Howdy folk,
Every now and again I make a bike video. I have been riding the Volador since April, 2019, basing my purchase on Court and Sam's review. It's been a fab choice for me and I've done a few upgrades along the way. Here is my 1500 mile report, featuring an original soundtrack with the longneck dulcimer.
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Their folders are lighter weight than many others, such as the Blix Vika or the Magnums, and the pricing is a lot lower too. Trying to lift and haul around 52 to 60 lb folders makes no sense. Unless you are buying a fat tire folder used for off road, or heavy duty situations, Why buy a folder if it weighs that much ?
Qualisports is coming on fast, and getting the important parts of a folding ebike, spot on.
Nice vid.
dulcimer is perfect for the videos. super enjoyed your mini travelogue. It hit the spot, as I am looking to buy a folding, lighter weight pedal assistbike, as someone with severe stenosis that affects limbs/extremities. My ability to walk or carry via backpack my groceries in combo with masstrans has become extemely restricted. As also abt 65 y.o. and diabetic, I know I must find a combination of physicality that does not invoke the muscular symptoms, but provides enough conditioning. The back condition is non-operable, so its all abt the mechanics.
What I did not expect in all my good planning was how difficult it would be to find a bike shop in the Portland area that provided any kind of variety for a choice that works. As being very short, I require a sit-over heigth for 28" inseam and reach less than 19" between seat and handle bars. I had just seen Court and Sam's review of the new Qualisports model and Valedor, and pegged it as one of the more reasonable options. So I am very happy to see it is a model that would be my little mule that can, while I can put my feet straight down to the ground, while staying on the saddle. I seriously have not found an ebike in Portland to even try to ride due to my height.
The upgrades you were able to add for comfort and the fact that even loaded the bike is a manageable size to walk, even if the electrical system is lost (think Apollo 13), also addresses my worst-case scenario concerns. Court assures me that Sam can do things like add Dutch handlebars, etc to a glass-slipper of a bike that has the basic configuration that works for me.
When the recumbent place on Hawthorne and 21st sold a few years back, Court did an interview with the couple who bought it. They expressed the intention that their customer base would include and actively seek boomers, and so would include after market electric motors. I paid a visit last summer, and they have since scrapped that idea. With all the activity they have around their recumbents as is, the electrical modifications proved to be more of a distraction than productive, so they stayed with their core biz of recumbent being enough to support their shop.
My gut is that the bike shops in PDX are becoming more and more outlying from the geographic center of town as mountain and recreational use. That is further supported by a very recent article in the WW that commuters dropped off by about 2% - from 7. something to barely 5% in the last year or two.
My fav thing about combo masstrans/bike in PDX are the river corridor east/west side esplanades; those are like Clue game, with the secret corridors between extreme distances on the game board. In RL as allowing you to run up or down the river to far south/north sides of the city, with quick jumps onto rail for 20-miles either direction, I can beat any commute time by combustible engine anything.
