Ancheer 27.5-inch Blue Spark Electric Bike Review

The Blue Spark is one of many affordable options made by Ancheer. This model has a mountain bike style and rolls on 27.5-inch wheels. It has a 350W brushless rear hub motor and a 374Wh battery that combine to give it a good distance range and make it among the most powerful models. We tested it against a diverse selection of reasonably priced electric bikes to see how it compares.

Performance Comparison

Ride

We found the Blue Spark to have comfortable and predictable handling in virtually all situations in our testing. It earned an 7 out of 10 in this metric. Whether cornering at high or low speeds or cruising downhill at top speed, it felt calm and composed and responded well to rider input. This bike's larger wheels, tires, and suspension fork also help to dampen the ride and take the edge off impacts.

We were pleasantly surprised by the Blue Spark's performance in our handling tests. In our cornering tests, we found that it made nice rounded turns with a smooth and predictable feel. It handles both short turns and long turns with the same consistency and control. It responded well to steering input at high and low speeds and never felt unsteady the way bikes with smaller wheels can. At 20 mph, while bombing down our test hill, it felt stable and unflappable thanks to its 27.5-inch wheels and longer wheelbase.

We found the components attached to the Blue Spark to work relatively well throughout testing. Neither the drivetrain nor the brakes required any adjustment out of the box, and once we put this bike together, it was ready to roll without additional tinkering. The 24-speed Shimano drivetrain provides a huge gear range and ensures pedaling will be plenty easy even if you run out of battery mid-ride. We found the mechanical disc brakes to perform well, although they felt a little inconsistent, with a stopping distance of 22 feet in our full-speed stopping test. This bike does come with a suspension fork, which gets about 2 inches of sticky and inconsistent travel. While it helps with more significant impacts, this fork is more for show than its suspension performance. It also comes with 1.95-inch wide tires with a bit of knobby tread on them. These higher volume tires help smooth over the rough stuff and provide a little traction should you choose to do some light-duty dirt road or trail riding. That said, we wouldn't recommend doing any hardcore mountain biking on this bike despite its mountain bike looks. If that's your aim, see our review of the best electric mountain bikes.

The overall comfort of the Blue Spark was relatively average. The seat was agreeable for long periods of riding while testing and our testers enjoyed the slightly wider handlebar. This bike does not have an adjustable stem, although it has a decent seat height range. Ancheer claims a rider height range of 5'1" to 6'4", but we respectfully disagree with that. Our six-foot-tall tester with a 32-inch inseam was nowhere close to getting proper leg extension while pedaling with the seat height maxed out. Sure, taller riders can use this bike, but you'll certainly want to get a longer seat post if you intend to do any pedaling.

Range

We were impressed by the Blue Spark in our distance range testing, and it was among the top performers. This distance wasn't too surprising given its larger battery storage capacity, and it went the distance on our test course. If an electric bike's range tops your list of performance attributes, this bike delivers.

The Blue Spark comes with a 374Wh battery (36V 10.4Ah), which is slightly above average among the models we tested. The more battery power you have, the longer your bike can theoretically travel, and this bike proved that in our testing. Using the throttle only, we went 20.25 miles with 1,171 feet of elevation gain/loss in 1 hour and 24 minutes. Our average speed was 14.5 mph with a top speed of 21.9 mph while cruising one of the downhill sections. While it may not have held the fastest average speed during this test, it outran most other models in the test with similar battery capacity.

Power

The Blue Spark proved to be fairly powerful with good acceleration and a 20 mph top speed, earning a 7 out of 10. You can use it in full-electric/throttle mode or in its five pedal assist modes in conjunction with pedaling with a robust 350W brushless rear hub motor. It's far from the most powerful we tested, but it pleasantly surprised us.

On flat ground, the Blue Spark's 350W rear hub motor quickly propelled us up to a top speed of just under 20 mph while using the throttle only. Its acceleration felt relatively fast and it got up to speed quickly. Once up to speed, it could easily hold it there as long as the terrain remained flat. We also found that it held speed going up moderately pitched hills during our range testing. It crested our short test hill at 13 mph, where some competitors struggled to stay above 10 mph. Unlike some of the other bikes we tested, the throttle only works when the pedal assist is turned on.

We were also reasonably impressed with this bike's pedal-assist output. It has five output settings that provide a good range of support from around 30% to 100%. The assistance comes on suddenly after about a quarter pedal stroke, and it hangs on for about a second once the pedals stop turning. The bike provides the same amount of output regardless of how hard you are pedaling, and it can occasionally feel a bit jumpy if you're in an easy gear and high output setting. We found the top pedal-assisted speed to be right around 20.5 mph, and it was easier to get to and hold that speed than on some of the other bikes we tested.

User Interface

The Blue Spark has a good user interface that consists of ergonomically friendly handlebar-mounted controls and a digital display centered over the stem. This user interface was one of the best we tested, and it earned an 8 out of 10. However, it lost a little ground because it didn't come with any instructions.

The controls consist of a small handlebar-mounted unit attached to the left grip. There are five buttons, power, backlight, info, and + and -. The power button is used, not surprisingly, to turn the bike's power on and off. You can use the backlight button to turn the display screen's backlight on or off, and the info button is used to scroll through different data fields at the bottom of the display. The + and - buttons are located on the left side of the unit closest to the grip and are very easy to reach to shift up or down through the five pedal assist modes. The right-hand grip is home to a standard twist throttle used to engage the throttle when using full-electric mode.

The Blue Spark has a great digital display mounted in the center of the handlebar above the stem. This location makes it especially easy to see while riding, and it displays a wealth of information at a glance. It shows current speed, remaining battery life, pedal-assist setting. By pressing the info button on the controls, you can choose what the bottom field shows (average speed, max speed, trip distance, odometer, or elapsed time). The screen also has a backlight that you can use at night or in challenging lighting conditions. It also has a headlight that helps in these scenarios. While we loved the display on this bike, we were quite dismayed by the fact that it didn't come with any instructions. We are sure that you can change the settings, but we couldn't figure out how for the life of us, and we were stuck viewing our speed and distance in kilometers instead of miles. Trial and error and internet searches left us scratching our heads.

The battery easily slides into position on the frame's down tube and can be locked in place using the included keys. The battery can be charged on or off the bike using the included charging cord, which plugs into a standard charging port. Ancheer claims a battery charging time of six hours.

Assembly

The Blue Spark was in good company in our ease of assembly testing, and it scored right alongside the majority of the bikes we tested with a 7 out of 10. It arrived about 80% assembled, with only the usual simple steps required to finish putting it together. It took approximately 45 minutes to get it from the box to be ready to ride.

Like most of the bikes we tested, the Blue Spark arrived in a standard-size bike box and was generously protected from shipping damage with various packing materials. After unboxing and removing the protective materials from the bike, it became evident that most of the assembly was already completed. The remaining steps included attaching the front wheel, handlebar, and seat post. There were also the additional easy steps of securing the digital display, reflectors, bell, and headlight (which didn't come with batteries), all of which were quite simple and only added a couple of minutes to the process. This bike also came with a small tool kit and very detailed instructions for every step in the remaining assembly process. Not only were the assembly instructions detailed, but the user manual also included step-by-step instructions for tuning both the front and rear derailleurs, which could come in handy if you ever try to do your own maintenance or repairs. The final step was sliding the battery in place on the bike's downtube and plugging it in to charge.

Should You Buy the Ancheer 27.5-inch Blue Spark Electric Bike?

The Blue Spark is a reasonably priced mountain bike-style e-bike that pleasantly surprised us with its power output and distance range. This bike was among the top performers in our distance range testing with comfortable and predictable handling and a quality user interface. It was bested by other bikes in our testing, but we feel this is still a viable and versatile option that may suit many riders' needs.

What Other Budget Electric Bikes Should You Consider?

If you're looking for the most powerful budget-friendly e-bike, we think the Ride1Up Turris XR can't be beaten. Sure, it's a little more expensive, but it comes with a 750W motor that leaves the competition in the dust with quick acceleration and a top pedal-assisted speed of 28 mph. It's also got a super clean design with great battery integration and it looks way more expensive than it is. Short on storage space? The Lectric XP 3.0 is an affordable folding model that still packs a punch. This Class 3 capable model has a robust 500W motor and can support speeds up to 28 mph. It comes with a suspension fork and rolls on wide 20-inch knobby tires that work well on a range of surfaces. It also folds up nicely for storage or transport.

Don't forget to add one of the best bike locks to your purchase to keep your new bike yours.