Folding eBikes - anyone using one? (1 Viewer)

[Carpmart]

As per title, I’m interested in a ‘Brompton’ style ebike... anyone any experience with this genre of bike? All advice gratefully received...

 

[jezport]

Yes, got 2 dahon electric converted bikes.
Go for ones with good gearing so you can use them almost like push bikes. Also get at least 5 power assist settings. Check the sitting position as some are uncomfortable. Personally I would reccomend a minimum wheel size of 20". I prefer front drive, as I then feel I have all wheel drive when pedalling through the rear wheel. I have a couple of spinal problems and find an electric bike is the only exercise I can bare doing.

 

[Pausim]

Gocycle are very light, folding, very stable (despite wheel size), front wheel drive and very easy to ride. However they are not the cheapest option.

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[Solwaybuggier]

We have 2 folding Wisper ebikes - great, although in practice I wish we hadn’t gone for folding! There’s room in the garage for them assembled, so I leave them like that.

 

[Paddywack]

Yes, got 2 dahon electric converted bikes.
Go for ones with good gearing so you can use them almost like push bikes. Also get at least 5 power assist settings. Check the sitting position as some are uncomfortable. Personally I would reccomend a minimum wheel size of 20". I prefer front drive, as I then feel I have all wheel drive when pedalling through the rear wheel. I have a couple of spinal problems and find an electric bike is the only exercise I can bare doing.

Did you buy a conversion kit and do it yourself?

 

[Neilfg]

We have recently changed to folding bikes, took awhile to find a bike that fitted our needs and they cost more than we hoped. We found the frame sizes where generally smaller and if you are 6ft over it was harder to find a bike that was comfortable.

As with anything seeing the bike and trying them out is critical.

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[Caggsie1]

Have just recently bought a Brompton electric. I love it. I had/have a standard non electric one and loved that too, particularly the fold. Since having the electric I am more likely to suggest going for a bike ride. It has 3 settings, all require some input, another reason I like it, I still have to exercise. I have found the front of the bike is much heavier, which is where the battery/bag is sited. Rideable without the electric bit I wouldn’t go back, through choice, to standard brommie now.

 

[Gaston aires]

What’s a converted bike ?
Phil

 

[Kim H]

Another vote for Gocycle. We’ve recently bought them to replace our Wisper e bikes, which although great bikes, we found cumbersome to get in and out of the MH garage unless we were staying put for more than a few days. We’ll be able to keep the Gocycles in a more accessible position meaning we won’t have to empty the garage to get at them and we can easily put them back inside when we’re done. We will definitely make more use of them as a result.

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[makems]

We bought a pair of AS folding electric bikes with the 36v batteries a few years ago.
they got used a lot in Europe but we left them home when we started spending our winters in Morocco (Which isnt very bicycle friendly due to the poor condition of the roads in many places)
They haven’t been used at all for the last 3 years since we had to give up the moho lifestyle for medical reasons.
I still have then in the garden shed if someone wants to take them away they can have them for £300 the pair.

 

[Vipar]

Dam to far Away

 

[Pekepal]

We are very pleased with our Roodog small folding bikes. Very nice and helpful firm to deal with.

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[Pekepal]

We are very pleased with our Roodog small folding bikes. Very nice and helpful firm to deal with.

Meant to say we have the “Bliss” model.

 

[vince433]

Interested in these bikes

 

[Riverbankannie]

As per title, I’m interested in a ‘Brompton’ style ebike... anyone any experience with this genre of bike? All advice gratefully received...

We have Bromptons that have been after-market converted. We only have a little garage space under our bed and the 2 Bronptons just slide under on their sides.
We have had them a while so batteries are not lithium so quite heavy, however I like the extra weight low down on the front bracket, it gives stability.
Small wheels not great on rough terrain so really we only use them on cycle ways or roads.
We have never been able to explore the battery life on one ride even though I use the battery a lot as we have sneaky twist grip throttle so no need to pedal !

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[TinaLes]

We have a pair of Freegos 36V 16amp hour (big Batteries, so heavy jobbies) they are folders, with 20 inch wheels with 3 levels of power, 7 speed Shimano gear set.
Got them just before regs changed, so we have the twist and go throttles, you dont have to peddle to get going if you dont wish to.
We bought them to fit in the boot of the car, but since buying the MH with a massive rear garage, I wish now I had bought normal sized bikes, as we dont have to fold them up any more.
Pro's.....they are quite fast, can go many miles, useful on long uphill roads, they have racks on the back, good lights and disk break to front wheel.
Con's....they are heavy, especially with batteries in place, 20inch wheels not very good in rough terrain or off road conditions (as expected) replacement Bosch batteries are £350, or £175 refurbished I am told, but I do look after them as best I can. Very difficult decision to take into town(anywhere)and leave unattended, even with good security locks and removing keys etc
They were £1199 each which I thought was dear enough at the time, until I saw how much some others cost
Good luck in making your choice its a minefield out there.
LES

 

[klaatu]

We have GoCycles, partly because they fit nicely into the back of our van.

 

[pj650]

I bought an electric Brompton 6 speed last March and wouldn’t be without it now.It is a fantastic piece
of kit (and so it should be for the price).It means that I have been able to ride up much steeper inclines
than I was able to on my non-powered Brompton.It takes up very little space and is still very light.
Riding it is very much an acquired taste because of the wheel size,but I got used to it very quickly.Riding
on rough or loose surfaces can be tricky so a bit more care is required.
I was never really happy with bikes on the rear rack,so it’s good to have the bikes in the garage out of sight and
secure.
Peter.

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[Riverbankannie]

Con's....they are heavy, especially with batteries in place, 20inch wheels not very good in rough terrain or off road conditions (as expected) replacement Bosch batteries are £350, or £175 refurbished I am told, but I do look after them as best I can. Very difficult decision to take into town(anywhere)and leave unattended, even with good security locks and removing keys etc
They were £1199 each which I thought was dear enough at the time, until I saw how much some others cost
Good luck in making your choice its a minefield out there.
LES

I agree with the sentiment about leaving unattended. The Bromptons seem to attract attention in every country, we too have to think about where we leave them and the heavyweight locks we carry are a bit of a pain.

 

[jongood]

We bought a pair of AS folding electric bikes with the 36v batteries a few years ago.
they got used a lot in Europe but we left them home when we started spending our winters in Morocco (Which isnt very bicycle friendly due to the poor condition of the roads in many places)
They haven’t been used at all for the last 3 years since we had to give up the moho lifestyle for medical reasons.
I still have then in the garden shed if someone wants to take them away they can have them for £300 the pair.

We have one of these. Works really well but quite heavy. The service from AS is exceptional we misplaced the charger the day we were going away , called them and picked up a new one from them on the way.

 

[jezport]

Did you buy a conversion kit and do it yourself?

No bought them already done

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[jezport]

We have one of these. Works really well but quite heavy. The service from AS is exceptional we misplaced the charger the day we were going away , called them and picked up a new one from them on the way.

Looked at them when we bought but too old fashioned and heavy for us.

 

[DerryW]

We have 2 folding Wisper ebikes - great, although in practice I wish we hadn’t gone for folding! There’s room in the garage for them assembled, so I leave them like that.

We had 2 folding ebikes, 1 Raleigh Stow e and 1 Wisper 806SE, the wife couldn't get on with the small wheels so we traded the Raleigh in for a fixed frame Wisper 705e. wished I'd gone for 2 705e's in the 1st place. It seems to take nan eternity getting them in and out the garage.

 

[Caggsie1]

I agree with the sentiment about leaving unattended. The Bromptons seem to attract attention in every country, we too have to think about where we leave them and the heavyweight locks we carry are a bit of a pain.

We tend to take them into restaurants with us, took them into Pho in Bristol last week, the fold is so good that as a rule they’ll fit under the table, hubby’s isn’t electric. In shops one goes in whilst the other keeps an eye on the bikes, which I know can be a pain but usually with dogs so one of us does it anyway.

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[Riverbankannie]

We tend to take them into restaurants with us, took them into Pho in Bristol last week, the fold is so good that as a rule they’ll fit under the table, hubby’s isn’t electric. In shops one goes in whilst the other keeps an eye on the bikes, which I know can be a pain but usually with dogs so one of us does it anyway.

We have large bags which attach to the front bracket and which contain the batteries and anything else we are taking out including the locks and chains. We have to separate the bag from the frame before folding and then we have 2 relatively bulky and heavy things each to carry. We don’t go into restaurants so it’s just going in places castles etc. We couldn’t carry them around. As you say, usually only me going into shops !

 

[Caggsie1]

Yes I think bags are essential. We end up being hod carriers, to be far Annie, we wouldn’t attempt a posh restaurant with the bikes. In past we have put the girls (dogs) in the bags, but even though invested in the larger bag for the bike, the zips go around the side edges rather than ithe bag used previously along the top, so probably lose one of them enroute ?

 

[Offagain]

We have two folding ebikes which came with our boat and love them. They're a few years old and a bit rusty and battered but really useful. Can't remember what brand they are though!
We're looking to get a pair for the motor home too but can't decide which ones. Also, interested to know how to charge the batteries. Presumably we will need an inverter?

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[Peppadog]

We have two Bromptons, both now converted to 'e'bikes by me using Nano Electric bike kits. The oldest one is 12 years old but bought new. So I think we can say we are very experience with these bikes. The electric conversions make them a bit heavier than before, but still lighter than many bikes. They were originally bought for taking away in our sailing boat, but are used in the motorhome on every trip. They can still be used without assistance, but are a treat to ride with!!

 

[pappajohn]

What’s a converted bike ?
Phil

Standard pedal bike with an aftermarket motorising kit.
You can get kits for around £175/£200

 

[Idberr]

We have 2 Raleigh Stow e way bikes. Really pleased with them re quality and price (10% discount from Raleigh with CMC code) not sure on range as we’ve never managed to go that far! Heavy to lift onto a rack but ok for a garage. Insured on house policy.

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