Brompton Electric
Bromptons are a famous British folding bike, and with the the Brompton Electric they did a pretty good job engineering a motor and battery onto the front. I bought mine from Redbeard Bikes in Brooklyn (delightful store run by a couple who have been very helpful through my process).
Pros
- Most compact fold of all bikes (electric or not!); relatively portable (fits in an airplane overhead bin!, though flying with ebike batteries either requires special permission or is impossible).
- Half-folded "shopping cart" mode can be pushed around in stores.
- Surprisingly nice ride / feels like a normal bike (despite looking a bit flimsy/silly due to small 16" wheels).
- Decent extra battery story for increased range; currently my 2nd highest range ebike (after the Creo) as a result.
- Great mix of fun/whimsy with real transportation / portability / overall utility.
Cons
- Expensive ($3800) for relatively small amount of bicycle/machine. They're well-made, so I felt it was worth it (once I'd covered other ebike use cases), but the price point is simply too high for most people I talk to.
- Supply chain has been especially backed up since COVID.
- Still a bit heavy to lug around (32lbs just the bike, 38 w/ battery, 40 with a rack).
Gallery
Brompton Electric, folded, next to a much larger/heavier throttle e-bike:
Folded into "shopping cart" mode inside a CVS:
Last updated on September 12, 2022