Fiido Air review: so lightweight you’ll forget it’s an e-bike

Yes, that’s an electrical bike, though you wouldn’t cognize it from looks alone, aliases from hoisting it up immoderate stairs since it weighs arsenic overmuch arsenic a regular metropolis motorcycle astatine conscionable 30 pounds (about 14kg). 

But hey, I’m a forgiving type and nan institution did make amends to those affected. And Fiido says nan Air is “the world’s lightest metropolis e-bike” pinch a “super early bird” value tag of just $1799 astatine launch (or €1799 successful Europe) — rising to $1999 and past $2799 later, up of August shipments. That’s conscionable excessively tempting not to test, particularly erstwhile it costs half that of nan comparable Gogoro Eeyo.

And aft spending much than a period pinch a Fiido Air arsenic my regular rider, I gotta opportunity — I’m impressed... truthful agelong arsenic you disregard nan app and nan silly smartwatch it ships with, and aren’t acrophobic of doing a small wrenching and troubleshooting yourself.

The first point you’ll announcement astir nan Fiido Air is nan artillery — aliases deficiency of immoderate visible trace because it’s integrated into nan slender frame. Normally that’s a problem but this bike, dissimilar VanMoofs and immoderate Amplers, is thing that galore tin still haul into an elevator aliases up a formation of stairs successful a pinch owed to nan wide usage of rigid and lightweight c fibre successful nan motorcycle frame, beforehand fork, handlebar, and spot station stem.

In fact, you wouldn’t cognize it’s an e-bike astatine each if it wasn’t for nan elephantine ON / OFF schematic that Fiido inexplicably chose to blaze crossed nan framework arsenic if its proprietor needs to beryllium everlastingly reminded of wherever that fastener is. The different cleanable creation is helped by internally routed cables.

My motorcycle arrived partially assembled successful its shipping box. A spacer for my beforehand axel assembly was jammed into nan packing materials, however, causing maine to place it erstwhile I assembled nan beforehand instrumentality and handlebars. I could show thing was wrong, and yet sorted it retired pinch nan thief of Fiido support, but little knowledgeable bicycle owners mightiness person conscionable lived pinch nan somewhat noisy, somewhat wobbly, and perchance vulnerable assembly. 

My European Fiido Air is fitted pinch a 250W Mivice rear-hub motor and Mivice torque sensor (as you’d expect successful this value range) to make nan pedal-assisted powerfulness consciousness much natural. It besides features plentifulness of off-the-shelf parts that should thief make it easy to work astatine immoderate section motorcycle shop. That’s not ever nan lawsuit pinch Fiido’s cheaper e-bikes that usage parts not wide disposable extracurricular of China (I erstwhile had a unspeakable clip uncovering brake pads). The Fiido Air uses Shimano BR-MT410 hydraulic brakes, a Velo saddle, and a Gates Carbon Drive CDX loop drive, pinch nan second seldom needing servicing unless your motorcycle was shipped pinch a loose belt, for illustration excavation was.

Tightening nan loop isn’t difficult, but it’s besides not intuitive. Nevertheless, it’s ne'er bully to walk $2000 and find that your transmission slips pinch a loud clunk when stepping difficult connected nan crank to quickly transverse nan thoroughfare against oncoming traffic. I besides had to precocious lubricate nan bottommost bracket (where nan crankset attaches to nan bicycle) aft nan pedals began making a horrible creaking sound connected each downward stroke. Both of these fixes were comparatively elemental to do, but not thing that’s usually required aft conscionable a fewer weeks of riding.

The Air is equipped pinch a fingerprint sensor that’s surrounded by a colorful ray ring. To forestall group from riding disconnected pinch nan e-bike aft hitting nan well-labeled ON/OFF button, nan centrifugal tin beryllium configured to unlock pinch nan fingerprint sensor. This worked amazingly good 99 percent of nan time. It worked good successful ray rain, truthful agelong arsenic I was capable to barren it disconnected and shield it, but I erstwhile tried to unlock it successful a dense downpour, and nary magnitude of wiping allowed nan sensor to admit my finger. That meant opening nan app to unlock nan motor. 

The app is... terrible, and should beryllium avoided astatine each cost. Fortunately, it tin beryllium abandoned for day-to-day use, but not until you suffer done it for first setup, and past occasionally to cheque nan artillery level — which seems to beryllium disconnected by arsenic overmuch arsenic 20 percent — since there’s nary denotation of it connected nan motorcycle itself. It’s a shame Fiido didn’t repurpose nan colored ringing astir nan fingerprint sensor for immoderate benignant of artillery indicator.

After nan fingerprint sensor unlocks nan bike, much taps will steadily summation nan powerfulness assistance pinch corresponding rings of colour — yellow, blue, a somewhat brighter blue, and greenish — to show nan existent selection. A speedy double pat connected nan sensor turns nan integrated moving lights connected and off. Unfortunately, nan motorcycle doesn’t retrieve your preferred mounting erstwhile turning it connected and off.

Fiido ships nan e-bike pinch a inexpensive plastic-y Fiido Mate smartwatch, which is conscionable laughably bad. It tin beryllium utilized to unlock nan centrifugal aliases arsenic a dashboard connected your wrist — but can’t beryllium easy attached to nan frame. After testing it erstwhile I ne'er utilized it again. I already deterioration an Apple Watch, but there’s nary app for that.

The Fiido Air puts nan rider successful a very fierce and sporty position, which creates an awkward manus position that’s little than perfect for agelong commutes aliases casual metropolis riding. But it is fun! The pedal assistance is delivered smoothly, intuitively, and very quietly, but nan motor’s humble 40nm of torque makes this single-speed e-bike champion suited for mostly level commutes. Out of nan container nan Fiido Air has a 15.5mph (25km/h) apical velocity that shoots up to 18.6mph (30km/h) pinch a elemental (and often illegal) package setting.

Fiido says nan Air tin spell up to 80km (about 50 miles) connected a azygous complaint which is wildly optimistic for its 209Wh non-removable battery, but whitethorn beryllium doable successful nan lowest powerfulness mounting (I ever tested successful max). In my testing, pedal assistance was already noticeably degraded aft astir 40km (25 miles) of riding. Fiido besides sells an optional bolt-on scope extender that tin you return wrong to complaint from Fiido’s comparatively mini charging brick.

For what’s expected to beryllium an e-bike for cities, it ships without a kickstand, bell, aliases immoderate mudguards which intends a rooster tail of spatter connected your backmost if you get caught successful nan rain. It does person attachment points for beforehand and rear fenders though, if you determine to spell that route. It besides comes pinch Kenda 700*40C tires that look amended suited for gravel than metropolis streets.

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed utilizing nan Fiido Air arsenic my superior metropolis thrust for nan past six weeks and change. For $1799 it’s a bully woody for anyone looking for a nicely designed and lightweight e-bike. For $1999 it’s still worthy a difficult look, but for $2799 I’d see different options first.

All photography by Thomas Ricker / The Verge