2020: Options for Good Ultra-Light Folding E-Bike and Importing

Hi all, I'm living around 10km from work and with the covid situation and our inability of public transport system to provide decent carrying capacity during rush-hour. I'm looking at options to cycle to work via an e-bike.

I'm not an avid cycler and I see this purely as means of transport, hence the e-bike component. Driving is not an option due to the cost of parking. Actual motorbikes is out as well as I won't have a place to park nor keen on getting a license. I also have a very tiny apartment, so space is an issue. Hence looking for a lightest folding ebike I can find.

e-scooters and e-skateboards are out as well since I can't really cross the sydney harbour bridge with those and they're technically illegal in Sydney.

Researching around, our options in Australia is pretty poor in this category. There's lots of folding ebikes, but they are either heavy/large, compared to international options in 2020, or their specs are a tad dated, yet the price we pay for it isn't that cheap either.

Ideally, I'd like a 20inch (16 in is tolerable) folder with at least 7ah (250W) battery that weighs no more than 16/17kg and with a fairly small folded footprint (this is a bit subjective, so open criteria but must be fully foldable - i.e. wheels together). Obviously, as cheap as possible but being realistic here as well.

Some bikes I've looked at that does fall into these specs are all not available in Oz, The United City Bikes "The One" (there's an ali equivalent of this) and the Carbo e-bike is another. The Go cycle ebike is also another option, but this is beyond my budget for sure. These are examples that fit my criteria - not a lot. There's all sorts of bikes on Ali, but they're all a tad heavy (and not certified for sure, see below).

Any thoughts other models?

Also, what is the practical importing considerations? I've read the government's guidelines, saying only 200W motor or if 250W must have the EU certs for a pedelac. Most of the bikes above are 250W but they aren't necessarily certified with the EU as a pedelac. Emailing the sellers, they said they've shipped to Oz with no problems, but that could just be them wanting to make a sale. Anyone have experienced importing e-bikes into Oz? Given the price I don't wanna pay so much to not get the product…

Comments

  • +7

    What a great post; well presented and obviously well researched before looking for the opinions of others to help out.

  • If you are importing any motorised vehicle, you might want to check with department of infrastructure, as you may need import approval to import it.

    Was discussed in a similar thread here only a few weeks ago.

    • Cool. thanks i'll read through that.

  • Xiaomi Himo Z16 or Z20 is the best bang for buck option at the moment. If only it will be shipped or distributed in OZ.

    https://electrek.co/2020/04/24/xiaomi-cheap-electric-bike-hi…

    • Thanks. I've seen that model in my research, a bit heavier than my limit but of course the price reflects that - so nothing against it, just not the characteristics I want.

  • 16/17kgs is pretty light for any bike, let alone an ebike.

    • Yes, but these are starting to trickle out in 2020 using modern materials like carbon composite instead of aluminum. The examples I mentioned are using these materials and hitting these weight attributes.

      Unfortunately these are not available in oz, we're still quite behind in ebike tech trends, and seem to be a dumping ground for old tech.

        • Wow, very nice weight for a full size bike. That's insane. Thanks for the link.

          I'll keep an eye out on them to see if they ever make a folding bike. As it is I won't be able to get their bikes as I won't have any place to put it in my tiny apartment nor in the office - hence why I need a folder. The price is pretty crazy as well, hopefully will drop as we get more options in oz with similar specs.

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