Falcon Turbine Electric Mountain Bike Review vs Claud Butler Ridge 1.0

The Falcon Turbine is, at £899.99 (RRP £999.99), the cheapest electric mountain bike we sell. It's a 2026 model with a 120mm suspension fork, 27.5" wheels, a 368Wh integrated battery, mechanical disc brakes and a claimed 40-mile range. The obvious question is whether you should spend the extra £150 on the Claud Butler Ridge 1.0 at £1,049.99 (RRP £1,399.99) in Medium — the bike we gave 4/5 in our Ridge 1.0 review and still rate as the best budget e-MTB in the shop.

This is for riders who want a bit of electric help on bridleways, forest tracks and rough commutes, without spending £2,000. Both come built and safety-checked in our Shrewsbury workshop, so this is a spanner-in-hand comparison rather than a brochure.

Verdict at a glance

Falcon Turbine: 3.5/5 — A properly equipped e-MTB for under £900: 120mm fork, 35Nm hub motor, integrated battery, discs, 1x7 gears. The steel frame and Tourney drivetrain are where the money's been saved. Superb value for light trails and rough commutes; the Ridge is the better mountain bike.

Key specs

The Turbine on its own terms

Strip the badge off and the Turbine's spec sheet reads like a bike that should cost more. The Motinova rear hub motor is rated at 35Nm — that's actually higher than the Bafang unit in the Ridge — and drives through five assist levels plus walk assist, with the UK-legal 15.5mph cut-off. The 36V 10.2Ah battery (368Wh) is integrated into the down tube rather than bolted on, which is rare at this money and makes a big difference to how the bike looks and how it balances. Falcon claim up to 40 miles per charge and a five-hour charge time, the same figures as the Ridge.

You get a 120mm-travel suspension fork, Repute mechanical disc brakes on 160mm rotors, and 27.5 x 2.35" Ralson Vector tyres with tan sidewalls — the same tyre size and pattern as the Ridge. The KD58C display shows battery level, speed, distance and trip time. It comes in one size, recommended for 5'4" to 6'2", and weighs 21.5kg.

Falcon's own line is that it's "built around a strong steel frame ... made to handle everyday use and a mix of riding conditions." Read that carefully: it's an honest description. This is a bike for towpaths, bridleways, forest fire roads and the rough end of a commute, not for the black runs at Cannock.

Where the £150 goes: Turbine vs Ridge 1.0

Line them up in the workshop and the differences are exactly where you'd expect a manufacturer to save money on a sub-£900 e-bike.

Frame. The Turbine is steel; the Ridge is 6061 aluminium. Weight ends up similar (21.5kg vs 21kg) because the Ridge carries a slightly bigger battery and more hardware, but the alloy frame is stiffer under power and doesn't rust where the paint chips. Steel is fine, and some riders like the feel — just keep it clean if you ride in winter.

Drivetrain. This is the big one. The Turbine runs Shimano Tourney 1x7; the Ridge runs Shimano Altus 8-speed with an 11–40T wide-range cassette. That 40T bottom gear on the Ridge matters on steep, loose climbs where a hub motor is doing its least useful work. Tourney is perfectly serviceable — we set up dozens a week — but it's the entry-level group and it shows in shift feel.

Fork. Both are 120mm, but the Ridge's has a hydraulic lockout so you can firm it up for road sections. The Turbine page doesn't list a lockout, so assume there isn't one.

Brakes. Repute mechanical discs on the Turbine against JAK7 mechanical discs with semi-metallic pads on the Ridge. Both are cable-operated 160mm systems; in our experience the JAK7s have a firmer lever feel out of the box.

Battery. 368Wh vs 375Wh — negligible. The Ridge's is specified as removable with keys and uses Panasonic cells; the Turbine page confirms integration but not the cell brand, so we won't guess.

Sizing. The Turbine is one size for 5'4"–6'2". The Ridge comes in Medium and Large. If you're at either end of that height range, the Ridge will fit you better.

Motor. Here the Turbine actually wins on paper: 35Nm vs 32Nm. Both are rear hub motors, both cut at 15.5mph, both have walk assist. In practice the Ridge's lower gearing makes more of its motor on climbs than the Turbine's extra 3Nm does.

Which one should you buy?

If your riding is mostly canal towpath, gravel track and pot-holed lane, with the odd bridleway, the Turbine does the job for £150 less and you'll struggle to feel the difference at 15mph on the flat. It's also the cheaper bike to put through Cycle to Work: at 32–42% off, the Turbine comes in around £520–£610 depending on your tax band, versus roughly £610–£715 for the Ridge Medium.

If you'll ride proper off-road trails, climb steep stuff regularly, or want the bike to last several winters, the Ridge 1.0 is worth the extra. The alloy frame, Altus 8-speed with 11–40T, lockout fork and two frame sizes are all things you'll appreciate every ride, not just on paper. It's why the Ridge scored 4/5 in our review.

Who is it for?

Falcon Turbine — good for:

• First e-MTB buyers who want the lowest sensible entry price
• Rough commutes, towpaths, forest roads and family trail centres (blue routes)
• Riders 5'4"–6'2" who fit the one-size frame
• Cycle to Work buyers with a tight budget cap

Falcon Turbine — not for:

• Steep, technical climbing (1x7 Tourney runs out of gears)
• Riders who want a lockout or hydraulic brakes
• Anyone outside 5'4"–6'2"

Alternatives

• Claud Butler Ridge 1.0 Medium — £1,049.99 (RRP £1,399.99). The benchmark. Large is £1,217.99.
• Claud Butler Ridge 2.0 — £1,409.99 (RRP £1,649.99). Back in stock in both sizes at the time of writing, and the step up if you want a 45Nm motor and hydraulic brakes.
• Falcon Horizon Cross Bar — £1,107.99 (RRP £1,299.99). If most of your miles are on tarmac, the Horizon's alloy frame, 80mm lockout fork, Altus gears, mudguards and rack make it the better tool. Compared in full in our Falcon electric hybrid guide.
• See our Best Electric Bikes Under £1,100 for the full cross-brand line-up.

Final verdict

The Falcon Turbine at £899.99 is a genuinely well-equipped electric mountain bike for the money: integrated 368Wh battery, 35Nm hub motor, 120mm fork, disc brakes, 2.35" tyres and a 40-mile claimed range. It gets 3.5/5 from us because the steel frame, Tourney 1x7 and one-size fit are real compromises rather than cosmetic ones. The Claud Butler Ridge 1.0 at £1,049.99 is the better mountain bike, and if you can stretch to it — especially via Cycle to Work — that's where our money would go. If you can't, the Turbine won't leave you feeling short-changed on the towpath.

Both are safety-checked in our Shrewsbury workshop, delivered free across the UK with a 12-month warranty and 90-day no-quibble returns. Both qualify for 32–42% off through Bike2Work or Cycle to Work.

Check the Falcon Turbine price → Check the Ridge 1.0 price → Shop all Falcon bikes → Shop all Claud Butler bikes →

More from the blog

• Claud Butler Ridge 1.0 Review: The Best Budget Electric Mountain Bike?
• Best Electric Bikes Under £1,100 (2026) | Dawes vs Falcon vs Claud Butler
• Electric Bikes Explained: Are They Worth It?

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