sbfoster777

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Folks, I've been seeing more and more folding e-bikes on the road lately. I was wondering except for space and portability issues, what other benefits and features do these things have???I'm looking to buy one soon... What would you look for in a folding electric bike when shopping for one? [/QUOTE]


First thing is.....One of the factors of folding ebikes, especially those with batteries that have a combined amp hour spec of 20ah or more, is that they are HEAVY for a bicycle and can weigh over 90 lbs without added accessories. If you're willing to lift that much when loading it into a car or carrying it up some stairs, then it's ok. I'm a big guy at around 320 lbs and I have accepted this drawback when loading my bike into my car, but besides their being heavy, they're also bulky and a bit awkward to carry. I think that carrying it up more than just half a dozen steps would be dangerous, even for me.

That said, I love the portability of a folding ebike and with the 31amp hour/1488 watt hour battery bank of my Gosen Q7, I can go relatively long distances before recharging. Gosen dealers estimate 50-100 miles. I haven't tested that yet, but most dealers stretch the truth. We'll see.

For me, the most important specs were:

1. Price (<$2000)
2. Range (50-100 miles)
3. Portability (<100 lbs, folding)
4. Off-road capability (A fat 4" tire bike)
5. Torque for hill climbing (1000watt drive motor)
6. Top Speed (about 28mph)
7. Dual suspension (Hydraulic forks, rear absorber)

The other biggest issue, reliability, varies between models and there's really not enough data yet to be able to compare models in the <$2000 price range. However, it appears to me that more expensive models made by well known name brands are probably more reliable overall than my Chinese Gosen, which is built on a common folding frame used by a dozen other manufacturers of different names. The brushless geared hub motor is generic of Chinese origin as well.

I have heard that mid-drive designs that drive the pedal shaft, are more powerful than hub-drive designs that drive either the rear or front wheels (or both). I do believe that is probably the case, but it also puts an immense amount of strain on your drivetrain, ie; the sprockets, chain, derailleur, etc. so I think in the end the drivetrain would require a lot more attention to daily maintenance. I also think the difference in torque and power is probably relatively nominal and for me, the extra daily maintenance headache would not be worth such a small performance difference.
Besides that, Mid-drive designs are a lot less common in folding ebikes.


Some may feel that having to fold an ebike is inconvenient and prefer to use a bike with a conventional frame, but I hate bike racks and I love my cars' gas mileage and appearance so there you go.... it's really up to your preference.

Hope this helps.
-Steve