Estarli e20 pro

[Shaveswet]

I’m looking for a folding ebike and have stumbled upon this one. I’m a heavy guy coming in at 21 stone, will the 250w motor have any effect on hills? If not there is no real point. Just want one to commute and only folding bikes are allowed on the tram. Thanks for any advice

 

[sjpt]

It'll help a lot, but still leave quite a bit of work for you. You don't say how fit you are, or how steep (and long) the hills are. You won't get a very big range on its fairly small battery if you use any significant assist and have many hills, probably quite a bit under 20 miles; if most of your commute is by tram it'll probably be OK..

The specs say 'Max Rider Weight 110 kgs' which is just over 17 stone. You may be fine to go above the specs, but 4stone over is quite a lot.

 

[Shaveswet]

I’m pretty unfit.
I want to use it to help get fitter. Initially I will cycle one way, tram the other around 6 miles one way. Not massive hills but I really struggle on inclines, just looking for a bit of a push really. I want to do a lot of the work myself and just get a boost when required and try and get some weight off.
The 110kg might well be an issue, hadn’t seen that, thanks. Although I’m sure they all set the weights on the lighter side just to cover themselves.

 

[cyclebuddy]

The Mycle appears to me to be virtually the same bike except is has a 6.4Ah battery and the Estarli a 7.2Ah. But the Mycle is a good couple of hundred cheaper even with the rack, lights and mudguards.

They both look quite good to me (if you're looking for a lightweight 20" folding e-bike - as I too own), but the one thing I don't like about either is that the umbilical cord (the cable connection between seatpost battery and the controller) hangs really low and I'd think easily caught/snagged/at risk of damage, with the actual connector being in direct line of front wheel spray in the wet (if you intend riding in the wet).

I started almost as heavy as you with an e-bike: I think you need to remain concious of the fact you are pushing the limits and not expect the bike to haul you up every hill without putting in a good deal of effort yourself; that improves markedly once you start to lose weight. I lost 15kg in the first 4 months of e-bike ownership, and many others here started e-biking for similar reasons and also achieved good weight losses. But yes, a 250w motor is enough to make a good deal of difference even at your current weight.

 

[Shaveswet]

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

can I ask which bike you own?

 

[cyclebuddy]

I now have 3 e-bikes, but my folding e-bike for commuting (I use trains) is a Fiido D11.

 

[Shaveswet]

Looks very smart, thank you for the advice

 

[cyclebuddy]

The Mycle and Fiido are about the same price. To compare a little, the Mycle has a better control system (KT) and decent branded battery cells (LG/Samsung) both better than the Fiidos. The Fiido battery is bigger at 11.6Ah against the Mycle's at 6.4Ah which is only important if you need the extra range (or will use more assist) that a bigger battery can offer. Most of the other fixtures are very similar (brakes, gearing, mudguards etc).

The Mycle's hanging power cable aside, if the smaller battery is enough for your commute, I'd say the Mycle is the slightly better (and with the KT electronics, slightly nicer to ride) bike of the two.

With all e-bikes around the £1000 mark, it's all a compromise. It depends what features are more important to you, but any 36v/48v e-bike is going to help greatly (avoid 24v "catalogue/Argos/TVWorld" e-bikes) - they won't have the oomph you need).

What is worth considering on a commuting bike is adding decent (additional) lights, and puncture-resistant tyres. The last thing you want to be doing is having to fix a puncture by the roadside in the rain when you're already late for work. I think Estarli offer those (Schwalbe Marathon) as an option which can be fitted from new. I added them too (about £30 a pair) and whilst they aren't 100% puncture-proof, I haven't had a puncture yet.

Good luck.

 

[guerney]

The Mycle and Fiido are about the same price. To compare a little, the Mycle has a better control system (KT) and decent branded battery cells (LG/Samsung) both better than the Fiidos. The Fiido battery is bigger at 11.6Ah against the Mycle's at 6.4Ah which is only important if you need the extra range (or will use more assist) that a bigger battery can offer. Most of the other fixtures are very similar (brakes, gearing, mudguards etc).

The Mycle's hanging power cable aside, if the smaller battery is enough for your commute, I'd say the Mycle is the slightly better (and with the KT electronics, slightly nicer to ride) bike of the two.

With all e-bikes around the £1000 mark, it's all a compromise. It depends what features are more important to you, but any 36v/48v e-bike is going to help greatly (avoid 24v "catalogue/Argos/TVWorld" e-bikes) - they won't have the oomph you need).

What is worth considering on a commuting bike is adding decent (additional) lights, and puncture-resistant tyres. The last thing you want to be doing is having to fix a puncture by the roadside in the rain when you're already late for work. I think Estarli offer those (Schwalbe Marathon) as an option which can be fitted from new. I added them too (about £30 a pair) and whilst they aren't 100% puncture-proof, I haven't had a puncture yet.

Good luck.

Is it standard KT, and easy to diagnose and repair? I do like the look of the Mycle folder, because it's pretty much a Dahon frame copy - they really are taking the Myccie.... However, the battery is far too tiny in capacity (for me). In other respects with disc brakes and what look like easy to source mechanical parts, looks a sensible package overall:

Compact Folding Electric Bike

Mycle Compact - up for 50km range, weighs just 17.5kg and its 10 second folding time makes it simple to pack down and perfect to take with you in the car, train, tub or simply riding to work! Digital controller with 5 levels of assist, mudguards & front light included. Priced with life in mind.

www.mycle.co.uk

 

[Busterdan]

Hi @Shaveswet I just wondered how you are getting on, I'm 20 stone and looking to get the first ebike, I've been looking at the eStarli e20.8 Play though (which probably wasn't available when you were first looking)