Mike H
I picked up the Thok TK01 on a Saturday Afternoon in late October 2021. Simon walked me through the differences an e-MTB has over a ‘normal’ Mountain bike, then helped me load it onto my bike carrier - the car sagged a little, but all was well.
I decided a little pre-test ride was in order to ensure everything was right for the proper Sunday full-test. With no particular route in mind, I headed out. 15 miles and 318 meters of climbing later (all in Boost mode, because why wouldn’t you!) I arrived home and had the answer… Yep, the TK01 is pretty well sorted.
Is it too much for my local trails? Maybe. But when I did hit the hills it certainly was a blast. I even rode up Windmill Hill a couple of times, trying to find the steepest route, just to see if I could deplete the battery beyond the one bar I’d lost in the last 14 miles. Nope.
Sunday morning arrived with bright sunshine to help make the next 32 miles of test riding even more enjoyable. I hit the trails, a mix of hard-packed single-track, cinder cycleways and occasional tarmac to link things up. Not the gnarly-est of routes, but I wanted to experience the TK01 on the type of things I’d normally ride on my unassisted Santacruz Tallboy.
Saturday’s test had proved that ‘range anxiety’ wouldn’t be an issue (I charged the bike overnight to be assured of a full battery for the day) but decided to leave ‘Boost’ for the couple of occasions where I knew I’d benefit from the extra, erm, boost! I chose ‘Trail’ mode, as this provides the perfect amount of assistance dependent on your input through the pedals. All easily optioned via the handlebar mounted switch, with data feedback via the discrete Shimano LCD display.
The bike certainly felt solid and well planted, the Maxis tyres biting for grip on the occasions they were called upon, but free rolling when on tarmac or cinder cycleway. Gear changes were rapid and smooth and the brakes felt very progressive, proving that my own are in need of a bleed. The Rockshox Yari fork was playful but didn’t interfere with progress when pressing on, offering a nice balance of bump suppression without the sea-sick inducing yaw a bigger travel fork can sometimes provide. Rear shock travel, again provided by Rockshox, was the same. There when needed, but not interfering with pedal strokes when pressing on.
32 miles and 540 meters of climbing later, the ride came to an end, with just two of the five battery bars depleted. This thing could do it all again… and with the assistance, so could I (there’s a first!)
In short…
Great looks - everyone I rode with today admired the TK01, offering very positive comments about the overall look of the bike - you’d be proud of this bike at the pub!
Great motor - the Shimano Steps motor does suffer from a well documented rattle on the downhills, but when called upon, it’s probably one of the quietists out there at the moment.
Great package - at the price point, there’s nothing that come close to the Thok TK01, or the TK01R for that matter (which adds upgraded componentry throughout).
$1,000,000 question. Would I buy one?
In a heart beat if I could honestly say to myself… ‘That’s for the high days and holidays, ride the TallBoy locally.” But that would be like opening your garage door and asking, ( should I be so lucky )… Shall I take the Porsche, or the Volvo today? Both perfectly capable… but you know you’d take the Porsche!
But point that Thok at a Welsh Mountain or a Derbyshire Dale and you'd be game on for some grin inducing saddle time.
Huge thanks to Simon at The Cycle Agents for providing a whole morning of E-MTB fun.
