Puckipuppy's Labrador Pro is a great city prowler, but you might need to get a trailer for your fur baby.
William Roberson
I’ve seen some e-bikes makers with unusual names, but when I got an email offering to review e-bikes from a company called “Puckipuppy,” I figured someone was pulling my leg. Was it April 1st? Nope. Was it that old college roommate who loves to prank me? He laughed out loud when I told him the company’s name, so it wasn’t him. So I looked them up, and there the bikes were on the Puckipuppy website. But seriously: “Puckipuppy?”
I reached out to the company’s marketing manager for the lowdown on the name. “Puckipuppy was inspired by the energy, loyalty, and joyful spirit of a happy puppy,” he said. “We wanted our bikes to capture the same sense of companionship and fun that dogs bring to every adventure.” As a proud poppa to a happy furbaby (Cosmos, above), that made sense. The bikes, appropriately called the Labrador Pro and the GoldenR ("Retriever") Pro, looked like good fun, too.
The GoldenR Pro (left) and Labrador Pro are both full suspension fat tire bikes with powerful motors and big batteries.
William Roberson
Both the Labrador Pro and GoldenR Pro are full-suspension fat-tire machines with big frames, big tires, big tractor-type seats and big power. The Labrador Pro is driven by an 1100-Watt peak rear hub motor powered by a 48-Volt, 20 Amp-hour battery said to be good for 80 miles of range. The GoldenR Pro is also a full-suspension e-bike, but it uses a different suspension layout and it also features selectable single or two-wheel drive modes. There is a motor in each hub of the Golden R Pro. Hydraulic disc brakes scrub off speed, and riders can lock out the front suspension on both bikes if so desired.
The display module removes easily and adds a layer of theft resistance, but do use a lock as well.
William Roberson
Both bikes feature a unique removable display (above) that also functions as the ”key" to the bikes. Simply pinch the display base to remove it and the bikes are rendered inert electrically. You can still pedal them manually, but at 86 pounds for the Labrador Pro and 93 pounds for the GoldenR Pro, you’ll need to be a Strongman Competition type to go any real distance on just pedal power, let alone up any hill. Still, adding in a lock, like the Litelok X1, is probably a good idea to keep it from straying.
Puckipuppy included a coil lock, rearview mirrors, phone mounts, water bottle cages, rear racks, fenders, and motorcycle-style covers in the box. Both bikes feature very bright dual-beam front LED headlights, rear racks, plus LED tail lights with both brake lights and turn signals. Helical-type bike bells also come pre-installed.
The Labrador Pro came with most everything you need for a long ride, including mirrors, lights and more.
William Roberson
I started out on the $1,499 Labrador Pro, which arrived with a frame painted bright see-it-from-space orange. After a short, simple setup and a battery charge, I puttered around the neighborhood to test the gearing and other functions. A few things, like fenders and some handlebar-mounted parts, needed tightening, which is not unusual. Buyers should always thoroughly check any e-bike if they are assembling it themselves, or swing by a bike shop and have them look it over. Both bikes are Class 2/3 with a thumb throttle to 20 mph and pedal assist to 28 mph.
Once familiarized, I cruised around the neighborhood on the Labrador Pro and while it’s big and heavy (like the test rider), it’s also smooth-riding and powerful. Tapping the assist level to 5 (of 5) and adding in some pedal pressure had the Labrador Pro going a bit over 28 mph right quick, and the ride was supple over pavement. Only the front suspension has any adjustability, but suffice to say, the setup out of the box was just right for cruising on pavement.
The Labrador Pro handlebar is a busy place with mirrors, display, phone holder, control pad, gear shifter and thumb throttle.
William Roberson
Heading to my hill test, the Labrador Pro had no trouble climbing the fairly steep mile-long ascent on thumb throttle alone, thanks to the big rear 750-Watt hub motor that peaks at 1,350 Watts when a bit more juice is required. Adding in pedaling had me heading uphill at a steady 25 mph, the tires humming across the pavement. Heading down the hill, the Labrador Pro topped 35 mph with a gravity assist and the suspension soaked up some rough pavement with no complaints. The disc brakes scrubbed off speed quickly with no noise or drama. No matter the speed on mostly smooth pavement, the Labrador Pro remains composed and very comfortable.
Wandering over to a forest path in a park near my house, the Labrador Pro’s suspension system begins to show its limits. Rocky passages reveal the generic fork is under-damped and when the front wheel leaves the ground, even briefly as when topping a small obstacle, it clunks loudly into its extension limit. This is common with this generic fork and to be clear, the Labrador Pro is not a mountain bike, it’s a burly cruiser that can traverse most any terrain within common-sense limits. If you want high performance off-pavement, get an electric mountain bike.
Out in the wilds of central Oregon, the GoldenR Pro was up to the challenge of barely-there roads, dust, rocks and sagebrush.
William Roberson
To be clear, the Puckipuppy GoldenR Pro is not a Labrador Pro with a motor added to the front wheel. While both have parts in common, the GoldenR Pro uses a different frame, different rear suspension and different motor(s). Since it does have the two motors, it also makes markedly more power, with Puckipuppy saying the $1,999 GoldenR Pro utilizes a front motor with 640 Watts at peak and a rear hub motor with 960 Watts peak for a total of 1,600 watts peak output. As such, it gets up to speed quickly in either one or two-wheel drive mode. One standout feature of the GoldenR Pro is a small switch on left bar that lets riders instantly switch between rear-only and two-wheel drive modes instead of having to dig through menus or hold a mystery button down for several seconds. Simplicity for the win.
I took the camo-covered GoldenR Pro into the Oregon backcountry and pointed it up a dirt two-track to see how it performed, and I was not disappointed. Like the Labrador Pro, the front fork is a bit underdamped, so I slowed down a bit, which was a good choice in the rough terrain. At one point, I navigated a dry riverbed with deep sand and rocks in standover mode and two-wheel drive. The twin motors and 4-inch-wide tires dutifully churned away up the fairly steep grade. That put a lot of demand on the big battery, but the bike never hesitated or went into thermal protection, despite it being a fairly warm day. And it had plenty of juice to get back to home base, which was several miles away down some dusty two-track.
Note the second motor in the front hub. The suspension system is also different from the Labrador Pro.
Puckipuppy
Out on the pavement, the GoldenR Pro’s cantilever rear suspension had an edge over the Labrador Pro’s direct action suspension but only just. The biggest advantage it has is acceleration and hill-climbing ability due to the two motors. And again, the handlebar button for switching between one and two-wheel drive is like having a secret second transmission onboard.
Like the Labrador Pro, the GoldenR Pro features a comfortable beach-cruiser-style saddle, a bright dual-element LED headlight, and roomy ergonomics that make urban riding a breeze. The rear suspension is not adjustable, but it worked well out of the box, and someone much lighter than I am who took it for a spin also said it was a smooth ride. The front fork can lock out, but I never felt compelled to do so.
The dual front LED headlights do a good job lighting up the area ahead of the bikes.
William Roberson
These both are fun, affordable e-bikes that offer real value and performance and come from a stable company. These bikes are intended as do-all, all-around rides without too much specialization, but if you are a hunter or backwoods trail explorer, the GoldenR Pro is your best choice, while city riders looking for a stout, powerful, and comfortable urban dozer would do well with the Labrador Pro.
I’d like to see the display include battery power as a percentage and beefier brakes, especially on the more rapid and off-road-oriented GoldenR Pro. There’s a lot of weight to slow, especially with a big rider like me on board. They worked fine as is, but the GoldenR Pro’s rotors got pretty hot on my off-road excursion. Thicker rotors might do the trick. Also, the included mirrors were borderline useless and sagged during rough riding, but even mediocre mirrors are better than no mirrors.
Otherwise, riders looking for solid go-anywhere capability and a comfortable perch for commuting or just bopping around the city (or farm or woods) would do well to give these pups a go. Fetch!
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Labrador Pro features
Tires26.0" x 4.0" Fat tires
DisplayLCD Color
BrakesHydraulic Disc Brakes
ChainCorrosion-Resistant Chain
Crank Set170mm Forged Alloy
Derailleur8-speed Shimano
Front Fork110mm Adjustable Suspension
Frame6061 Aluminum Alloy
GearingDirect Mount 1-8 Speed, Black
ThrottleThumb Throttle
HandlebarCustomized Aluminum Alloy
KickstandSturdy Aluminum Alloy
RimsAluminum Alloy
SaddlePadded leather
SensorTorque and Cadence Sensor
Spokes12 Gauge Front and 12 Gauge Rear
GoldenR Pro Key Features:
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