15 mph on a steeper hill at 57 percent. It got him on and off the beach on throttle without help. It is not fast off the line and it is not meant to be. Anything less would struggle, anything more would be accelerating uphill.
What would Ben change?
Not much. The brakes are two-piston Tektros and still stopped inside 20 feet from 28 mph, but a heavier rider could swap in a four-piston front for more bite; Tektro sells one that bolts on without bleeding. The headlight is punchy for its size but not huge. The suspension seat post is sprung for riders under about 300 lbs. And at $2,099 it is a premium price, so he suggests waiting for a sale if you can.
Explorer Plus iQ or the Explorer Plus MIK?
Same bike underneath. The MIK version on Troxus's site is the 2025 model without the Ride iQ hardware, at $1,499. If you have no use for tracking, geofencing, proximity unlock or the range estimate, that is $600 less for the same motor, battery, brakes and tires. Ride iQ is the premium you pay for the smart layer.