Pro Rider Flow 20" Folding eBike

[Davo]

ME
I am 6ft1”, 110kg and ride purely for recreation around the Scottish Highlands, mostly on forestry tracks.

DELIVERY
The bike came double boxed with no damage. I had to tighten the battery mount screws which were rattling and tighten the rear wheel spokes to straighten the rim.

MODIFICATIONS
I fitted the following kit to turn it into a trail and road capable bike:
1.75” Continental Explorer tyres.
Suntour SP12-NCX Mountain Road Bike Suspension Travel Seatpost 27.2 X 400mm.
Narrower seat for comfort.
BestFire 7L Mountain Road MTB Waterproof Rear Seat Bag.
Bell and lights.
Holder for my GPS phone running ViewRanger.
70mm V-brake blocks.
Yose Power battery for extending range.

PERFORMANCE
This bike will go anywhere! The fatter tyres and suspension give a very comfortable ride, even on the roughest trails. It can plow thru mud using the lowest PAS setting to let the Explorer tyres grip. It will climb the steepest hill except you have to beware of popping wheelies at the steepest parts. Only downside is that the rear gear changer is very close to the ground so you need to keep clear of obstacles on the right side.
The handlebar controller is easy to use and has buttons to switch between the 6 PAS levels. You can also go into Settings and change the wheel dia, max speed, mode (eco, normal, power), etc. I think the smaller 20” wheels give more torque which makes it very lively on take-off. Brakes are fine and the gear change is very slick.
The Explorer tyres work fine on-road as well except I noticed that I tend to use PAS 4 rather than PAS 3 that I used for the stock tyres. The Explorers probably cut down on range but that is not a problem for me with my extra battery.

 

[topographer]

Well done! I wouldn't have thought of using such a bike on forest trails but if it works, it works.

 

[Davo]

Just a quick update on how this bike performs in wintry conditions. I took it along the West Highland Way west of Inverness today in 2-3" of snow on top of ice and it performed like a dream. There was plenty of grip from the Continental Explorer tyres and the step thru frame meant it was easy to get off during the few twitchy moments I had.

The only problem was that the powder snow flung up by the front tyre kept packing on the rear gears and the chain then jumped. Cleaning out the snow cured this and I am looking at maybe fitting a brush over the cassette to keep it clear.

It was certainly serene gliding thru the wintry Scottish Highlands in silence with no-one for miles around. Put it on your bucket list.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Nice one!

 

[NJS]

Just a quick update on how this bike performs in wintry conditions. I took it along the West Highland Way west of Inverness today in 2-3" of snow on top of ice and it performed like a dream. ...

I'm not musical in any way, but reading about the bike you chose and this ride bought a piece of music to mind: Fleetwood Mac:Go Your Own Way.

Doubly appropriate! Take/add a scenic or panoramic shot also next time please

 

[Davo]

Good choice of music. The lyrics of Bob Seger's Roll Me Away are a good match as well.

I did shoot some scenery from my mobile which are attached below. It was a great day that I would never have even attempted without my electric bike.

 

[NJS]

Good choice of music. The lyrics of Bob Seger's Roll Me Away are a good match as well.

I did shoot some scenery from my mobile which are attached below. It was a great day that I would never have even attempted without my electric bike.

View attachment 22249 View attachment 22250 View attachment 22251

Superb scenery! I almost envy you the snow. (Almost! )

 

[Davo]

Another quick review update.

I swapped out the 1.75" Continental Explorers for Schalbe Black Jack 1.9" tyres. These have a smoother centre tread with off-road knobs at the sides. The bike now has much less rolling resistance on tarmac and still has adequate traction in mud. I now spend a lot of time above 15mph with no help from the motor which has increased the battery range.

The Suntour suspension seatpost failed by bending and is no more. I am 20kg under the maximum rider weight so it is obviously under designed. Suntour Europe admitted that they had seen similar cases but have made no move to reimburse me.

 

[Davo]

I tried turning my Flow folder into a 3 wheeler by attaching a WeeRide Co-Pilot Bike Tandem Trailer for Children. It is meant for kids but it is very solidly built so I tried it for my wife. All it needed was a longer seat post and we were good to go.

First trial in the local park was successful so we took it into the hills. The trailer folds as well so it fit nicely with my folder in my city car boot. What we found is that it works fine on straight smooth tracks but is a bit unwieldly on rough tracks. Perfect for Holland but not for the Scottish Highlands. Ended up selling it and just getting another Flow folder. Good fun though.

 

[Jimo]

Very good, - Oh to wish that I were younger again!

Jim

 

[Slartibartfast]

Love the wobbly line in the snow, did you cycle that before or after the wee warming dram?!

Anyway, what snow? it's sunny here darn sarf.