So Carrera has done it again: this is probably the best all-round bike I’ve tried that’s currently available for less than a thousand pounds. Of course there are some compromises, but the motor system you get, and the level of equipment it’s fitted with, puts it right at the top of the list if your budget is in three figures. It’s fun to ride, too.
Buy the Carrera Subway E here
Let’s delve into the motor system first. Suntour’s HESC rear hub motor isn’t new; it’s basically the same as we tested on the Carrera Crossfire E back in 2016. That bike is now £1,200, so for £200 less the Subway gets a cheaper display and a slightly smaller battery: 374Wh compared to 417Wh. The HESC system is torque sensing, using a special chainset to measure your pedal input. There’s a bit of play between the crank and the bottom bracket axle, so it feels a little odd sometimes if you’re standing up and pedalling out of the saddle, but most of the time you’d not notice. Torque sensing allows the motor to more intelligently apply power when you’re riding; it feels more natural, and it also tends to be more economical on the battery.
Suntour rate the torque of the HESC hub motor at 50Nm. That’s the same as the Shimano STEPS 6100 mid motor, and it’s definitely not as powerful as that, but there’s enough oomph to make cresting my benchmarking hill (1.5km at 5% with a 12% section) reasonably fuss-free. I did find I’d run out of gears on the steep bit; the bike’s 9-speed transmission gives a decent range but ideally it’d be about a gear lower across the board for me for city riding in hilly Bath. You could always fit a wider range cassette than the 11-32T one supplied. That being said, the motor isn’t at its best when you dip under about 6mph, getting noisy and feeling less powerful, so on the steeper stuff you’re better off giving it a bit more welly from the legs and trying to keep your speed up. If you do, you can fly up the climbs. Shimano’s Altus transmission components are at least a rung above what you might expect on a £1,000 bike, and they performed very well throughout testing.
There are three assistance modes available from the basic LED bar unit, which also gives you a speed readout and a battery indicator that doesn’t always tally with the more accurate one on the battery itself. The modes are well spaced, but there’s no option to have the bike on but not assisting you: you need to power down for that. The Subway E easily managed three laps of my commute (9km with 160m of climbing), climbing in the highest power mode, and would probably have eked out another in a lower assistance mode. That’s good from a sub-400Wh battery, and on the flat you can easily exceed Carrera’s 40km stated range for the bike. The remote has a light switch, so presumably a lighting system can be plumbed in if you need one, but you could just go with cheap rechargeable units if you’re not consistently out after dark.
The Subway E a slightly different style of bike than its more upright sibling the Crossfire E: more urban MTB, with a rigid fork and smaller 27.5” wheels running big chamber Kenda moto tyres. There are no mudguards or kickstand, though it’s possible to fit them. If you’re not out in the rain much you might not miss the mudguards, but the kickstand seems like an odd omission on a city bike. The position is fairly purposeful and you can run the big-chamber tyres quite soft to soak up lumps and bumps. It’s aimed at tarmac riding but I’ve taken the Subway E off road on trails ranging from flat and easy to rocky and mildly technical, and it’s not been too far out of its depth. You do notice that the bike is over-geared when you’re tackling steeper off-road climbs though. Descending on tarmac is a joy, with the bike feeling assured and reasonably nimble. There’s masses of stopping power available from the Tektro hydraulic brakes, which are really good spec at this price.
Overall there’s a lot to like here. The bike is well-built with good quality components, and it’s a fun ride that copes well with a range of surfaces. Compromises have been made to keep the cost below the magic £1,000 figure, but nothing that really affects the bike too badly. The motor is excellent for the money and the 374Wh battery is big enough to offer a useful range. The transmission and braking components are better than you’d expect for the money, and the things that have been omitted – mudguards, kickstand, lights – can be bought cheaply and added easily at a later date if you decide you miss them. If you’re looking for a starter e-bike and you want to keep the spend below £1,000, this is a top-of-the-list candidate.
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