I'll be frank with you and share that I've never really understood the appeal of a foldable electric bike. The typical design of a foldable bike has always looked a little odd to me, as if it's a little kiddies bike frame with exaggerated high seat posts and handlebars.
But I'm a firm believer in the saying don't knock it till you try it so when the London-based electric bike brand Volt let me try out the Volt LITE folding e-bike, I parked my preconceptions and got ready to mount my new form of transport for the next two weeks.
To preface, I've ridden around London on some pretty great performing electric bikes like the Orbea Diem e-bike and had my fair share of Lime Bike rides (shared rentable electric bikes). That being said, I'm still a little wary of riding around busy city roads on an electric powered bike and like to know I'm travelling on a reliable vessel. If you are similar and looking to buy your first electric bike, be sure to read our safety tips on buying, using, and storing electric bikes first.
Without further ado, here's how I got on riding the Volt LITE folding electric bike for two weeks.
1. It's apartment friendly
If I'm going to be adding an e-bike into my daily routine, then I'm expecting it to make my life easier, not harder. By this, I mean I don't want to be worrying about how I'm going to transport the bike down the two sets of stairs (one of which is a winding set of stairs) to the front door of my apartment building. I also want the bike to store away nicely and compactly in my apartment so it isn't an eyesore, but most importantly, so I'm not tripping over it.
The Volt LITE bike did not disappoint in this department — it's highly manoeuvrable and space-efficient. This is due to a few factors. The first is that the bike weighs 18kg (39lbs), which isn't remarkably light, especially when compared to the Brompton Electric C Line Explore foldable e-bike at just 14kg (30lbs). However, for a bike that boasts a powerful mid-motor and a very stable ride, I didn't have any issues. I've had to carry e-bikes weighing 23kg (50lbs) up and down my two sets of stairs, so 18kg was a treat.
Plus, the option to fold the Volt LITE e-bike makes carrying and transporting it much more seamless. Being able to make it more compact makes carrying a bike up and down steep and narrow sets of stairs a lot less daunting. The foldability of the bike also makes it more space-efficient for apartment storage and for storing on public transport if this is part of your commute.
2. It was a super smooth and near silent ride
New to the foldable end of e-bikes, I wasn't sure how stable or flimsy the bike might feel to ride and dreaded the thought of it folding on me as I rode through central London. Thankfully, the Volt LITE e-bike felt extremely sturdy and smooth to ride.
The large volume Schwalbe puncture-resistant tires helped absorb the impact from bumps and potholes, the seat was one of the comfiest bike seats I've experienced in a while, and the handlebars felt suitably narrow for busy road riding.
The bike runs on a Bafang M820 mid-drive motor, which felt very responsive, assisting me through various hill climbs on my commute when set at the top power level and then helping me coast along on flatter roads in the lower assist settings. I did find the bike struggled a little on notably steep climbs, which isn't helped by the minimal gear options available, but this wasn't a big enough issue to take away from how impressed I was by the bike's overall performance.
3. It's a great option for e-bike newbies
Familiarizing myself with the Volt LITE bike was very straightforward, from turning the bike on with the button under the saddle to navigating the small LED display on the handlebars, charging the bike, and using the kickstand to rest the bike.
This might sound very basic to anyone with plenty of e-bike experience, but if you're new to this style of bike, all the extra bells and whistles can be a little daunting. It helps when there is little tweaking and instruction reading to do, and Volt understood the assignment with the LITE folding e-bike.
