Reviewer: LeonardYoung
Purchased From: QBP ebay seller
Purchase Price: £570 plus £30 delivery
Time Owned: One week
Local Terrain: Flat / Moderate Hills
After a great deal of research on this excellent website and much surfing of all UK e bike outlets, I took the plunge and purchased this ebay folding ebike
which is named "MK 220". It is clearly a ready-made Chinese import with all-chinese running gear (except Shimano 6 speed gears), battery and rear hub motor. Having seen the enormous variation in prices for what appear to be very near specs between essentially similar bikes, I was unwilling to pay £1000 plus for very similar ebikes which come across as over-priced ( with a few noble exceptions). I appreciate that sometimes you get a little more quality and back-up on the premium priced products, but at £1500 and upwards, it is inconceivable that such prices are going to offer twice, let alone 3 times the quality.
So I took a risk with this e-bay purchase, but the seller had 100% postive feedback and I was careful to phone and request the bike be taken out of the box, set up, tested and any faults fixed before delivery. I think this is the key to any major ebay purchase. The seller was responsive, fully charged the battery before dispatch and confirmed he thoroughly checked the bike before delivery. Bike arrived on time and was in excellent condition with no scuffs or packaging damage.
Having tried a friend's Giant, a Cyclamatic and another much more expensive rival e-bike folder I had a reasonable reference for comparison. This bike was
no worse or better than the other three in overall performance, although I would describe it as perfectly adequate rather than excellent in terms of quality.
The battery charges in around 4-5 hours and fully charged it gives noticeably better speed - 16-17 mph max on throttle only, reducing to 13 or 14 mph
when half depleted then around 11 mph on the last remaining light.
It has either throttle or single assist mode, the assist mode kicking in after a few pedal strokes, but I prefer the twist throttle mode even when pedalling
because it gives finer control and there appears to be less resistance to pedalling compared with pedal assist mode over a certain speed. As with most e-folders, the gearing is a tad too low and I am investigating whether it is possible to fit a larger chain ring. The hub looks to be the fixed type and my local bike shop say it is doubtful whether a larger one can be retrofitted, but they are not ebike experts. I find I am in top gear almost always, except for hills, of which there are few in my area.
Downhill with throttle on plus pedalling, I get 21 mph before things begin to feel a little unsafe, and above this speed my legs are pedalling like fury cartoon style! Higher ratios would not compromise hills but make a little extra speed on the flat much easier. 17.5 mph is just about the most realistic constant speed on the flat with pedalling and throttle, but a higher gear would make a constant 20 mph easier. That little extra would make the bike perfect for me.
Freewheeling is excellent with no discernable resistance at all from the brushless motor. This is in contrast to reports on many other ebikes.
Specs:
20 inch wheels with dual rims
23.3kg weight
Rear Hub 200W motor with Shimano 6 speed gears
36V 10 Ah battery sliding on rear frame behind seat
Battery Charger
Horn, indicator lights, LED headlights and rear light
Excellent rear rack
Pull out seat with cantilever and springs
Folding frame and folding handle bars which are fixed height
Chrome wrap-round mudguards front and rear
V brakes front - hub brake rear
Free bike bag of good quality
Free wet weather cover
Toolkit included
Kickstand
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Strengths:
For the price this folding bike is reasonably light (23kg)
Battery is so far giving around 26-30 miles with light pedalling
Battery fit is snug and locks on the bike
Solidly built
Brakes ok at this price and no squeeks
Hub Motor is quiet and excellent at freewheeling with little resistance
Folds very well
Saddle is comfortable
Gears are easy to use and trouble free
Lowish frame for easy step through
20+ miles on throttle only in windless conditions on flat
Without battery or power performs nearly as well as my 12.5 kg jetstream Dahon folder
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Weaknesses:
Slight rattles of unknown origin
Gearing is too low above 17 mph
Motor just a tad underpowered when battery halfway depleted
200W is adequate but 250W would have been better (see above)
Seat tube requires over-tightening to avoid sliding down when sitting on it
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary:
It's early days, but so far I feel I made the right decision to avoid the inflated prices of Uk brand named bikes. I understand they have costs which an ebay seller lacks, but for £570 I have no complaints and my bike is probably equal to, or even slightly better than many e-bikes on sale for twice the price, with the exception of the Ezee Quando II and possibly the Alien folder. I realise that any major problems will be difficult to address except at my own expense but I think that's a reasonable risk at this low price. This bike does what it should - gives me an opportunity to get fitter, enjoy the rare moments of sunshine and have a lot of fun!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Rating (out of 10) :
For the modest price: 9
Purchased From: QBP ebay seller
Purchase Price: £570 plus £30 delivery
Time Owned: One week
Local Terrain: Flat / Moderate Hills
After a great deal of research on this excellent website and much surfing of all UK e bike outlets, I took the plunge and purchased this ebay folding ebike
which is named "MK 220". It is clearly a ready-made Chinese import with all-chinese running gear (except Shimano 6 speed gears), battery and rear hub motor. Having seen the enormous variation in prices for what appear to be very near specs between essentially similar bikes, I was unwilling to pay £1000 plus for very similar ebikes which come across as over-priced ( with a few noble exceptions). I appreciate that sometimes you get a little more quality and back-up on the premium priced products, but at £1500 and upwards, it is inconceivable that such prices are going to offer twice, let alone 3 times the quality.
So I took a risk with this e-bay purchase, but the seller had 100% postive feedback and I was careful to phone and request the bike be taken out of the box, set up, tested and any faults fixed before delivery. I think this is the key to any major ebay purchase. The seller was responsive, fully charged the battery before dispatch and confirmed he thoroughly checked the bike before delivery. Bike arrived on time and was in excellent condition with no scuffs or packaging damage.
Having tried a friend's Giant, a Cyclamatic and another much more expensive rival e-bike folder I had a reasonable reference for comparison. This bike was
no worse or better than the other three in overall performance, although I would describe it as perfectly adequate rather than excellent in terms of quality.
The battery charges in around 4-5 hours and fully charged it gives noticeably better speed - 16-17 mph max on throttle only, reducing to 13 or 14 mph
when half depleted then around 11 mph on the last remaining light.
It has either throttle or single assist mode, the assist mode kicking in after a few pedal strokes, but I prefer the twist throttle mode even when pedalling
because it gives finer control and there appears to be less resistance to pedalling compared with pedal assist mode over a certain speed. As with most e-folders, the gearing is a tad too low and I am investigating whether it is possible to fit a larger chain ring. The hub looks to be the fixed type and my local bike shop say it is doubtful whether a larger one can be retrofitted, but they are not ebike experts. I find I am in top gear almost always, except for hills, of which there are few in my area.
Downhill with throttle on plus pedalling, I get 21 mph before things begin to feel a little unsafe, and above this speed my legs are pedalling like fury cartoon style! Higher ratios would not compromise hills but make a little extra speed on the flat much easier. 17.5 mph is just about the most realistic constant speed on the flat with pedalling and throttle, but a higher gear would make a constant 20 mph easier. That little extra would make the bike perfect for me.
Freewheeling is excellent with no discernable resistance at all from the brushless motor. This is in contrast to reports on many other ebikes.
Specs:
20 inch wheels with dual rims
23.3kg weight
Rear Hub 200W motor with Shimano 6 speed gears
36V 10 Ah battery sliding on rear frame behind seat
Battery Charger
Horn, indicator lights, LED headlights and rear light
Excellent rear rack
Pull out seat with cantilever and springs
Folding frame and folding handle bars which are fixed height
Chrome wrap-round mudguards front and rear
V brakes front - hub brake rear
Free bike bag of good quality
Free wet weather cover
Toolkit included
Kickstand
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Strengths:
For the price this folding bike is reasonably light (23kg)
Battery is so far giving around 26-30 miles with light pedalling
Battery fit is snug and locks on the bike
Solidly built
Brakes ok at this price and no squeeks
Hub Motor is quiet and excellent at freewheeling with little resistance
Folds very well
Saddle is comfortable
Gears are easy to use and trouble free
Lowish frame for easy step through
20+ miles on throttle only in windless conditions on flat
Without battery or power performs nearly as well as my 12.5 kg jetstream Dahon folder
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Weaknesses:
Slight rattles of unknown origin
Gearing is too low above 17 mph
Motor just a tad underpowered when battery halfway depleted
200W is adequate but 250W would have been better (see above)
Seat tube requires over-tightening to avoid sliding down when sitting on it
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary:
It's early days, but so far I feel I made the right decision to avoid the inflated prices of Uk brand named bikes. I understand they have costs which an ebay seller lacks, but for £570 I have no complaints and my bike is probably equal to, or even slightly better than many e-bikes on sale for twice the price, with the exception of the Ezee Quando II and possibly the Alien folder. I realise that any major problems will be difficult to address except at my own expense but I think that's a reasonable risk at this low price. This bike does what it should - gives me an opportunity to get fitter, enjoy the rare moments of sunshine and have a lot of fun!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Rating (out of 10) :
For the modest price: 9
