Light folding ebike for a small female

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Hi,

I've had an A2B Edge bike since April 2013 and it just gave up a week ago. No one wants to fix the bike as they claim they can't get the parts any more and they wouldn't know what really broke. I was happy with the bike but would have liked to have it be a bit lighter as I had to carry it daily up and down the stairs every day in a narrow staircase and it was challenging. I'd like to get a new bike and I could just pick up it's successor the Kuo or Kuo+ but it would be fun to try something new and perhaps better. I don't mind spending more money if I'm getting something better but I don't want to spend more than $3500. I've checked all the bikes I could find on this website and I couldn't find a single bike that would fit my criteria. I don't think I'm that demanding but I'm surprised that I can't find the following:
Less than 40lb
folding
20" wheels
throttle
speed at least 15miles/hr
looks like a normal bike (GoCycle for example is too weird looking and would draw attention).
and not as important but would be nice to have belt drive rather than chain as on my old bike the chain would fall off quite often.
Now, I did find a few bikes that sort of fit my criteria but they are just advertised and ready to preorder or Kickstarter projects but none really in existence today.
Is anyone aware of a bike that fits my criteria?

Kathy,

I know of a bike that is very high quality and comes with a belt drive. Because it has the Bosch drive system, you will lose the throttle feature but if you enjoy pedaling, it won't be an issue. The big plus is that it is just 32lbs. it would be super easy for you to carry it around.
Someone I know runs the US distribution and I will be happy to put you in touch with him. The bike is made by Gepida, a Hungarian company and they work very closely with Bosch.
Here is a video

 

[Kathy Smith]

Kathy,

I know of a bike that is very high quality and comes with a belt drive. Because it has the Bosch drive system, you will lose the throttle feature but if you enjoy pedaling, it won't be an issue. The big plus is that it is just 32lbs. it would be super easy for you to carry it around.
Someone I know runs the US distribution and I will be happy to put you in touch with him. The bike is made by Gepida, a Hungarian company and they work very closely with Bosch.
Here is a video

thank you but I would not only lose a throttle but also fenders and a rack, on top of that, that bike is not available yet and will cost more than $4000. If I was going to make that many sacrifices then I prefer the Vello+ from Austria, which is 24lbs and will coat $2800 and has a few other innovative features that I haven't seen on any other bike. But is not available yet either.
Thank you though for a suggestion.

 

[Dewey]

Sorry to read about your poor experience with the Evelo, and I hope the return shipping wasn't too expensive. I tried and returned two different ebike kits before I settled on a third. A 20" belt drive folding bike suitable for conversion is the Downtube 8H with an IGH and optional front suspension. You could convert this with a 36v or 48v front wheel hub motor kit, Downtube have a photo on their website of this bike so converted with the battery in a bag on the rear rack, and the controller in a bag slung under the top tube. The bike weighs 28.5lb and the motor plus battery would add maybe another 12-15lb depending on the battery size/ah. If you can forgo the belt drive there are a bunch of 20" folders listed for weight comparison on this website.

 

[Kathy Smith]

Sorry to read about your poor experience with the Evelo, and I hope the return shipping wasn't too expensive. I tried and returned two different ebike kits before I settled on a third. A 20" belt drive folding bike suitable for conversion is the Downtube 8H with an IGH and optional front suspension. You could convert this with a 36v or 48v front wheel hub motor kit, Downtube have a photo on their website of this bike so converted with the battery in a bag on the rear rack, and the controller in a bag slung under the top tube. The bike weighs 28.5lb and the motor plus battery would add maybe another 12-15lb depending on the battery size/ah. If you can forgo the belt drive there are a bunch of 20" folders listed for weight comparison on this website.

The shipping back was free.
I don't think I can build my own electric bike. I would have to hire someone.

 

[Kathy Smith]

I'm thinking that perhaps I should look at 16" wheels, perhaps it's not such a huge difference and maybe the 16 inchers are lighter.