Carrera vulcan electric mountain bike latest model review

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The Carrera Vulcan E has always been one of Halfords best selling electric mountain bikes. But It has remained unchanged for the last couple of years. The latest 2020 model has a number of subtle improvements, but is it any better than the outgoing model? In this review, I will take a closer look at the specification to see what’s changed (and if it’s changed for the better).

Summary

The Carrera Vulcan E has always sat in that ‘no mans land’ where it is not particularly cheap, but it’s not overly expensive either. The £1199 price tag can put some potential buyers off, especially when you consider e-bikes like Decathlon’s excellent Rockrider E-ST500 are £200 cheaper.

Regardless of the price tag, the Carrera Vulcan E has always been one of Halford’s best-selling e-bikes. It helps that most towns and cities in the UK have a Halfords store. People are often reluctant to make an expensive purchase like an electric bike without seeing it the flesh first (and maybe trying it out).

Another big plus point for customers is the fact that the Vulcan E falls within the cycle2work scheme price bracket, making it popular with commuters.

carrera vulcan electric mountain bike 2020 model

The current incarnation of the Vuclan E has been around for a little over 2 years, and generally speaking, has had very few issues, and a lot of positive reviews from customers.

I have ridden the outgoing model on several occasions, and I’ve always though it was a decent enough electric bike for the money.

What’s new for the 2020 version?

Well, there has been some effort made to bring the bike up to date, with the re-designing of the frame. But the components, electric motor and battery remain largely unchanged.

Much like the Vulcan’s hybrid sibling, the Crossfire E. The new frame design incorporates a neater battery integration and internally-routed cables. The motor controller is also no longer mounted at the rear of the battery casing, instead, it has been neatly installed in a recess where the downtube meets the bottom bracket.

carrera vulcan e 2020 side by side comparison with the 2018 version

The latest version still uses the proven Suntour HESC rear hub motor with ATS torque-sensing pedal assist and a 36v11.6ah (417Wh) battery pack.

The Shimano Altus groupset and hydraulic brakes also remain unchanged.

So, all in all, apart from a new frame, the rest of the bike is pretty well much identical to the 2018 model. Will this be good enough to keep the Vulcan selling in high numbers well into the 2020s?

I’m not so sure. When the Vulcan was first released, the market was flooded with cheap e-bikes, some of which did have a poor reputation. But fast forward a couple of years, and now a thousand pounds can actually get you a pretty good electric bike.

Competition is fierce, and with the e-bike market predicted to keep on growing well into the 2020s, Halfords will have their work cut out for them.

Electric Components

No change here for the 2020 Carrera Vulcan E. Halfords have played it safe and stayed with the dependable Suntour HESC 250w rear hub motor.

As far as geared hub motors go, this is definitely one of the better units out there, so I think it was a wise decision to stick with it.

the suntour hesc electric hub motor as fitted to the carrera vengeance e

ATS Active Torque Sensing

Another great feature that remains unchanged, is Suntour’s active torque sensing pedal assist system. This works in combination with a cadence sensor, to measure the amount of force the rider is applying to the pedals. Pedal lighter, and you will not get much assist, pedal harder and the motor will seamlessly provide you with electric assist.

This translates into a very smooth and pleasant riding experience, it also contributes to the efficiency of the motor.

Display

The Vulcan E uses the same LCD display as the 2018 model. It displays speed,  level of assist and has a battery level indicator and trip computer.

suntour ats lcd display as found on the 2020 carrera vulcan e bike

Battery

The battery has the same energy capacity as the 2018 model at 36v 11.6ah. The only difference being, is on the latest model the motor controller is not housed inside battery casing, but instead is neatly fitted inside the frame, near the bottom bracket. This makes the battery look physically smaller and neater.

the carrera vulcan e 2020 model battery

The claimed range of 60 miles is the same as before, I would say this can be achieved with frugal use of the pedal assist and will be influenced by rider weight, wind direct and hills. A realistic range would be more in the 35-40 mile bracket.

As with all the other electric bikes in the Carrera range, this battery is covered by a 2-year warranty, which will give buyers extra peace of mind.

Components

Gearing

The gearing on the Vuclcan E has also remained unchanged. It still has a single 38t front chainring with an 11-34 9-speed rear cassette, with Shimano Altus shifter, and Shimano Altus rear derailleur. A decent KMC X9 chain finishes off the package.

carrera vulcan E 2020 rear derailleur and cassette

This dependable Shimano groupset is found on many cheaper mountain bikes, and it works absolutely fine. All these parts work well and are easy to replace if they do wear over time.

Brakes

The Clarks M2 Hydraulic brakes combined with 180mm disc rotors, provide assured and confident braking. They provide decent modulation with a nice bite. Very useful when negotiating steep descents!

Front Suspension

Front suspension forks are Suntour XCM, with a useful 120mm of travel with a lock-out and adjustment feature. These forks are definitely at the cheaper end of the scale, so they will be more than suitable for cross country riding. They also do a good job of dealing with potholes and other road debris.

carrera vulcan e 2020 front view

These forks are designed with the recreational rider in mind, so they won’t cope with extreme downhill mountain biking. As long as you are aware of the limitations and don’t try any big jumps, or stunts, you will be fine.

Wheels and Tyres

The rims are tough double-walled alloy 27.5″ with thicker spokes at the back to cope with the extra weight and torque of the electric motor. The front wheek has a Formula DC-20FQR hub.

As with other Carrera bikes fitted with the Suntour motor the rear dropouts are 145mm wide (as opposed to the standard 135mm).

The Tyres are fairly basic Kenda K1027, that offer a basic level of puncture protection, and reasonable grip on and off road.

Finishing Kit

The saddle is comfortable enough for shorter journeys, but we are all built differently and larger riders may want to swap it for something with a bit more cushioning.

The handlebars are a nice width, ensuring good control when riding off-road. The seat post and stem are all made of alloy and are Carrera components. The Carrera Vulcan E comes with flat pedals.

Frame

The frame is made of 6061 alloy, and has good enough geometry for some mild off-road riding, and yet is relaxed enough for riding to work on the daily commute.

The main difference between this frame, and the frame on the outgoing model, is the recessed battery area, the motor controller housing (near the bottom bracket) and the internally routed cables.

Carrera Vulcan Electric mountain Bike with internal cable routing

This makes for a clean look. The finish is a pleasant matt metallic grey finish, with the Carrera branded decals. All in all, a nice-looking bike.

Who is the Carrera Vulcan E aimed at?

Like most of the e-bikes I have reviewed in this section, they are not aimed at hardcore mountain bikers. The Carrera Vulcan E is certainly more capable than its cheaper sibling the Vengeance. But it still has its limitations.

If you are a beginner or intermediate, and you’re not planning on tackling anything too extreme, then the Vulcan E will satisfy your needs.

If you’re just after a rugged and versatile commuter e-bike, then the Carrera Vulcan E comes up trumps! Fit some mudguards and a rear rack, and you will have a great urban commuter bike, that will tackle anything that the city streets can throw at it.

Reliability

I know quite a few people who have owned Carrera electric bikes for a couple of years, and the general consensus is they are very reliable. The Suntour motor and battery seem to hold up well when being used regularly in the damp weather we get here in the UK.

If problems do arise, the warranty Halfords provide will cover the electric components for 2 years, which should give owners a degree of confidence.

Conclusion

It’s nice to see a re-vamped version of the popular Carrera Vulcan E finally appear. I was beginning to think that Halfords had rested on their laurels!

The thing is, the e-bike industry is evolving at a fast pace. A lot of the modern electric bikes, don’t even look like e-bikes. They are lightweight, have hidden batteries, and have small motors.

Carrera vulcan e 2020 view from the rear

The £1000-£1500 price bracket is probably one of the most fiercely competitive sectors in the ebike market in the UK, and with bikes like the Rockrider E-ST500 from Decathlon being sold for £999, Halfords have got some serious competition to think about.

How does the new Carrera Vulcan E stand up to the competition?

Personally, I think Halfords could do with lowering the price to under a thousand pounds to make it more competitive. But maybe they don’t need to as they have brand loyalty on their side.

The new Vulcan E is a good enough bike. The re-vamped frame with internal cable routing and controller housing looks good.

The rest of the bike remains unchanged, but in fairness, the Suntour motor and battery combination are good reliable electric components, and the Shimano Altus groupset is also more than adequate.

All in all, if you want a decent, entry-level electric mountain bike, that looks quite nice, rides well and has decent after sales support, then the latest Carrera Vulcan E isn’t a bad buy.

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10 Comments

  1. Hi Tony, thanks for this very helpful article. I am disabled and have very weak legs. Will this bike pretty much go under it’s own power please? I would not be using it for anything too rugged or for a long distance, mainly tracks that I am unable to walk especially uphill.
    Thanks, Kev

    1. Hi Kev,

      I don’t think the Carrera Vulcan E would be suitable as it uses a torque sensor to produce assist, so you always need to be exerting a measurable force (through the pedals) to get the pedal assist to work. I would recommend finding a decent donor bike and getting a bike shop to do an electric conversion. Most e-bike conversion kits will also have a throttle which you are legally allowed to fit to a used bike as long as it doesn’t take you beyond 15.5mph – this law doesn’t apply to new factory built e-bikes like the Vulcan. Nearly all of the cheaper kits available from eBay use cadence pedal sensors, so you do not need to exert force in order for the pedal assist to activate, all you need to do is turn the pedals. I’ve converted quite a few bikes for people with different disabilities and this set-up works best. Here is a link to a supplier I use on eBay.

      If you need any more advice, please let me know.

      Cheers,
      Tony

      1. Hi Tony, thank you for your reply, it was really helpful.
        The kits look very easy to fit and I think that I would be able to do it myself with perhaps a little help if any significant strength were required, what do you think please?
        The price of doing this is very low compared to the pre-built assist bikes and I don’t mind paying for a premium non-assist product if available. Perhaps there is no significant difference?

        I did find a bike that claims to go up to 6km/hr unassisted and wondered what you thought?

        RadRhino Electric Fat Bike

        I also found this one with a “crack” that allows the bike to achieve 30km/hr, though I’m not sure if, or how much, unassisted this is.

        Fiido Folding Electric Bike

        I realise that I might be presenting completely unsuitable bikes or that they may be no better than the solution you offered. My apologies in advance if this is the case.
        Thanks again for your much appreciated help and advice, Kev.

        ps Sorry about the huge URLs.

        1. Hi Kev,

          The RadRhino is a decent enough bike for the price, but it is very heavy at 32kg. The RadRhino does use a cadence-based pedal assist, but the throttle will only work at walking pace.

          The Fiido M1 folding ebike is also a reasonable bike for the price, but it’s also on the heavy side at 25kg. Fiido ebikes usually have a throttle that works independently of the pedal assist, although this isn’t technically legal on a new ebike in the UK or EU.

          I still think a self-build ebike might be the best option, because you can start off with a decent donor bike and build a bike for your specific needs. Here is a link to my article on building a DIY ebike. I’ve been building electric bikes now since 2016 and the good thing with a lot of DIY kits is you can usually get the parts if they’re any issues. Another option worth considering is a Bafang mid-drive – the road legal version can be configured for more power and you can alter the firmware settings using software and a USB lead.

          Let me know if you have any more questions. My email address is cycletek@outlook.com

          Cheers,
          Tony

  2. Hi your review just swayed me to go get one not a bike cycles but will use it when we are away with the motor home. Thanks

    1. Hi Steve,

      Thanks, glad you found the review useful. Let me know how you get one with it and feel free to leave a rating here after you’ve been using it for a while.

      Cheers,
      Tony

  3. Hi Tony, Thanks to your excellent reviews I’ve managed to decide on the Carrera Vulcan E and will be ordering in due course. I’m returning to biking after many decades and a recent move which allows for some safe Paths and off road facilities like Deers Leap in East Grinstead. I’m 68 this year and always been athletic and heavy ( but not what you’d call obese!) and am now weighing about 110kgs so I want to avoid having to deal with punctures and having researched Tannus tyres would like to fit those.

    However, I’m not sure if this is feasible or recommended because I can’t seem to find any answers on either Halfords or Tannus websites and it’s difficult trying to find anyone to talk to about it the way things are currently. I’m sure there are many others who are trying to find similar answers to mine judging by the surging interest in ebikes in general.

    1. Hi Anthony,
      I’ve not personally had any experience with Tannus tyres, but having been on their website and looked at a couple of reviews, they don’t appear to do a tyre in the 27.5″ size for the Carrera Vulcan E rim. Although they do the Armour insert in 27.5″ size.

      From my own perspective I’ve always favoured Schwalbe Marathon Plus – I’ve used these tyres on various bikes and nearly 10,000 miles over the last few years and never had single puncture, despite riding regularly on rough country back roads in all weathers (in Cornwall). I have also fitted Marathon Plus on numerous e-bike conversions and had similar reports from customers.

      I hope this helps. If you need any more advice, please let me know.

      All the best,
      Tony

  4. Hi Tony, great website. I would really appreciate your advice. I own a 2020 Carrera Vulcan, it’s my first ebike and I’ve find it great. I commuted a few times to work on my normal mountain bike, and it wasn’t practical from a time point of view, it would take me an hour (26 mile round trip, very hilly, poor quality A roads, some trails). The Vulcan has made the journey in great and means I can do it in an a time of 45 mins in the tour and climb settings, and I can push myself on the way home using eco / tour, so I now commute 3 days a week. I’ve been looking at the Rockrider EST900 and wanted to know on a commute how much difference would the Brose mid drive motor would make vs the Suntour hub. At the weekends I do the odd bit of very light mountain biking with my children. So don’t have a need for the higher components on the Rockrider although there welcome. The main draw is the Brose motor after reading your review, but it would be great to have your opinion on in the real world how much difference would I notice, thank you.

    1. Hi Adam,

      On an average commute I can’t see there being a lot of difference between the Vulcan and Rockrider. Where you will notice a difference is if you have really steep hills on your commute (10% +) that’s where the Brose motor really comes into its own. The gearing is really good on the Rockrider as well, but whether it’s worth justifying the extra expense really depends on how much you’re going to be using it. The battery range is much better on the EST900 and the motor is more efficient, so you will get more mileage between charges. Decathlon do another bike which is a bit cheaper – the Rockrider EST520. That is a bit cheaper and it still uses the Brose-T motor.

      Hope this helps if you need any more info, please let me know.

      Cheers,
      Tony

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