A review of the Bandit Forerunner e-bike

The Bandit Forerunner is a new fat tire, all-terrain e-bike with some sweet smart-bike features that impress. Here’s our take. 

All of a sudden, a van turned in front of me. This was bad: The driver clearly didn’t have the right of way, yet his vehicle was now cutting diagonally across the intersection, right in front of my speeding e-bike. At that moment, I was bombing down the avenue at 40 km/h, on a collision course with his passenger-side door.

I clenched the levers, and my disc brakes seized. The four-inch-wide tires skidded over asphalt. I smelled rubber as the Bandit Forerunner heeled to a stop.

“Whoa, whoa!” cried a couple of onlookers from the nearby bodega.

The van paused suddenly, and the entire vehicle shook. But it was only a pause; the driver saw me through the windshield, acknowledged that he hadn’t smashed me head-on, and continued to turn down a side street. Seconds later, the incident was over, out of sight, out of mind.

I hadn’t planned to test the Forerunner in an emergency situation, but if I had, the bike would have passed with flying colors. The Forerunner is a fast, fun ride, especially in its “sport”-level pedal-assist setting. You can crank up the speed to 45 km/h, and its default fat tires can take you over almost any surface, including reasonable sand and ice. Thanks to its dual disc brakes, you can also stop on a dime.

But the Forerunner stands out for other reasons: Bandit has added some thoughtful, high-tech features to its all-terrain e-bike. If you’re the kind of person who loves innovative new gadgetry, the Forerunner has a number of cool surprises.

Tell Your Friends

Bandit specializes in fast, tech-savvy bikes, which come in a range of styles. What they all have in common is a smooth and durable aesthetic; I think the late Steve Jobs would have approved. The Forerunner is Bandit’s all-road design; its front suspension and gigantic tires are designed to conquer almost any terrain. You wouldn’t want to do any technical mountain biking on it, but for any reasonable challenge – ditches, puddles, roots, rocks – the Forerunner is equipped for the challenge. This is the SUV of e-bikes.

But Bandit is also helping lead the way for “smarter” e-bikes, a trend that will only grow in coming years and will excite riders with a love for circuitry. The digital display is large, full-color, and attractively laid out. To operate the bike, you can either set up a PIN, which should prevent most theft, or you can use a special card, which works like a door-fob. Just press the card to the Forerunner’s glorious smart color LCD screen, and you activate the bike. This is by far my favorite feature, both useful and charmingly futuristic.

There’s a standard USB port as well, right next to the battery, which enables you to charge an external device (read: smartphone). This is an intuitive touch, especially if you’re on the road and risk losing your GPS.

Bandit is also developing a smartphone app, which will be released in the summer of 2023. While I couldn’t use the app, the company promises free and paid tiers, which will crunch the usual vehicle data and unlock your bike remotely; you effectively use Bluetooth to pair your phone with the bike itself. The app’s most striking feature is the ability to track your bike remotely, in the event that it’s stolen, an invaluable defense against thieves.

The Forerunner looks hulking, but the bike actually weighs in at less than 32 kg (70 lbs.), which is lighter than many rival models. You won’t want to carry it even a short distance, but the Forerunner shouldn’t put too much strain on a sturdy car rack. The Forerunner feels powerful on the road, which can boost rider confidence while contending with traffic, but it’s surprisingly nimble for something so brawny. You also feel fast; the Forerunner can easily reach a top speed of 45 kph (28 mph), which is the legal limit for Class 3 e-bikes in most places.

The Forerunner has a 750w rear-hub motor and 48W 14.5AH Battery, and Bandit claims a range of about 65 miles of riding per charge.  The bike is a big one, and the step-over model fits riders from 5’6″ to 6’9″.

Wish List

The Forerunner’s frame boasts smooth workmanship and quality parts, and it resembles many of the burlier e-bikes on the market. Some e-bikes have a built-in handhold, to help you lift the unwieldy machine upstairs or onto a rack. The Forerunner doesn’t have much to hold onto, so I’ve grasped the seatpost when I want to, say, turn the bike around in a small space; this works fine, as long as the post is firmly affixed and I brace myself for the weight.

The Forerunner also doesn’t have a built-in luggage rack, which has become a common addition for around-town e-bikes, including Forerunner’s Urban High Step and X Trail Lite. Buying and installing a separate rack is easy enough, but its absence might imply the Forerunner is designed more for sport than utility.

Ideal User

Even without the app or nifty tech, the Forerunner is a powerful, quick, well-built machine that will ride comfortably in any setting. It seems best suited for recreation, but you can easily customize it for commuting. Bandit describes the bike as its “all-around” model, which is best for folks who simply want to get out there and explore without limits – and lock up with peace of mind.

But the Forerunner will also appeal to folks who like the way e-bike technology is evolving and are interested in the long game. As bikes become not only electric but electronic, they will further integrate themselves into the “Internet of Things.” This may unsettle many cyclists, who love velocipedes for their simplicity and will strip off any unnecessary part. But for the gadget-minded, the computerized potential for e-bikes is profound, just as it has been for modern cars. E-bikes may one day come with standard safety features that have yet to be imaginary. The Forerunner is clearly part of that movement, and for many, it is an exciting glimpse at what’s to come.