Choosing between folding bikes & the local shops that sell them

[BiscuitHead]

It'll be a commuting bike that will be stored in my trunk, as I live in a walk-up without an elevator. My commute is ~4 mi each way with ~1.5mi long hill, and I used to do it on my pedal-powered hybrid but now I get too sweaty for the workplace & need another option.

I'm currently deciding between the Magnum Classic (low step), Blix Vika+, and Motiv Stash, and leaning towards the Vika+ or Motiv Stash. I like that the battery is built into the frame on the Stash, but I tend to lean on the grips a bit and for that reason having a throttle on the grip makes me nervous. The Vika+ has a better warranty and cheaper replacement battery ($400 vs. $600 for the Stash/Classic), but I am wary of the high investment in marketing with the brand.

Beyond Court's reviews, does anyone have any experience/opinions about these bikes?

I plan to buy at a local shop, and unfortunately the Vika+ is being sold at a shop that is farther away so it would be more difficult to get it serviced.

Edit: I also test-rode a Tern but honestly the mid-drive system did not impress me -- it felt sluggish even at higher pedal assist levels. I think I like a throttle option too.

 

[J.R.]

You've figured out several issues on your own. Thumb throttles are safer than twist throttles. I've read more than a couple stories here of accidental acceleration with twist grip throttles. My first ebike had the grip and I can see that could be an issue.

I think the bike with the easiest to remove battery will be best, as you will never be able to leave the battery in the trunk. Never! Think of that pack as a dog, closed up cars will kill it. It's power delivery capability will suffer, as will it's life expectancy. Personally I wouldn't want to ride a bike where hydraulic brakes were stored in a cold car overnight. Extended periods of freezing temperatures can result in poor braking with some bike hydraulic brakes.

Beyond those initial thoughts, I don't have experience with the bikes you note. If all the bikes are local to you, you're lucky. I hope a bump to your post will generate more comments. Good luck.

 

[BiscuitHead]

Thanks J.R.!

Yeah, I don't plan to keep the battery in the trunk -- all the LBS suggest charging the battery when not actively using it. I hadn't heard about cold affecting the brakes, that's pretty interesting. Sounds like I could avoid the hydraulic issue with the Vika+ as it uses v-brakes. Then again, I don't have to worry about that too much with my location.

 

[rich c]

Don't buy one without riding it! I hate the geometry of the folding bikes. The small tires and long steerer tube feels very uncomfortable to me. I'm a pretty big guy, and just have this feeling I look like a circus bear riding a tiny bike. Riding side streets in Chicago with my son makes me think that a full suspension bike is required for commuting year round. The small tires on the folding bikes will not help on a rough ride, but maybe your city does a better job with street maintenance.

 

[Nova Haibike]

Where do you live; is it all urban streets? Have you thought about an electric scooter, or do you really want the experience of pedaling? What are your parking options at work?

 

[Barry S]

Agree on going with a bike that has a removable battery. If you ever change your mind about storing your bike in the trunk of your car and decide to hoof it up the stairs, being able to take the battery off will help lighten the load between 5 to 10 lbs. It may not seem like much, but it might once you get to the top of the stairs.

As for rich c's comments about test riding the bike, I thoroughly agree. I rode a co-worker's very cool looking GoCycle but it didn't feel solid and had a "toy" feel to it. Recently, I rode the Voltbike Mariner and that was a totally different story. Riding position was very comfortable and it felt more like a regular bike to me. Definitely a solid build, which comes at the cost of 59.5 pounds.

 

[jhoblo]

It'll be a commuting bike that will be stored in my trunk, as I live in a walk-up without an elevator. My commute is ~4 mi each way with ~1.5mi long hill, and I used to do it on my pedal-powered hybrid but now I get too sweaty for the workplace & need another option.

I'm currently deciding between the Magnum Classic (low step), Blix Vika+, and Motiv Stash, and leaning towards the Vika+ or Motiv Stash. I like that the battery is built into the frame on the Stash, but I tend to lean on the grips a bit and for that reason having a throttle on the grip makes me nervous. The Vika+ has a better warranty and cheaper replacement battery ($400 vs. $600 for the Stash/Classic), but I am wary of the high investment in marketing with the brand.

Beyond Court's reviews, does anyone have any experience/opinions about these bikes?

I plan to buy at a local shop, and unfortunately the Vika+ is being sold at a shop that is farther away so it would be more difficult to get it serviced.

Edit: I also test-rode a Tern but honestly the mid-drive system did not impress me -- it felt sluggish even at higher pedal assist levels. I think I like a throttle option too.

Which Tern did you ride? A couple have Bosch motors, but I think that one still uses the 350W Bafang. I’ve thought about adding a BBSHD on a Link D8.
You know, folding bikes with small wheels without motors are sluggish. It’s a compromise between how portable you need your transportation to be and comfort. I seriously thought about doing a Grin conversion on a Brommie, but that kit is sold out. I didn’t ask if/when they will get more in. I don’t know that I’d like the ride on 16” wheels, but that fold is sooo nice!

 

[harryS]

You have to get the gearing on a 20" comparable to a bigger wheel bike, and then it's speedy, but I will note that I don't need higher speeds on a folder. Ours max out at 18-20 mph on 36V, but can coast down our biggest hill at 24 mph just like our bigger bikes. Mine feels stable to me

We did 32 miles a few weekends ago on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive. That's all pot holes. Horrible. My wife's folder is full suspension though.

By the way, I put on the twist throttle on my first ebike kit. After I did a walking wheelie, I ordered a thumb throttle.

 

[michael mitchell]

It'll be a commuting bike that will be stored in my trunk, as I live in a walk-up without an elevator. My commute is ~4 mi each way with ~1.5mi long hill, and I used to do it on my pedal-powered hybrid but now I get too sweaty for the workplace & need another option.

I'm currently deciding between the Magnum Classic (low step), Blix Vika+, and Motiv Stash, and leaning towards the Vika+ or Motiv Stash. I like that the battery is built into the frame on the Stash, but I tend to lean on the grips a bit and for that reason having a throttle on the grip makes me nervous. The Vika+ has a better warranty and cheaper replacement battery ($400 vs. $600 for the Stash/Classic), but I am wary of the high investment in marketing with the brand.

Beyond Court's reviews, does anyone have any experience/opinions about these bikes?

I plan to buy at a local shop, and unfortunately the Vika+ is being sold at a shop that is farther away so it would be more difficult to get it serviced.

Edit: I also test-rode a Tern but honestly the mid-drive system did not impress me -- it felt sluggish even at higher pedal assist levels. I think I like a throttle option too.

I have a vika+ with about 1600 miles. I've ridden it on rough roads and bike paths in Seattle, through heavy rain many times. I highly recommend it. The thing climbs like a beast. Speeds on the flats usually max out at about 19.5mph, but the high torque gets you to that speed quickly. It will be a more upright position than a road or mountain bike (I'm 6'0" with a 34/35 inseam), and you should look at getting a good suspension seatpost like a thudbuster LT or bodyfloat/kintekt. The walk-up may be tough for any ebike that weighs approx. 50lbs, but I guess a good thumb throttle would help.

Depending on your budget, you may also want to look at getting a brompton and adding a grin tech kit.

 

[harryS]

For good looks, it would be the Motiv Stash for me, but taking the battery out for storage might put some extra wear on the connectors and wires. It's also a smaller battery at 9AH. Magnum is 13 AH and Blix is 11 AH? If all three of these makers goes away, it might be easier to find the rear batteries from a third party seller.

I would expect over 30 miles at 14 mph and pedal assist out of the Motiv, based on what our folders will use at that same speed. My wife was at 32 miles recently with a 36V 9AH battery and probably had another 4 miles range. She would love a step-thru bike.

At our speeds, the rim brakes on the Blix would be fine, and I think that good rim brakes feel better than most mechanical disks.

Being able to test ride and test fold the bike woud be very nice. I would suppose some of thes ebikes don't fold or carry so well.

 

[jhoblo]

For good looks, it would be the Motiv Stash for me, but taking the battery out for storage might put some extra wear on the connectors and wires. It's also a smaller battery at 9AH. Magnum is 13 AH and Blix is 11 AH? If all three of these makers goes away, it might be easier to find the rear batteries from a third party seller.

I would expect over 30 miles at 14 mph and pedal assist out of the Motiv, based on what our folders will use at that same speed. My wife was at 32 miles recently with a 36V 9AH battery and probably had another 4 miles range. She would love a step-thru bike.

At our speeds, the rim brakes on the Blix would be fine, and I think that good rim brakes feel better than most mechanical disks.

Being able to test ride and test fold the bike woud be very nice. I would suppose some of thes ebikes don't fold or carry so well.

What is your wife's folder that has a full suspension? I agree that 20" wheels and potholes/dirt roads are tough, but seatpost suspensions can impact how they fold, depending on the bike.
I've never ridden a Brommie, but now that REI sells them I considered one- no choice in colors- red is fugly Too bad that they don't have any demos in store that I can test ride. There is no comparison to the tidy Brompton fold.

 

[harryS]

What is your wife's folder that has a full suspension?

Home built e-bikes.

Hers is a Downtube FS-8 in blue. Geared motor in back. Electrics box under the rack. 42 pounds. Add 6 pounds for 36V 9AH battery in the bag. Good for over 30 miles.

Mine is a Downtube Nova in yellow. Same gear. 35 pounds w/o battery.

Last is a Sundeal Minivello. Doesn't fold. Same motor in front drive. WIth battery it's 35 pounds.

 

[jhoblo]

These are nice! I like how sturdy the Sundeal frame looks.
Too bad that Downtube doesn't specify rider weight limits. Giant makes a folder (the Expressway) that somewhat looks like your Nova and word has it that the rider capacity is around 300 lbs. Don't know that I believe that, and Giant hasn't responded to my email request.

 

[Dewey]

If you don’t like the handling on a bike with 16” or 20” wheels there are bikes that fold in half with 26” wheels like the Montague Paratrooper that could work as donor bikes for motor conversion. You don’t need 24 gears on an ebike but if you got a nice replacement front chain ring like those from Lekkie you could convert it to an 8 speed.

 

[jhoblo]

I actually prefer 20" wheels. The fold for 20" wheels is more compact and much simpler.

I actually have a Monty and I've considered a BBSHD conversion, but I've learned to really hate this bike... I'm trying to make peace with it for lack of better alternatives.

I've had problems with the Bionx kit, so even though I've had it for two years my mileage is very low. I was on the forum before with a different gmail account that I forgot the password to- I've even forgotten the user name I used then. I still fight this thing throwing on resistance for seconds after I've applied the brakes, and no bike mechanic knows what's up and I never found a decent Bionx dealer. I was told to override that with the throttle, hehe, but I had it reprogrammed to CA Class 3, so I don't have throttle anymore, bad choice Yeah, I feel more than a bit of schadenfreude about what happened to the company...

I thought I had buyers for this damn thing a couple of times, but ABQ isn't a place where people know about e-bikes and I can't sell it for half of what I bought it for, so I'm trying to make it a more comfortable. I'm resigned to folding, unfolding, taking on and off the front wheel four times a day. It sucks. It sucks big.

Normally I have to fold it and roll it inside on my Travoy trailer here at the university, but in the summer I get away with bringing it inside w/o folding it

What I do like about it is I can use great tires (Schwalbe Marathon Tour Plus) unlike the fat tire bikes, it's lighter (only 50 lbs) than the fatties, and I seem to be able to ride this on windy days when MrCoffee in ABQ doesn't ride his Rad Rover. I have 28 gears (Paratrooper Pro.) It would make a nice BBSHD conversion, and a straightforward one, too but I have lots of work to do to make this thing comfortable. I just bought Jones H Bar handlebars so that I can ride in a more upright position to prevent my hands from going numb before 5 miles, and I need a seat with springs, as I can't use a seatpost suspension system with my Travoy trailer hitch. I have a bad knee and throwing it over this high frame scares me sometimes, depending on how much it is swollen. I would definitely do better with a smaller folder.

I have to flip the bike, attach the front wheel, unfold, flip the bike, take off the front wheel, fold, etc. so many times a day that I'm getting an upper body workout. I'm resigned to that for now, and I suppose it takes less time for that than going to the gym. I suppose that I hate gyms more than I've hated this bike. I use it more than my car now.

 

[J.R.]

If I were in the market for a folder and if I could wait and if I could afford it, I'd like to have the Brompton eBike

Yeah I know, too many if's! I have a friend with 2 Bromptons, those tiny 16 inch wheels and quality build make an amazing folder. Even the ebike is tiny when folded. I can't see the bike getting to the US before 2019 though. It might make it to Interbike this year. With you in the SW you could likely see it. The other thing you could consider is a Brompton kit bike, given your experience you might not be up for that again.

 

[jhoblo]

If I were in the market for a folder and if I could wait and if I could afford it, I'd like to have the Brompton eBike

Yeah I know, too many if's! I have a friend with 2 Bromptons, those tiny 16 inch wheels and quality build make an amazing folder. Even the ebike is tiny when folded. I can't see the bike getting to the US before 2019 though. It might make it to Interbike this year. With you in the SW you could likely see it. The other thing you could consider is a Brompton kit bike, given your experience you might not be up for that again.

The Brompton fold is sooo tidy. Yeah, with what I put into this bike, I could've, should've, would've, with what I know now... I'm definitely interested in waiting for the e-Brompton (Grin was out of kits a week or so ago-haven't checked since.) Maybe I won't be over the Brommie's rider weight limit in a year or so

 

[Over50]

I actually prefer 20" wheels. The fold for 20" wheels is more compact and much simpler.

I definitely second that. When I bought my human powered Terns I opted for the 24" wheels thinking it would be closer to a regular bike ride. But now that I have a Tern with 20s I realize how much easier it is to transport, carry and store the bike. If I had it to do over again I would take the 20s over anything larger (for a folder).