Feedback on electric folders

[vincent]

am looking to buy an electric folder to keep on the car rack full time and use for those days i have an extra hour after work
10-20 mile rides

my preferred bike would have
350 watt mid motor or bigger
hydraulic brakes
front suspension
belt drive
throttle and pas
weight 50lbs or less including the battery

have not found anything that has all that

considered building one using a Tern and bbs02 but price wise it will be a lot more than buying one put together, and no suspension

right now am considering the tern D7i
it does not have front suspension and no throttle, no belt but has an igh
this seems to me to be a good deal for the price...

evelo quest max hits the most marks but no front suspension or hydraulic brakes
and it is expensive..
although at this point think it is the one i will get- luckily they are on sale right now

one other bike i am considering even though it does not hit the weight requirement or belt drive is the bagibike step thru B10 fat or the B10 regular
i know this company, am pleased with my other bike from them and would like to have a fat for riding on the beach occasionally...
biggest issue on this bike is the weight
this is the only fat tire i am considering because of the weight


open to any others i might have missed, just happened on the evelo today so wanted other feedback in case i missed others

waiting until black friday to see where the prices are and then will order one

 

[tomjasz]

Working on a Zizzo and BBS01B 250W. IME no need for hydraulics at 250-350W. Closeout motor about $200. Motor a 2016 build.

 

[vincent]

Thomas was hoping you would chime in , thought you built some folders

guess i am partial to hydraulics because all my disc brakes have seemed to need adjusting a good bit, and i am more worried about that with one i fold up some
that they will get out of alignment easier - not sure that it will matter much if disc or hydraulic for that if the discs gets hit but would probably still prefer it if i can get it

by the time i buy a bike, all the parts and pay someone to put it together think i will be into 1500 minimum
plus trying to figure out how to do an igh and belt drive....
Just dont think i have the knowledge etc to put all the parts together for an order or get an igh that lines up right .....
got a quote from a guy in town that builds them and his kit and labor is 1400 before i buy a bike


easier just to buy one put together
do not want to wait 2 months to get this bike together
i am very sick of waiting on bikes right now lol

also want this to be a higher end , long lasting bike to keep for years
really mad at myself for selling my last electric folder, knew i was going to regret it and i do

would like to see some picks of your folder builds if you have any

 

[harryS]

We don't ride my folders fast enough to need disk brakes, although I have the mounting points on my wife's folder. We might hit 22 mph on the downhill part of our usual route. The biggest hills we've climbed have been overpasses and tall casusway bridges in FL. Accordingly, I built ours with 250W 36V motors, and 20A controllers.

Where to put the battery is especially hard on a home folder conversion. I had been using soft sided 36V8AH packs that fit in bags under the seat or on the rear rack. A 52V6AH Luna Mini is another option I have used. Lately, I mounted a 36V 10AH bottle battery above the hinge on mine, as it never gets folded except for winter transport. We've ridden 20 miles on flat ground with 8AH. Both are 35-40 pounds. For a big ride, spare battery in saddlebags.

One of my concerns was the frame breaking on us. A google search suggests it's very rare, but a few brands have had to recall their bikes.

I ordered bare motors. Laced them myself. I have a TSDZ2 mid drive sitting around. I hear it doesn't make for a fast bike, but it would make a folder build a lot easier. No controller to place. Easier wiring.

I did buy a inexpensive 20" fat tire folder. It weighs more than my 26" fat tire bike. Almost as tall and long.

 

[jono1331]

look at https://www.eprodigybikes.com/products/3
it's expensive but it meets all of your criteria save the suspension

 

[tomjasz]

You won't be converting a folder to a belt. It seems to me you want more than $3000 in gear for $1500. Me too!
The only budget folder I have hands-on with is a Zizzo Forte. A BBS01B on mine runs about $350 and the bike $429. That leaves enough for an EM3ev 36V batter (11.4Ah great PF cells!) direct for $348! Under $1200!!!! Change the brake pads for KoolStop eBike pads and Bob's Your Uncle. A small "frog" Seatpost battery would be a nice touch too. A far cry from a dream bike but surely a good value!

A very brief scout around only found $2000 folders with discs and internal hubs.

 

[vincent]

Actually my top price for this bike was 2500 and i might have stretched it if there was one that had everything i wanted

you are forgetting i have to pay someone to install the kit

there are some folders with belts, they just dont have everything else i wanted

thanks for the pics harry

the eprodigy is very expensive and doesnt even have an igh, very small battery and out of my price range anyway but thank you for the link

definitely some i missed out on in my searches

 

[tomjasz]

It sounds like a fun project! $2500 might get fairly close! Best wishes for a big smile!

 

[vincent]

At this point unless someone pops up and has done all the work putting a bbs02 with belt drive together already, basically has done all the figuring stuff out work for me so I can copy it lol- going with prebuilt

Looking at the Evelo quest max, tern Vektron D7i and the haibike radius tour...

Anyone with experience on those 3 would love to hear your input

 

[tomjasz]

unless someone pops up and has done all the work putting a bbs02 with belt drive together already,

Well, I think that isn't going to happen. Belt conversions are anything but mainstream DIY projects. It'll be fun to watch how this unfolds. Your drive and knowledge will get you what you need. Maybe not all you want, but I'm hoping you get close at least!

 

[tomjasz]

Jeez, first hit in my google search, Evelo Quest Max. $2600.

 

[vincent]

Yes the evelo has everything but hydraulic brakes and front suspension
and bafang would not let them set the throttle to work from 0mph, which sucks
you have to be going 6mph for throttle to work, have to wonder if the eggrider could change that...

i really like this bike but concerned about getting parts or replacement motor on the m400 in the future, it is the only thing holding me back

 

[tomjasz]

concerned about getting parts or replacement motor on the m400

Yup, I wonder how prevalent this version, M400, is in the EU market. Bafang IS a nightmare for parts.