The Fold, was it rushed to market too fast?

[Denis Shelston]

I was considering the Fold seriously. Its specs, price and look are very nice.

But, of late I've been reading comments from owners that have changed my opinion.

* Paint easily scratched, very thin coat
* Seat post hole wall on frame so thin it's splitting apart
* Pedal threads on crank giving up, pedals falling off

Anyone else notice that?

With a whopping 30 day warranty I'm passing on that one.

 

[Deleted member 803]

The barrier to entry for an ebike vendor is very very low. This leads to many many folks trying their hand at an ebike. While price is a purchase consideration, we find the overall build quality of many to be insufficient for sale to our customers. Every week we receive emails from various manufacturers asking us to consider bringing their bikes into North America. We always suggest that you research the strength of the vendor, their years in business, and their levels of support before considering a purchase. I know many on this forum take pride in getting a good deal, but in the long term, it is the quality of the ride that is more important.

 

[BVC]

Interesting. Following this thread.

We ALMOST got the fold. We were looking for a bike for the wifey. I personally own a RadRover but wanted to try Sondors out. So for the wifey we looked at a few bikes and waited for the details of the FOLD to come out. It was either a standard fat tire bike, the fold or the Radmini. What we really liked about the Mini was the built in front/rear adjustable rack & 750w motor paired with a 48v samsung or panasonic battery. We liked the overall look/style of the FOLD and color combinations.

End of the day I'd go with he Radmini due to specs/function/warranty and AWESOME customer service. I was put off by the wait time for the fold, smaller motor & lack of information of how easy it'd be to install a rack if there were any mounting points, issues with racks getting in the way of folding, ect. The lack of detail on that portion is mostly what steered her away. I will say the Fold does look nice tho..sleeker for sure and concealed battery inside the frame is a huge plus. but the Rad mini looks easier to carry?? Either way both are hefty lol

End of the day we ended up buying a Sondors 7 fat tire bike in silver. The standover height between the folding vs standard frames were not far off at all. Plus less hassle trying to mount the Sondors 7 on a platform rack than dealing with 20" wheels on the platform rack (Kuat NV 2.0).


Now we're playing the waiting game for the Sondors to arrive.. 1 week in. 3 weeks to go......

 

[jazz]

They sold thousands of Folds and with a community that active (very active) you are bound to hear about issues. I don't think it's really a higher rate of issues compared to that of other ebikes for the amount sold. One 1 report of split seat posts if I recall but there were several on the paint. The main issue with the paint is that when bike was folded and because of how it folded, it would scratch easily. The original fat Sondors had issues with some cranks. Like I said, with the numbers they sold, the reported issues are pretty low. I don't own a Fold, but recently rode the Fold X and it felt very solid (frame is pretty thick) and at 48v had plenty of power.

 

[rich c]

I had to laugh at the idea of bringing your own bungie cord to hold the halves together when folded. The magnet design is not strong enough. What kind of design effort was that? But the problems won't bother Sondors fans, they'll write off the issues very quickly. The main issue with the cranks, on all the bikes they've sold, is the lack of owner maintenance. These bikes are heavy, the cranks are very cheap components, and if the owner doesn't constantly check, the pedals will get loose and then the threads strip.

 

[ebikest]

My $3000 Easy Motion bike had a faulty LCD clip so it fell out and broke, so what's your point - that no other ebikes have defects or issues?

 

[AlexS]

Paint being scratched? The Fold for under $1000 bucks is a better deal than any bike I have ever seen or read about. You will not get any warranty on any mail order bike. wake up.

 

[BVC]

Paint being scratched? The Fold for under $1000 bucks is a better deal than any bike I have ever seen or read about. You will not get any warranty on any mail order bike. wake up.

That is an incorrect statement. There are other companies who offer warranties on their bikes & have amazing customer service. Wake up.

 

[BVC]

They sold thousands of Folds and with a community that active (very active) you are bound to hear about issues. I don't think it's really a higher rate of issues compared to that of other ebikes for the amount sold. One 1 report of split seat posts if I recall but there were several on the paint. The main issue with the paint is that when bike was folded and because of how it folded, it would scratch easily. The original fat Sondors had issues with some cranks. Like I said, with the numbers they sold, the reported issues are pretty low. I don't own a Fold, but recently rode the Fold X and it felt very solid (frame is pretty thick) and at 48v had plenty of power.

This is true. Most people only come onto the internet to complain. Not many come online to brag about how awesome and problem free their product is. Which kinda sucks because it gives the illusion that a product is problem prone when really that's not the case at all.

 

[sanglee007]

I have a Sondors Thin (350w 36v 8.8Ah) and ordered the Sondors Fold X (500w 48v 14Ah). Both are single speed.

With the Fold X's throttle set to provide more power from 0 mph, it's been great fun.

• I have squealing brakes in the back, and grinding brakes in the front, but I didn't really do clean them or set them up when I got the bike.
• I knew I was going to upgrade to luna cycle sondors hydraulics brakes and from 160mm to 180mm rotors.

I added BMX bars like this guy below, so it's my play bike.

• (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
  • Google "sondors fold bmx" if the link doesn't work

Sang

 

[rich c]

I'm not a fan of folding bikes. But with those handlebars and seat position, it reinforces my thought that they look like a kid's bike. Do you pedal much? Don't your knees come way up with the seat in that position? Glad you are enjoying it, just not for me.