.....and I seem to have hit lucky. I posted a review a few months ago on this excellent, wholly Chinese made folding electric bike, and all the qualities described in that review still hold after 500 miles and over four months of varied terrain - shopping trips, rural rides and town excursions.
I feel my initial comments about the absurdly high prices of some folders with quite modest hub motors have been vindicated.
To remind anyone interested, here is the review:http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bike-reviews/7514-ebay-e-folder-mk-220-a.html
And here is the bike: New QBP-MK220 20" 6 Speed Electric Folding Bike/Bicycle | eBay UK
This bike cost £570 plus £30 delivery.
My brother, who is a talented engineer and mechanic, informed me that the seam welding on this bike is very well done and if anything, over-engineered. It is just a tad heavier than the most expensive folders in this class, but it is very very solid.
The rear hub motor is extremely quiet and hasn't let me down yet, and the battery charges if anything better and lasts a little longer than it did on day one.
The bike running gear is extremely quiet and it free wheels very well indeed....as well as my partner's non-electric hybrid bike. It also comes with an included bike bag, a good quality bike cover, front and rear lights, a very good carrier, a horn, and fair quality shimano gears. The only weak spot is that the brakes are not stella, but are perfectly serviceable.
To me it looks quite similar to a UK brand discussed recently on this forum. To be fair the price of each is quite similar, but my Chinese bike pips it to the post by some margin.
Of course I AM aware that many UK supplied bikes already have many Chinese made parts.
I thought I'd post this so those considering spending well over £1000 and in some cases as much as £1600 for what they perceive to be a quality folder might benefit from shopping around outside of the conventional wisdom about quality often discussed in various forums, including this one, regarding bikes.
All the best,
Leonard
I feel my initial comments about the absurdly high prices of some folders with quite modest hub motors have been vindicated.
To remind anyone interested, here is the review:http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bike-reviews/7514-ebay-e-folder-mk-220-a.html
And here is the bike: New QBP-MK220 20" 6 Speed Electric Folding Bike/Bicycle | eBay UK
This bike cost £570 plus £30 delivery.
My brother, who is a talented engineer and mechanic, informed me that the seam welding on this bike is very well done and if anything, over-engineered. It is just a tad heavier than the most expensive folders in this class, but it is very very solid.
The rear hub motor is extremely quiet and hasn't let me down yet, and the battery charges if anything better and lasts a little longer than it did on day one.
The bike running gear is extremely quiet and it free wheels very well indeed....as well as my partner's non-electric hybrid bike. It also comes with an included bike bag, a good quality bike cover, front and rear lights, a very good carrier, a horn, and fair quality shimano gears. The only weak spot is that the brakes are not stella, but are perfectly serviceable.
To me it looks quite similar to a UK brand discussed recently on this forum. To be fair the price of each is quite similar, but my Chinese bike pips it to the post by some margin.
Of course I AM aware that many UK supplied bikes already have many Chinese made parts.
I thought I'd post this so those considering spending well over £1000 and in some cases as much as £1600 for what they perceive to be a quality folder might benefit from shopping around outside of the conventional wisdom about quality often discussed in various forums, including this one, regarding bikes.
All the best,
Leonard