The first impression:
The California Roll + appears old-fashioned and filigree with its thin frame.
And straightforward.
Is that it too?
This is what the manufacturer says:
Here an e-bike is being offered at a competitive price - on average, an electric bike in Germany costs more than twice as much. Sushi Bikes has rummaged through the bag of tricks in car history: In order to cut costs, the manufacturer recalled the "old Ford", says managing director Andreas Weinzierl, who hosts the 2019 e-bike start-up in Munich with a TV presenter Joko Winterscheidt founded "to make flexible, green urban mobility affordable".
Weinzierl recalls a quote from Henry Ford, which describes cost-cutting mass production in the early 20th century: "Every customer can have their car painted in any color, as long as it is black." Sushi Bikes also streamlines the processes.
With the California Roll +, a city e-bike, there are at least three colors to choose from, but only one frame size.
"The bike is reduced to the bare essentials."
There is no gear shift, the battery only holds 230 watt hours.
The sushi bikes are sold directly via the website, no middleman earns money with them.
"Everything we get in terms of money goes into the product," says Weinzierl.
"More range, more performance" - Sushi Bikes won't take part in this arms race.
We noticed that
at first glance you don't see that the model is live. However, a high level of engineering skill, as is the case with many expensive urban e-bikes, which hide the motor and battery, was obviously not necessary for electrification. The battery in the drinking bottle look is screwed onto the down tube, hiding cells in the frame tube would be much more complex. Practical and resourceful compared to the competition from Bosch and Co .: The power storage can be used as a power bank, for example for a smartphone. The rear hub motor also does not require any modification work on the aluminum frame. This comes - like many bicycle chassis - as bar goods from Taiwan.
The frame was not specially developed for e-bikes, but "tested and certified according to the e-bike standard," says Weinzierl.
In order to pass the test procedures, it was reinforced at the dropouts and the bottom bracket, for example.
This is reminiscent of the approach taken by car manufacturers who first derived e-cars from existing combustion engines to save costs.
But does the end justify the means?
The result is an e-bike that weighs 17.2 kilograms.
The electrical components account for a good four kilos.
For a city e-bike from other manufacturers, you can easily spend double and triple.
But you should know what the austerity course entails.
The intended use is limited, for example.
The California Roll + is made for flat cities.
"This is not a touring bike," says Weinzierl.
The control of the rear engine is simple.
The only electronic commander is a PAS sensor ("Pedal Assist Sensor").
Where other e-bikes modulate the pedal assistance from the interaction of several sensors depending on the torque, cadence and speed, there is little more than an "either / or" with the sushi bike: the motor assists - or not.
"The sensor only recognizes that you are stepping, regardless of how much force you use."
The engine only starts after half a crank turn.
But then you can quickly get up to speed without much effort - all you have to do is let the crank rotate without much pressure on the pedals.
Weinzierl tries to advertise this as "float mode": "You can just let yourself be carried away, a feeling that I find beautiful."
Unusual: The five driving modes are graduated: the engine pulls up to around 14 km / h in the first, and up to 25 km / h in the fifth.
Constantly slow driving is hardly possible, however.
If you want to keep around 10 km / h, you are forced to rest the crank again and again and let the bike coast or even slow it down and then lightly pedal again.
As if you were in slow traffic on the autobahn.
If you tackle inclines with a very low cadence, you will feel that the motor takes a lot back from time to time.
Then you get stuck on the slope and have to cope with the one gear with a high gear ratio.
You have to know that:
In curves with loose ground, it is not without risk to accelerate the California Roll +.
This is particularly problematic for older riders who may not have been in the saddle for a long time.
It is not without reason that sushi bike buyers are mainly student-aged cyclists.
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It is to be welcomed that the mechanical disc brakes have enough power.
At the same time, however, the steel fork does not seem stiff enough for the forces - it visibly warps backwards during braking maneuvers.
But Weinzierl assures: “This is a rigidity issue, but not a stability issue.
That's not something to worry about, it's an absolutely safe bike. «Sushi gives a twelve-month guarantee on original parts including the battery and motor.
What else do sushi makers do without?
The bike lacks suspension, for example - but the tires dampen quite a bit on asphalt.
It takes a long time to fully charge the battery once: just under six hours.
The supplied battery lighting looks like cheap goods from the hardware store - but makes the sushi together with other compulsory parts roadworthy in the sense of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO).
Many far more expensive e-bikes in the basic version cannot keep up with this.
Robust aluminum mudguards contribute to everyday suitability.
There are a few options: for example a basket for the front (79 euros extra), a luggage rack (49 euros) or a front end extension for taller drivers (30 euros).
A maintenance subscription for one year can be booked for 120 euros.
"You can upgrade modularly," says Weinzierl.
This, too, is a tried and tested means of marketing cars to keep the base price low.
We will keep that in mind:
The sushi bike is not for pedelec enthusiasts who like finely tuned drive technology.
If you can live with the compromises, the Califonia Roll + is an alternative in the low-price sector, where there are so far only a few bikes.
