Heylaus

Hi! I am currently working on my exam, trying to promote the brand Term and their Ebike with a folding function.
I am interested to learn about the consumers who buy these bikes with a folding function.

Why a folding function? What is it specifically good for? Why do you use it? How much are you willing to pay? What are your preferences and focus areas when buying a bike with a folding function? How old are you? What gender are you?

I am interested in any information I can get, however, it would be very much appreciated if you, owning an E-bike with a folding function, would agree to answer some more specified questions.

Thank you so much for your help!

Aarhus University, Denmark
Marketing & Management Communication,

cocoabeachcrab 

i can put it in the truck on my car. i can store it in my apartment easily. i'm 63, male, and while it's not my primary bike, it's good for days when i have to park a distance from where i want to go and don't want to get sweaty. i have a Rad Mini and it went for around $1400.

linberl

I'm adding an ebike kit to my folding bike, not buying one already produced. Makes all the great advantages of a folding bike even better (compact, no need for a lock as it can be taken inside most businesses once folded, lightweight, can travel with). My folding bike also rides great. Being able to easily remove the motor/battery is even more functional imo than a commercial ebike where you can't do that easily. Bike is 19lbs without kit; 25 lbs with kit. Female, 68. My kit was around $1000, my bike cost twice that.

MarcoPag

Folding to take it on the train with no additional ticket.
Electric to get to work acceptable.
:-)

fietsbob

I like the step thru mounting / dismounting..

electric? no _ adds too much weight..

Retired, don't commute.. anyhow..

Doc_Wui

My wife and I are retired, at ages 67 and 70, but we still ride bikes for recreation and exercise. Electric bikes allow us to ride more often and farther. Our average riding speed is 20 km/hr. It would likely be around 15 km/hr on regular bikes. We have full size electric bikes, but we added electric folders 20 months ago, mainly because they were more convenient to take with us on auto trip across the USA. I can keep them inside the vehicle and not have to worry about them when stopped for hotels or meals.

At home, we still use them when we ride together, because my wife likes the suspension ride, and the easy dismount. When I ride alone, I take a larger bike.

I'm a retired engineer, and very familiar with automotive repair. Electric bikes are pretty simple to me, so I've converted many regular bikes to pedal assist. Our two folders were originally regular folders where I added small rear hub motors. My total expense for both is $1500USD, including batteries. On both these bikes, my goal was to keep them looking like regular bicycles.


This yellow Downtube Nova is about 35 pounds as shown.

My wife's Downtube 8FS is a little under 48 pounds.

I ordered the motors from China and spoked them into 20" rims myself. They weigh 2.2 kilos. My larger36V 9AH battery is also about the same weight. In the summer, my wife has ridden over 50 km one charge.

In retrospect, I could have saved money by purchasing two inexpensive electric folding bikes from China for under $600USD each, and they would have integrated batteries. They would be 50 pound bikes though, I gained a little weight savings by converting my own. I can fix them if I need, because I know them. Some pride of ownership too,

I am sorry, but I would never be in the market for a Tern, not even the D7i which is about $2000USD in the USA.

jeffreyethanlee

I have had a Tern JoeC21 (entry level folding bike, with 7 x 3 gears), and it had a Bionx ebike kit installed over 3 years ago. After nearly 3,000 miles, mostly going to work, the folding function made it possible to keep the bike in my office. It also made it easier to fold up in a crowded train. It also made it easier to fold and stow while visiting friends. It also can fold up and fit in a medium size car trunk. When I got this bike it was $400 for the bike, and the kit was around $1,600.


The ebike motor is strong enough (350 watts) to get up some very long steep hills where I live, and it also makes a very long commute feel very easy. So the bike is used many times when I would have used a car before (for short errands). I believe it saved me a lot of money (train fares, gas, parking in a major city with very terrible parking). In fact, many times when I thought that driving would save time, parking was so bad and time consuming that the bike would have been almost as fast and much cheaper and cleaner. One caveat: parking a bike in a big city means you need to invest in a great lock and use it as designed to lower the risk of theft. Another caveat: battery life fades slowly over time, so range reduces over years.


Generally, I've been happy with the Tern folding mechanism because it is easy to deal with and fast to unfold and fold; however, it has a little creakiness after a lot of stress. I prefer the much stronger folding mechanism is on the Montague bike that I got for fun rides; none of the structural tubes are cut at all due to the folding design.


If you have more specific questions, just reply.

1nterceptor

All of my personal bikes are standard pedal bikes. I have tried a few electric folders; Tern, Oyama, Brompton.
I can see the attraction if certain conditions need to be met. Hilly areas, long distances, disability, etc.

Tern Vektron P9 at Interbike 2018 by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

velojym

I have a Montague Paratrooper for ground travel. It'll fit in a trunk or cargo area just fine. However, I'm starting a new job soon, that requires some airline travel, so I'll be looking more into the smaller wheeled folders for that.
I still need to lose a few pounds before I'll be comfortable burdening one with my bulk, but by Spring I hope to be within the rider-weight range for most of them. If electric, I'd want a pedelec that still requires me to pedal.

Schwinnsta

There are restrictions on bringing lithium batteries on planes. Common size of batteries are likely over the limit. I think Bike Friday and Brompton can be so equiped to meet regulations, but you will likely have issues with the weight.

velojym

Yeah, I'd imagine. I'm not looking at electrics primarily, though, just stating a preference I'd have on any electric bike I'd bother with.

Heylaus

Thank you so much! I have som additional questions I would like for you to answer:
Why did you choose this radmini bike? Was it the price / the design/ the quality?
Did you hear about it from a friend, or did you do the research yourself? Did you shop online or in a physical store? What motivated your purchase?
Thank you!

Heylaus

Hi! Thank you so much for your answers. I have some additional questions for you: first of all, why did you choose a bike with a folding function? What is it that it does for you? Also: why did you add the kit? What do you need it for? Thank you for your help!

Heylaus

Hi! Thank you for your answers, they are a great help. What gender are you, and how old are you? Also, how come you need the e-bike + a train ticket? To get to work, or on holidays where you want your bike with you? Thanks

Heylaus

Hi! Thank you for your answer. I do have some more specific questions. Now that you have had a Tern, I want to know why you choose Tern instead of another e-bike with a folding function? How did you discover it? From a friend / online? How did you purchase it? Online / physical store? Also, how old are you and what gender are you?

Heylaus

Hi! Thank you for your reply, it is of great help. I do have some more specific questions that I would like for you to answer. You mention hilly areas, long distances and disability as attraction for buying an e-bike. But what is it that made the folding-function attractive to you? Also, how old are you and what gender are you?

cocoabeachcrab 

it sells for around $1400 online order from www.radpowerbikes.com , and i found this bike by doing research online. visited many seller websites and read reviews from a website dedicated to ebikes, found a very dedicated FB group for this brand, https://www.facebook.com/groups/radp...c_location=ufi

MarcoPag

Male, 48. I mostly use the folding bike to get to work. I added a kit to a regular Tern folding bike. The kit is add-e from Austria, I chose it as it seemed the lightest option available (2.3 kg all included).
Good luck, Marco