Foldable electric bikes

[oblio]

I'm guessing it might be sacrilege to ask on here but do any of you have foldable electric bikes or any knowledge of them? If so could you please relate your experiences?

I am toying with either getting one to take away in our motorhome or, if the compromises are too much, getting an electric mountain bike instead which I can use when at home (we live on the edge of a very large forest so I can use the main tracks...not the black runs etc)

Thanks

[Barchettaman]

I have built one, a Dahon Espresso 26” with a Swytch front wheel conversion kit. It has a rigid front fork.

I previously changed the 3x7 drivetrain for a 2x10 Shimano cyclocross one and swapped in Magura hydraulic rim brakes and various other goodies.

I only ever use it for travel commuting as I work away a lot (freelance opera singer). It’s easy to sling in the boot, or train, and I also fly with it.

I wouldn’t use it for anything other than very light trails, canal towpaths, stuff like that.


I also have an e-MTB, a Cube/Bosch, which I use for trail work and commuting from home. It’s obviously much more sturdy and makes more sense for proper trail use.

Edited by Barchettaman on Tuesday 29th December 09:16

[Barchettaman]

I should add, picture 2 shows the Dahon with its original drivetrain. Pic 1 is after I converted it to an, ahem, ‘urban speed bike’.

I’ve seen plenty of motor homes with a
bike rack on the back at waist height. I would imagine you could get a hard tail e-MTB up on to one without risking a hernia.

A proper e-MTB hardtail is such a versatile thing that, unless you absolutely have to travel around with a folder, the ‘normal’ bike makes a strong case for itself.

The many advantages of the folder for me include:

-free travel on all german railways
-I don’t have to book it in on said railways
-I never have to use public transport in any of the cities I visit as I always have the folder with me
-when I take it in the car, I (almost) never have to pay for parking on my travels as I park outside the city and ride in
-I can fly with it as normal luggage with BA
-it fits under the stairs, our outdoor space is full of ‘normal’ bikes, haha

[oblio]

Thanks

I am looking after one ready made tbh as doing what you have done would be beyond me I reckon. I'm also looking to avoid a bike rack on the back of the motorhome as its already nearly 9m long!

[funinhounslow]

I've had a Gocycle for a couple of years and it's been wonderful.

Mine is the GS model which isn't a fast folder - you need to remove the wheels to fold it down - but they now do a fast folding model - the GX.

It really isn't suited to off road use - strictly for tarmac - but it is a pleasure to own with many good ideas - very easy to sort a puncture with the wheels mounted on one side, and the clean drive system means you won't get oil and grease in your motorhome.

British company with outstanding technical support too.

[JJ55]

Brompton do one it’s expensive though. Cheaper way of doing it is getting a regular Brompton & adding a swytch kit.

[vindaloo79]

funinhounslow said:

I've had a Gocycle for a couple of years and it's been wonderful.

Mine is the GS model which isn't a fast folder - you need to remove the wheels to fold it down - but they now do a fast folding model - the GX.

It really isn't suited to off road use - strictly for tarmac - but it is a pleasure to own with many good ideas - very easy to sort a puncture with the wheels mounted on one side, and the clean drive system means you won't get oil and grease in your motorhome.

British company with outstanding technical support too.

Poor mans Go cycle

https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/folding-bi...

[Johnnybee]

My wife owns one of these from Decathlon and for the price it's very good. It doesn't fold as small as a Brompton but it's a third of the price. The wheels are also slightly bigger than a Brompton's so doesn't feel quite as darty. I changed the tyres for something with a slightly more off road tread for when she's riding fire roads etc. They seem to be out of stock at the moment but do reappear now and then.



https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/electric-assistance-...

[henrycrun]

Whats your budget ? The new FLIT looks promising.

[Fer]

JJ55 said:

Brompton do one it’s expensive though. Cheaper way of doing it is getting a regular Brompton & adding a swytch kit.

I am waiting to hear about a Swytch kit for my Brompton. Hoping this will be the best of both worlds.

[JJ55]

It would be the way I would go if I still had my Brompton. Long wait time for the swytch currently but hopefully worth the wait as reviews seem good 👍

[cptsideways]

vindaloo79 said:

funinhounslow said:

I've had a Gocycle for a couple of years and it's been wonderful.

Mine is the GS model which isn't a fast folder - you need to remove the wheels to fold it down - but they now do a fast folding model - the GX.

It really isn't suited to off road use - strictly for tarmac - but it is a pleasure to own with many good ideas - very easy to sort a puncture with the wheels mounted on one side, and the clean drive system means you won't get oil and grease in your motorhome.

British company with outstanding technical support too.

Poor mans Go cycle

https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/folding-bi...

I have a Mi Rider, nice bit if kit. Does ok on gravel tracks, gearing is not great for hilly or technical though. The oe folding pedals will last a week, the only poor thing about it. We keep ours on the boat.

Other half has a Chinese cheapy, it's fast!!

[Harry Flashman]

I have a Swytch kit sitting in my loft after delivery in December. But cannot get an appointment at Brompton (let alone an actual bike) before March!

Messed up and ordered a Brompton on Ride to Work scheme before Lockdown. Got approval. Ordered Swytch kit but failed to book appointment at Brompton store...

[Stigproducts]

Friend of mine came up.with this, small but very light

https://jackrabbit.bike

[robsdesk]

I have a Brompton S6L which I've added the Swytch kit to - use it for commuting by train to London and avoiding the tube at the other end, have used it for a rare trip to the office & it's very good, I've not tried a Brompton electric, the price puts me off - the Brompton design is great but some of the components used are garbage & I'm concerned this has continued into the electric one, bottom bracket, rolling wheels, tensioner all cheap and fall apart, have replaced them with alternatives where possible. £3k for the Brompton I think is poor value compared to the GoCycle / DIY conversion.

[andrewturner]

I've got a brompton S6L with a Swytch kit. Have used it for about 3 months now and its a brilliant bit of kit.

I bought i to do the Vauxhall to Canary Wharf leg, on the days in didn't commute the whole way from Surbiton (43 mile round trip), however i changed jobs over the summer and my office is now just by London Bridge. I tend to train it in the morning and take the brompton the whole way home (16 miles ish). Push the speed up to the top setting and with a Pro Kit and a bit of pedalling it gets me home with a bar left on the display (5 bars). Ave speed around 16.5mph according to strava. Im a keen road cyclist and must say that this is a revelation! highly recommend.

[Fer]

andrewturner said:

I've got a brompton S6L with a Swytch kit. Have used it for about 3 months now and its a brilliant bit of kit.

I bought i to do the Vauxhall to Canary Wharf leg, on the days in didn't commute the whole way from Surbiton (43 mile round trip), however i changed jobs over the summer and my office is now just by London Bridge. I tend to train it in the morning and take the brompton the whole way home (16 miles ish). Push the speed up to the top setting and with a Pro Kit and a bit of pedalling it gets me home with a bar left on the display (5 bars). Ave speed around 16.5mph according to strava. Im a keen road cyclist and must say that this is a revelation! highly recommend.

Thanks for the recommendation. Let's see if I can afford the kit when they eventually get around to me.

[Ungarsee]

I’ve got a GoCycle GX which is the folding one. It’s a great piece of kit. I hadn’t cycled since I was 17 and I’m 43 now and I wish I’d done it years ago. I’ve had to commute across London three days a week throughout lockdown which is 10 miles each way and it’s a breeze. You can adjust the assistance via the app so if you want a workout you can but if you want to pootle along and not get sweaty you can do that as well. I got mine 2nd hand for £1800 which is a lot but my travel card cost me £2k per year so it will have paid for itself in a few months.

When it’s folded you can stick it in a corner of the house easily but compared to a Brompton it’s a bit more cumbersome.

[Scrump]

Stigproducts said:

Friend of mine came up.with this, small but very light

https://jackrabbit.bike

Looks interesting but I thought electric bikes in the UK had to have pedals and only provide power as ‘pedal assist’ (along with a speed limiter) in order to be legal without registration etc.

[funinhounslow]

Ungarsee said:

I’ve got a GoCycle GX which is the folding one. It’s a great piece of kit. I hadn’t cycled since I was 17 and I’m 43 now and I wish I’d done it years ago. I’ve had to commute across London three days a week throughout lockdown which is 10 miles each way and it’s a breeze. You can adjust the assistance via the app so if you want a workout you can but if you want to pootle along and not get sweaty you can do that as well. I got mine 2nd hand for £1800 which is a lot but my travel card cost me £2k per year so it will have paid for itself in a few months.

When it’s folded you can stick it in a corner of the house easily but compared to a Brompton it’s a bit more cumbersome.

You got a very good deal there. I wonder why the original owner didn't get on with it? I would say the GX would be worth the extra over the GS - for security reasons I am uncomfortable leaving my GS locked up for lengthy periods where I cannot "keep an eye on it"

Slightly o/t but when you've ridden an electric bike through a city on a segregated bike lane (as are spouting up all over London now) you "get it" - this really is the future of urban transportation.

Back to the original question - some suggestions here look interesting but I would be tempted to narrow the choices down to a Brompton (eBrompton or home conversion) or Gocycle. Both companies are "known quantities" - Gocycle have been making electric bikes for 10 years, Brompton have been around since the 1980s. Both are UK based so ongoing support will not be an issue.