ultimate folding bike?

[giguana]

what it would be the ultimate all-round manoeuvrable superlight portable bike with a motor?

you can choose any upmarket bike like Dahon and Brompton for the mainframe, with the batteries on a rackmount or in a backpack... what wheel size and things would you have...

what motors would be the best in terms of power, weight and even possibly gears for taking on holidays etc ?

 

[flecc]

I'm not actually going to choose, just propose that there should be two ultimate folding electric bikes.

One that's ideal for commuting and the like, which therefore must be small with small wheels and light enough to carry easily, close to what you've specified.

The other that's ideal for car boot, caravan, yacht etc, which could be a bit heavier and benefit from larger wheels and frame, so having better cycling qualities.
.

 

[keithhazel]

hard to give too many thoughts if you have not tried all the bikes personnally so i will go on what i know, i bought a naff 1 speed folder which fortunatly had a fault which meant i could send it back, i had 2 lapland 36 volt battery bkes with battery withing the back wheel, both of which had faults so they went back, and then i bought a synergy/eddison.......in a flat area with no wind its a extremly fun thing to ride, it doesnt accelerate like the clappers but not bad and straight up to the restricted limit, its very comfy with great suspension, too mush as you have to tighten the spring right back as you bounce along like a kangeroo which not energy efficient,no rack which is bad or facilities to put one,it folds very easily and compact and better then the Quando as when folded you lay it down and it rests on a metal bar just below the main chain wheel wheras the Quando rests on its stand which and although stable on one direction due to the two wheels next to each other, the other way only has about a 3-4 inch rock befor its over,something im going to have to look at when i take on the train.the synergie is as light as they come at about 20kg and although quality gears its undergeared like most small wheel bikes which means you pedal with no aim at doing the speed which the motor can give...HOWEVER..i sold it and took it to sheffield today to its new owner simply because technically speaking its got no balls...ie 24 volt battery...any wind or slight gradient and speed was down to 10-11mph.........but as a non luggage transporter for camp sites car boots ect where its not hilly or windy..lol...its a brilliant ride....


the other folder ive had is the Quando which i got yesterday, tomorrow maiden trip...first glances which ive done a thousand of...cos its here im my living room ...it looks fantastic too....not pretty and wimpy like the synergy did, but stylish,strong, a excellant frame structure shape, nothing like the picture on 50 cycles site where i thought it looked a monster....excellant luggage rack at the back,again very easy to fold and as its a firm joint when you fold the front wheel round to the back you can lift up the front and pull it where you want as the two rear wheels being a foot apart make it stable and not wobbly, my other folders all where awkward after folding, plus this is 7 inches longer which makes it easer for pulling along....i dont mean towing behind a car either i mean to where you are shoving it out of the way...the synergy had throttle right side which was awful where this is left, all i can go on till tomorrow is all what you read about it in reviews which all state its superb, especilly for hill climbing and if you are able to tinker a bit like Flecc then this has to be the ultimate all rounder in all areas as at 23.5 kg the only way to get lighter is a 24 volt battery which makes the bike lose the power factor,having looked at all folders, much to Fleccs annoiyance as i kept asking about them ..the few other 36 volt ones are unknown quality, most of which if you read the small print the warranty is given not by the seller but the manufacturer who is always in another country..at least leicester isnt that far....if you weigh up the evidence at the moment i cant see any other folder being better, even without Fleccs tinkering.....

 

[giguana]

Thank you for all that information! I had a look at the ones that you mention.

for a large portable bike, there's a lot of heavy and performant kits, but I'm confused about what I should buy for a small portable bike, to take as luggage, I would like to choose a stand-alone model and to fit a kit on it, but I have no idea what kit would have the best portability and performance, allegedly the nano is okay although a little bit iffy.

 

[Canadian Cadence]

I would recommend the Bionx kit for any bike. It is a kit that is very light and powerful and enhances any bike. You will not notice it on the bike as the motor is frictionless and you can ride with the power off.
The 350 watt 36volt kit on a Dahon Mu SL weighs in at 16 kg (35.5 lbs.)!!! Thats a combined weight.
Check out this site that offers kits on the Dahons and other folders. They have had lots of success with the Birdy and Bionx combo also.JV Bike -- Dahon + BionX ...
The Bionx kit makes a great handling bike work even better with the electric boost.

 

[giguana]

Thank you that is unbelievable, the Jetstream P8 combo has to be THE ultimate bike...

 

[faphillips]

As the previous owner of 2 folding electric bikes and soon to be the owner of a 3rd I am happy to comment.

My first electric folder was an Ezee Quando ll. An excellent bike and much written about in this forum but not practical for commuting on a train or the purposes you have described.

My 2nd bike the Brompton Nano on the other hand was quite unique and proabably more portable than any other practical electric folding bike. The main reason for that is that it is essentailly carried in 2 parts. The bike weighing about 13.8kgs and the battery and bag (4.52kg inc a 7ah battery) - which when not installed on the bike go over the shoulder. With a 2.6 ah battery it weighs about 16.1kg all up, although range is only up to 10 miles with this battery.

The Dahons just dont fold small enough for travelling by train in my view.

The Brompton can be ridden much as a normal bike without the battery and I know of no other electric folder that you can take on a rush hour London commuter train and has very good range.

I built a Nano Brompton using the titanium Brompton however this was stolen just before Christmas. I have now ordered a new Brompton and Nano Kit and whilst I have specified some Ti parts the cost of the bike will be some £200 less than my original bike and weigh only about 0.2kg more.

There has been talk on the internet about the reliability of the Tongxin Nano motor but these seem primarily to be related to experiences overseas, to early models and also the same stories seem to be repeated over and over again. Some also relate to early controllers and not the motor. Lastly I believe that the problems were experienced with a 26" wheel not a 16" wheel which should stress the motor less.

Will Howard rode from Wales to (almost) Brussels on this bike and his breakdown just short of his destination was much publicised and raised questions about the reliability of the Nano. I understand however that the problem was no more than a loose wire and was easily fixed.

I shall be detailing the build of my new bike - which I expect to be delivered and built in early Feb - with a review and pictures in this forum sometime next month.

Francis

 

[flecc]

Certainly all the failure instances I've heard of have been in larger wheels, and as you say, overseas, the majority in the USA. That's perhaps that's not surprising as it was widely used there well before we became aware of them here.
.

 

[giguana]

Cheers for that, I was wondering about the difference between Brompton and dahon. what is the source for the newer nano models? Commiserations about the earlier bike!

 

[faphillips]

Tony Castles is the supplier of the Nano in the UK and produces purpose made kits for the Brompton including new wheel, new front fork etc etc.

You'll find him at this link: Nano :: Home

Francis