cyclamatic folder any good?

[avronb]

I now own a e.bike and up till now my wife as had nothing to do with it,but this morning she had a go and now she's hooked.
the plan now is to sell her push bike and i plan to sell my 50cc scooter when i retire shortly and get her a folding e.bike that will go in the car.I have seen the Cyclamatic folder advertised for about £400 on the web,(e.bay and Amazon)would this be a good choice for the money?,owner feedback would be very helpfull.
Brian.

 

[electric_avenue]

Its probably a decent first shout. But let me tell you my experience with getting a folding bike (non-electric) for my wife. It turned out to be a fairly big awkward lift out of the boot, and she didn't find it very easy to fold/unfold. It stayed in the boot for 6 months until it was sold without a mile on it. The question I suggest you address is what situation do you see the bike being taken out of the boot and used?

 

[Tinker]

A friend of our has one and it's great. We have a couple of Pro-Rider Voyager folders and IMHO they're even better, giving a longer range. However there was a slight weight difference between riders. The bike when folded weighed in at 23k & there's room for 2 bikes + dog in the boot of a Scenic.

 

[bode]

But let me tell you my experience with getting a folding bike (non-electric) for my wife. It turned out to be a fairly big awkward lift out of the boot, and she didn't find it very easy to fold/unfold. It stayed in the boot for 6 months until it was sold without a mile on it. The question I suggest you address is what situation do you see the bike being taken out of the boot and used?

My first e-bike was a folder, bought with the intention of extending the options for rides by sticking it in the boot and driving to a point far enough from home to be beyond the range of the battery, then setting off from there. I still use it for that purpose even though I now also have a non-folder, and also for frequent visits to Bath, when it is no problem to take it along.

Most electric folders fold easily enough even if they are never going to be terribly compact, and not the sort of thing you might want to take on the train with you (30 years ago I had a Bickerton folder which I used to take on the train to Kings Cross and then ride to Fleet Street, and that was fairly light). As far as I am concerned that is not the point. As long as it fits in the boot and is out of sight if being left in there, I am happy.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I think that they're good value for money as long as you know how to do routine maintenance on a bike. My Cyclamatic had over-tightened front wheel bearings and loose spokes in the rear. It took about 15 minutes to sort, but, if you weren't aware of the problem, you'd be looking at getting the rear wheel rebuilt and the front bearings replaced in the not too distant future. Also, the batteries are not fixed very snugly, which causes them to rattle, and then later maybe the connections get a bit stretched and need sorting, so jam a bit of rubber down the battery to keep it still.