Light ebikes

[TitaniumGeek]

That is light and I hope you’ll post a review to share your impressions. Hummingbird claim their folder is 10.3kg https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/n...s-world-s-lightest-electric-folding-bike-1727 and the Bike Friday e-pakiT is 11.8kg https://www.bikefriday.com/folding-bikes/e-pakit

The hummingbird is EXCELLENT. I recently did a review of their e-bike version and loved it.

https://titaniumgeek.com/hummingbird-electric-bike-review-an-electric-folding-dream/

But I think it is one thing to just say that, I LITERALLY put my money where my mouth is, as the new cycle to work scheme has had the limits removed, and picked one up myself.

ABSOLUTELY love buzzing into work on it

 

[Dewey]

The hummingbird is EXCELLENT. I recently did a review of their e-bike version and loved it.

https://titaniumgeek.com/hummingbird-electric-bike-review-an-electric-folding-dream/

But I think it is one thing to just say that, I LITERALLY put my money where my mouth is, as the new cycle to work scheme has had the limits removed, and picked one up myself.

ABSOLUTELY love buzzing into work on it

Excellent review Dr Gill, thanks for posting. Good news the 1k limit on the UK ebike commuting subsidy was lifted. What sort of range are you able to get from the battery? The Zehus all in one motor is also specced on the European version of the Montague Boston Ze folder with full size wheels, here in the US Montague use the similar Copenhagen wheel all in one motor for their e-conversions. There was a good article recently listing the different models of this type of kit motor https://www.electricbike.com/all-in-one-hubmotors/

 

[Dewey]

Getting back to the OP, a new to the US lightweight step through is the Orbea Optima weighing just under 40lb, uses the same Ebikemotion x35 geared hub motor and 6.9ah battery as the Orbea Gain road ebike.

 

[Solom01]

As a Gain owner I love the bike, but it's really made for a very specific type of user. I'm probably fairly close to average in the US for a guy. I weigh 170 - 175 pounds and I live in Southwest Florida where there are no hills whatsoever. I love the gain because it handles well, is easy to pedal without using the power assist and provides me with a good workout while also giving me a "back-up" if I get too tired, but this bike will not work for those who want a lot of range (especially with hills) while using assist. Under fairly close to ideal situations I can get a maximum range of about 55 miles - but that's by using no power about 1/3 of the time, and only the 2 lower levels of assist at other times. If you were in hilly territory and using the higher levels of assist at all times you would be lucky to get 20 miles of range. I'm saying this because a lot of the comments/reviews in this forum are about heavy ebikes that weigh a lot, have large motors and huge batteries and people talk about the range they get while using assist - in fact one of the posts was amazement about the Orbea being a bike that was "ashamed" to be an ebike and saying that no ebike rider would want less power. Well some of us do, but that's because we're basically looking for something as close as possible to a regular bike with a power system that is more of a back-up and not a replacement for a fairly hard workout. Maybe there are a lot of people like this, but I just want to make sure that people who buy this type of ebike understand what they're getting - which is about as different from a Juiced Bike or R&M bike as possible. It's great that we can make these choices, but they are very distinct types of bikes besides just being lighter.

 

[McCorby]

I have a Felt Sport-E 50 and love it. It weighs only 42lbs, has the Shimano Steps E8000 mid drive motor, and a 500 Watt/hr battery.
I also posted about it on this thread:
https://electricbikereview.com/foru...-for-hills-with-quality-components-etc.28871/
It's definitely worth checking out!

 

[GregGritton]

Trek Verve + 45 lbsView attachment 27458

I could second that one. It is one of the least expensive mid-drive bikes, at $2400. However, I really liked it when I tried it. It comes with a Bosh ActiveLine motor that was very smooth and that was quiet enough that I couldn't hear it on the test drive. The components seem good. The gearing is 9-speed Shimano Alivio. The inegrated lights are bright and actually flash, which for some reason is a rarity on e-bikes. It has fenders for all-wether capability. I was impressed overall.

If you want to go much below this weight you start getting into much more expensive bikes.

 

[McCorby]

I agree, my girlfriend has a Verve + step-thru and she loves it. I have always had a soft spot for Trek.....owned several analogs through the years. It is well built and rides really nice. The motor is very smooth and quiet. It doesn't have the torque my E8000 does, so it struggles a little on the bigger hills. A really nice bike for $2,200

 

[Ruggb]

There is one on Indiegogo that apparently says their bike is 12.9kg, which is claimed by them as the lightest in the world.

It's a folding e-bike, with a carbon fibre frame and the design looks good.
I ordered a bike, it's called "Carbo", I'm waiting for them to ship it to me. Here is their page

Did you get yours yet? Thoughts?

 

[Chancelucky2]

Did you get yours yet? Thoughts?

There's a facebook page called "Carbo Bike Backers" that has a number of messages from Carbo owners. I would join that group first and get a feel for some of the issues that have come up there.
I doubt that any bike is free of issues, but it'll give you a feel for the issues some have had with the bike and how well the company's handled them. There's also a lighter folding e-bike https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-one-world-s-lightest-electric-folding-bike#/ titanium instead of carbon fibre.