Best light weight folding bike

[Rod Kleiss]

I am in search of the best folding bike to put in the back of my plane. The Blix Traveler looks possible and seems the lightest but will the battery really work to take me into town and back? Evelo is a bit heavier but how does one make this kind of choice? There are certainly a slew of others but most are well over 40 lbs which is the max weight I want to carry in the plane. Any suggestions?

 

[DR Win]

I am in search of the best folding bike to put in the back of my plane. The Blix Traveler looks possible and seems the lightest but will the battery really work to take me into town and back? Evelo is a bit heavier but how does one make this kind of choice? There are certainly a slew of others but most are well over 40 lbs which is the max weight I want to carry in the plane. Any suggestions?

Good lightweight (under 40lbs) folding e-bikes with 20" wheels include Easy Motion EasyGo Volt and Daymak New Yorker. (I won't go under 20" wheels due to the chance of potholes, uneven pavement, etc.: smaller wheels can cause crashes.)

 

[Rod Kleiss]

I tried a number of bikes, as many as I could find here in Minneapolis area, but the Blix Vika Traveler really stood out. It is 36 lbs and seems to be really well constructed. I was concerned about the 16 inch wheels but I decided to take the leap after a very convincing test ride. So far I really don't see the downside of those wheels. We have some pretty rough pavement in my little hometown and the bike behaves very well on them. I don't think I'd like to go 20 mph but it is just fine at 15 to 17 and feels quite stable.

 

[Finist]

Look at those https://www.bestadvisers.co.uk/folding-bikes , I`m not the fan of folding bikes, as I have an external trunk on which I fix my bike when have to travel somewhere.

 

[Alex M]

I don't understand how Vika Travel with 16" wheels can be 35 lb total with battery, when the same Vika with 20" wheels weighs 56 lb total with battery.
On "Travel" they reduced the battery from 11AH to 9AH, and motor from 350W to 250W, saving ~3 lb on this. So the pair of 20" wheels is 18 lb heavier than a pair of 16"?

 

[Rod Kleiss]

Well, actually I'm glad you asked because I have the bike and can answer that question. Turns out that the bike without the battery is 36 lbs and the battery weighs 5 lbs. Still lighter than the bigger bikes but the margin shrinks. It is still lighter than most others and the 16 inch wheels really aren't a problem. I do like the internal 3 speed gear hub for the fact that is should be harder to break than a derailleur. Of course now I've located a much lighter bike although it is a one-speed. Here is the link: https://ebikebc.com/product/ultra-light-foldable-e-bike/. Goes for about $900 US bucks.
The frame is like the VeloMini which is reviewed by EBR. It's only 29 lbs with the battery. I think I prefer to have the 3 speed though and take the weight penalty. It gives me options.

 

[E-Wheels]

I don't understand how Vika Travel with 16" wheels can be 35 lb total with battery, when the same Vika with 20" wheels weighs 56 lb total with battery.
On "Travel" they reduced the battery from 11AH to 9AH, and motor from 350W to 250W, saving ~3 lb on this. So the pair of 20" wheels is 18 lb heavier than a pair of 16"?

Might be a typo and is actually 53 lb?

 

[Rod Kleiss]

No. The bike without the battery is 36 lbs, and with the battery is 41 lbs.

 

[Alex M]

... now I've located a much lighter bike although it is a one-speed. Here is the link: https://ebikebc.com/product/ultra-light-foldable-e-bike/. Goes for about $900 US bucks.
{Ebikebc} It's only 29 lbs with the battery.

Its battery is tiny.
Also, I would stay away from unknown Chinese brands. It does say "BC", but.... Vancouver is where the majority of the BC province is living in, and this beautiful city is populated predominately with Chinese, these days. Several companies selling knock-offs from Taiwan and mainland China.

 

[Rod Kleiss]

I guess I'd have to disagree with you on both points. The battery is small. I could have gotten a bigger one but there is that weight penalty. I have been able to go over 20 miles with the supplied battery and just minimal assistance. I think that will do for my purposes. I'll bet I could get close to 30 without too much trouble.

And Blix bikes are made in China. I'm a practicing mechanical engineer and this is a well-made bicycle. And that is said without reference to its origin. Good and bad products are made everywhere, including the US of A. You just can't generalize.

 

[Alex M]

And Blix bikes are made in China.

It was said "unknown Chinese brands". Blix is neither.
The battery in Ebikebc is the smallest of 3 lightweight bikes mentioned here.
Feel free to disagree again on both points

 

[Kemper]

I think I may have sold my stepdad on buying an Evelo Quest One for the back of his plane! We especially like the belt in lieu of chain... no grease or mess on hands and clothes.

 

[Rod Kleiss]

If you get it, I'd be interested in hearing your impressions.

 

[Kemper]

I actually have one (he was thinking of buying one for himself). I feel like the weight of it is very manageable. After about 50 miles on it, I sometimes wish it had gears, but I understand not having that helps to contribute to lower weight. Same with the motor/battery: Would be nice to have a tad more power but there are weight savings with 350W. However, I'm sure if I had a 500W I'd want more power, too!

Feel free to let me know if you have any specific questions. I really feel like Court's YouTube review of this one was pretty spot on.

 

[tinotino]

The lightest bike (not counting those custom 12" and 14" Dahon bikes) is the Luna Cycle Luna Mini weight at 36 lbs with battery. I emailed them and they confirmed its with the 5AH 52v battery. It's probably the fastest folding.

There are some FWD kit for Dahon/copycats 412 that's lighter but it's really hard to buy them outside of China.

Oh I forgot Bike Friday offer a ebike kit for the Pakit. I don't know the total weight but that's also lighter.

 

[Rod Kleiss]

There are indeed some nice folding bikes that are in the 36 lb range. I was looking for really light. The options I found were the EbikeBC
(https://ebikebc.com/product/ultra-light-foldable-e-bike/) at around 26 lbs with an 8AH battery, or its higher priced sibling the VeloMini Plus at 29.3 lbs with a 10AH battery which I am sure accounts for the difference in weight. I hesitate with single speed bikes because it doesn't give me much option to peddle independently and save the battery. I opted for a Blix Traveller at just under 40 lbs with a 3 speed planetary gear system. It works well but it is heavier than I had wanted. It does have an 11AH battery which gives me a good 20 miles with just minor assistance. I'm still looking for the perfect very small foldable bike though. Haven't found it yet.