If you might be on the lookout for an honest, inexpensive, entry-stage e-bike, or should you want to have the ability to carry your electrical bike with you within the trunk of your automotive, or to stash it within the nook of your workplace or condominium for storage or charging, then a folding e-bike just like the Engwe EP-2 Pro could be simply the ticket. It’s not as intimidating as some greater e-bikes will be, and the worth level is nearly excellent for dipping your toes into the e-bike waters.
Before I get to the precise evaluate of this newest e-bike, I feel it’s vital to keep in mind that figuring out if a specific mannequin of motorcycle is an efficient match for you is essentially dependent by yourself private habits and wishes and objectives. An e-bike that’s excellent for me, a man dwelling on acreage on the finish of a dust highway within the nation who works at dwelling, who has a little bit of a thirst for velocity and thrills, and who virtually by no means masses his bikes into automobiles or vans or trailers, however as a substitute simply rides proper out of his barn, is most probably not going to be excellent for another person who might stay in an enormous metropolis, or a tiny condominium, or who has to commonly haul their bike upstairs, in a automotive trunk, or into an workplace.
The vary-per-cost calls for are going to be totally different for somebody who commutes 20+ miles every means and somebody who lives inside 5 miles of most all over the place they should go every day or week. The whole cargo capability — by way of each weight and measurement — are most probably going to be totally different for these with youngsters or pets or many dwelling enchancment initiatives than they’re for a single one who might be able to run all their errands utilizing only a easy backpack. I received’t belabor the purpose right here, however will encourage any potential e-bike purchaser to look long and hard at how, the place, and why they may use it, and to even contemplate these oddball occasions that occur as soon as in awhile which could require a really totally different bike than the one they could have fallen in love with on-line. ‘Nuff stated.
Disclaimer: Engwe offered the EP-2 Pro folding e-bike to the writer freed from cost for the needs of this evaluate.
Right out of the field, the Engwe EP-2 Pro e-bike is a little bit of a unique beast than virtually another bikes I’ve put collectively, partially as a result of it’s a folding e-bike, which implies that the handlebar stem setup isn’t as easy as an ordinary bike, although it wasn’t notably troublesome. That stated, the toughest issues about placing the EP-2 Pro collectively had been 1) putting in the wheels, which shouldn’t have fast-launch skewers, however as a substitute are bolt-on wheels (extra on this later), and a pair of) mounting the rear cargo rack, which didn’t fairly line up precisely with the holes on the body and which required a little bit of brute power and one other pair of fingers to get it put in.
Because I are inclined to journey mountain bike-model frames with extra of a ahead-leaning posture and never an upright posture like many metropolis bikes and cruisers have, after I acquired on the highway, which in my case is a dusty bumpy highway for the primary half-mile or so earlier than I hit pavement, it took a minute for me to really feel snug driving the EP-2 Pro. Also, with the mix of the comparatively taller handlebar stem and smaller body and the bike’s 20-inch wheels, it was a bit totally different of a driving expertise, though one which I shortly acquired used to.
The bike’s 750-watt geared hub motor within the rear wheel had loads of energy for getting me up hills and in control shortly, with the bottom pedal-help stage being a lot for a man my measurement (~120 kilos) on stage floor and the very best pedal-help stage being able to speeds as much as about 22 miles per hour. At first I wasn’t so positive concerning the stability of this bike on bumpy roads and even off-highway trails, principally resulting from its smaller body and wheels and such, however after just a few excursions off the overwhelmed path, I discovered that my issues had been unwarranted, because the 4-inch fats tires and entrance suspension fork went a good distance towards smoothing out the journey. That stated, I’m most likely not going to be bombing downhill or catching air or hitting some technical singletrack on this bike anytime quickly, but it surely’s definitely greater than succesful for many metropolis driving and the occasional effectively-traveled bike path.
The EP-2 Pro folding e-bike has a twist-grip throttle on the best facet of the handlebar, which I really favor over the thumb throttles that many e-bikes have (usually on the left facet of the handlebar), as I really feel it’s a greater technique to management the bike’s energy, however your mileage might differ. The one attention-grabbing factor concerning the throttle on this bike is that it appears to be ruled by the pedal-help stage you’ve got chosen, so in case you are utilizing stage 1 pedal-help, then the throttle solely boosts the bike up the velocity that stage 1 permits, versus the opposite e-bikes I’ve ridden, the place the throttle has the complete energy vary out there whatever the present setting of pedal-help stage. For instance, on my RadWagon (which additionally has a twist-grip throttle), if I crank all of it the best way towards me, the bike’s motor shortly ramps as much as its full energy, and if I solely crank it a tiny bit, the bike will simply creep ahead slowly. But on the EP-2 Pro, it’s worthwhile to put the bike in pedal-help stage 5 to get entry to all of the motor’s energy through the throttle, which will not be an enormous deal to anybody else however me.
The folding characteristic of this bike permits the EP-2 Pro to be compacted all the way down to about 30″ vast by 32″ tall and a few foot or so throughout, which implies that it might probably match into most automotive trunks — or frunks, because it had been — or right into a closet or a nook of a room. When evaluating this side of the Engwe bike to conventional (non-folding) e-bikes, which might take up plenty of area in a room — and which can’t match right into a trunk in any respect, I can now see the use case for folding bikes as I haven’t earlier than. One of the main drawbacks of e-bikes generally is that lots of them are heavy — like 60 to 80 kilos heavy, versus half of that or much less for an everyday outdated analog bike — and so transporting them through car, whether or not as a final-mile answer or to a trailhead or bike path removed from dwelling, could be a bear. Most client bike racks aren’t meant to deal with bikes that heavy, and even when they’ll deal with them, lifting the e-bike up onto a rack will be extra like powerlifting than simply mounting a motorcycle onto a automotive. And because of this should you personal a heavy e-bike and want to have the ability to haul it by automotive, you’ll most probably want a heavier obligation, hitch-mounted rack, and as my grandad used to say, they ain’t low-cost.
All of that’s to say that with the ability to load up an e-bike into an ordinary trunk (assuming stated trunk isn’t already filled with junk stuff) will be extraordinarily helpful should you’d like to have the ability to drive your bike to the place you need or must journey it, no matter whether or not or not such a mixed transport is decrease carbon or logical or needful. Of course, the opposite sticky bit about e-bikes — their larger weights — implies that even when you have an incredible folding electrical bike, you continue to want to have the ability to raise its 70-odd kilos absolutely off the bottom and into the trunk with out throwing out your again or scratching your automotive, so take that into consideration earlier than buying one.
The bike’s 48V 12.8Ah battery, which slots contained in the body, will be eliminated for charging or safety, and is alleged to be good for “50+ miles” of electrical help. Just as with EV battery specs and vary between fees, it actually all is dependent upon your specific state of affairs. A sequence of steep hills, or a heavier rider, or somebody who at all times rides utilizing principally the throttle and little or no pedaling, will all carry that vary down shortly. The built-in headlight and taillight are helpful, particularly the brake gentle characteristic that allows cyclists or drivers behind you to know once you’re slowing down or coming to a cease.
Where the rubber meets the highway, the EP-2 Pro’s wheels are totally different from all the opposite e-bikes I’ve ridden. They aren’t conventional wire-spoked wheels, however are as a substitute extra like motorbike wheels or BMX-model wheels, in that they’re aluminum with 6 inflexible “spokes,” so no wheel truing is critical (and even potential) within the occasion of an accident. And getting again to the bolt-on nature of the wheels, if perchance you get a flat tire — which used to occur fairly a bit to me out right here in goathead nation till I grew to become a tire liner and tire slime convert — you will must have a wrench with you along with a flat restore equipment and a pump. But then once more, possibly most individuals don’t understand how or care to repair a flat, however as a substitute take it to a motorcycle store to have it performed, which is nice for native bike outlets, however which might additionally depart them stranded someplace and needing a journey dwelling.
As far because the bike’s packaging goes, it got here in a a lot smaller field than many different e-bikes, as its body and wheels are smaller than an ordinary bike, but it surely did embody a few bazillion little foam and plastic items and zipties to maintain it secure throughout transport (that is fairly normal observe, in my expertise, as these bikes must journey a good distance from manufacturing facility to doorstep, however the sheer quantity of waste remains to be form of annoying to me and appears a bit foolish to me at a time after we’re discovering out that little plastic bits are being discovered actually all over the place on the planet).
All in all, the Engwe EP-2 Pro might be a great match as a commuter bike or grocery-getter, particularly as it’s priced at a really affordable $1197 (and it seems to be to be on sale proper now for simply $929, which is just about a steal), and that it might probably match the place few different e-bikes can.
This article is supported by Engwe. All photographs by Derek Markham / CleanTechnica.
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