throttle quickly became my guilty
pleasure as I more often opted to
"gas" it around rather than pedal.
At 32-inches, the seat height
is easy to get a leg over and is
recommended for riders as small
as 5'3". The pedals are nice,
too. You get modern Crankbroth-
ers flats that offer plenty of grip
and a nice platform for my size-11
Vans. My only complaint was try-
ing to stand while riding, as the
ergos put your feet way out in
front. This made it a bit awkward
to stand while throttling forward.
Suspension is wonderful.
Riding through bumpy trails,
over potholes and curbs was
much easier than expected. The
suspension soaked up these
There are four pre-pro-
grammed modes (Eco, Tour,
Sport, Super) and each unlocks
more power from Eco on up.
Super73 says the bike has 40-
plus miles of range but will give
you 20 miles at 20 mph under
class-two throttle-only operation,
and around 75 miles using the
class-one pedal-assist mode.
The looks are what really set
this bike apart. Not just from oth-
er electric bikes but from the rest
of the Super73 lineup, too. RSD
stands for Roland Sands Design,
and the uber-cool SoCal bike
builder put his signature touch
on this ride. The RX Malibu
sports a front headlight, number
plates, a gripper-style seat cover,
ODI lock-on grips, and fenders.
Let's not forget the suspension
and knobby tires, too.
The front and rear suspension
is fully adjustable. Up front you'll
find 120mm of travel from an in-
verted coil spring setup with pre-
load and rebound damping. Out
back there's a Fox Float 3 Evol
rear shock. Twenty-inch wheels
are wrapped in knobby Kenda
tires, 4.5 and five inches wide for
the front and rear, respectively.
All this weighs in at 84 pounds
and tops out at a maximum 28
mph in Off-Road mode.
It's easy to spot the classic
moto inspiration. This bike oozes
cool in all the right ways. It's
stylish like a dirt bike, comfort-
able like a beach cruiser, and
possesses the ease of use of a
modern e-bicycle. The thumb
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 25, 2022 P101
RSD X SUPER73-RX
MALIBU ($4800)
FRAME
6061 / 7005 aluminum alloy
BATTERY
960 watt-hours, 21700 cells
TOP SPEED
Class-1 Mode: up to 20 mph (throttle
deactivated, pedal assist only)
Class-2 Mode: up to 20 mph
Class-3 Mode: up to 28 mph (throttle
deactivated, pedal-assist only)
Off-Road Mode: 28 mph+
WEIGHT
84 lbs.
RIMS
20-in. x 100mm alloy with
lightning-bolt cutouts
FRONT TIRE
Kenda Grzly 20 x 4.5 in.
REAR TIRE
Kenda Grzly 20 x 5 in.
BRAKE
Magura, hydraulic, dual piston
FRONT SUSPENSION
Inverted Coil Spring Fork, Adjustable
preload and rebound damping
REAR SUSPENSION
Fox Float 3 Evol Shock w/adjustable
main and Evol air springs
FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL
120mm
HEADLIGHT
600 Lumen LED
CHARGER
3A (6–7-hour charge time)
SEAT HEIGHT
32 in.
A central battery
powers the bike and
can be removed
for charging.
The Super73s
offer an app for
your smartphone.
You can change
power modes
on the fly.
SPECIFIC ATIONS
