What options for a 20" or smaller folding ebike

[Wavshrdr]

I am looking for a 20” or smaller wheel size ebike. I would like it to be pretty stealthy and not scream, so to speak visually, that it is an ebike. I would like something that is well built and at least a 500w motor.
I wouldn’t mind a fat tired bike as an option as well.

Some of the bikes I’ve been considering are:
Radmini
Lunacycle Folding Bike
? Open to other options

I like the Radmini a lot but I don’t really like the double top tube design and the big clunky battery like a lot of other ebikes. The Lunacycle is a pretty good option but it doesn’t have fat tires. The mid drive has a lot of appeal to me to take advantage of the gears and also the battery pack is very discrete and the motor doesn’t seem as obvious as some.

Maybe what I’d really like is maybe an internal 750w (or better) folding bike with fat tires and a relatively hidden battery pack. Something pretty stealthy and doesn’t way too much that I can fold up and put in the back of a small hatchback.

One other thing is often travel on airplanes a lot in the US. With the new airline regs you obviously can’t take a very big battery onboard with you. So I will still likely take the bike and ride it unassisted unless there is a really small 100w or so pack I could take a long and use. Obviously range isn’t going to be great but in a pedal assisted mode it would be some help. OTOH a fat tired bike might be a lot more work to ride unassisted.

I can see having 2 bikes (fat tired and regular) but my partner would be very unhappy if I did that. I have a folding Brompton and love the bike for what it is. I rode the electric Brompton for some time and while I really liked it, the price isn’t something my partner would go for. I could buy the Radmini and the Luna and still have money left over.

So the Brompton will go to partner and she’ll use it to replace her current folder (Dahon) and then I use whatever I buy new as my main travel bike.

I realize I have some competing requirements but both approaches appeal to me (fat and regular tired). I like riding in sand but that is only about 10% of my time and snow is about another 20% so the fat tire benefits would be nice then.

I am not concerned with having 30 mph top speed. I am a bigger guy at 230 but on the way down in size. I do want something that can tackle some decent hills but don’t ride much in San Francisco any more. So somewhere in the 20-25 mph range for top speed would be good. If I can got about 15-20 miles at about 20 mph out a charge, that would cover 95% of my riding needs.

I am not a newbie to ebikes as I've built 2 LWB recumbents with hub drive motors and 48v packs. I don’t really have time to tinker and build something as I normally travel for work every week now. So any suggestions for other bikes? Thanks for any feedback or bikes I might be missing. I've been looking for a week now and so far the 2 I mentioned seem closest but I might have overlooked something out there.

 

[harryS]

Fat tired Radmini may not scream lookit-ebike, but I don't see it as very stealthy. Not important though, if you're more comfortable on it. I bet it's a 50 pound bike though. Oops, specs say 63 pounds.

Did you watch the video on the Luna page? Independently tested for 25 mile range at 15 mph on throttle with the Luna Mini. 38 pounds. 31 mph top speed. Wheelies at will. I am impressed.

Otherwise, I think most folders are going to be 20 mph, 350W rear motor, 36V battery on rack or integrated in frame, 45-50 pounds.

I don't see a good solution for airline travel with batteries. I have the time (and interest) to drive, so that's how I've taken my ebikes around the country.

 

[Wavshrdr]

Thanks for the input. Stealth is really high on my list followed by performance (range and cruise speed). The Radmini is sort of a porker when you put it on the scales and I would like stealthier for sure.

I saw the video on the Luna page, it does look like a very good option and I am leaning more towards it every day. Another option is to see if I can slap a set of Schwalbe Big Apple tires on it. They are about 2" wide and have worked well for me on a lot of other bikes. The Luna looks like a lot of bang for the buck for sure.

Unfortunately I am stuck flying places for work as I can't get from one place to another, typically a few thousands miles with only a day to get there and I travel a lot internationally. I am so tired of flying for work that if it less than 500 miles or so I just drive there rather than fly. Flying is such a hassle overall with TSA, delays, and more in the US that if I can avoid it in any way I do.

 

[rich c]

It's a huge step from a recumbent to a 20" folding bike. You should ride one first. I think you'll be cranking like a gerbil to get a Radmini to hit 25 mph without assist.

 

[Wavshrdr]

I do have other folding bikes so it shouldn't be too much difference but the larger point is well taken - riding one before buying. That aspect is more challenging in just trying to find one. That is the challenge about so many of the ebikes, if there isn't a dealer, or they aren't distributed through dealers, finding one to test ride can be a challenge. I did have a thought about another fat tired folder; the Sondors Fold X with 500W motor might be an option. It is quite stealthy looking as well.

 

[vincent]

What about that new sondors fat tire folder, isnt the battery in the frame on that one

 

[rich c]

Nothing stealthy about a fat tired anything. Right now on the Sondors Facebook page, there is a post going on riders getting yelled at and being asked to leave trails while riding fat tire ebikes.

 

[Wavshrdr]

Yeah - I was just thinking about that in my other post. It seems decent enough and if I hate it, I don't have a ton of money invested into. The new 2018 models are about $1100 shipped but not until May.

 

[vincent]

I agree on the fat tire thing I LOVE the fat tires in 26 and 20 for me to ride but i really dislike all the attention they attract- but that is not because of the motor, it is the tires Of course mtn bikers etc who dont like ebikes will notice the motor too but the general public is just attracted to the tires, they are magnet for people wanting to come up and talk to you No one ever knows they are electric they just want to ask about the bike because of the tires So agree that a fat tire is not going to be stealthy But you could get probably get something and put 2-2.5 wide tires on it and it would draw a lot less attention

 

[Dewey]

Grin sells a flight legal 98wh battery for 36v systems. Buy several and bring as carry on, assemble into one large battery pack at destination, apparently none can be checked you have to have them in your carry on baggage - Batteries 101-160 watt hours are limited to one plus two spares but the Grin LiGo is 98wh so you should only be subject to however many batteries your airline permits you to bring on board in your carry on bag. The Bike Friday e-pakiT light-weight folding ebike uses the Grin LiGo battery packs, and you can get the conversion kit for Bike Friday's 20" folders as well. Grin's motor simulator suggests with the e-pakiT's Bafang G01 hub motor in the smaller 16" wheel version and 3 LiGo packs at full power you might get 20-30 miles range. You might be able to fit the 20" conversion kit to another brand of 20" folding bike but I would check with Grin about the requirements for fork and drop-out width, and you would want to fit a torque arm. Alternatively you might use the LiGo batteries on a 36v system that has a non-proprietary controller-battery interface and an Anderson power connector running into the controller. Running the numbers through the motor simulator it appears for the same motor power moving up to a heavier frame, larger wheel circumference, or wider tire, would lower the range.

 

[Dewey]

A UK developed kit the Cytronex C1 is now on sale with a light 4.5lb 36v 250w geared hub motor and a compact 180wh bottle battery that has an internal 6v DC power step down converter to power ebike lights and an optional 90 minute fast charger. In the December 2017 issue of A to B magazine Henshaw (2017) described how the battery pack can be unscrewed and separated into two 90wh batteries that would be compliant with airline regs. The review measured the power consumption of the Cytronex motor in US 20mph spec at 8.9wh/mile on the flat and 12.6wh/mile climbing hills, giving a real world range of between 14-20 miles.

Source: Henshaw, D. & Henshaw, J. (2017). The trial: Cytronex C1. A to B Magazine, 118: 18-29. http://www.atob.org.uk/product/a-to-b-118-digital-cytronex/