Travel for work by truck, sometimes van. Folding ebikes under $500. Folding ebike owners, please advise!

Rooster33

New Member
I travel 24/7 for my company all over the US building event bleachers and structures so I'm in one place only a few weeks or so. Wanting a folding ebike, 20inch preferred but will go as low as 14. I've pretty much decided on the GoPlus 250w 20 inch. But if someone knows a better bike I'd like to check it out. I want to be able to shift gears in case no battery it will be a little easier... This will be my second ebike so im generally familiar bit definitely no pro. Any input is appreciated, thanks,
-Rooster
 
Everything breaks some time. My question to ask anyone purchasing an ebike is how they will get replacement parts and service for their bike when something breaks? Some are quite technically skilled, so can fix things themselves if they can get a part.

I would recommend checking any maker's website, contacting the manufacturer with questions and see how responsive they are to inquiries, etc., if you would like to check on how warranty service is provided, etc.

There are many, many better folding bikes out there, but of course they are much more expensive. Due to the nature of your job, might your employer help to pay for the ebike, to improve your quality of life?

Happy shopping! Hopefully some folks who have folding bikes will chime in. I added to your thread title to encourage that. :)
 
OMG, no. Dont do it. $500 and ebike in the same sentence, is an oxymoron. You can barely buy a quality grade A cell battery for $300.
 
I bought my wife the Goplus 20 through Amazon for Christmas last year. She absolutely loves it. It arrived about 90% assembled and I was able to assemble it unassisted in about an hour. Most of that time was spent removing the packing material. No instructions, but there is a youtube video (no english) that makes it easy. The build quality is not that great, but no surprise there at the price point. The rear rack is welded to the frame and very sturdy, but on this bike it was off center quite a bit although not enough to rub against the fender or wheel. I bought a speedometer ($13), a handlebar mirror ($16) and rear Pannier bags ($20) and the bike has thus far proved to be very functional. It is pretty compact when folded and I (almost 72 years old, 5'9" and 140 lbs) can easily load it into our small SUV. My wife (65, 5'7", 130ish lbs) took it over to a friend's house to ride in their gated community and they were able to unload and load it with no problem.

This bike has only one level of PAS and I think it is much too fast. Using PAS, it gets up to 18 MPH pretty quickly and stays there as long as you pedal. My wife likes to ride 10-12 mph so she keeps PAS turned off and uses the throttle to get up to speed and then just pedals in gear 5 or 6 for exercise and uses the throttle for assistance when she wants or needs it. It does pedal pretty easily. So far, we have not ridden on public roads.

The front brakes on the bike are rim brakes and the rear are drums with the front brake lever on the right. They squeal a bit when damp or haven't been used in a while, but so far have had no trouble slowing smoothly or stopping the bike. The bike has both an electric horn and a mechanical bell. The battery indicator only has three lights, red, yellow, and green so you never know what percentage battery remains. The front light is wired to the battery with an on/off switch on the handle bar. It is pretty flimsy, but we never ride at night. It is advertised as having a rear light, but it is only a reflector.

Goplus has no website I can find except through the Amazon link and that site no longer list ebikes as a product available through them. I reasonably expect NO technical support from the seller or manufacturer. I also suspect there is no warranty. We only have about fifty miles on the bike, so reliability is still to be determined. Realistically, when this one breaks, I will probably give it to charity and get my lovely wife something else. My fat tire should be here this month.

When I bought this bike, I knew nothing about ebikes, but thought I wanted one. I would not buy this bike as a daily rider, but we are not daily riders. I got this bike as a trial balloon to see if we would use it and from that perspective, it has served it's purpose. When I ordered my fat tire, I offered to upgrade my wife's Goplus. She said "No way".
 
I see you are in Phoenix Arizona I have a 2016 prodEco mariner folder, 7 gears i think, with hydraulic brakes and very few miles probably under 150 if that

I could bring it to Phoenix with me tomorrow and meet you somewhere and I would let you have it for $550.00 it’s a good deal for that
 
This bike has only one level of PAS and I think it is much too fast. Using PAS, it gets up to 18 MPH pretty quickly and stays there as long as you pedal.
My dad got an ebike through Amazon. Same problem. He was surprised to hear that my bike has five levels of PAS. He just uses the throttle, and is happy with that.
 
Good point i should have added this mariner only has throttle, it does not come with pas
 
Great question, it's tough to stay below $500... or even $1k... but it can be worth spending more for something that was made to be electric because it will be more reliable and tidy (in terms of folding and use). I just filmed the VoltBike Urban for 2019 but haven't posted it yet. The price is higher than you asked, but it's one of the best values for a folding ebike that I've seen so far this year. I'm attaching a few pictures and hope to have the review up in the coming two weeks. Keep in mind, the Urban is a full sized folder with racks, fenders, and lights... there are stripped down folders that cost less and offer similar hardware, but VoltBike does a good job tuning up their products before sending to customers (since they are made in China initially) and then you've got someone to call for help vs. an Ebay seller or even Amazon sellers... though Vilano did a pretty good job with their stuff the last time I looked, I just didn't love the rear rack battery. Another AWESOME folder with unique in-seat tube battery is the Qualisports Volador. Stripped down, but very nice design... also got a review in the works for them out in the coming two weeks... So many ebikes!! You could reach out to Sam at the Electric Bicycle Center for more questions about Qualisports, he's carried them for a bit and stocks a couple of models.
 

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There was a wonderful video explaining why one should not buy cheap unknown Ebay/Aliexpress/Amazon ebike. In a nutshell, bike melts down, self-destructs, stops functioning after 200 or so miles. Maybe other members could post the link.

I'm with Court and Ebikemom. Approach it as any longterm item. That GoPlus is not available on Amazon anymore. Of 5 reviews, 2 are 1-2 stars. There is Volt for $1,200. There is also Amego for $1,270. I like a common "silverfhish" form-factor of Amego (and GoPlus20 too) that you can get from many sources, this means - competition, lower prices. $500 bike sounds like disposable, this is about the cost of battery alone. If you use it often - for work - can you bet that it will last at least a year? Feeling lucky? :)
 
A Sub $500 folding bike, not eBikes, have crap folding mechanisms. Poorly suited to heavier riders and are kind funky with smaller adults as well.
 
Micah Toll has some credentials for his articles on ebikes and batteries. He also writes about ebikes for electrek.co which covers electric vehicles. In December, he covered the Swagtron folder and Ancheer bikes with some brief, but positive comments.

https://electrek.co/2018/12/18/holiday-shopping-electric-bicycle/

They appear to be low cost but serviceable bikes. Then again, he didn't have one long enough to get stranded. Probably half a million bikes like these being used in China.
 
Micah Toll has some credentials for his articles on ebikes and batteries. He also writes about ebikes for electrek.co which covers electric vehicles. In December, he covered the Swagtron folder and Ancheer bikes with some brief, but positive comments.

https://electrek.co/2018/12/18/holiday-shopping-electric-bicycle/

They appear to be low cost but serviceable bikes. Then again, he didn't have one long enough to get stranded. Probably half a million bikes like these being used in China.
Yes, a very talented engineer! And a swell fella too!
 
Not a folding ebike, but I saw that Electric Bike company has a pre-order for their new folding scooter for $700

350 Watt Motor
20 Miles per Hour
20 Mile Range
Hydraulic Disc Brakes
Front and Back Lights
Alarm System
2 Year Warranty
 

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Probably half a million bikes like these being used in China.
"Like these". Everybody is copying each other's bike but they are doing it with varied degree of quality/honesty. A traditional and venerable art, - making candy out of horse sh-t so that it looks like real candy.

People there have more local knowledge what to buy and what not. Foreigners usually don't, so their options are either going through a reputable importer and paying extra, or taking chances. This question comes up often, the answer unfortunately hasn't changed.
 
Been using/folding/riding a Dillenger Opia as a daily commuter for 2 years. Rides great where the only issue I’ve had is flats. Although the front wheel is quick release, the rear is an axle with a nut. Other than that I’d recommend around that price point.
 
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