Volcon Grunt And Runt For Chewing Up The Countryside

Fat Bikes 

Riding a fat-tyred electric mountain bike like a Haibike FatSix gets you admiring looks from other blokes as you ride something obviously built to go places others would struggle walking. Freshly ploughed fields and soft sand that no other bike would manage? Short work on a fat bike! 

There are two problems with eMTBs, even with fat tyres. The first is traditional bike derailleurs are not designed for mud. You get a lump in them and soon enough it chews the thing up and bends it. Yes, you could always spend £1,200 on a Rohloff in-hub gearbox but come on! That’s quite an upgrade on any e-bike… 

The other is you need to pedal. When it comes to hills or any decent distance this can take away from the fun of thrashing about the countryside! 

A Fat Bike Without Pedals? 

Without burning calories yet still being able to enjoy blasting around the countryside, you could always buy a Volcon Grunt! Ok, with a top speed of 35mph you’ll hardly see the scenery disappear in a blur, but with its 75 mile (extended) range it does mean you can get a fair distance in a ride. Put in perspective, you might do 3mph on foot and an average of 7-8mph on harder terrain by e-bike. 

As to gears? Other than the three forward electrical power settings and one reverse, there’s no mechanical gears to get gummed up and destroyed by mud. 

The Grunt and its baby brother the Runt are a great way of getting out there to do your thing. If you’re a fisherman and know of a spot that others may struggle to get to? Off you go at dawn for a day getting your salmon or trout… 

At a similar price to a top end eMTB this is the sort of machine you can use without needing the experience and expertise of all the gadgets those come with (tuning air sprung forks, playing with the damper and so on). 

Tech Specs 

These are no e-bikes. A big battery on an e-bike is now around 700Wh - the Grunt’s standard one is 2kWh, or roughly three times the capacity. The motor? 2kW, or roughly eight times the UK legal maximum output for an e-bike. 

The low slung, exo-arch frame is light yet solid, and the motorbike can take up to 400lbs (181kg) and tow up to 750lbs (340lbs). One of the accessories (for fishing or poaching, er hum, sorry - gamekeeping!) is a trailer to take out in the wilds. 

It is designed to be easy to ride and easy to get back up should you fall off. That means for those who want to get right out in the sticks, here is a silent machine that will do the job nicely, without perhaps the same effect on the land that Hummer EV or other electric car might. 

UK Law and Motorbikes 

Though Volcon are selling internationally, you need to remember that with the power and size of the Grunt (and lack of pedals on the lower powered Runt), these fit squarely in the legal definition of electric motorbikes in UK law. That means you will have to get it registered with the DVLC, fix a number plate and have things like road legal lights to operate it on anything other than privately owned land. It will also require motorcycle insurance. 

You may have been to the right school and know a few lads or lasses with comfortable estates or farms where you can go fishing or hunting? Everyone needs one of those! In that case you can pay them a visit and go play. Don’t go buying one to play in the local council estate as the police will love to talk motorbikes with you as they confiscate it!