A folding ebike can be a brilliant hack for cutting the time and money you spend on the daily commute, but only if you buy a good one. If you want to spend your money wisely, here are seven things you need to consider before going for it…
Some folding e-bikes don’t have gears at all, which keeps things mechanically simpler and vastly reduces maintenance. You need to honestly ask yourself whether your local terrain demands them.
Here in Bath, where we’re based, you absolutely need gears, but many city commutes are relatively flat and can be tackled easily on a single-speed.
If you do want gears, look for internal hub systems with auto-shifting for a seamless, hassle-free ride.
Belt drive practicalities
When browsing, look out for belt drive systems instead of traditional chains. A good carbon belt drive will last for years with heavy use, and crucially, it requires zero cleaning or oiling.
This means no maintenance and no greasy chain marks on your trousers when carrying the bike onto a train or into the office.
What about the folding?
Consider exactly how small you need the bike to be when collapsed. Think about your storage constraints at home, whether it needs to fit under your desk, and how easily it accommodates your travel arrangements on busy trains.
Some folding systems are better than others, though any process will take a little getting used to. Once you’re confident, most folding ebikes can be deployed and stowed in very little time.
However, another key feature to look for, is whether you can wheel the bike along while it is folded. Due to the weight of most folding e-bikes, this is incredibly useful for navigating long train station platforms.
Range
As with electric vehicles, a lot is made about the range of a folding e-bike. It is an easy metric to understand and brands will often compete to outdo each other here. But a bigger number might not be the thing to aim for.
Instead, work out how far you actually need to ride each day, and calculate how many times a week you’d realistically have to charge the battery. Don’t forget to account for any hills reducing the actual range of the battery. This is a more functional way to decide how much range you really need.
Take the Ado Air 20 Ultra, for example. It uses a Bafang 2nd Gen H730 auto-shifting motor paired with a dual-sided torque sensor. This delivers 25% higher torque for a remarkably smooth ride and a claimed range of up to 100km.
Range matters, but remember that bigger batteries usually mean a heavier bike, which leads us nicely onto…
Weight
Always check the manufacturer’s claimed weight before you buy. Quite simply, more weight makes the bike much harder to carry up flights of stairs or onto public transport.
It is also worth checking whether the e-bike features a walk-assist or push function to help you manage the heft when navigating steep ramps or pedestrian zones.
Equipment
Check if the bike comes fitted with essential city commuting gear like mudguards, integrated lights, and a sturdy kickstand.
If they aren’t included, see if there are proprietary mounts to add them later. Having this equipment integrated from the factory is generally much better and cleaner. The Ado comes well-equipped out of the box, boasting a suspension fork to take the sting out of potholed streets alongside that smart NFC start feature, in fact it can be powered on and off in three different ways: by holding the power button on the display, by tapping the NFC card supplied with the e-bike or by using NFC on a compatible smartphone.
Luggage
It is always useful to be able to carry your belongings on the bike rather than sweating into a backpack. Look closely at the luggage options: is there a rear rack or a front mount, and what is their maximum weight capacity? A sturdy ecosystem, like the MIK rear rack featured on the Ado, makes attaching and removing panniers a breeze for the daily grocery run or office commute.
