It’s simple to make a folding e-bike just like the Engwe P20 look nice on paper.
First, you worth it close to $1,000 and promise a 10-second folding time. Then, you change the normal oily chain, derailleur, cassette, and shifter with a belt-driven motor and torque sensor that ought to intuitively ramp up the pedal-assisted energy with out requiring any gears or upkeep. Lastly, you add hydraulic disc brakes to carry all the things to a managed cease and wrap all of it up in a nice-looking package deal that may be carried onto a practice or tossed into the trunk of a automotive.
On paper, then, the €1,099 (about $1,190) Engwe P20 ticks all of the containers for an e-bike that lately went on sale in Europe. Driving it for the final month at my house in Amsterdam, nevertheless, makes it clear that you just nonetheless get what you pay for.
The P20’s worth and have set makes its faults principally forgivable, however they’re faults nonetheless.
My first situation with the P20 is with the tuning of the torque sensor. There’s a noticeable delay within the pedal help delivered by the P20’s “Talengo JKaero” belt drive when coming off the road. Making an attempt to start out on an incline is even worse, requiring just a few seconds of pretty important effort from the rider. And because it’s a single-speed bike, you’ll be able to’t change gears for aid.
Maybe this tuning is on function because the unbranded 250W rear-hub motor is barely able to 42Nm of torque. It wouldn’t be the primary e-bike that shifts the burden to the rider’s quadriceps as a substitute of the motor (and battery) in favor of eking out a bit extra vary per cost. The P20 shouldn’t be the bike to personal if you’ll want to usually climb hilly terrain, but it surely handles average slopes tremendous.
My second situation makes itself identified after getting the P20 in control. At about 23km/h (14mph), my legs began spinning so shortly that the saddle started to really feel uncomfortable. That higher restrict is okay in the event you’re good with rolling alongside at an informal tempo however annoying if you’ll want to get anyplace on the P20’s 25km/h (15.5mph) high velocity, per European limits.
And like almost all mail-order e-bikes, you’ll be able to unlock the motor for much more velocity if you realize the trick — which I did for this evaluate. Not surprisingly, I discovered pedaling at US speeds of 20mph (32km/h) to be unattainable. Luckily, my evaluate mannequin shipped with a throttle lever regardless of being a no-no in a lot of Europe. It was disabled within the software program however will also be unlocked with some Konami code magic. Annoyingly, even the P20’s throttle suffers from a delay.
I pedal alongside at 23km/h, hit the throttle to cease the windmilling and… the motor cuts out, resuming after a second or two as soon as the throttle lastly engages. It does finally get the bike as much as 32km/h — and past, in the event you dare.
These efficiency quirks can be unforgivable for an e-bike within the $3,000-plus vary that I normally evaluate — however the Engwe P20 prices only a third of that. And there are many issues to love right here.
There are many issues to love right here
The P20’s hydraulic disc brakes carry these 20 x 1.95-inch tires to a cease shortly and underneath management. Simply observe that the brakes are unbranded, which may trigger points discovering substitute brake pads when the time comes.
The P20’s geometry additionally rides bigger than its measurement, so the steering doesn’t really feel overly twitchy like some smaller foldable bikes. It’s heavy for a foldable with 20-inch tires, coming in at 18.5kg (41 kilos) or 22kg (55 kilos) when slotting in that detachable (and lockable) 346Wh (36V / 9.6A) battery. However that added heft helps the trip really feel a bit safer on the expense of portability.
The vary is first rate, although heavy use of the throttle will diminish it significantly. When solely utilizing the motor as a pedal help, I used to be getting about 52km (32 miles) from a full battery when using in energy ranges two or three (out of three). Not dangerous. The battery takes over 5 hours to cost.
Engwe calls the P20 a 10-second folder, which is actually bold — my greatest time was about twice that, however you may fare higher with numerous apply. The handlebars and seat can each be dropped with quick-release latches, and even the pedals fold with some effort. The bike then folds in half alongside what looks like a reassuringly sturdy latch discovered halfway alongside the middle tube.
A magnet helps preserve the entrance and rear wheels connected when folded, permitting you to push or pull the unwieldy package deal in the event you steadiness it on one wheel whereas holding the seat with two fingers. It takes some apply and power to get proper. A tiny built-in metallic stand lets the bike relaxation on the bottom within the upright place with out toppling over too simply.
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The P20 additionally comes with numerous extras baked into the worth, together with built-in fenders, a rear rack, a kickstand, and entrance and tail lamps (with helpful brake gentle), that are all required by most metropolis commuters. It additionally has a flip sign characteristic with devoted buttons on the handlebar. Utilizing them is hard since they don’t make a sound, don’t robotically flip off, and aren’t very seen through the day. You’re higher off utilizing hand alerts, for my part.
There’s no app, the show is tiny however tremendous, and the entire bike can stand up to rain and jets of water whereas using. You’d assume an IP6 ranking can be normal for all e-bikes meant to be ridden outside, but it surely’s not assured at this worth vary.
What frustrates me concerning the P20 is that it might be an incredible e-bike however as a substitute feels prefer it was developed by a advertising and marketing crew utilizing obtainable components picked from a catalog, with out anybody taking the time to optimize the using expertise. However that’s what you get on the price range finish of the e-bike spectrum.
For €1,099 / £1,099, the Engwe P20 is a good selection for anybody who wants a comparatively cheap e-bike as a part of a multimodal commute or is in search of a foldable that rides extra like a conventional bike.
Images by Thomas Ricker / The Verge
