cat0020

If you have a 80's Dahon as pictured, likely will be difficult to convert to a standard (modern) stem.
Probably get better suggestion if you post a picture of your Dahon, or seek advise in the Folding Bike forums.

cat0020

Lectric XP 2.0 Step-thru arrive today, ordered back in ARP 2021 for $899
The 20 x 3.0 tires doesn't feel as sluggish as fat tire.
The reach on the bike is longer than most folding bike that I've owned, I think the hidden battery is the reason.
I only had time to take it on a short 1/2 mile ride, 20 mph throttle speed limit, 5 level PAS, very similar to my other 20" fat tire folder.
I think it's a good value for the price.

2old

That's what the front of my Dahon is like, and unless they made some sort of conversion system, it wouldn't be feasible to adapt a "standard" front end. Thought about sawing off the head tube and welding on a new one since it's steel, but too much work (for me), probably. That Lectric looks like a good deal.

cat0020

Put approx. 15 miles on the Lectric Step-thru, feels like a good compromise between the rugged, fat tire folding e-bike & narrower tire 20"x 2/125 tire folding e-bikes.
Difference in wheelbase & overall length makes the Lectric's ride feel more like a regular size bicycle with higher speed capability & well built to handle the extra stress.
It's a good value for the price, I'm still waiting for the front cargo rack to arrive from Lectric.

homeless in ca.

I just bought a folding e-bike. Since I am on a budget and was looking at used bikes I could not afford to be too fussy. I would have preferred a 500 watt mid drive but I got a really good deal on this 350 watt rear hub and am satisfied with my purchase. The bike climbs hills well enough and the top speed is sufficient.

My non negotiable requirement was that I need a bike that folds and is rugged enough for daily use. And this bike delivers. It's very solid and no lightweight. And it can still fold and fit in the back seat of my truck.

It's not yet a daily driver because the range is insufficient. I'm only getting about 20 miles to a charge. This is beyond the control of the manufacturer IMO. Part of the problem is that my bike is geared too low. At top speed I can't pedal fast enough to keep up with the bike. Which means I"m letting the motor do all the work. From what I've read this is because manufacturers prefer freewheels to be more reliable. Riders who want a harder gear to go faster have to modify their bikes themselves. So before buying a bike I'd suggest looking into how it's geared and what mods are possible.

Going back to range the other feature I would like is the ability to run two or more batteries in parallel. I need to get at least one or two extra batteries to make this bike a daily driver. But running two batteries simultaneously gives you more miles per charge than running the batteries individually. And I also want the ability to charge both batteries simultaneously with a smart charger.

If I had my choice of new bikes I'd almost certainly go for one with dual batteries to give me that extra range. But I plan on adding that feature myself.

Calsun

The advantage for the end user with a folding bike is that it comes completely assembled. Unpack it and unfold it and it is ready to ride. The disadvantage with the majority of e-bikes, folding and non folding ones, is their weight. I had bought two folding e-bikes that were Class II and had great range and power but each had 4" wide tires and weighed nearly 70 lbs or 140 lbs in total. The wide tires and the weight meant only a very few special platform type hitch mounted bike racks would work. Even with the 1UP rack I had to make modifications for the fat tires and modified a motorcycles ramp to use for loading the bikes. I sold them and bought non-folding ones that each weigh 27 lbs and still will be using the 1Up rack but without the fat tire modifications.

For RV use a concern is both the weight of the bikes and how to keep them from being stolen from the rack while the RV is parked for any period of time. There are measures one can take but they are not completely effective and so we will continue to use our standard road bikes with the motorhome. These bikes are covered by our regular insurance policies whereas the new e-bikes would cost us nearly $900 a year to insure against theft.

cat0020

Micro, chain-less, ebikes that I ordered back in late JUN 2021 had finally arrived this week:

Sempervee

Nothing to add since it has all been addressed but as an investor I can tell you that the elegance built of RAD bikes and being Best of Breed along with great customer service is a benefit to being happy. Only Lectric is the other I can recommend from friends who have them but the quilt quality is not as robust as RAD. If RAD were a public company I would be buying stock. They are the current Best of Breed of the wild wild west of the early and very evolving ebike market that has continued to grow. I think the Rad City 5 is one of their best new products. We have both Mini's and City Ebikes. Their supply chain is getting much better and their growth is exponential. WHY they stay in the lead is they really are great at customer service. The few problems I had were rapidly addressed via warranty. The handling of the bigger wheels is much nice on the city bike while the 20 inchers are the smallest I would recommand for anyone as they and especially smaller get very squirelly and too quick to relax while riding We have gone 40 miles on our folders but appreciate the long legs of the larger wheels on the City non folding bikes.

linberl

As someone who only owns folders, I can see the motivation for folding e-bikes is very different from regular folder riders. Most regular folder riders do so because of the ease of multi-modal transportation or travel packing, and these e-folders don't really fit those requirements.
Too heavy by far. Seems like mostly they are less expensive options compared to regular e-bikes that people choose. Not a bad thing, just interesting to me. Regular folder riders obsess over the ride quality of their bikes first and foremost as they are often used for touring and very long rides, and then become weight weenies. The e-folders are used very differently it seems. Almost a completely different class of folder. It's really interesting to see how the addition of commercial motors has developed a new design and target audience. I wonder if it will lead those people to ever try regular folders.

2old

e-fat folders are a new class developed by companies since I don't recall ever seeing a pedal-fat folder. At a weight of 60 -75 pounds or so, difficult to throw in the trunk of a car for many people, and the frame design makes them infeasible for bike carriers except hitch racks that "capture" the tires.

Sempervee

So True of also the standard folding bike also. I am very strong and even for me a guy with muscles few will be schelpping them up stairs or swinging up into the back of a PU at 60-70 lbs.

kimguroo

Fiido X lite ebike.
250w hub motor, Torque sensor without a throttle feature, 7 speed, mechanical disk brake.
paid for $899 from indiegogo crowdfunding project. It included shipping and tax.
it was supposed to deliver on September but delayed.
Fortunately I received the bike on Christmas Eve so in time for Christmas.

My first ebike.
it’s a folding bike.
wow. It’s just too easy to ride. Feel like cheating haha

unboxing video.

Calsun

The Fiido looks brilliant and at 38 lbs it is relatively light for an e-bike. At 35Nm this is not going to be good for hills but fine on the flats. Main concern for my own use it the lack of a bike rack or any kind. What I liked about the electric trail bikes I had bought was that they had a very strong rear rack that would support panniers with groceries or my photo backpack.

There appears to be free shipping for normal ground shipping of these bikes and being less than 40 lbs and smallish shipping box it keeps the shipping cost down.

The last folding e-bikes I bought came with expansive foam packaging that ended up in the landfill. How was your box packed?

kimguroo

Watch the linked video above.
I started the video with the box haha. It came with a regular bike box. Actually it was slightly bigger than my road bike box.
This is my first ebike and very surprised that 7 speed can do fairly well with hills. So far I did not go demanding hills yet but I don’t think I will have issues. My subdivision has decent hills but I can climb without changing any gear at all with level 1 assistance.

cat0020

Looks like the Fiido is on sale:
https://sport.woot.com/offers/fiido-...f=w_cnt_wp_0_2

Calsun

7 speeds are adequate if the front chainring is small enough. Smaller front chainrings are easier on the motor and chain as well with less torque being applied.

Few of the e-bikes are designed for serious use as they lack strong rear racks for panniers or even a way to attach an after market bike rack by providing bosses in the frame. I bought the Yamee bikes in large part due to their having very strong rear racks that could support a 50 lbs. load. This is why I would favor a bike like the Blix Vika+ over the Fiido bikes.

bretsteve

I am looking a designer, which will design a anime logo on my bike. You get logo from this site.

LondonTourer

There are several options in Europe. These two are both Bosch with IGH and Gates belt:

1. Victoria folding 7.6

2. Hercules Futura Fold

linberl

I use a Burley Travoy with my folding bike (with e-assist). Can easily pull 60lbs with fantastic tracking; becomes my shopping cart in the store. That means I don't have to have the added weight of racks on the bike itself so it is super light, easy to carry up stairs, etc. And I can even attach the folded bike to the trailer and roll it if I want.

twohsieh

does anyone DIY build an folding electric, thats really all i have done.

LondonTourer

@twohsieh Check out Heinzman electric bike motors/components. Levt.us is the US distributor. Also there are plenty of Bafang installers.

LondonTourer

Two more European foldable electric models:

• Gudereit EC-40 EVO Foldo E-Bike
• KTM Macina Fold

Both use Bosch/Gates carbon belt.

LondonTourer

Lastly, other foldables available in the UK: Brompton, GoCycle and Hummingbird.

tds101 

I just ordered a Qualisports Dolphin myself. I can't wait for it to arrive.

cat0020

Try out the OEM seat.
It was ok for me on shorter rides,
running errands, on & off the bike frequently.
But if I spend more than 45 min on it,
I’d want more comfortable saddle.