For the first time, my wife and I are relying on our e-bikes for most of our local transport needs during our holidays. We are in a hilly coastal area, and so far the only trouble we've had is a punctured rear tyre on the iZip (I promptly replaced the generic / crappy chinese tube and tyre with Schwalbe and Michelin equivalents from the local bike shop).
Both bikes are equipped with 36V geared hub motors, my home-made e-Brompton being sensor-less (newest 250W 8-Fun motor), whilst the iZip uses the older 5-wire hall-sensor 200W model of the Suzhou Bafang range. Both bikes have 10Ah Li-Ion batteries (LiFePO4 for the Brompton), which is plenty in terms of range but also with regards to hill-climbing capacity and reliability. I charge them up after each 20km journey (approximately), which effectively means that the battery levels never reach below 80% capacity, which in turn should prolong battery life.
The e-Brompton is 2-wheel-drive (motor in front wheel, human power to the rear) which has its advantages, but I have to be careful on gravel/sand tracks as the Schwalbe Marathon tyres will happily spin under the motor torque (despite the luggage weight attached at the front of the bike frame).
The iZip is rear-wheel-drive only, which works fine as most of the weight is at the back anyway (rider + luggage). In addition to its larger 20" wheels (versus 16" for the Brompton), this makes for a more secure "feel" according to my wife who rides the iZip.
The iZip offers a crude, sudden acceleration in both throttle and pedal sensor modes, but the resulting "punch" is rewarding psychologically and it definitely handles the steep inclines. The Brompton's electrical setup is more sophisticated (3-mode power level selector) and so much more progressive (very smooth delivery). It is also more powerful in terms of both torque and top-end speed.
My Brompton is a M6R+, so it has 6 (useful) gears (3 in the hub, 2 in the rear derailleur). The iZip has 7 Shimano gears all at the rear, with a simple grip-twist control on the handlebar, which I find annoying but my wife likes it.
The iZip's front disc brake works well, and thankfully my upgraded Brompton brake pads mean I can actually stop the bike too !
Both bikes have rear luggage racks, but the fabulous Brompton front luggage system (mounted on the frame, not the handlebar) simply wins the day. What a wonderful invention !
The Brompton is clearly the best folding bike available for those like me who seek for a small folded footprint combined with great ride qualities. The iZip is enormous in comparison, not just because of its larger wheels but because of its cheap/crude fold-in-half design (like most folding bikes). Putting the Brompton in the boot of the car is sooooo easy compared to the iZip...and we even had to downsize our luggage because of the space taken by the iZip. For next year's trip, I just have to convince my wife to (re)-adopt my second Brompton, now Tongxin-equipped
PS: my second Brompton is actually a Merc, which is a cheap asian copy based on the 1990's model.
Cheers, Daniel
My initial review of the iZip:
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/5287-new-e-bike-my-stable-izip-via-mezza-enlightened.html
My original e-Brompton build journal:
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/4682-diy-stage-1-received-bafang-tongxin-kits-photos.html#post59183
Both bikes are equipped with 36V geared hub motors, my home-made e-Brompton being sensor-less (newest 250W 8-Fun motor), whilst the iZip uses the older 5-wire hall-sensor 200W model of the Suzhou Bafang range. Both bikes have 10Ah Li-Ion batteries (LiFePO4 for the Brompton), which is plenty in terms of range but also with regards to hill-climbing capacity and reliability. I charge them up after each 20km journey (approximately), which effectively means that the battery levels never reach below 80% capacity, which in turn should prolong battery life.
The e-Brompton is 2-wheel-drive (motor in front wheel, human power to the rear) which has its advantages, but I have to be careful on gravel/sand tracks as the Schwalbe Marathon tyres will happily spin under the motor torque (despite the luggage weight attached at the front of the bike frame).
The iZip is rear-wheel-drive only, which works fine as most of the weight is at the back anyway (rider + luggage). In addition to its larger 20" wheels (versus 16" for the Brompton), this makes for a more secure "feel" according to my wife who rides the iZip.
The iZip offers a crude, sudden acceleration in both throttle and pedal sensor modes, but the resulting "punch" is rewarding psychologically and it definitely handles the steep inclines. The Brompton's electrical setup is more sophisticated (3-mode power level selector) and so much more progressive (very smooth delivery). It is also more powerful in terms of both torque and top-end speed.
My Brompton is a M6R+, so it has 6 (useful) gears (3 in the hub, 2 in the rear derailleur). The iZip has 7 Shimano gears all at the rear, with a simple grip-twist control on the handlebar, which I find annoying but my wife likes it.
The iZip's front disc brake works well, and thankfully my upgraded Brompton brake pads mean I can actually stop the bike too !
Both bikes have rear luggage racks, but the fabulous Brompton front luggage system (mounted on the frame, not the handlebar) simply wins the day. What a wonderful invention !
The Brompton is clearly the best folding bike available for those like me who seek for a small folded footprint combined with great ride qualities. The iZip is enormous in comparison, not just because of its larger wheels but because of its cheap/crude fold-in-half design (like most folding bikes). Putting the Brompton in the boot of the car is sooooo easy compared to the iZip...and we even had to downsize our luggage because of the space taken by the iZip. For next year's trip, I just have to convince my wife to (re)-adopt my second Brompton, now Tongxin-equipped
PS: my second Brompton is actually a Merc, which is a cheap asian copy based on the 1990's model.
Cheers, Daniel
My initial review of the iZip:
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/5287-new-e-bike-my-stable-izip-via-mezza-enlightened.html
My original e-Brompton build journal:
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/4682-diy-stage-1-received-bafang-tongxin-kits-photos.html#post59183
