Folding electric bikes are all rubbish... apparently.

[jerrysimon]

Well today I cycled my "rubbish folding electric bike" two miles to Halfords avoiding the long traffic queues into Cambridge

Folded it up bag in one hand bike in the other and carried it into Halfords up the stairs to the cycle department, where I picked up a couple of crank bolts. Came out unfolded it and remembered I needed some cable ties so cycled across to maplins and repeated the exercise coming away with them as well.

Cycled home hitting the power button for those lazy moments

Regards

Jerry

 

[flecc]

Well today I cycled my "rubbish folding electric bike" two miles to Halfords avoiding the long traffic queues into Cambridge

Jerry

But yours isn't rubbish Jerry, it's A to B's favourite folder, the one and only Brompton, and they don't come any better.

A to B weren't picking on all machines, they said as part of a sentence "we've repeatedly advised avoiding electric folders".

Note, not "all electric folders", they're referring to the majority of cases where they have advised against. Their meaning is made just a little more clear further down where they mention the Brompton and Dahon brands, both unpowered and powered.

Certainly the wording in that article is clumsy, but I know how they've favoured certain powered Dahons and the Nano-Brompton with praise in the past, so they are clearly not anti all e-folders.
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[jerrysimon]

I know, I know flecc the post was mainly done in jest albeit at their expense

Regards

Jerry

 

[Old Timer]

For electric folders the order of those probably reverses, travelling with an e-folder in ones own vehicle being more common than travelling on public transport with an e-folder.
.[/quote]

Agreed 100% Tony and thats why in all honesty as long as you can lift it in and out of the vehicle you don`t need to pay higher premiums for lightness IMHO. I understand what you said earlier regarding fixtures and fittings being of superior design on the better folders but (just like they tend to be on German built cars and vans) you would pay a big premium for design and it`s not actually required on a bike that is used just now and thenIMHO.

 

[Tim]

If they were so rubbish an useless why does almost every electric bike brand have a model on offer? Lets be careful to criticise and rule them out

Kalkhoff have no plans to produce a folding electric bike - we've asked the CEO about it a number of times and he has a similar opinion to David. But we know many people like folding electric bikes, so are happy to source elsewhere.

 

[Ultra Motor]

Kalkhoff have no plans to produce a folding electric bike - we've asked the CEO about it a number of times and he has a similar opinion to David. But we know many people like folding electric bikes, so are happy to source elsewhere.

Hey Tim,

This maybe true, but I don't think Kalkhoff do a folder in their normal range anyway?

I hope the new store is going well?

 

[Blew it]

Perhaps it's time to reintroduce the Panasonic powered folder

 

[lemmy]

[Perhaps it's time to reintroduce the Panasonic powered folder

At 20kg that'll be a solid little lump to pick up!

My non e Bormpton weighs exactly 12kg with the advantage of folding to a convenient carrying shape but is still a bit too heavy to carry far.

In practise, it fold so easily and quickly that you wheel it until the last minute and then fold it 'just in time'.

Even so, this bike would be very handy for the back of a car, a boat or home storage if you are short of space. I just wouldn't want to carry it up 2 or more flights of stairs!

If you're a city flat dweller, a good enough reason to buy one would be taking it in to stop it being nicked. What I'm saying would apply to any e-folder, I guess but I do like the Panasonic drive particularly.

 

[onmebike]

Perhaps it's time to reintroduce the Panasonic powered folder

Thats a nice looking folder and has the advantage of the bigger wheels.
At 20.5kg with battery its approx 3kg heavier than the e-brompton as far as I'm aware and 3kg lighter than the Cyclamatic folder which also has bigger wheels.
I'm surprised there's not a light weight trolley available for transporting them when not in use.

 

[flecc]

Or there's this Panasonic powered Biketec Flyer folder at 18 kilos:

 

[vhfman]

What about a folder that can be wheeled when folded, then the weight is less of a problem. It's a pity this Pacific IF Mode is not easy to electrify.
Pacific
YouTube - ‪Fun with Pacific IF Mode‬‎

 

[Ultra Motor]

What about a folder that can be wheeled when folded, then the weight is less of a problem. It's a pity this Pacific IF Mode is not easy to electrify.
Pacific
YouTube - ‪Fun with Pacific IF Mode‬‎

I love that bike- saw it at Eurobike last year. Really clever.

 

[bode]

PS meant to add its not so long ago, last issue of AtoB if I recall, here when David kicked off another discussion about us "windbags" here on the Pedelec forum

Its good the comment has generated discussion about folding electric bikes though.

Just noticed bode started that thread too. You stirrer

It's just that there is something about A to B's holier-than-thou attitude tends to grate from time to time! I have subscribed for 3 years, but don't think I shall be renewing.

 

[lemmy]

What about a folder that can be wheeled when folded, then the weight is less of a problem.[/url]

The standard Brompton has a wheel on the rear mudguard to do this or on the rack if fitted. Very handy. Some people upgrade the wheels to a pair of skateboard ones to facilitate wheeling even more.

Interesting with the Brompton, they seem to have thought of everything. It's English made and designed and proof, like F1 cars, that we can still do it when we are not too lazy - and ambition and competitiveness has not been trained out of us by modern schooling.

 

[flecc]

It's just that there is something about A to B's holier-than-thou attitude tends to grate from time to time! I have subscribed for 3 years, but don't think I shall be renewing.

Probably why their circulation remains at about 2500 to 3000 worldwide after more than ten years of publication and in a continuously expanding market, they probably lose as much as they gain.

Their "Miniature Railway" magazine is quite different and really rather good, despite this not being an interest of mine. I just subscribed at launch to help get it off the ground, publishing in print being so difficult a field these days.
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[GORDONAL]

Probably why their circulation remains at about 2500 to 3000 worldwide after more than ten years of publication and in a continuously expanding market, they probably lose as much as they gain.

Their "Miniature Railway" magazine is quite different and really rather good, despite this not being an interest of mine. I just subscribed at launch to help get it off the ground, publishing in print being so difficult a field these days.
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As a subscriber to the mag. its far from perfect as you and others have outlined But at least it does pedelec reviews from time to time, apart from this forum where else can we find out whats out there?

 

[flecc]

As a subscriber to the mag. its far from perfect as you and others have outlined But at least it does pedelec reviews from time to time, apart from this forum where else can we find out whats out there?

Quite true, and that's why I subscribe. However there is the new Electric Bike magazine launched by VeloVision with issue 1 due this month, and that will be dedicated exclusively to e-bikes, with reviews. Meanwhile there's a free online-only issue zero with the e-bikes reviews from past VeloVision's issues:

Electric Bike magazine
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[GORDONAL]

Quite true, and that's why I subscribe. However there is the new Electric Bike magazine launched by VeloVision with issue 1 due this month, and that will be dedicated exclusively to e-bikes, with reviews. Meanwhile there's a free online-only issue zero with the e-bikes reviews from past VeloVision's issues:

Electric Bike magazine
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Many thanks for that info. Al.

 

[bode]

However there is the new Electric Bike magazine launched by VeloVision with issue 1 due this month, and that will be dedicated exclusively to e-bikes, with reviews. Meanwhile there's a free online-only issue zero with the e-bikes reviews from past VeloVision's issues.

It looks a lot more professional and objective, and I have taken out a sub.

 

[electricbikemag]

Peter from Electric Bike Magazine here...

Thanks everyone for the kind words above - and sorry I haven't popped into the forum much recently - it's been a bit busy getting the new mag off the ground.

As you'll see here we'll have one of the folding bikes in question reviewed in the first issue