Best value folding e-bike for 4 mile round trip with long, medium gradient

[hairyneville]

At the moment this is purely hypothetical, but if I get the job I've applied for then I'll be looking at a mixture of folding bike and bus travel to get to work. I'd hope to spend less than £1000, though ongoing maintenance costs will also figure into that.

The route from home to the bus stop is around 2 miles and mainly downhill. The ascent on the way home stretches just over half a mile but with what I'd call a medium gradient. In the past (with conventional bikes) it's never been the gradient of the slope that has got me, just the length of the hill! My old full-size e-bike generally handled the slope comfortably on its lowest level of assist in conjunction with good gear technique.

I currently favour the idea of a non-electric folding bike for such a short ride, but a folding e-bike would be useful in the event that the first bus doesn't turn up. If that happened then I'd face an extra 5 miles or so with extra slopes (one in particular on the way home being "steep" by anyone's standards!).

So, does anyone have any suggestions for a reliable folding e-bike for a regular (i.e. 5 days out of 7) 4 mile daily round trip (with relatively mild ascents on the way home) which would also handle the occasional extra 10 mile round trip in emergencies? The bus services I'm looking at are non-peak so I don't think a "compact" or "micro" folding bike is really necessary, but - having said that - the majority of my journey to work will be on buses so I need a bike which folds down pretty well. Weight is less of an issue as I won't have to carry it far (and not up and down stairs). After all my bad experiences with my full-size e-bike, I'm also keen to avoid folding e-bikes with mid motors.

The only rear hub folding e-bike I've found so far that seems to match my needs is Decathlon's B'Twin Tilt 500 (which I now notice has gone up in price by almost £50 since so-called "Brexit Day"!).

COMPACT / FOLDING BIKE - Tilt 500 Folding Electric Bike - Black

£749.99 - COMPACT / FOLDING BIKE - Tilt 500 Folding Electric Bike - Black - BTWIN

www.decathlon.co.uk

Many thanks!

 

[Woosh]

the B'Twin Tilt 500 would do the job.
For your budget, you can add the Woosh Rambletta (£849) to the mix.
The B'Twin has 24V motor, 24V x 7.8AH battery (about 200WH), the Rambletta 36V motor, 36V * 12AH (432WH) battery.

The Rambletta | Powerful Foldable Electric Bikes with 10.4AH semi-hidden battery from Woosh

The Woosh Rambletta is the most recent 20kg folding bike from Woosh, with a large 36V * 10.4AH semi-hidden battery, very easy to stowaway, perfect for camping / caravanning.

wooshbikes.co.uk

 

[hairyneville]

Thanks for that - good-looking bike, too!

Some of the customer reviews of the B'Twin Tilt 500 mention the 24V battery being less reliable than 36V equivalents, so I'd say the higher initial price point of the Rambletta would pay for itself over the bike's lifetime. Doesn't hurt that the name sounds like it could be a character from the Mario games as well!

Having looked at websites for local non-e-bike shops, I can also safely say that the Rambletta's price point compares extremely well to the conventional folding bikes available around here. Not much choice for £1000 or less - Surrey prices maybe...

I think I can guess the answer to this question, but I assume disc brakes would add quite a lot to the initial price of a folding e-bike?

 

[Woosh]

I think I can guess the answer to this question, but I assume disc brakes would add quite a lot to the initial price of a folding e-bike?

No. As it's a new model, I've tried to keep the equipment as simple as possible so that anyone can feel re-assured that they are not sitting for a bike technician's test when it comes to looking after their folding bike.
At the next revision, I will probably change the front brake to disk.

 

[hairyneville]

No. As it's a new model, I've tried to keep the equipment as simple as possible so that anyone can feel re-assured that they are not sitting for a bike technician's test when it comes to looking after their folding bike.
At the next revision, I will probably change the front brake to disk.

Good to know. Over the basic distance and road terrain I'm looking at, cantilever brakes should suffice. I've got so used to disc brakes and - more recently - hydraulic brakes that it might take a bit of getting used to cantilever brakes again, but for my purposes I wouldn't describe them as "a step down" or anything.

My potential employer has a cycle to work scheme, so the Rambletta's definitely on the list.

 

[PP100]

Do Woosh provide any opportunity to very briefly try out their bikes ? I'm in London but I could take the train up to Southend . It is of course usually better to see bikes in person before buying, and say, get a better sense of the weight etc.

 

[Woosh]

Hi,
You are welcome to come and try out any bike.
If you want to take one away, we offer £20 reduction of your bill to help with the train fare (and save us courier cost).

 

[Chainring]

Thanks for that - good-looking bike, too!

Some of the customer reviews of the B'Twin Tilt 500 mention the 24V battery being less reliable than 36V equivalents, so I'd say the higher initial price point of the Rambletta would pay for itself over the bike's lifetime. Doesn't hurt that the name sounds like it could be a character from the Mario games as well!

Having looked at websites for local non-e-bike shops, I can also safely say that the Rambletta's price point compares extremely well to the conventional folding bikes available around here. Not much choice for £1000 or less - Surrey prices maybe...

I think I can guess the answer to this question, but I assume disc brakes would add quite a lot to the initial price of a folding e-bike?

I'm not keen on small wheeled bikes, but there is something about this one that appeals, as well as the price! I priced-up a new hub and caliper kit, with the thought that I could rebuild the front wheel and have a disc brake. I'm getting older and I don't do as many miles. My current bike could do with an overhaul, but the enthusiasm just is not there!

 

[PP100]

Hi,
You are welcome to come and try out any bike.
If you want to take one away, we offer £20 reduction of your bill to help with the train fare (and save us courier cost).

Thanks. I couldn't ride a full sized bike back (not confident enough on busy roads etc and its quite a distance ) but taking a folder back on the train is a possibility.

 

[Kudoscycles]

The Kudos Secret is probably the top selling uk bike of the size and type you require.....look on Kudoscycles.com
KudosDave

 

[PP100]

Comparing specs , since many batteries are 250v, sorry edited to add 36v - what does the AH rating mean in practice?
eg 10AH (secret) compared to 12H (Ramblaetta) or higher in other bikes:
more climbing power for hills?
Longer journeys on a single charge (other things being equal)?

 

[Nealh]

If we all had 250v batteries we would get there before we left and in warp drive too.

Ah is battery cell capacity, calculated by how many cells connected in parallel, so a 10ah/36v battery has a working capacity of 360wh.
To calculate battery Wh multiply the Ah by nominal battery voltage.
Wh is easier to estimate the cycling range/distance available.
Typically a really fit cyclist could use < 7 wh per mile , a regular average cyclist 10 - 15 wh per mile and a non regular cyclist 15 - 20 wh per mile.

 

[PP100]

If we all had 250v batteries we would get there before we left and in warp drive too.

Ah is battery cell capacity, calculated by how many cells connected in parallel, so a 10ah/36v battery has a working capacity of 360wh.
To calculate battery Wh multiply the Ah by nominal battery voltage.
Wh is easier to estimate the cycling range/distance available.
Typically a really fit cyclist could use < 7 wh per mile , a regular average cyclist 10 - 15 wh per mile and a non regular cyclist 15 - 20 wh per mile.

Opps! I mistyped a motor rating - I meant 36v of course .
Thanks for your reply.

 

[Woosh]

We start assembling the Rambletta with rigid fork this week.

 

[RobF]

Oo, did someone say rigid forks?

The Rambletta looks decent.

Very similar design to my AVE, which remains a favourite bike of mine.

This style of bike is a lot more capable than people realise.

I've done a couple of 80 mile rides on mine.

It doesn't roll quite as well as full size wheel bike, but that's less important with a motor.

Gearing is slightly limited due to the smaller wheels.

Mine bowls along happily enough at about 12mph, but for outright speed a big wheel bike is better.

Any lack of speed is more than made up for by the increased fun factor.

The smaller wheels and compact frame make the bike great to chuck around in traffic and confined spaces.

 

[sjpt]

I notice Rambletta specs say Folded dimensions: 87cm (L) x 70cm (H) x 45cm (W) but the image shows 35cm W. (I think the discrepancy was bigger than that a few days ago?). Really tempting bike. Can't you do a similar 20" folding step-through tandem?

 

[Woosh]

Oo, did someone say rigid forks?

For the last 16 months, I ride the Woosh Faro with rigid fork, it's my favourite Woosh. Before that, I rode the woosh Karoo, again with rigid fork. I love rigid forks! but I wouldn't take the Karoo or the Faro to the woods. I take the Zephyr. If I can only have one bike, I'd have it with suspension.

 

[Chainring]

LOVELEC Flip 2020 | GREATEBIKE.EU

Urban e-bike with motor in the rear.

greatebike.eu

Very similar, but about £400 more! £849 is a good price, and believe me, I've been scouring the net out of interest. My current bike was built with rigid forks, but the roads are so bad around here I had to fit suspension. It makes a difference. I'm happy to be a shortarse and peer over the bars!

 

[Jonah]

Is the Rambletta any lighter or does it fold any smaller with the rigid fork? Seriously considering getting one (for my wife), but which would be better? What is the gearing like, small wheeled bikes often tend to spin out earlier than I would like. I think you mentioned you would have disc brakes on the next batch, do you have a scheduled date for these? Any other changes planned?

Thanks,
Jonah

 

[Woosh]

The monoshock suspension adds about 5cm to the height of the handlebars.

If your wife is 5ft7 or less, the Rambletta with rigid fork is better.
If your wife is 5ft10 or more, the Rambletta with monoshock suspension is better.

Rambletta with rigid fork:

Rambletta with suspension fork:

I'll check the weight of the Rambletta with rigid fork tomorrow.
I suspect it will be a little lighter but it won't be a huge difference because the monoshock itself weighs only about 1.2kgs.