Originally Posted by
The7
Recently bought a new Schwinn foldable AL 1020 from CT. This e-bike could do a range of 40 km with partial pedalling. The max speed on flat without pedalling is about 20 km/h. This bike seems to be well-built but a bit on the heavy side althought the frame is of 6061 Aluminum. It weights 60 lb with an 24V 12Ah SLA battery pack and 40 lb without battery.
There is no gear-change for pedalling. So it is difficult to pedal to assist the motor when the speed is over 20 km/h.
I have another MTB bike (not e-bike) with 7005 Aluminum frame with 21 gears. I could pedal it faster than the e-bike on flat.
What is the difference between 6061 and 7005 aluminum?
7005 is the strongest aluminum-it is a high silicon alloy. It is unweldable, but brazable. Usually lug assembly of the frame is used in view of the non-weldability, but there has been an increase in brazing on mountain bikes with this material lately.
6061 is the strongest weldable aluminun alloy.
If your folder were made of 7005, it would be between 1 and 2 lbs lighter than 6061 construction. Most of the added weight is due you batteries and motor.