i am looking for as lightweight as possible a folding bike for my wife. It mostly be used for commuting from home to work, daily roughly 18miles. There are 3 flyover she has to cross. Any suggestions folks? Budget is limited to £1000. Throttle feature would be a must....

My housemate has a Batribike Breeze & loves it :-)

My housemate has a Batribike Breeze & loves it

never heard of that brand!!!

Freego folders are £899 and a great deal for what is offered. Fully equipped with lights, mudguards, and panier rack. They have a throttle, three levels of assist and give a 30 mile range with a 36 volt, 10ah battery powering a 250w motor. On top of that, a great warranty. A very rugged and capable bike.

freego weights 22kg. too heavy for ladies to handle.

freego weights 22kg. too heavy for ladies to handle.

Best thing to do is go to a dealer and try it out both for performance and how hard it is to handle. If you do find a lighter folder with a throttle, please let us know. There are lighter folders that work well and are cheaper but sadly no throttle. You can get a Viking E Go on sale for £599. It is lighter that the Freego but does not have the range, power, throttle and panier rack. The Viking Harrier is a nice bike for the price as well. No lights, no throttle and again not the range or power. Again, lighter than the Freego.

Try a viking folder and just add a throttle that cost £30

Or even the hopper shopper from tesco £450 same as viking and again just add a throttle.

Try a viking folder and just add a throttle that cost £30

This is a great idea and £30 sounds about right for someone that already knows their way around installing one in an E Go and can do it themselves. Getting this done by qualified technicial at a proper shop will be much more.

I searched on this forum, many people have mentioned about kudos secret!!! Also woosh zephyr. anyone with experience of these bikes?

 

I am not really technical to fit throttle and stuff really...

Edited May 14, 201510 yr by tapash

This is a great idea and £30 sounds about right for someone that already knows their way around installing one in an E Go and can do it themselves. Getting this done by qualified technicial at a proper shop will be much more.

True say emo but it is only one plug a few cable ties and four screws holding the cover on its simple enough to do and the instructions are on this forum. Even if he took it to a bike shop still going to be cheaper than spending a grand

folders are not very comfortable to ride 18 miles a day, 5,000 miles a year.

Both the Secret and the Zephyr CDN have same size battery, 36V 8AH. The Zephyr CDN is crank driven with Nexus hub gear, the Secret has rear hub drive and 6-speed derailleur. The CDN can be very fast.

The Woosh Petite is more comfortable for this sort of distance and can be bought with either 10AH or 15AH battery. totalwomenscycling.com lists the Petite as one of the best e-bikes for women.

folders are not very comfortable to ride 18 miles a day, 5,000 miles a year.

Both the Secret and the Zephyr CDN have same size battery, 36V 8AH. The Zephyr CDN is crank driven with Nexus hub gear, the Secret has rear hub drive and 6-speed derailleur. The CDN can be very fast.

The Woosh Petite is more comfortable for this sort of distance and can be bought with either 10AH or 15AH battery. totalwomenscycling.com lists the Petite as one of the best e-bikes for women.

thanks. But 23Kg seems a bit too much when she has to carry it...

 

Also wha t is the real life battery life on secret and CDN, if throttle is used frequently?

Why would she need to use the throttle so often? Are there many hills for her to go up?

thanks. But 23Kg seems a bit too much when she has to carry it...

 

Also wha t is the real life battery life on secret and CDN, if throttle is used frequently?

For your intended use, 2 - 2.5 years.

although 8AH battery should be plenty for 18 miles, 15AH batteries will save you a lot of time because with 55-60 miles per full charge, you only have to charge them every other day, that can also potentially double the life of the battery, at least extend it substantially.

Don't worry about using the throttle all the time unless the rider is very heavy.

For your intended use, 2 - 2.5 years.

although 8AH battery should be plenty for 18 miles, 15AH batteries will save you a lot of time because with 55-60 miles per full charge, you only have to charge them every other day, that can also potentially double the life of the battery, at least extend it substantially.

Don't worry about using the throttle all the time unless the rider is very heavy.

Thanks. She is only 69kg. There are 3 flyovers she needs to cross so thats 6 times in a day. And i guess that would take lot of battery!!?? So at the end pf the day battery need to top up I suppose on a 8ah pack??

yes, with an 8AH or 10AH battery, she would have to charge after each day.

The throttle is also highly recommended to ride in cities, it makes starting off much easier and safer at traffic lights.

The Freego folder can be fitted with a 16ah battery that would make it £1,099 and increase the range to 50+ miles. You should be able to get at least 25 to 30 miles heavily using the throttle. The 10ah should do 15 to 20.

The Freego folder can be fitted with a 16ah battery that would make it £1,099 and increase the range to 50+ miles. You should be able to get at least 25 to 30 miles heavily using the throttle. The 10ah should do 15 to 20.

Thats 22kg without the battery.

the lightest folder that can do the 18 miles trip is the woosh Gallego and it's also the easiest bike to pull up the steps/stairs. it has a throttle but you have to push first on the pedal for about half a turn before the throttle kicks in.

 

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?gallego

 

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/products/gallego-semi-folded.jpg

the lightest folder that can do the 18 miles trip is the woosh Gallego and it has a throttle but you have to push first on the pedal for about half a turn before the throttle kicks in.

 

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?gallego

 

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/products/gallego-semi-folded.jpg

Its a 16" wheel. How does this compare the components quality and comfort of other ones we discussed? Also is throttle can reach 15mph on its own?

on throttle, the gallego goes about 12-13mph.

The components are good, Bafang motor, Samsung cell battery, Nexus hub gear, shimano rollerbrakes, puncture resistant tyres, mudguards, bell, lights. Very low maintenance. Just tuck it under a desk when not riding. Personally, I don't want to ride it 18 miles on a trot.

on throttle, the gallego goes about 12-13mph.

The components are good, Bafang motor, Samsung cell battery, Nexus hub gear, shimano rollerbrakes, puncture resistant tyres, mudguards, bell, lights. Very low maintenance. Just tuck it under a desk when not riding. Personally, I don't want to ride it 18 miles on a trot.

Can you please elaborate why ? And in this situation what would be your options?

Thats 22kg without the battery.

Yes the Freego is not light but is that the most important factor? Will the bike need to be picked up and carried any distance? Will two people or just one be available to carry it? As it is an ebike, the weight will have little effect on the performance and would still be easy to ride unpowered but not ideal. Perhaps the OP could shed some light on the weight issue.

 

Unless you go to at least a 15 or 16ah battery, you will be charging daily and that will shorten the batery life as earlier stated. There are lighter bikes that will do a daily journey as I said before.

on throttle, the gallego goes about 12-13mph.

The components are good, Bafang motor, Samsung cell battery, Nexus hub gear, shimano rollerbrakes, puncture resistant tyres, mudguards, bell, lights. Very low maintenance. Just tuck it under a desk when not riding. Personally, I don't want to ride it 18 miles on a trot.

I agree. The geometry of the bike and small wheels would not be that desirable for me on an 18 mile trip.