Would like to share my riding comparison between Velotric Fold 1 and one of its cheaper major competitors like Ride1Up Portola. Both ebikes I purchased very recently and pedal them about 80 mi each before providing w/ this info. Once I switched Velotric F1 to class 3 e-bike (allowing 28mph when pedal-assisting) most importantly than the max speed is actually how the torque power changed successfully for every PAS level. What happened is described very briefly - every one PAS level even otherwise the not noticeable PAS 1 or 2 increased its power when pedaling, and became so noticeable that I was able to pedal variety of terrains, including very short but steep uphills only using Velotric F1 PAS 1, incomparable advantage over Portola. Later even switched to Class 3 from Class 2 e-bike operation is forcing me going up steep hills especially to switch to PAS4 or 5 in order pedaling to get over the hill without much effort. The same observation is valid comparing Velotric F1 with other cheaper competitors like Aipas A2 and Lectruc XP 3.0 step-thru e-bikes. Being able to pedal practically everywhere without the need to switch to higher more-battery consuming PAS level or throttle - the outcome pedaling and saving more battery from discharge longer than Portola, Aipas A2 and Lectric XP step-thru.
It's great to see these reviews of ebikes that have been on the market a while. I realize this information might not be easy to find, but I'd love to hear more about how the bike holds up longterm. Great job with your detailed review!
I really liked your review, I did not miss pretty much anything that the other guy used to show As a former folding bike owner I appreciate that you showed the real struggles with the folding mechanism and you actually showed the bike folded from all angles and not only from the side, a lot of reviewers will only show the side view (which is more appealing) but actually showing the front/rear view is much helpful since normally you are gonna try to fit these bikes in small places where sometimes the challenge is not the depth but the width to make them fit
Even if Portola is lighter (50lbs w/ 7.6lbs 10.4Ah battery) or net weight (51.4lbs) still I can help myself transporting it in the trunk of my SUV without any lifting. I got an appropriate size plastic container for the foldable Portola w/ two wheels. Position the container vertically and roll in the folded e-bike, then slide/wheel horizontally the container on the foldable car dog ramp into the trunk. The same we do with my significant other Starfish foldable, step-thru e-bike which is even lighter than Portola), so the compact SUV trunk accommodates two identical plastic containers on our e-bike trip out of our CA area). Hope this info can help others to enjoy their e-bike better.
glad you covered how the bike folds. many reviews fail to discuss this part when they are covering folding e-bikes in general. i would suggest showing closeups of the latches and the detail of what is going on instead of remaining on a wide shot so the viewer gets a clearer idea what happens when folding and unfolding the bike. for this bike, love how the rear cargo rack is part of the frame for better load capacity. i would like a version 2 to have the ability to roll the bike when folded for better transportation - maybe using the handle bars to grip and roll it around similar to a dolly, then fold them up when the bike is where it needs to be.
You don't answer much in life do you? You are an annoyance to many people for sure and people like you are proud of it give yourself a break and all those break be happy with what you got that's the trouble with people they want convenient so much they send this over the Deep debt trying to get every convenience in life try some elbow grease on your life once in a while get out of the drive-thru and go into the restaurant every once in awhile
I’d seriously consider it, if they had a dealer near me so I didn’t have to worry about shipping damage and had someone to do warranty work. I’d pay a few hundred more for that.
Ride1Up do not have local area bike shop partnership for great disappointment. BTW In my local area I found only one unfortunately, not even bike store, but ATV wholesale store which possibly can do some Portola service?
Mine makes this awful sound like it's made out of a crunchy beer can when you get the slightest bump. Sometimes the cadence sensor randomly kicks on and it jolts you forward..which isn't exactly the safest thing in the world. The pedals it ships with are too tiny. A tire blew in under 300 miles. I'm 5'11 and around 225 so I'm not some 300lbs+ 6'5 giant riding this thing. I would not recommend this thing. On top of that, Ride1up's support is bad. My bike was initially unrideable able because the lever was missing to secure the seat post. Support gave me the wrong dimensions of what it needed so I ended having to buy a pair of calipers and a new seat post clamp.
You sound like you are on a mission to discredit the bike! Perhaps you are having problems, not sure why, I love mine and have recommended this bike to friends.. with no issues. We are very happy!
Yes, R1U support is not good, no any local bike shop partnership to look for post-sale support like some other U.S.-located marketing & sales entities which e-bikes are made in China?
@@pddellowplease be quiet on this subject you sound like you're trying to discredit the man for giving his honest perhaps experience how dare you the other comments I told you off too and I'm glad you deserved it unless you have evidence to the contrary which you don't except for your own writing experience which was not his so if you expect people to believe your experience then you should believe him watch yourself
What I found out riding Portola about the Ride1Up controversial & misleading rider size claim. If the seat post it came with in my case (400mm) is on all previous early distributed Portolas (vs. 360mm claim) yes it can accommodate in very upright position taller rider like me (6’1”), but it’ll be difficult to accommodate taller than that riders. Otherwise with 360mm seat post a lot of videos about this R1U model are claiming up to 5’11” max rider size.
I would say you are ok at 6'1, but it might feel a little on the small side. Much taller and that's where I start to see people wishing the handlebars could adjust.
As I already texted I’m 6’14” tall rider and make sure upfront your Portola seat post is 400mm length, not 360mm as before was claimed. If your seat post is 400mm yes 6’1” tall rider in very upright riding position with appropriately leg extension can ride Portola. In this case I raised the seat post to the 2nd mark from the bottom and it’s Ok pedaling without a muscle hurt.
I recently purchased this bike for my wife and I'm thinking of selling my Lectric XP 3.0 and buying a second one ~ I also made a novice review but you pretty much covered everything.
The front basket mounting bosses look like they’re spaced so you could attach a bottle cage or holster for a folding lock or other accessory if you choose to not affix the front basket there, so they’re not useless. The multiple accessory mount points is an under-appreciated feature of the Globe Haul e-bikes. But if you use the front basket, I think they recommend no more than 25lbs of cargo in it. This compares favorably against the Lectric XP3.0. Its specs are better in every way except rear rack capacity (20lbs less) and no ability to adjust the height of the bars (I’d probably swap in a low-rise BMX-style bar). Lectric has more custom cargo accessories than Ride1Up does, but if you don’t deliver food, what Ride1Up or third party brands offer are sufficient. I’d get this simply because it lets you adjust the number of PAS levels and the power delivered at each.
I ride Portola and so far can reach on fully-charged battery (10.4Ah) the stated minimum range of 20mi or a bit more if I ride using PAS 2 on relatively flat streets, and sometimes PAS3 on some light grades, no throttle. There is a dedicated video testing Portola range.
Anyone have advice on how to store a folded Portala bike, like in a PLASTIC storage box (what size?), or on wheels somehow, it's awfully heavy and bulky to move & just seeking some advice -what others do to make it easier to transport from vehicle to garage , etc?
Sure you can, but without an appropriate seat post extension you’ll pedal not correctly, so you of course can raise the seat only minimally in order to touch the ground with your feet. But this will be on expense of you bending your knees to the point that without electrical pedal-assist you’re going soon to hurt your leg muscles pedaling in this position.
I ride Portola and compared with the competition in the price range of $1K and below Portola is almost the only one e-bike without a more serious electrically integrated bell?
@@ElectricBikeReview Is it possible you guys do reviews on stuff like seat posts and saddles? On this channel or on the Electric Bike Report channel. Thank you
That's how I do mine? I have a big motor I stay in my biggest gear. Little throttle start pedaling. It's like the opposite of a moped. You got to pedal them to get it going. Then the motor comes on these the motors. e the opposite of a moped LO. L.
