Cyclamatic foldaway

[Artstu]

While I wait to decide on a kit for my Dahon I thought I'd try a cheap electric bike. So I ordered a Cyclamtic Foldaway yesterday, I know Jerry was keen to see a review so I'll try my best to oblige

It arrived this morning. First impression was from the weight of the box which was heavy compared to my Dahon, understandable given that the Dahon isn't electric. The bike was very well packaged and only has 2 or so tiny marks.

I guess it is what you would expect given the price, the frame folding catch is a bit poor compared with the Dahon, the handlebar stem is a little on the long side, it has a folding top to the seatpost (for getting the battery out) which is a bit nafff. It has steel forks and mudguards. The battery is a 10.5ah one which looks to be 5 months old, it has Wisper on the sticker too, although I'd never have noticed that if I hadn't seen the other thread.

That's it for now, I have M.E so I'm exhausted now, I'll get some photos when I've recovered a bit.

 

[jerrysimon]

Yay good effort Artstu, I am looking forward to the pics

I know and understand M.E. as my daughter suffered from it in the middle of her degree and had to take a year out. Being young she managed to recover or should I say has at least learnt to manage it to a point where she has been able to return to complete her Art degree. She undertook the "lightening process" which although controversial, in her case seems to have given her the tools to deal with and manage the condition.

Regards

Jerry

 

[Artstu]

Battery now charged, and the wheel spins! sorry about the poor photos.

 

[jerrysimon]

Artstu,

Thats ok pictures are not bad and certainly give us an idea. Looks good

Will be interested to hear your views when you have ridden it.

PS perhaps if you get time you could take one of the handle bars to show the controls and maybe any label on the motor. The control box instalation looks interesting.

Did you get it at the discounted £319 or had the code run out ?

Thanks

Jerry

 

[Artstu]

The code had run out I think? I know the mountain bike was on offer before.

The motor just has a few stickers on CE 24V 20 with a sort of T and a hand written sticker starting XF0309
The bottom of the frame is like a box, I had thought the controller would be in the battery box, but with only a + and - I guess it must be inside the frame box.
The motor spins on throttle only, but not that quickly.
It has a very wide bottom bracket which is about 35 mm wider than the Dahon, I guess you have to clear that ultra-wide back-end some-how

 

[matt-derby]

Folder

Looks like a tidy bike!

Looking forward to the reviews!

Matt

 

[Old Timer]

I have posted a brief review on the bike but not posted yet.

It is fairly heavy for a folder but once on the road it flows along nicely. I did buy ours with the discount code so quite a bargain (£313.00 delivered in the end)
If I was to criticise anything it is that I found the gearing a bit low around the country lanes where I live but to be quite honest I think it is aimed at fun riding and town work and for this it will be great. The handlebar stem is pretty long and does have some give in it.
In general the pedal assist works fine as does the throttle and i found myself zipping around. What I did notice was that it was easy to pedal under ones own steam. We know now that the battery is made in the same factury as the Wisper batteries so that should be decent.
Paint job and welds are all well under control and in general the bike is well turned out. I suppose there must be a good reason to include a rear drum brake and of course that adds to the weight. I like the fact that full mudguards are included and a neat rear carrier. The saddle is the same as on the MTB version and my wife finds them both very comfy.
Whats more to say really, for that price you can have a lot of fun and get that all important assistance to make your cycling much more enjoyable.

 

[flecc]

We know now that the battery is made in the same factury as the Wisper batteries so that should be decent.

I don't think the same factory as Wisper's main 14 Ah battery which is made by Advanced (Zhongqiang).

This Cyclamatic battery is made by a different company, Zhenlong, possibly Wisper have some smaller capacity batteries made by them.

The other things you mention, low gearing and handlebar stem flexing are fairly frequent in folders from all companies even at high prices, so it sounds like a good buy.
.

 

[Artstu]

Mine has V-brakes on the rear-stays. I agree about the too long stem and flex, I think I'll be getting about 3 inches cut out of the middle of it and I must replace the naff seatpost with a cheap alloy one.

I hope to have my first ever E-bike ride shortly, very damp and foggy here at the moment.

As mentioned this really is quite a big and heavy bike, I have to say though that to a man in the street it looks first class especially now its been de-stickered and had a good polish.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Nothing to do with Wisper

We know now that the battery is made in the same factory as the Wisper batteries so that should be decent.QUOTE]

Hi Every one

NO IT IS NOT!

We have never and will never deal with the company that makes these batteries, they were passing them off as Wisper, we have NOTHING to do with them. Legal action has already started against the manufacture and agents. Sports HQ are going to make a statement next week.

Best regards

David

 

[onmebike]

We know now that the battery is made in the same factory as the Wisper batteries so that should be decent.QUOTE]

Hi Every one

NO IT IS NOT!

We have never and will never deal with the company that makes these batteries, they were passing them off as Wisper, we have NOTHING to do with them. Legal action has already started against the manufacture and agents. Sports HQ are going to make a statement next week.

Best regards

David

Hi David, I've just broken the handle on mine, you haven't a spare have you?
Only joking, you know you have my support and evidence if required.
I think that's 5 or 6 been purchased by forum members to date.
By the way, what's your trade in rate's like?

 

[Old Timer]

We know now that the battery is made in the same factory as the Wisper batteries so that should be decent.QUOTE]

Hi Every one

NO IT IS NOT!

We have never and will never deal with the company that makes these batteries, they were passing them off as Wisper, we have NOTHING to do with them. Legal action has already started against the manufacture and agents. Sports HQ are going to make a statement next week.

Best regards

David

Fair enough David. You should know if they are made in the same place and I`d rather believe you, and don`t forget that mine is a Southern Comfort( a double

Dave

 

[eddieo]

and don`t forget that mine is a Southern Comfort( a double

Dave

Cheek......you haven't bought a wisper (yet)

 

[Old Timer]

Cheek......you haven't bought a wisper (yet)

after riding yours in May, I might be persuaded

 

[eddieo]

after riding yours in May, I might be persuaded

If it is during half term break I will be wispering in the South of France........

 

[Artstu]

Just had a quick spin, I guess I'm pretty pleased with the experience, please bare in mind I can only compare it to a normal bike.

It is low geared and I imagine assist only works up to 15mph or so, it got me up the hills quicker than when I was fit without too much input from me, I did switch off the assist on a hill by mistake and it was like I'd jammed on the brakes. I spent a lot of time with the throttle on, I need to work out how the pedelec system works, I think it only assists at a lower cadence, so rather than pedalling faster to get help you have too ease off. But with the throttle you can pedal faster and get the assistance.

Despite the assistance I really have had a pretty hard work-out, although I have only ridden a bike a handful of times in the last three years.

 

[matt-derby]

power assist at low speeds

The extra power given from the battery always feels stronger when at a lower cadence, plus as you reach the 15mph cut-off the system probably tails off gently as opposed to 'slamming on the breaks' as you put it. I think only the crank drives (Panasonic etc.) have true power/cadence synergy.

Flecc will know though!

 

[fishingpaul]

The extra power given from the battery always feels stronger when at a lower cadence, plus as you reach the 15mph cut-off the system probably tails off gently as opposed to 'slamming on the breaks' as you put it. I think only the crank drives (Panasonic etc.) have true power/cadence synergy.

Flecc will know though!

The panasonic system rewards low cadences,the more effort you put in the less help you will get from it,take it easy and you will get extra help.apart from some high power hub motors to achieve anything above about 13mph on the flat,can start to need assistance from the rider due to anything from a slight headwind also the road surface can have an effect as can any extra weight being carried,the maximum speed of many bikes is 15mph, this is the maximum achievable speed in the very best conditions on a flat road.

 

[matt-derby]

hub - panasonic crank

I think that's what I was trying to say, that it may feel like the system(hub) is easing down as you increase your cadence but as it's not a Panasonic unit it's probably just the perception in speed and assistance.. you can easily see/feel the difference between 1-4mph but not say 9-12mph. but there would definitely be an easing down in power from 15mph up

Plus there are the forces of momentum..

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Assistance

The assistance on a hub motor system is set by the assistance level switch on the handle bars in conjunction with the throttle.

Rather than let the bike make the decision for you, a decent hub system with throttle gives you the choice of 1 to 6 levels of base assistance and when you need more you simply twist the throttle until you reach the desired level. This is one of the reasons we have stayed with the hub rather than go with the Panasonic type system. We know our customers have different levels of health and fitness so we believe it is better to let the rider decide how much help they need. The other of course is a good hub system is more efficient.

All the best

David