Electric folding bike
 

I couldn't find the thread about folding electric bikes, so here is my post:

I was at the Sea Otter Classic today and test rode an electric-assist folding bike that was a blast to ride and could easily be folded and transported over short distance when needed - the best of three worlds! You could pedal with a 6-speed Shimano internal gears, have electric assist if desired, and fold it for transport in a personal motor vehicle or on mass transit in under 15 seconds. The electric assist was from a robust hub motor powered from re-chargeable (and removable) Li-Ion battery. The whole bike weighed under 49 pounds, including battery! You could fold it in under 15 seconds when necessary. The battery was easily removable for recharging and, because it was Li-Ion, could be recharged many times without losing bike and yet maintain a near-full charge even months between usage. The best part was the whole thing was selling for $1500.00 (the Li-Ion battery alone would cost $400.00). I am not a salesperson or shill for this product. I was simply impressed by its value for those who might bike-commute over long distances and/or hilly terrain. This is the manufacturer' s website:
http://www.ecobike-usa.com/vatavio.html

Based on the geometry it looks like it would be a comfortable ride.

I have yet to see an electric bike that doesn't look like an afterthought.

I had a bike (not electric) with a fold just like that one. It could rarely stand up when folded. You had to fiddle with positioning the petals to get it to stand up. If you picked it up and set it down again, you had to repeat. Folding it and having it stand up folded took a couple of minutes.

This the first electric folder I've ever seen let alone test ride, so I've nothing to compare it to. It's no beauty to look at but it does fold relatively quickly in a manner very similar to my Fly By/Dahon, though it does not stand up easily unless care is taken with the pedal position. The ride seems comfortable and the handling assuredly stable (of course, low center of gravity anchored by the 8-1/2 pound battery!). I only rode it perhaps a hundred meters so these are impressions, not a definitive review. The cartridge-style Li-Ion battery is handy to remove for recharge and could conceivably lend itself to power other devices. The bike weighs less without the battery but the hub motor and sturdy construction means its still a hefty folder.

An electric folder is not intended to compete with a Brompton, Tikit, Swift or any other folder. It is not as elegant, compact, lightweight or easily folded. It instead offers the convenience of electric-assist to those interested having that feature combined with a relatively compact, transportable bike form.

Yes, this bike is a little "hefty" for a folding bike, but I feel that this is possibly the best folding electric bike I have ever ridden. In fact I was so impressed with the idea of a folding bike with the electric motor I bought one and now several months later am still as happy as a clam with my Vatavio.

...in the eye of the beholder...I bought an older Birdy Green off craigslist and put a Bionx motor on the back. It still looks good enough to elicit a lot of 'cool bike' comments almost every week for the last 2 years...albeit the majority age range being 14 year old boys...I did have a woman in her 60's say nice bike last week

this link is dead.. do you have another one?

pix?

I am thinking of buying a folder to use for a mixed subway commute during the winter. I consider 29 lb folders a bit heavy for carrying up and down the stairs on the Montreal Metro system, so 49 lb would be totally out of the question. Folders are primarily for short rides toéfrom the bus or train, so I think electric assist is pointles. Electric assist is great for non-athletic riders who want to keep up with fitter partners on longer rides.

I added electric assist to my mountain bike this summer and love it. I retired to the northern US Rockies and found I wasn't riding my bike much because pedaling up the hills was killing my knees. I now ride daily. I'll admit, with SLA batteries, conversion kits add quite a bit of weight to a bike. For a folder, I think it would be critical to spend the money for LIFEPO4 batteries, which are considerably lighter and punch more power in a small configuration (they also can be recharged many more times than SLAs before they loose their capacity). A hub motor will will add weight, but with a LIFEPO4 battery that you can remove and place in a back pack, the weight of a folder shouldn't be increased too much if the original weight of the bike was low.