Best folding ebikes for a lady novice rider

[Jake Royd]

My SIL is looking for a folding ebike.
She has a PVC (central walkway at the rear) and does not want an external rack.
But she needs one that folds up small and neat.
She has tried my brothers folding ebike but fell off a few times at the step off stage.
This is due to many of the Chinese systems waiting a few rotations of the wheels before bringing in the emotor.
This surge just as you are maybe in a "too high prior to power" gear is what does the damage for her.

She would be far better with a pedelec where the power is instant and proportional crank torque applied.

Cost is not a problem.

I'm thinking of an electric Brompton for her or possibly a Go-Cycle.

Would experts kindly suggest any that meet the above criteria.

Thank you.

 

[NicandJay]

Did your SIL find the riding/ seating geometry to her liking as a novice as your hands are almost directly over the front wheel so it makes the feel of the folding bikes different to a no folding bike.....

 

[AndyB57]

My SIL is looking for a folding ebike.
She has a PVC (central walkway at the rear) and does not want an external rack.
But she needs one that folds up small and neat.
She has tried my brothers folding ebike but fell off a few times at the step off stage.
This is due to many of the Chinese systems waiting a few rotations of the wheels before bringing in the emotor.
This surge just as you are maybe in a "too high prior to power" gear is what does the damage for her.

She would be far better with a pedelec where the power is instant and proportional crank torque applied.

Cost is not a problem.

I'm thinking of an electric Brompton for her or possibly a Go-Cycle.

Would experts kindly suggest any that meet the above criteria.

Thank you.

We bought a couple of Decathlon BTWIN Tilt 500 electric folding bikes a couple of years ago and whilst not as cool and desirable (or expensive!) as an electric Brompton they’ve been absolutely brilliant. They can be ridden with the motor on or off which helps to conserve battery power if you’re just cycling on the flat (or fancy a good workout!)

Sports | Decathlon

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Cheers,

Andy

 

[Riverbankannie]

I have an electric Bromptons but aftermarket conversion with a twist grip throttle so can get the motor going early. It does take some getting used to after a normal bike. However it folds up so neatly and so is good for storage. Quite heavy even with the battery removed.
She would need to give them a good try out.
Have a google search for electric bike sellers near you who should let you take out a bike to try. The Electric Bike company in Bristol let me take one out on the roads for an hour.

 

[Nanniemate]

most good ecycle specialist will all the bike to be trialled maybe arrange a day out to one to try out a number of bikes for the best fit I have been looking at juicy for a while as they do some very light bikes so easier to lift on/into the van

<Broken link removed>

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[two]

Brompton bikes are nice. Not cheap, but should hold their value, and fold up really compactly (get a folding pedal).
The official Brompton electric requires the battery to be held separately in the front bag but I believe there is a better alternative that has the battery fixed to the frame. Whilst it folds small, the folding and unfolding process can be a bit of a fiddle for some.
She may prefer a Riese and Muller Tinker. It's a much nicer ride with more controlled power to the rear wheel but does not collapse as small (indeed, it's not really a folder). I think there is a number of gear options, from which I'd choose the continuously variable Nuvinci one. The bike is very adaptable and be easy to sell-on.
I have no experience of Go-Cycle, so cannot advise on that (the name would put me off).
Do take her to try some out. A 'proper' shop should have several to contrast and compare. If she's not comfortably confident on it, it's not going to go anywhere.

 

[Vanderek]

We bought a couple of Decathlon BTWIN Tilt 500 electric folding bikes a couple of years ago and whilst not as cool and desirable (or expensive!) as an electric Brompton they’ve been absolutely brilliant. They can be ridden with the motor on or off which helps to conserve battery power if you’re just cycling on the flat (or fancy a good workout!)

Sports | Decathlon

Welcome to Decathlon, we stock a wide range of Sports. Enjoy low prices every day. Get what you need now !

www.decathlon.co.uk

Cheers,

Andy

As Andy says , we also have two of these and they do the job well, we just fold the stem/handle bars down and slide into garage....they were £649 each when we bought them !

 

[Howard B]

We have the Raleigh Stow E way bikes which we found really good. Picked them both up for 1/2 price from Ebay, less than a year old and looked as new. https://www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/stow-e-way/

 

[Cal54]

From experience I would definitely say ‘try before you buy’. I bought a 14” wheel folder for my PVC and it was ok. However I soon realised that I wasn’t as competent as I thought and the small wheels gave me stability issues! Thankfully I sold for the same price I paid and have now bought one with 20” wheels. This summer will be the first real test, and who knows I might yet be selling another !!!

 

[Jake Royd]

Thank you all.
I had concluded a 20" wheel is the smallest commensurate with comfort and stability even though I know I mentioned Bromptons at 16" I think.
Checking , Go-Cycles are pedelecs so you get power as soon as you depress a pedal.

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[Littlewheels]

The OP’s main criteria appears to be size when folded as his SiL has a central walkway,the smallest folding bike is a Brompton and quick to fold once you get the knack,it might also fit in the underseat storage.

 

[I2C]

Having only ever ridden rode bikes I was worried about the 16" but didn't have any issues, we both find them very stable, even on gravel. Like others, suggest your SIL tries various sized wheels, can't beat a Brompton for folded size, that's why we bought them so we could store them inside the MH.

 

[dulvil]

I have a whisper folding bike. Just as you put pressure on the pedal you twist the throttle and the motor kicks in gently to help you on your way.
If you are going to theThetford bash I could show it to you

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

I thought twist grip type bikes were now illegal?

 

[jako999]

My wife has a fast4ward Edge it’s 10 years old now and still going strong but depending how stable you are remember most folding bikes have 20” wheels which makes them unstable compared to a 26” wheel.

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[ToBoldlyGo]

I thought twist grip type bikes were now illegal?

We have twist throttles on our AS bikes folders. In UK law for an ebike to be classed as an electric bicycle you have to be pedalling for the twist throttle to work:

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/electric-bikes-uk-law-234973

 

[jako999]

That’s correct, because my wife’s is now old that wasn’t the law back then you can just twist and go which is great because she’s disabled and can’t really pedal very far. It gave her a new lease when she got it we can go to the local town, a cafe or pub by the site
I believe there are mods to make some of the bikes twist and go but if your not pedalling it will eat the range on a fairly flat route she gets around 8 miles but her back won’t stand any more then 3 or 4 miles at a time.

 

[Guigsy]

We have a pair of Bromptons that we squeezed into the back of the 5.4m van we used to have and spent 6 months in Europe. Mine is a standard as I'm an avid cyclist. But my wife hadn't ridden in years. I got her a Brompton Electric and she loves it. She calls it her "brave little Brompton" and it enabled us to do so many things together that we wouldn't have otherwise managed. Note: If you try one, don't bother playing with the power settings, just leave it on max assistance and it rides seamlessly. Medium and low are a bit dithery for some reason.

 

[Paulypaul]

Can highly recommend these:

Chameleon LS Electric Bike

With a low step through frame and a simple to operate walk assist throttle button, the Chameleon LS is the most accessible and easy to use bike in the

byocycles.com

We got ours online from a company down in Sussex who were well-priced and offered great service.

 

[oggiebedworth]

And if she keeps on falling off, we have a folding electric trike - Jorvik - not cheap, but its stability is the key - and it tows the doggy hut!

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[kevino]

We bought an EZEGO Fold 2019 for my wife. It is easy to ride even without electric but with she zooms by me on the hills, having small wheels she cant go as fast on the flat though. Rrp about a £1000 and, in her opinion, well worth it. Battery life is great too -better than 3 times my Freego Hawk.

 

[Pausim]

I'm thinking of an electric Brompton for her or possibly a Go-Cycle.

My wife was a very hesitant cyclist but immediately felt comfortable and safe on a GoCycle. There is no power surge, the power comes in gently and it changes gear automatically. When you stop it always changes to first gear ready for the next start which is very useful for cautious cyclists. There is throttle boost on a twist grip but to be legal you have to be pedalling for this to work. If cost is not an issue then the storage case for keeping inside her PVC may be useful. Very light and easy to lift in and out and with all the mechanicals covered up in the casing no greasy bits to damage furnishings or clothes.

We have one each and both think they were an excellent purchase, despite the cost.

 

[Humsafer]

Look at anything with Bosch drive. Raleigh Kompact is expensive but good £2500

 

[JohnFX]

We find with our e Bike that it pays to turn the power to minimum on completion of a ride that way you do not take off at max speed, it works for us anyway. Both are Italian step through with compact removable batteries.

 

[snoozer]

Electric bike world in Southampton do a folding bike which has a throttle start. This means you can power away from stationary and then start pedeling. My wife had the same issues because of weak knees but has loved the EBW bike. We have been using them for 3 years and taken them around Scotland and Spain. For lifting remember to take the battery out first.

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[paddimac]

We purchased a folding Electric Trike for out disabled daughter from

ASBikes <contact@asbikes.co.uk>​

The rear wheels fold in (Parallel) so we can get it in the rear galley of our Toyota Hiace small camper. Very sturdy £2000

 

[Bobby-gg]

We've got a pvc, and I bought my other half, who is not a confident cyclist, a go-cycle. She absolutely loves it.
I managed to pick up the wheeled storage bag for it, so whilst travelling it sits at the back between the sofa's, and on site whilst not in use, it fit's between the front seats when they are swiveled around.
My bike is a 16" wheeled dahon that fits in the drivers footwell when parked up

 

[Clive Mott]

I have converted my own full sized bike to leccy and one of the bits that came with the kit was a thumb throttle. I find this invaluable when starting off with only one properly working leg. A good friend has just converted two Bromptons to leccy using the Nano conversion. Firstly for his wife then for him as he could not keep up with her. These also have the option of an additional thumb throttle. I would not expect an original Brompton leccy bike to include this thumb throttle option as EU rules banned it several years back. But pick up a second hand Brompton and do the same.

 

[Shevaun]

we have 2 folding ebike s bought recently... my OH loves his Go cycle ... I went for a more traditional looking one the Hercules because the handlebar height & tilt adjustment suits me. We love them. They fold easily into the garage if our Burstner Lyseo 736. Not cheap but worth it.

 

[Tonks]

I have a folding ebike which carry inside my VW campervan. As a few people have said, I DEFINITELY recommend having a bike bag or wrap. Apart from protecting the interior of the van, it also makes it easier to move the bike around inside, and makes the bike less obvious to anyone who may peer in. When in transit, I strap mine to the rear seatbelts with a leather strap, as I don't fancy an electric bike being thrown forward in an accident.
Others have commented on the power so I won't repeat what's been said. I WOULD say though that if your SIL is a novice cyclist I would discount the Bromptons. They are excellent bikes and very compact to stow, but they have the smallest wheels, which inherently makes a bike slightly less stable. I would recommend going for a bike with 20" wheels. She will have better stability and road holding and they still fold up pretty well.
This is mine, to show the 20" wheels, and also the wrap I use which is hanging from the van's mirror. I would also recommend buying an ebike with a rack you can secure a bag on, as you'll need a sturdy lock if she stops off when out on it, or to secure it to the van when on site. I lock mine to the nearside front alloy.
All that said, although my folder is great for use in the van, I still prefer riding my 'standard' bike, a rather old Trek hybrid!

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