Review of Argos £245 E-move folder

[Ghost1951]

One reason why I didn't bother ordering one, after one ride I would have had to rip out the the elctronic system for a prorper one and replace all with KT.
Speed control I find aweful.

Yeah - it's not great. However it will do for what I have in mind. Even if you had done that Neil, it would still be very cheap.

One thing I may not have mentioned. It is very heavy. It's like riding on a girder. Only just got it in the boot as well. I had to take out the parcel shelf and stand it up. The Brompton fits in there very easily lying down.

 

[guerney]

One reason why I didn't bother ordering one, after one ride I would have had to rip out the the elctronic system for a prorper one and replace all with KT.
Speed control I find aweful.

More folding bikes than I expected have 135mm rear dropouts - the (not great) Brompton inspired Dahon Curl i8 (I think) , also @Ghost1951's old space framed Moulton. It seems any bike with 8 SRAM hub gears, is potentially an easy drop-in/little-or-no-chainstay-spread rear hub motor conversion candidate. With filing of dropouts and mysterious but alluring WTF PLC settings to contend with of course.

 

[guerney]

One thing I may not have mentioned. It is very heavy. It's like riding on a girder. Only just got it in the boot as well. I had to take out the parcel shelf and stand it up. The Brompton fits in there very easily lying down.

Not very heavy: 25kg, including 2.35kg battery.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1267677

I have no trouble heaving my 22.41kg 20" wheeled conversion into a car boot or public transport, but it's easier with it's 3.6kg battery removed. Anabolic steroids - initial frustration flashes into roid rage to get the job done. It takes a tranquiliser dart to stop me turning over the car and going on a HULK! SMASH!!! rampage. Don't leave home without spare injections.

Just on our shared passion for BBS01 systems - this hub motor speed control is SO crude by comparison to our soft start BBSes. It comes on like a dragster when i start pedaling. I need to be a bit careful doing a u turn on a narrow track. I nearly ended up in the weeds when doing that earlier.

If you can transfer your BBS01 kit onto that steel framed folder it'll fly, all nice and controllable like. It might even fly and devour hills with that battery - what are the cells, what's the capacity of the pack, what Chingrish is on the BMS? Will be heavier with a BBS01. A couple of extra Kg will be neither here nor there. With the controller at 15A, an extra 80kg slowed (but didn't stop) hill climbs.

(The wobbly Minoura handlebar extension has since been tightened)

 

[Peter.Bridge]

Not very heavy: 25kg, including 2.35kg battery.

There are some 7 speed 20" Dahon clones with mechanical disc brakes, alloy frame and steel forks for 12.5 -> 13 kg - add a 1.6 kg AKM hub motor , KT controller and 1.8 kg 36V 10Ah bag battery ( and @saneagle 's 11-32t sprocket ) they will weigh 16.5 kg to 17 kg and it is a very capable bike (although it would likely cost £6-700 !)

 

[Ghost1951]

By the way - the brakes on this thing are pretty bad. The contrast with the disc brakes on my Specialised BBS01 conversion (hydraulic) is stark. Those are fantastic by comparison. Fettling and bedding in may help. I have only ridden it about twelve miles so far.

 

[matthewslack]

A whole set of new Shimano MT200 hydraulic brakes are £40, and fine for rider+bike+a bit of shopping. You might have to do a bit of hose length surgery.

 

[Ghost1951]

Thanks Matthew. I doubt I will change them. I am more inclined to just try to get the existing things to work properly. It isn't my main bike and never will be. I have my French niece coming to stay next week and wanted something she could ride around the countryside when she is here.

 

[Ghost1951]

Not very heavy: 25kg, including 2.35kg battery.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1267677

I have no trouble heaving my 22.41kg 20" wheeled conversion into a car boot or public transport, but it's easier with it's 3.6kg battery removed. Anabolic steroids - initial frustration flashes into roid rage to get the job done. It takes a tranquiliser dart to stop me turning over the car and going on a HULK! SMASH!!! rampage. Don't leave home without spare injections.



If you can transfer your BBS01 kit onto that steel framed folder it'll fly, all nice and controllable like. It might even fly and devour hills with that battery - what are the cells, what's the capacity of the pack, what Chingrish is on the BMS? Will be heavier with a BBS01. A couple of extra Kg will be neither here nor there. With the controller at 15A, an extra 80kg slowed (but didn't stop) hill climbs.

(The wobbly Minoura handlebar extension has since been tightened)

The trouble getting it in the boot is about its size not its weight. The fold is not compact like the Brompton. It is also rather a complex business to work the frame hinges. The middle one in particular has some quite tricky safety lock features built in, and without proper descriptions or diagrams it took a little while to work it out. There was a couple of minutes of random fiddling (chimpanzee like) before I spotted how it worked.

 

[guerney]

The trouble getting it in the boot is about its size not its weight. The fold is not compact like the Brompton. It is also rather a complex business to work the frame hinges. The middle one in particular has some quite tricky safety lock features built in, and without proper descriptions or diagrams it took a little while to work it out. There was a couple of minutes of random fiddling (chimpanzee like) before I spotted how it worked.

The folded dimensions of your bike...

H70, W43, D85cm

...is similar to my Helios's original (might be different now because of the rackmounted battery, I haven't measured):

H64, W36, D84cm

Folds a bit thinner and shorter. I can imagine yours could be a cumbersome shape and weight to lift and manhandle into the car. The Helios has this handy to pick up with handle (reinforcement bar over the hinge) when folded. Not my Helios but folds the same way. Easy to fold, but not as quick to fold as a Brompton. With the battery removed, it can be rolled along folded. Falls over if I roll it with the battery.

 

[Ghost1951]

I lay the Brompton flat in the boot, but this one would not go in flat and was obstructing the door, so I took out the parcel shelf, stuck it on the back seat and put the bike in with the wheels vertical.

 

[saneagle]

I lay the Brompton flat in the boot, but this one would not go in flat and was obstructing the door, so I took out the parcel shelf, stuck it on the back seat and put the bike in with the wheels vertical.

Nearly all folding electric bikes are a PITA when it comes to putting them in the back of a car or taking them on a bus. For a car, I find it easier to remove the Q/R front wheel, drop the bars, fold the pedals and stick it behind the front seats. That'sthe same as storing it. It'smuch easier to store and it takes up less room in that flat condition than when folded. I have a van now, so whatever bike I have goes straight in the back.

 

[harrys]

Here's the switch in this half finished rack battery. This one isn't bad. I've seen some really cheap units. All they do is switch a low current circuit in the BMS. Easily replaced.

 

[harrys]

"A huge bargain at £245."

Certainly is. At 25 kg, it must be all steel, including rims, seat post, and handlebars. I don't think they make steel steerers for folders.

 

[guerney]

Here's the switch in this half finished rack battery. This one isn't bad. I've seen some really cheap units. All they do is switch a low current circuit in the BMS. Easily replaced.

View attachment 59327

£1.99 - I bought one the other day for my as yet to be assembled ebike battery public transport overheat alarm.

Pardon our interruption...

Ebike battery overheat alarm for use on glorious public transport - introducting the Ebike Battery Fire Expulserating PreTerminator Lite™®©℠!!!!!!!!

It's a highly unlikely scenario, but I'd feel daft if it ever happened and I hadn't made this small effort. I'd also have damaged lungs, and they're pretty bad already. To save myself and others all that energetic running about and coughing out dense toxic smoke, I decided to strap an overheat...

www.pedelecs.co.uk

 

[Ghost1951]

That pretty much looks like the switch Guerney, though I am not that bothered about replacing it since I can turn off the power at the handlebar control unit.

The battery is holding up pretty well as far as range goes. I have been testing its range and so far since charging I have ridden the bike 19.5 miles and that includes my test hill which involves well over 400 feet of climbing and some steep stretches. I have been riding almost all the time in the mid setting as far as PAS is concerned. On my return home after 19.5 miles the voltage is now at 35.9v.

The battery condition 'meter' on the battery itself has now dropped all three green bars and is showing red. Given the voltage is only just below the nominal for the battery, that is a pretty useless indicator. The LED indicator on the handlebar is showing 3 out of the four LEDs lit, but on hill climbing it was dropping to 2 LEDs. That is to be expected. This is an 8.5 Ahr battery so it is probably 10s3p configuration, so it is bound to sag a bit. Not at all bad though. I was going to abort my test when the indicator on the battery showed red, but it obviously has more to give, so I will take it out again after I have had something to eat and put a few more miles on it.

This bike is really growing on me for all its cheapness and simplicity. The Speed control is tad annoying when setting off from standstill or doing low speed manoeuvring on a narrow track or near pedestrians, because of its sudden surge, but once running along in PAS 2 of 3, it is nice the way as I come to a hill the assist having been off because I am going faster than about 11 or 12 miles an hour, it will just come in and help nicely and without any fuss as I drop back into its zone.

The overriding thing to say about the bike is that it is not a fast ride, but as a shopper or a really cheap runabout, or commuter for a suitable distance like under ten miles each way, it was a very good buy

 

[guerney]

Sounds like a great deal for £245 - an entire ebike cheaper than a KT kit with WTF PLC settings, including a decent battery of the same capacity.

 

[Ghost1951]

Sounds like a great deal for £245 - an entire ebike cheaper than a KT kit with WTF PLC settings, including a decent battery of the same capacity.

Well it sure was cheap.

I just got back from my range test. I had intended to ride six miles (added to the already covered 19.5) with about 180ft of climbing, but part way there, the sag on the voltage was pretty noticeable and I didn't fancy pedalling the girder weight folder back all the way home if the BMS shut off the battery. So I cut the extra journey to 4 miles and can say for sure that the safe range is 23.2 miles. I checked the voltage on the kitchen bench when I got back, and it was showing 35.2volts, but that is at rest and not under stress going up hill. No use having plenty of volts on the bench and the BMS shutting it down on a slope.

Argos claimed 22 miles, so they ain't lying. I was keeping my speed down to about 12 miles an hour, though, so bear that in mind.

 

[Bonzo Banana]

interesting info. I wonder if there is an easy upgrade to throttle as the manufacturer's original version for the Indian market features that?

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However I find it difficult to see with Argos's images but it looks like the original Indian version has a LCD display but the Argos version looks like just foil buttons and LED lights. The one image that shows a bit of a the rear derailleur looks like one of those horrible all plastic affairs with coarse thread screws going into the plastic itself for high and low adjustments etc.

The bike looks very stylish though I think although black is my favourite colour so that helps. Feels like amazing value at 245 pounds.

The freewheel doesn't look amazing and i'm guessing not a Shimano unit with that colour scheme.

I feel a throttle would transform the ebike and give you the fine power control it really needs but of course there is the legal issue with it unless it only operates when you pedal.

The Decathlon equivalent is 3-4x the price with smaller battery, weaker frame and forks and only 28 spoke wheels and of course inferior braking. So I feel like this is amazing value. Sounds like old stock but I'm not fully understanding the ramifications of a lithium battery pack that hasn't had a proper charge in 18 months. I would assume this is fine as long as it hasn't got too discharged but unsure if there are other variables to consider.

The frame to me looks like one of fuji-ta's basic folding bike frames and suspect the ebike is assembled in India from parts mainly from China rather than mainly manufactured in India. Fuji-ta seems to dominate folding bike frame production and is huge supplier of frames to brands like Halfords, Decathlon, Tern, Dahon etc.

 

[Ghost1951]

I think my test has proved that the battery survived the period of suspended animation very well. It has the full capacity they quote in the specifications. If they kept substantial stocks for a longer time , some of the cell groups might have gone too low for the BMS to accept a charge. This would involve the retailer in either a lot of trouble, unpacking and charging batteries and repackaging, or a lot of returns of e-bikes found dead on arrival (ie won't charge). This is of course just a guess, but I can't see any other reason why they would so deeply discount a bike they were selling for £700 in April /May, then £450 in June. I get this information on the selling price from comments in the reviews.

Counter to my long storage theory on the price drop, someone earlier pointed out that they have also discounted ordinary non electric bikes.

 

[Nealh]

With a KT upgrade one could extend that 22/23 mile range to over 30 .
The speed controller will draw mostly max current up until the max speed for each level, with a KT one would have to ride in PAS 5 contantly.
Ride in PAS 1 or 2 with KT and one is drawing 13/20% max.