The 10 Best Folding Electric Bikes
Special Honors
Vektron S10 Despite its extremely high price point, the Vektron S10 has a lot of useful features that make it worthy of consideration. These include a Bosch Active Line Plus electric drivetrain for increased torque and smooth acceleration, a reclining battery for a low center of gravity, and an ability to quickly resize to accommodate riders between 4'10" and 6'5". vektron.com
Enzo Folding Electric Bike The Enzo Folding Electric Bike is an Italian-designed option that comes with custom rims, a storage rack, internal battery, and titanium screws. What really sets this brand apart is the use of glow-in-the-dark paint to make the vehicle a show stopper at night. It is worth noting though, that it completely lacks a suspension system. enzoebike.com
Brompton H6L The Brompton H6L features an easily detachable 8.55Ah battery that offers up to 45 miles per charge, depending on user weight. An H-type handlebar, 6-speed gearing, and an extended seat post help promote a comfortable riding experience, while a lightweight build makes it reasonably easy for most to pick up and carry when needed. brompton.com
Editor's Notes
October 30, 2020:
Folding electric bikes are ideal for city dwellers who commute to work. Due to their collapsible design, they require less storage space than their non-folding counterparts, and, since they are battery-powered, you won't arrive at work or school all sweaty from peddling.
During this update, we made a number of changes to our recommendations. We replaced the DJ 48V with the DJ Step Thru because, while they are functionally the same, the open frame of the latter makes it easier to mount and dismount. You still get the same powerful motor and effective suspension system, too, which makes the Step Thru an overall better choice.
We also eliminated the Jupiter Bike 2.0 because, despite the name, we don't really consider anything without pedals to be a bicycle. Instead, it is simply an electric scooter, and since we already have a list for those, we didn't feel it really deserved a spot here.
Another new addition is the Mukkpet Rattan LM-750, which we like for its high top speed and long range. It has 20-inch tires and a shock-absorbing seat post, so it handles rough terrain and pot holes well enough, and the addition of a rear cargo rack makes it great for running errands, especially if you add a basket to increase its carrying capacity.
Adding to our wallet-friendly recommendations, we have the Xprit 14. It is functionally very similar to our other budget model, the SwagCycle EB-5 Pro, though the latter has a hidden battery, which is something we feel everyone will appreciate because it gives the bike a sleek look. The SwagCycle EB-5 Pro is also considerably lighter, which can be important for anyone who needs to carry their bike onto public transportation or up a flight of stairs to get it into their home.
July 12, 2019:
Folding electric bikes offer two distinct advantages over most ordinary e-bikes: storage and transportation. It's a bit harder to transport one of our non-folding electric models from one destination to another when you don't plan to ride between point A and point B. To be fair, the same inconvenience applies to any non-electric, non-folding traditional bike, since many of them get pretty heavy, so it would be really awkward carrying something like that across town. Our folding e-bikes are built for easy transportation, some of which can even fit inside a backpack.
I added the DJ 48V as an all-around reliable model for traversing both steep inclines and a variety of terrains. It also has a shock-absorbing suspension system, as do several others on the list. The SwagCycle EB-5 Pro folds down in three ways, making it easy to store in the back of your car. Additionally, I felt this model's Autoguard technology was a useful safety feature to prevent motor overloads when the brakes are applied. The Ecotric Fat reaches a top speed of 20 miles per hour, while its extra-thick tires can handle slick snowy roads and sandy beaches. I realize the Sondors Fold X is one of the more expensive options on the list, but I still thought it was worthy of inclusion due to the 40-mile range per charge and lightweight aluminum frame. Also included the Swagtron EB-8 Outlaw for its powerful battery, battery lock for powering on and off, and integrated rear reflectors. The Ride Scoozy VeeGo has a lot of practical features like a low profile, for easy mounting and dismounting, a cargo rack, and an integrated kickstand. Finally, I added the Jupiter Bike 2.0 due to its circular design, which supports a more even weight distribution across its frame.
October 05, 2018:
Found a good mix of premium and budget-friendly models to include. Ensured that every e-bike included on the list features a reliable motor and charging system. Removed the Swagtron Swagcycle Pro because it didn't have any pedals so was unable to be used as a traditional bike if the rider desired. Also removed the Cyclamatic CX4 Pro due to the many user complaints of unreliable performance.
The Many Health Benefits Of Biking
It’s no coincidence that nations with excellent biking infrastructure also have lower rates of obesity and heart disease than nations that do not.
It’s no coincidence that nations with excellent biking infrastructure also have lower rates of obesity and heart disease than nations that do not. The United States, for example, has some small pockets of bike-friendly spaces, usually confined to parts of cities that have been slightly remapped to provide safer, more efficient routes for bicyclists. There’s even been legislation in some cities to regulate how drivers must respect bikers when they encounter them on a shared road.
These are, unfortunately, small steps forward, however, as the majority of city streets in America aren’t bike-friendly, and new legislation is rarely enforced. Then, if you take a look at the fitness (or lack thereof) of the average American, a connection begins to develop. This connection becomes even stronger when you compare the biking system here with that of a country like Norway, which has devoted a lot of time and money to its biking infrastructure, building highways dedicated to the mode of transportation. As a result, Norway is one of the most physically active countries in the world, significantly lowering their incidences of heart disease and obesity.
The benefits don’t stop at the physical, however. Our daily lives are spent glued to computers and phone screens, and even if you choose to accept that as an inevitable wave of the future, your mind still needs a release from all that toxic screen time. Because a bike moves more slowly than a car, while also giving you much better sight lines and more direct exposure to the sun, a nice ride — even through city streets — will put you more in touch with nature. Getting in touch with your natural environment can drastically reduce stress levels, which is why biking to and from work is such a good idea: no matter how frustrating your day at the office was, you can let it all go on the enjoyable cycling trip home.
How To Choose The Best Folding Electric Bike For You
As you evaluate the different folding electric bikes on the market, you’ll notice that there are a lot of inherent similarities from one brand to the next, even though the look of each brand’s attempt has some unique aspects to it. No matter how the bike looks, each of your options will have a motor that’s powered by a battery, a hinge that allows the bike to fold roughy in half, and a series of other features that you would regularly find on a normal bicycle, such as pedals, brakes, handlebars, etc.
At the end of the day, it’s probably best to spend as much as you can to get the bike with the most range that folds up the smallest.
Knowing which folding electric bike is right for you is mostly a matter of knowing how far you need to take it on a single charge and how much room you have to store it. Pay close attention to how far its electric motor can take you at its top speed, and keep in mind that if you work more than 20 miles from home, and your electric bike can go 18 before you need to start pedaling your butt off, you might have been better off investing in something with a little more range. Along similar lines, if the bike you choose folds up to a size that doesn’t quite fit at your desk, then you’re going to need to find another place to store it that has access to an outlet (you’ll need a charge to ride back home, after all), and that could become a nuisance for your coworkers, or even a fire hazard if you put it in the wrong place.
At the end of the day, it’s probably best to spend as much as you can to get the bike with the most range that folds up the smallest. Once these puppies run out of juice, they tend to be much harder to pedal than their non-electric counterparts, mainly due to their increased weight, so keep an eye out for lighter models if you know you’re the type to overextend a biking trip. Other features to look out for include racks to help you carry important materials, charging time, and, of course, safety implements like lights and reflectors.
Staying Safe On The Road
While biking to and from work does have some very real physical and mental benefits, there are some inherent dangers to the task that shouldn’t be ignored. We’ll get into some additional safety tips soon, but first, we need to look at the dangers themselves, and how an electric bike can help safeguard you from them.
An electric bike’s increased speed helps to even the playing field, giving you the opportunity to quickly avoid an accident.
As we already noted, roadways in many countries aren’t the ideal places for bicycles, as transportation engineers spent the last century or so designing them only to accommodate cars. The average bike rider moves at a pace that’s fast enough to surprise drivers, but slow enough to make it difficult for them to avoid dangerous situations. An electric bike’s increased speed helps to even the playing field, giving you the opportunity to quickly avoid an accident.
In addition to this, however, you’re going to want to invest in additional safety gear if you don’t want to end up as a statistic. This must include a helmet, as your skull is incredibly vulnerable when moving along at biking speeds. There are even some helmets that have lights and turn signals integrated into their design, giving you greater visibility for drivers.
On the topic of visibility, there are a lot of things you can do to make yourself easier to see. You can throw on a reflective vest, for example, which has the added benefit of protecting your work clothes from flying dirt and debris. You can also add lights and reflectors to the bike itself, or strap illuminated bands to your arms and ankles. Both Gestalt theory and several biking visibility studies suggest that moving light sources like the reflectors on pedals that go up and down, are more visible to drivers because our visual systems are designed to pick up on movement (that of prey and predators evolutionarily), making reflective biking shoes a great idea.