Thank you, thank you, thank you for demonstrating riding DOWN long, steep hills!!!!! No one shows that in TH-cam videos!! At least, I haven’t come across it, until today!! I have watched many videos on e-bikes, trying to find the best fold-up for my purposes. (Thank you, also, for demonstrating riding in the rain!) I finally bought a Lectric X-Premium, for the power, range, & cargo capacity. I live in Pensacola, Florida, with long, steep hills. I couldn’t care less how slow I end up riding uphill. At least I’m alive. It’s the terrifying shaking sideways of the folding stem and front of the bike, going DOWN long, steep hills that also tries to draft with the speeding vehicles next to me, that could kill me!!! Ducking my head down below a hanging tree branch made it worse! I ride the brakes all the way down the hills! I rather coast down hill and save my brakes, but I value my life and my bike, more than the brakes! I have been riding steel and/or aluminum mountain or hybrid bikes, as a car, since 2003, on rough and smooth terrain, in all kinds of Florida weather! I love cycling and want to continue as long as possible. I’m 63 and wanted an e-bike to assist with the hills, heavy cargo, exhaustion, and/or injuries. I still want to cycle under my own power, but have the assistance, if, and when needed. I have never been terrified of my bike before! Riding was always a thrill! I rarely ride, because I don’t trust it, and we get crazy rain here, which you can’t ride this e-bike in! I just wanted an e-bike that I could do everything I did with my Raleigh Mojave, but with power and fold-up capabilities. Thank you, again, so very much for your AWESOME review!!! Also, for the cobblestone ride! Sometimes, I had railroad tracks, with broken up pavement, sand, and debris to maneuver. That’s why I don’t ride skinny wheeled bikes, and I always have Kevlar tires!! No flat tires for 6 years!!! Those Schwabe tires are great!!
I'm glad my review was useful. I bought a pair of really cheap folding bikes (non-electric) years ago and I found exactly the same problem as you did with the stem. And I think the geometry didn't help. But I found this Estarli had a really solid hinge on the stem and the geometry seems good too, so I was amazed how stable it was at 40mph. Of course, those French mountain roads have a beautiful surface, which helps. I was lucky enough to find a local dealer and do a test ride, which really helped give me confidence I was buying something solid. If you are looking at changing the Lectric then hopefully you can find something that can handle the hills a bit better.
Super review, thanks, you sorted out the difference between the 20.7 and 20.8 and i think the 7 will do us fine. Yesterday we test rode the Brompton but having looked extensively at the Estarli and the fact it is made in the UK and half the price with better kit and tyres we are 99% sold already
I didn't test ride the Brompton. I love them as a design icon, but when I found that I could reasonably easily take the Estarli on the train, the benefits of half price, bigger tyres for rougher surfaces, the ability to change power levels while riding and the lack of problem riding on rough surfaces that have been known to cause problems with the battery connections on Bromptons - all convinced me to go for the Estarli. 1 year and 2300 miles in, I am not regretting it
I've been watching a lot of reviews of e-bikes over the last couple of weeks and your review of this bike was one of the best I've seen. So in depth and you covered everything anyone would need to know. Thank you! I'm considering either this bike or an Eovolt Afternoon bike. Tough choices!
Glad it was helpful. I ought to do a video with my impressions after a year and 2000 miles. But in short, I am still really impressed with the bike. One thing that I feel is important is to ensure you have a bike that can be ridden without power - that means gears and probably a chain rather than belt drive. I pretty much don't use power when in London and only turn it on when I get to the hills outside - effectively using it to just flatten the hills. I use the gears for everything else. This means I get multiple days riding before bothering to recharge the battery at half full. Oh, the other thing I like about Estarli is that they are based here in the UK. Yes, they import many parts, but they have a little factory here and helpful support staff (I've been there and met them :-) ). But good luck with whatever you choose.
@@SteveSallyandSmokey I do like the thought of prolonging the battery as much as possible. The Eovolt bike does have 7 gears as well I think, the Pro version has the drive belt which I'd previously thought was a cool feature but you've made me think it wouldn't be if it makes it harder to cycle as a regular bike! Did you buy yours online or did you find a shop that sold it?
Great little bike I have the 16.7 estarli and did 23.5 miles today, on a full charge with 2 bars left, mostly on mode 1 or 2 and I'm about 8.5 stone. Love this bike ! Very good review of your 20.7 estarli
Excellent review, covered all the bases. Has put me in a bit of a quandary now. Just watched a lot of glowing reviews of the ADO Air 20 but the Estarli is giving me food for thought!
I've done 700 miles on the Estarli now and very happy with it. Pros and cons: Belt drive on the ADO means no cleaning or oiling chains + quiet. However, I understand chain drive is more efficient AND it gives you gears (the Estarli has 7 or 8 depending upon model). What that means for me is that in places like London that are virtually flat, I don't use any electric assistance, conserving battery power; I use the gears instead. Plus highest power level + lowest gear means I can climb hills you wouldn't think feasible on a bike like this. And on the topic of assist, doesn't the ADO have only 3 levels? The Estarli has 5, and I am often changing them when on hills to give just the level of assistance I need.
In addition to the other points, I think the ADO is the one my colleague has. In the -7c temperatures, I saw no difference in charge or range on the Estarli, but his bike indicated it had lost charge before he even started his ride, and on a shorter ride than mine that resulted in no visible change in battery capacity in my bike, his dropped to showing empty. Maybe that is a one-off fault, or maybe because without gears he is using power for the whole ride. But it made me wonder about the applicability of the 100km range laboratory testing claim from ADO. I also like the backup that with gears, the bike is completely rideable on all but steep hills, so if I lose power it is not a show-stopper for me (I'll just have to get up and push up the 1:7 hill on the way home :-) )
I'm due to have to move into new accommodation in the next few months and I fear my heavy Cube E may give me problems. This Estrali may be my saviour instead.. Great review.
I think this is about 17 kg. Note that the weight is mainly over the rear wheel. I find it often easier to carry up and down stairs unfolded, carrying the frame just above the crank. When you fold it, it is actually a bit more of a handful as it is less balanced and wider
@@SteveSallyandSmokey Thanks for your reply Steve. I have moved now and it is a smaller albeit ground floor apartment but on a busy road so my quest continues. My LBS has 2 Estarlis in so I can at least do a test ride in the coming days/weeks.
Yes, the latest model looks neater now they have routed the cables through the tubes. Although I don't mind these being on the outside and maintainable. I did see someone had a problem with one of the tube-routed cables on a newer bike chafing, which could be a problem if your bike gets folded a lot for transport like mine
Brilliant review, I have one question though! I didn’t understand if the battery can be taken out easily to carry for charging at home? (my garage has no power)
Ah, sorry, I didn't think to cover that. You unscrew a coiled cable from the bottom of the seat post, then undo the clamp that holds the seat post / seat at the desired height, and you can then slide the entire seat, post and cable up out of the frame and take it away to charge elsewhere. We have done this when we've hired a rental property for a week, where like you, we had to charge in the house.
brilliant real world test , hope to be buying a pair shortly for our motorhome and trips out ect . Tempted by the 20.8 but its quite a chunk more ,though it gives 10nm more power ,but i think the 20.7 can be tweaked up 10 nm by adjusting the hidden menu in the display . How long does it take to charge on the 12v car charger . P,s you can get a estali bottle battery which fits on the top rail to double the range ,an extra £300.
Thanks. I don't have the 12v charger, just the mains one, which takes a few hours. Not timed it though. I've been impressed with the battery capacity - lasts several rides. But then I am fairly fit and only use just enough assistance on hills - I adjust the assistance level all the time (unless on the flat, when I don't use it at all). The extra torque would be nice, but whether you need it depends upon how steep the hills are and how fit and heavy you are. I'm pretty fit, but to balance that, I am cycling up the hills in High Wycombe. If I were less fit then I would definitely need more torque for Wycombe, but would be fine if cycling places like London, Oxford, etc. with lesser hills. Worth taking a test ride if you can. Not sure about adjusting torque from the display; I guess I wouldn't want to rely upon it.
@@SteveSallyandSmokey Thanks for the info .like your camper van/truck . Think power increase accessed by holding down couple of buttons at the same time ,to enter hidden power adaptaion . Seen in on a u tube somewhere .Wife wants the orange one which leaves me with grey blue or pink .
Thanks. It is a Go-Pro 10. The wide-angle can help the look. The image stabilization on the Go-Pro seems really good (I have it mounted to the handlebars, so there is a lot of vibration it has to cope with). But also, I decided to film at 60 frames per second in 1080p rather than 30 fps at 4K, and I think the former looks better because it is so much smoother, even though the resolution is lower.
Looks impressive. Can you say how many k you covered on the trip which left you with 1/2 charge.? Also, how much (ish!) do you weigh .? Thanks for the video..
Another thing to bear in mind - if I ride 30 km on the flat I would hardly ever turn on the electric assist. But in this 30 km I climbed 800m, so for the battery to easily power the bike over that altitude gain was impressive
It depends upon the terrain. One thing to bear in mind is approved / legal ebikes are only allowed to give assistance up to 15 mph - faster than that and you are on your own. I find that works for me - I found I was doing between 15 mph and 20 mph (with no assistance) in London on the flat. I just went down into the valley to drop off a part for my mountain bike, so took this ebike. Was doing 30mph down hill (stuck behind traffic), 15 mph on the flat (taking it easy) and 10 mph back up the hill. This is in High Wycombe, so fairly steep hills
I got up to just under 40mph. The roads are really smooth, which helps, but in any case, I was amazed how smooth and controllable a folding bike was at such speeds
Yes, that cable lock would be like butter - was just there to lock the bike while I was sat nearby. I have a gold-rated U-lock, but I have often found them a struggle to get around things. So I have bought a gold-rated folding lock. Not cheap at around £90, but seems pretty solid, and importantly will go around awkward shaped things (I locked the bike to a telephone pole the other day). I did a video on that too, trying to figure out how to fit it
Thank you, thank you, thank you for demonstrating riding DOWN long, steep hills!!!!! No one shows that in TH-cam videos!! At least, I haven’t come across it, until today!! I have watched many videos on e-bikes, trying to find the best fold-up for my purposes. (Thank you, also, for demonstrating riding in the rain!) I finally bought a Lectric X-Premium, for the power, range, & cargo capacity. I live in Pensacola, Florida, with long, steep hills. I couldn’t care less how slow I end up riding uphill. At least I’m alive. It’s the terrifying shaking sideways of the folding stem and front of the bike, going DOWN long, steep hills that also tries to draft with the speeding vehicles next to me, that could kill me!!! Ducking my head down below a hanging tree branch made it worse! I ride the brakes all the way down the hills! I rather coast down hill and save my brakes, but I value my life and my bike, more than the brakes! I have been riding steel and/or aluminum mountain or hybrid bikes, as a car, since 2003, on rough and smooth terrain, in all kinds of Florida weather! I love cycling and want to continue as long as possible. I’m 63 and wanted an e-bike to assist with the hills, heavy cargo, exhaustion, and/or injuries. I still want to cycle under my own power, but have the assistance, if, and when needed. I have never been terrified of my bike before! Riding was always a thrill! I rarely ride, because I don’t trust it, and we get crazy rain here, which you can’t ride this e-bike in! I just wanted an e-bike that I could do everything I did with my Raleigh Mojave, but with power and fold-up capabilities. Thank you, again, so very much for your AWESOME review!!! Also, for the cobblestone ride! Sometimes, I had railroad tracks, with broken up pavement, sand, and debris to maneuver. That’s why I don’t ride skinny wheeled bikes, and I always have Kevlar tires!! No flat tires for 6 years!!! Those Schwabe tires are great!!
I'm glad my review was useful. I bought a pair of really cheap folding bikes (non-electric) years ago and I found exactly the same problem as you did with the stem. And I think the geometry didn't help. But I found this Estarli had a really solid hinge on the stem and the geometry seems good too, so I was amazed how stable it was at 40mph. Of course, those French mountain roads have a beautiful surface, which helps. I was lucky enough to find a local dealer and do a test ride, which really helped give me confidence I was buying something solid. If you are looking at changing the Lectric then hopefully you can find something that can handle the hills a bit better.
Comprehensive review from a genuine user which is always useful, thanks for taking the time to do it.
Thanks for the review. I’ve been thinking about getting this bike and I think you might have persuaded me. All the best.
The effort into this video is brilliant
Super review, thanks, you sorted out the difference between the 20.7 and 20.8 and i think the 7 will do us fine. Yesterday we test rode the Brompton but having looked extensively at the Estarli and the fact it is made in the UK and half the price with better kit and tyres we are 99% sold already
I didn't test ride the Brompton. I love them as a design icon, but when I found that I could reasonably easily take the Estarli on the train, the benefits of half price, bigger tyres for rougher surfaces, the ability to change power levels while riding and the lack of problem riding on rough surfaces that have been known to cause problems with the battery connections on Bromptons - all convinced me to go for the Estarli. 1 year and 2300 miles in, I am not regretting it
I've been watching a lot of reviews of e-bikes over the last couple of weeks and your review of this bike was one of the best I've seen. So in depth and you covered everything anyone would need to know. Thank you! I'm considering either this bike or an Eovolt Afternoon bike. Tough choices!
Glad it was helpful. I ought to do a video with my impressions after a year and 2000 miles. But in short, I am still really impressed with the bike. One thing that I feel is important is to ensure you have a bike that can be ridden without power - that means gears and probably a chain rather than belt drive. I pretty much don't use power when in London and only turn it on when I get to the hills outside - effectively using it to just flatten the hills. I use the gears for everything else. This means I get multiple days riding before bothering to recharge the battery at half full. Oh, the other thing I like about Estarli is that they are based here in the UK. Yes, they import many parts, but they have a little factory here and helpful support staff (I've been there and met them :-) ). But good luck with whatever you choose.
@@SteveSallyandSmokey I do like the thought of prolonging the battery as much as possible. The Eovolt bike does have 7 gears as well I think, the Pro version has the drive belt which I'd previously thought was a cool feature but you've made me think it wouldn't be if it makes it harder to cycle as a regular bike! Did you buy yours online or did you find a shop that sold it?
Great little bike I have the 16.7 estarli and did 23.5 miles today, on a full charge with 2 bars left, mostly on mode 1 or 2 and I'm about 8.5 stone. Love this bike ! Very good review of your 20.7 estarli
This is a great and really informative video, thank you. Really enjoyed your editing style too! 👌🏻
Excellent review, covered all the bases. Has put me in a bit of a quandary now. Just watched a lot of glowing reviews of the ADO Air 20 but the Estarli is giving me food for thought!
I've done 700 miles on the Estarli now and very happy with it. Pros and cons: Belt drive on the ADO means no cleaning or oiling chains + quiet. However, I understand chain drive is more efficient AND it gives you gears (the Estarli has 7 or 8 depending upon model). What that means for me is that in places like London that are virtually flat, I don't use any electric assistance, conserving battery power; I use the gears instead. Plus highest power level + lowest gear means I can climb hills you wouldn't think feasible on a bike like this. And on the topic of assist, doesn't the ADO have only 3 levels? The Estarli has 5, and I am often changing them when on hills to give just the level of assistance I need.
In addition to the other points, I think the ADO is the one my colleague has. In the -7c temperatures, I saw no difference in charge or range on the Estarli, but his bike indicated it had lost charge before he even started his ride, and on a shorter ride than mine that resulted in no visible change in battery capacity in my bike, his dropped to showing empty. Maybe that is a one-off fault, or maybe because without gears he is using power for the whole ride. But it made me wonder about the applicability of the 100km range laboratory testing claim from ADO. I also like the backup that with gears, the bike is completely rideable on all but steep hills, so if I lose power it is not a show-stopper for me (I'll just have to get up and push up the 1:7 hill on the way home :-) )
Thanks for a superb overview, Steve. It's really in-depth and well-paced.
Great review. I've been looking at E-Folders and I think the Esrarli might be the one. Thankyou
I'm due to have to move into new accommodation in the next few months and I fear my heavy Cube E may give me problems. This Estrali may be my saviour instead.. Great review.
I think this is about 17 kg. Note that the weight is mainly over the rear wheel. I find it often easier to carry up and down stairs unfolded, carrying the frame just above the crank. When you fold it, it is actually a bit more of a handful as it is less balanced and wider
@@SteveSallyandSmokey Thanks for your reply Steve. I have moved now and it is a smaller albeit ground floor apartment but on a busy road so my quest continues. My LBS has 2 Estarlis in so I can at least do a test ride in the coming days/weeks.
Great review and video Steve!!!!
excellent review. thanks
I like the newer one the cables are fed through the tube
Yes, the latest model looks neater now they have routed the cables through the tubes. Although I don't mind these being on the outside and maintainable. I did see someone had a problem with one of the tube-routed cables on a newer bike chafing, which could be a problem if your bike gets folded a lot for transport like mine
Brilliant review, I have one question though! I didn’t understand if the battery can be taken out easily to carry for charging at home? (my garage has no power)
Ah, sorry, I didn't think to cover that. You unscrew a coiled cable from the bottom of the seat post, then undo the clamp that holds the seat post / seat at the desired height, and you can then slide the entire seat, post and cable up out of the frame and take it away to charge elsewhere. We have done this when we've hired a rental property for a week, where like you, we had to charge in the house.
brilliant real world test , hope to be buying a pair shortly for our motorhome and trips out ect . Tempted by the 20.8 but its quite a chunk more ,though it gives 10nm more power ,but i think the 20.7 can be tweaked up 10 nm by adjusting the hidden menu in the display . How long does it take to charge on the 12v car charger . P,s you can get a estali bottle battery which fits on the top rail to double the range ,an extra £300.
Thanks. I don't have the 12v charger, just the mains one, which takes a few hours. Not timed it though. I've been impressed with the battery capacity - lasts several rides. But then I am fairly fit and only use just enough assistance on hills - I adjust the assistance level all the time (unless on the flat, when I don't use it at all). The extra torque would be nice, but whether you need it depends upon how steep the hills are and how fit and heavy you are. I'm pretty fit, but to balance that, I am cycling up the hills in High Wycombe. If I were less fit then I would definitely need more torque for Wycombe, but would be fine if cycling places like London, Oxford, etc. with lesser hills. Worth taking a test ride if you can. Not sure about adjusting torque from the display; I guess I wouldn't want to rely upon it.
@@SteveSallyandSmokey Thanks for the info .like your camper van/truck . Think power increase accessed by holding down couple of buttons at the same time ,to enter hidden power adaptaion . Seen in on a u tube somewhere .Wife wants the orange one which leaves me with grey blue or pink .
The quality of this video is great, what are you filming on?
Thanks. It is a Go-Pro 10. The wide-angle can help the look. The image stabilization on the Go-Pro seems really good (I have it mounted to the handlebars, so there is a lot of vibration it has to cope with). But also, I decided to film at 60 frames per second in 1080p rather than 30 fps at 4K, and I think the former looks better because it is so much smoother, even though the resolution is lower.
Looks impressive. Can you say how many k you covered on the trip which left you with 1/2 charge.? Also, how much (ish!) do you weigh .? Thanks for the video..
It was only 30km, although 15km of that was up hill requiring battery assistance. I weigh 79 kg.
Another thing to bear in mind - if I ride 30 km on the flat I would hardly ever turn on the electric assist. But in this 30 km I climbed 800m, so for the battery to easily power the bike over that altitude gain was impressive
I was not temped to get one of these but now I am. How fast csn you do 10 mile
It depends upon the terrain. One thing to bear in mind is approved / legal ebikes are only allowed to give assistance up to 15 mph - faster than that and you are on your own. I find that works for me - I found I was doing between 15 mph and 20 mph (with no assistance) in London on the flat. I just went down into the valley to drop off a part for my mountain bike, so took this ebike. Was doing 30mph down hill (stuck behind traffic), 15 mph on the flat (taking it easy) and 10 mph back up the hill. This is in High Wycombe, so fairly steep hills
Did u opt for the scwable marathon plus tires? Also what sensor is it please
They are the Schwalbe Big Apple puncture resistant tyres. I'm very pleased with them
Re the sensor - I'm not sure what type it is, but the power delivery seems pretty smooth - whatever it is seems to work pretty well
Can you wheel it along when folded?
I have tried this, but found it wobbled awkwardly. I now tend wheel it unfolded and only fold it at the last minute
That but where your going down hill is so fast!
I got up to just under 40mph. The roads are really smooth, which helps, but in any case, I was amazed how smooth and controllable a folding bike was at such speeds
I'd get a much higher quality of lock that one you have will be cut through in seconds
Yes, that cable lock would be like butter - was just there to lock the bike while I was sat nearby. I have a gold-rated U-lock, but I have often found them a struggle to get around things. So I have bought a gold-rated folding lock. Not cheap at around £90, but seems pretty solid, and importantly will go around awkward shaped things (I locked the bike to a telephone pole the other day). I did a video on that too, trying to figure out how to fit it
@SteveSallyandSmokey I like the d1000 or litelock x1 or x3 but very very expensive. Better than a nicked bike