Bonnie’s been riding the wheels off the RFN SX-E500, and one month on from her bog queen antics, it’s the swappable battery setup that’s impressed us most.

It’s fair to say Bonnie has claimed the RFN SX-E500 as her own from her brother. She rides it every week, whether she’s ripping around the family farm or carving through the pockets of green space around Sydney. The beauty of the SX-E500 is its versatility — light and quiet enough to be used in urban parks (where permitted), but tough enough to hold its own on grassy paddocks, dirt trails, and even through the odd creek bed.

But what’s made this little electric bike a genuine game-changer for us is the battery system. The battery can be charged in or out of the bike, which means we can keep Bonnie riding without any major downtime. While she’s out doing laps on the SX-E500, we use the EcoFlow portable power station we’ve been testing to charge the second battery. By the time she runs one flat, the second is almost fully charged and ready to go.

It’s made continuous riding possible — a huge bonus when you’ve got a rider who doesn’t want to stop. And with ride times varying between one and two hours depending on the terrain and mode, it’s rare that we ever run into an actual dead battery.

We adjust the ride mode depending on the terrain. If it’s bumpy or tight, we go with the slowest mode to help keep things smooth and safe. But when it’s flat and fast, we crank it into fast mode, and Bonnie absolutely flies. The fact she’s able to comfortably use all three modes now shows just how much she’s progressed as a rider.

The RFN SX-E500 continues to hold up brilliantly under weekly use, and we haven’t had a single mechanical issue since fitting the upgraded chain last month. It’s one of the few kids’ bikes we’ve tested that genuinely fits into our weekly riding routine without needing constant attention.

We’ll keep logging hours and see how everything else fairs.

Mitch Lees

RFN SX-E500
RRP
$1899
WARRANTY
1 year
DISTRIBUTOR
RFN Bike
INTERNET
rfnbike.com.au

SO FAR
TOTAL HOURS
22

MODS THIS MONTH
None