Nakto Santa Monica Fat Tire E-Bike Review

Images from manufacturer's website

22 mi

RANGE

19 mph

TOP SPEED

3 hrs

CHARGE TIME

72 lbs

WEIGHT

Rear Hub

MOTOR TYPE

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Nakto Santa Monica Fat Tire Review: Takeaway

For a bike costing just over $1,000, the Nakto Santa Monica is incredibly impressive. It provides a consistent and smooth ride across a variety of terrains, including pavement, road, sand, and soil.

Its timeless cruiser frame might look sleek and stylish, but don’t let that fool you. The Santa Monica is one powerful ride, thanks to its powerful 500-watt hub motor and 6-speed gears. This makes it one of the top contenders in terms of an all-around e-bike, as it’s comfortable enough for commuting to and from work, yet will just as easily get you up steep hills or across sandy beaches with minimal effort.

The Nakto Santa Monica is perfect for those looking for a timeless and versatile e-bike that provides the best of both worlds at an affordable price point, whether it’s your first e-bike or one of many.

Ideal for...

Comfort

All-terrain versatility

Urban biking

Commuting

Style and sophistication

E-Bike Overview

The Santa Monica’s rust-proof, aluminum alloy frame features a recessed and concealed battery, providing durability in all weather conditions. Another essential component of this e-bike is the Kenda, 26″x3″ big tires. Even on rough terrain, their size and deep tread offer a smooth ride.

The 48V/10A Li-ion integrated battery provides an ample range of 22 miles, making the e-bike perfectly suitable for leisurely riding or daily commuting. It’s also quick to charge, taking just four hours. This provides extra convenience that many e-bike models don’t have, with the average battery taking more than that to juice up fully.

In terms of safety, riders can rest easy with the Nakto Santa Monica. Mechanical disc brakes aren’t just low maintenance, but also allow you to stop promptly in all weather conditions. A front LED light also gives you greater visibility in low-light settings.

Reasons to Buy

It’s hard to look past the Santa Monica’s timeless design. Fat tire e-bikes often look rugged and robust, yet this model offers a touch of sophistication. Features like its brown leather-look seat, battery-integrated frame, and aluminum alloy rims all contribute to its stylish good looks.

Although this e-bike features a lightweight aluminum frame, it’s still built with larger riders in mind. It has a load capacity of 250 lbs and measures 66.9″x28.7″x41″ to appeal to a wide range of heights.

With extra features like an LCD display and front LED headlight, the Santa Monica offers greater value for money than some of its competitors — especially when priced at just over $1,000.

Things to Consider

Although Nakto’s Santa Monica is generous in size and capacity, it lacks some versatility. Unlike many other e-bike models, it isn’t available in multiple frame sizes. Shorter riders may also find its step-over design hard to mount or dismount.

Specs & Components

Color

Silver, black, white

Motor

500W brushless geared hub motor with max torque of up to 65Nm

Battery

48V/10A Li-ion battery integrated into the downtube

Frame

Nakto Aluminum Alloy cruiser frame

Load capacity

250 lbs

Tires

Kenda, 26 x 3" fat tires

Pedals

Yonghua Aluminum Alloy

Brakes

Shimano, front and rear mechanical disc, steel

Display

861 LCD display

Accessories/Extras

Front LED light

The specs above come from the manufacturer and may vary from what you’ve experienced. Notice something that needs correcting? Let us know.

Ratings

Power

 4/5

With a 500-watt geared-hub rear motor, this e-bike can’t deliver the sort of speed and performance that comes from a mid-drive motor. This means you’ll be more susceptible to wheel spin when pulling away, especially on mud.

It still offers a respectable 65 Newton meters of torque, which will get you up even challenging hills on the road or track. Flat-out speed on the road will be limited thanks to the knobbly tires.

Range

 3/5

The Nakto Santa Monica is very weak as far as battery economy is concerned. Nakto quotes a low 22-mile range with the Tianneng 48V/10A battery. On top-end mid-drive electric bikes, a similar-sized battery could get you five times that range.

If you ride fully on pedal assist, you may get up to 35 miles of range on flatter terrain and with a lower rider weight/payload. The range can be affected by weather conditions, payload, terrain, and whether you’re on a flat road or mud.

Comfort

 4/5

With its swept-back, cafe bar-style handlebars, the Santa Monica lets you sit comfortably in a classic/city-bike position. The wide saddle with two damping springs helps you enjoy many miles without discomfort. You can adjust the seat height to accommodate taller or shorter riders.

The e-bike also comes with suspension 60mm travel front forks and 26”x3” front tires. Though the tires are grippy for off-road use, this isn’t an electric mountain bike. Your riding position isn’t suited to shifting weight around for balance.

Durability

 5/5

One good thing about a throttle/rear-hub motor setup is that maintenance is less of an issue. The power isn’t directed into the chain and cassette, so these are made of lighter materials. As long as you maintain them regularly, they won’t require replacement until around 1,000 miles or so. You’ll need to keep an eye on the brake and brake and gear cables around 750 miles.

Nakto offers a one-year warranty on the frame, motor, throttle, controller, and brake system, and the battery is guaranteed for a generous 1,000 charge/discharge cycles.

Style

 4/5

This bike is a funky, beach-cruiser style with its upright sitting position, swept-back, curvy handlebars, and exposed cabling.

For casually riding down the boardwalk or along the hard sand of a beach, this is just the thing. We like the color schemes of silver, black, or white — they add to the showy appearance. Could the 3” tires be even bigger (4”)? That would improve on this fun little electric bike, but that’s about the only critique we have of this machine’s style.

Our Research Methodology

We personally research and test every e-bike featured in our reviews and guides to provide accurate, data-driven recommendations. Learn how we review.

About Our Editorial Team

Written by Robb Dorr

Co-founder

Robb is a massive cycling enthusiast who has more than 20 years of non-motorized cycling experience. He started eBikes.org to lower the barrier of entry to cycling and reduce the intimidation people can experience when getting into the cycling world.

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