Considering a Folding E-Bike

[Rickshaw Phil]

Mod note:

In light of comments upthread i'll just drop in this reminder for everyone to keep it nice. Please be welcoming to new members and bear in mind that their experience and expectations are likely to be different to your own, so keep advice useful and to the point.

If you do suspect shenanigans, a note to the mods so that we can look into it would be preferable to accusations in thread.

Thanks.

 

[Pale Rider]

https://www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/stow-e-way/


Also this one, any thoughts on this?

The TransX motor on the Raleigh was temporarily withdrawn from sale due to incurable unreliability.

I see the motor is now described as 'new', which may mean the system has finally been sorted.

The Decathlon looks a better bet, cheaper, and there's no reason to think the basic hub motor installation will not be reliable, although it will be 'no name' Chinese.

A point against the Decathlon is that it runs at 24 volts, which means the motor will be weaker than the more modern designs which run at 36 volts.

Might not be a problem if you are not tackling steep hills or if you can put in a fair amount of effort yourself.

Your proposed daily mileage of 30 miles could be another problem, and will certainly be at the realistic limit of the Decathlon bike, unless you can manage on the lowest power setting.

From 12 years of ebiking experience, I think it unlikely you will comfortably be able to lug any ebike on and off a train twice a day in rush hour.

Hopefully, you can prove me wrong about that, but you really need to at least handle, lift, and carry any prospective purchase.

 

[1lor]

The TransX motor on the Raleigh was temporarily withdrawn from sale due to incurable unreliability.

I see the motor is now described as 'new', which may mean the system has finally been sorted.

The Decathlon looks a better bet, cheaper, and there's no reason to think the basic hub motor installation will not be reliable, although it will be 'no name' Chinese.

A point against the Decathlon is that it runs at 24 volts, which means the motor will be weaker than the more modern designs which run at 36 volts.

Might not be a problem if you are not tackling steep hills or if you can put in a fair amount of effort yourself.

Your proposed daily mileage of 30 miles could be another problem, and will certainly be at the realistic limit of the Decathlon bike, unless you can manage on the lowest power setting.

From 12 years of ebiking experience, I think it unlikely you will comfortably be able to lug any ebike on and off a train twice a day in rush hour.

Hopefully, you can prove me wrong about that, but you really need to at least handle, lift, and carry any prospective purchase.

Yeah when I was riding my bike daily at speed (the pic I posted is my bike), i carried my bike up 3 or 4 flights of stairs it weighed nearly 14 kgs that was easy. Today because I am not as fit that would be impossible as I don't have the leg muscle density anymore.

No I don't cycle 30 miles but that would be that absolute maximum that I would need as a leisure cyclist it'll be closer to 10 miles for work and the same again for food shopping.

 

[BoldonLad]

Yeah when I was riding my bike daily at speed (the pic I posted is my bike), i carried my bike up 3 or 4 flights of stairs it weighed nearly 14 kgs that was easy. Today because I am not as fit that would be impossible as I don't have the leg muscle density anymore.

No I don't cycle 30 miles but that would be that absolute maximum that I would need as a leisure cyclist it'll be closer to 10 miles for work and the same again for food shopping.

At the risk of repeating myself, I did mention upthread that in my opinion, the weight could be a significant deciding factor. E-Bikes are generally, heavier than their not battery equivalents, because, for one thing, the battery is quite heavy. I have a "Chinese unbranded' Dahon lookalike folder with 20" wheels (no battery). It cost about £200 new (Ebay). It is perfectly fine for riding, I can comfortably do 15-20 miles or so on it. It folds easily, but not particularly small, and, fits in the car (Renault Captur) no problem. But, at 73 years old, I would not like to have to carry it (folded) for more than about 20 metres. Certainly lugging it on and off a train twice a day would not be my idea of fun.

I would echo @Pale Rider ' s advice, it would be wise to actually, at least, handle, lift, and carry any prospective purchase.

In my, admittedly limited, experience, there are two types of folding bicycle; ie those which fold enough to be reasonably portable (eg Brompton, the may be others); those which fold small enough for storage, or, to fit in a car boot. You need to decide what YOU require.

Other than that, I would suggest, you will get a wider range of opinion (but, not necessarily better advice) by googling "folding electric bicycles reviews".

 

[1lor]

Thanks for your advice.

 

[1lor]

Hi all,

I am looking to get https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/brompton/m6l-2021-electric-folding-bike-913875#colcode=91387518 brompton folding ebike.

I went to Evans to have a look, I was quite impressed with it not at all dowdy as I originally thought, they said that it does not come with rear pannier rack which I do need. Is there anything else I should consider putting on the bike or upgrades which would be at my cost? The sales person said the hub is available on 6 speed model not the 2 speed; i'm not sure if that is a problem or why its on one model but not the other, i'd like to know why? The one i viewed had the hub in the rear wheel?

I don't know much about hub only familiar with shimano gearing on an ordinary manual bike. I had read somewhere if you were to push the bike with a hub gear that you get resistance (i think that's what i read)?

Can you use it as a regular bike if i took the battery off?

I'm intending to apply for a loan through energy savings trust to pay for it. Hope someone can assist?

 

[Pale Rider]

The hub motor is in the front wheel, so the rest of the bike is pretty much standard Brompton.

At one time, they offered two and six speed ebikes.

The current choice may be no more than a result of the difficult supply conditions in the bike (and other) trades.

I'm bound to observe the factory eBrompton is an awful lot of money.

Nano have been converting Bromptons for years.

Same basic design, front hub motor with the battery in a Brommie bag.

Some choice in terms of batteries and control systems, which means you could spec the bike more to your commuting needs.

Also the option to convert a late used Brommie which would probably get the job done for about £2,000 - a big difference from £3,250. particularly if you are borrowing the money.

https://www.nanoelectricbikes.co.uk/

 

[1lor]

The hub motor is in the front wheel, so the rest of the bike is pretty much standard Brompton.

At one time, they offered two and six speed ebikes.

The current choice may be no more than a result of the difficult supply conditions in the bike (and other) trades.

I'm bound to observe the factory eBrompton is an awful lot of money.

Nano have been converting Bromptons for years.

Same basic design, front hub motor with the battery in a Brommie bag.

Some choice in terms of batteries and control systems, which means you could spec the bike more to your commuting needs.

Also the option to convert a late used Brommie which would probably get the job done for about £2,000 - a big difference from £3,250. particularly if you are borrowing the money.

https://www.nanoelectricbikes.co.uk/

I'm going down the loan route as there is no interest on it; hopefully i'll be approved. I couldn't pay for £2k outright anyhow, so thought I may as well go for this model. Salesman told me they have a 2 speed model (M2L) and 6 speed model M6L, they said something about the rear hub is to to get more speed (6 speed), is this right?

 

[Drzdave58]

I'm going down the loan route as there is no interest on it; hopefully i'll be approved. I couldn't pay for £2k outright anyhow, so thought I may as well go for this model. Salesman told me they have a 2 speed model (M2L) and 6 speed model M6L, they said something about the rear hub is to to get more speed (6 speed), is this right?

The M6L will give you more gear range which is an advantage, but if you plan on having it electric assisted then a 2 speed would be sufficient i think.

 

[1lor]

The M6L will give you more gear range which is an advantage, but if you plan on having it electric assisted then a 2 speed would be sufficient i think.

Yeah i am not used to hubs, i always prefered to have many gears the 21 speed shimano i had on my other bike wasn't enough for me.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Yeah i am not used to hubs, i always prefered to have many gears the 21 speed shimano i had on my other bike wasn't enough for me.

If you check out the Brilliant Bikes YouTube channel they compare the Electric Bromptons, 2 vs 6 speed. There are several useful videos with tests of range etc.

 

[Pale Rider]

Yeah i am not used to hubs, i always prefered to have many gears the 21 speed shimano i had on my other bike wasn't enough for me.

You seem a bit confused over the gears.

The six speed Brompton is a 3X2 set up, a three speed hub gear and two cogs - all on the rear wheel.

The two speed just has the two cogs.

Two speed is simpler, a bit lighter, and will probably suit the commute, provided it's not very hilly.

 

[1lor]

You seem a bit confused over the gears.

The six speed Brompton is a 3X2 set up, a three speed hub gear and two cogs - all on the rear wheel.

The two speed just has the two cogs.

Two speed is simpler, a bit lighter, and will probably suit the commute, provided it's not very hilly.

If you check out the Brilliant Bikes YouTube channel they compare the Electric Bromptons, 2 vs 6 speed. There are several useful videos with tests of range etc.

Yh I've seen that I would still opt for the 6 speed due to large cost in buying the bike to begin with, where and how I use the bike is likely to change anyhow. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Yh I've seen that I would still opt for the 6 speed due to large cost in buying the bike to begin with, where and how I use the bike is likely to change anyhow. Thanks for the advice.

I think the consensus was to go for a 6 speed even if you live in a flat area. The greater choice of gearing gives a bit more range.
( I'm waiting for the MK2 Electric, I'm hopeful that there's one in development )

 

[1lor]

I think the consensus was to go for a 6 speed even if you live in a flat area. The greater choice of gearing gives a bit more range.
( I'm waiting for the MK2 Electric, I'm hopeful that there's one in development )

I've not come across MK2 Electric before, how does it differ to the one I am considering?