Bakcou Storm or Bakcou Mule - A Comparison Review

Bakcou, based out of Ogden Utah have quickly become the go to for high performance electric bikes for hunting.  The owners Bryan & Dave are hunters themselves and set out to develop the best ebike for hunting ever made.  Based on their fast growing popularity among hunters it’s hard to dispute their claims.

They produce a few different bikes built with specific terrain mind but I’m going to specifically look at the two best ebikes.  The Bakcou Storm & The Bakcou Mule.  I am often asked which is best, the Storm or the Mule so I am going to break down that argument here and hopefully give some clarity to you, so when you’re looking at both models are trying to figure out which is best for your needs, this should answer it.

 

I won’t get too in depth with the individual components. Rather I’ll go over the best use cases for both so you can get a real world picture of how they are used.  The good news is, the high end components Bakcou use are on both bikes so we don’t need to make a list and compare like for like.

 

Let’s take a look at the Bakcou Storm first

The Bakcou Storm

 

The Storm is pretty much the full suspension version of the Mule. The Storm has a beefier frame so it weighs a few pounds more and when riding it, it feels very solid, like a tank.

The smallest battery option is a large 17.4Ah lithium battery built with long lasting cells that slowly release energy so you get as much range as possible.

Most ebikes come with a standard 14.5Ah battery so the entry level battery on the Storm already offers more range. Larger batteries are available as an upgrade to the standard price.

The Storm is powered by the best mid drive motor on the market. The Bafang Ultra motor with all steel gears, It has 160Nm of torque so it climbs like a mountain goat and can pull a fully loaded trailer without feeling it.

The only downside of the Storm, since it is a full suspension, if you need to pack out the rear rack with a lot of weight either on the rack or in the pannier bags, to avoid bouncing, you should lock out the rear suspension. Making it a hardtail.

 

 

Now let’s look at the Bakcou Mule

The Bakcou Mule

 

 

The Mule was the original Bakcou ebike and has been the most sold electric hunting bike for 2 years straight ( so Bakcou claim ). I wouldn’t be surprised, I have sold more Mules in the last 2 years than any other model, and by a longshot too.

The Mule is so well received because it too has that Bafang Ultra motor so can reach elevation easily. And since it’s a hardtail (just front suspension) you can pack it out with weight and the Mule can take it.  Aptly named I dare say.  The front suspension is air suspension so it’s very smooth. Up until recently the Mule started with a 14.5Ah battery but as of June 2021 the smallest battery as standard is the 17.4Ah and has the option to upgrade to even larger batteries.

The mule weighs approx.. 70lbs which is about right for a solid built frame designed to be put to the test offroad.  The Mule (as well as the Storm) has Maxxis Minion tires with directional knobs. The front tire has knobs pointing is a specific direction and the rear tire too has directional knobs, so when the soil under the tires is loose the tires get extra traction.  So coupled with the 160Nm of torque from the motor and directional knobby tires, it makes climbing easy and fun.

 

 

Both the Storm and the Mule having that Bafang Ultra motor, Bakcou did something very clever.  The derestricted the motor.  Before when you chose a 750 watt motor it would be a 750 watt motor. The same for the 1000 watt motor. Which is the norm.  However by derestricting the 1000 watt motor they put the 1000 watt motor on all Mules and Storms. Why is that something to be excited about?

With other brands, if you order an ebike with a 750 watt motor the copper coils inside the motor are just wide enough to send enough amps of power through the coils to create 750 watts of power. Which translates to 20mph top speed.
The 1000 watt motor, needing more power, has slightly thicker copper coils to allow the extra power. And top speed is usually around 28mph.

 

Since Bakcou derestrict their 1000 watt motors and put them on all the Storms and Mules, you can change the setting right from the digital display on the handlebars. Yu can set it to 750 watts when you need to stay within some state limits or you can increase it to 1500 watts and get 35mph top speed. 
So you get the best of both worlds and can toggle between power output based on your requirements.

 

Why Choose The Bakcou Storm?

The Storm is for anyone that wants the best and toughest ebike and doesn’t mind locking out the rear suspension shock when packing out a heavy load, and wants the more comfortable ride of a full suspension.
The Storm is a 19" frame and has a standover height of 30.5cm so if you're 5'9" or above you can ride it comfortably.

 

Why Choose The Mule?

The Mule is for anyone that doesn’t need or care for the rear shock and is only interested in performance. The Mule is also about $1,000 cheaper and about 7lbs lighter.

The Mule comes is a couple different variations to suit riders of all heights.
The standard frame is an 18" frame with a standover height of 29". But you can get the same size Mule with a step through design. They lowered the crossbar by 3" to bring the standover height down. And if that's still not short enough, the Mule step through model also comes with 24" in case the regualr 26" wheels keeps it too high for the shorter rider.

 

Which Bakcou bike do you prefer?