Us!
For our fabulous 806 Torque folder, 8 years on and still trend setting!
Happy days.
All the best, David
Best Buy: Wisper 806 folding electric bike (with torque power pack)
Cheapest price: £1,749 at Wisper
Pros
- Easily gets up steep hills
- Smooth acceleration and responsive motor
- Comfy ride
- Clear display
Heavy – struggled to lift into a car boot
- Mudguard sometimes got in the way when folding
- Cable management could be better
Date tested April 2023
Manufacturer's claimed range Up to 50 miles (375Wh battery)
Weight 21kg
Max load (rider + luggage) 130kg
Motor Wisper, rear hub
Battery sizes 375Wh, also 575Wh and 700Wh
Size when folded HxWxD 73 x 85 x 43cm
Need to know LCD display, torque sensor (cadence sensor model available from £1,499), four assistance levels, Shimano seven-speed gears with trigger shifter, mechanical disc brakes, 20-inch wheels, front and rear lights, kickstand, other colours available
While it doesn't compare to the Brompton for folding or portability, it fared just as well in our motor tests and not far behind on ride quality.
We tested this bike with the torque power pack and it easily gets up steep hills – even extremely steep 25% gradients. Whether you get a run-up or start from stationary, this e-bike can handle it.
The acceleration is smooth and nippy, and if you pedal harder, the motor responds quickly and proportionately. It's quiet. It tapers its support to seamlessly cut out when you hit 15.5mph.
It's also very comfy to ride, with our testers particularly liking its sharp brakes for quick stops and how it handled turning corners while pedalling. Worse e-bikes have too sharp acceleration which makes cycling slowly very jerky – that's not the case at all with the Wisper 806.
The display is backlit, with clear text and easy to reach buttons to change the motor assistance on the fly. The battery is also easy to remove – not always a guarantee with folding electric bikes.
There are a couple of issues, however. This bike is a typical size when folded up and will just get in a small car boot, but you may then struggle to close it. Plus, its weight made it tricky to lift and carry for more than a few seconds.
The folding mechanism is standard for an electric bike, but we found the mudguard connectors sometimes got caught around the pedals, making unfolding tricky. Folding the bike up carefully will help mitigate this.
If you aren't bothered about the lack of portability, or the price tag of a Brompton makes your eyes water, this bike gives you a top cycling experience. Because of this, it's more than worthy of our Best Buy recommendation.
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