The Xiaomi's electric bike presented a month ago and since then we've rolled it a few times to give it a first-hand review. We were a little sceptical about the test, but ultimately we were happy with the Xiaomi Mi Smart Electric Folding Bike electric bicycle. To test the xiaomishop.hu webshop, for which we thank them.
The Xiaomi's bike very similar to the camping bicycle that was so popular in the long past. Designed specifically for urban use, it has a long range and a long charge. According to the factory it has a range of 45 km, but we managed to get 60 km out of it! The total distance we drove it was 85 km, which we did with the factory charge and one top-up.
Unlike an electric scooter, a bicycle is not electrically powered, it just helps you pedal. So you don't just sit on it and pull the pedal. Perfect synergy between the foot pedal and the electric assist. The torque sensor monitors the pedal force and understands your intentions while cycling. When it feels the need, it turns on the motor to give you the right assist, making it easier to tackle climbs and more enjoyable to roll without breaking a sweat.
It's assisted, so it doesn't roll for you, it just helps you. So it feels like you can feel that it's helping you, but at the same time you're having the experience of rolling, so it's working a bit unnoticed. Then you can feel that it is helping you a lot, if you turn it off on a climb, you can feel "oh, would it be so difficult to climb the hill without help?".
With the accelerator you can keep it at about 24-25 km/h, it helps up to that point, then it shuts off, so that was the top speed for me, but I could keep it up all the way, whether it was a flat road or a hill. Both during and at the end of the distance, you can pretty much feel that you've arrived at your destination and you're not tired or sweaty. Sometimes I would get going or start to accelerate out of momentum, but the acceleration wouldn't "kick in" until after a while, say 5-10 seconds. Fortunately this only happened a few times during the trip, not a common phenomenon, I don't know why it did this, maybe it was the "smart ramping that adapts to the user". In any case it was strange why it did it.
In 1st gear, it can be quite agitating to drive. If the ground is sandy, it feels like the wheels are scraping a bit, so it's got that acceleration feeling and it'll go up to 25 km/h in gear.
The gears are also well spaced and the gear change was quick and immediate, which was pleasing.
The wheel size is smaller (16″) compared to an adult bike, making it more sensitive to the unevenness of the road, but it is so well proportioned, it folds up well. The saddle is definitely comfortable, not in the cheap category, a big red mark. It feels like a bike to ride, not in the squeaky-crawly category.
The brakes are not bad either, they slow you down well, but they're not in the head-turning category. When folding, the pedal can be folded in half, so it won't smash my shin when carrying, which is handy. I think this bike is very well designed, takes up little space, is (relatively) easy to carry. It folds up into a small space, so it can be stored, so in a small apartment I don't have to think about how I'm going to put the bike away without it getting in the way. It has a good range for commuting to work in the city, or even going out for a pedal on the weekend.
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Electric Folding Bike available from a xiaomishop.hu online store, at the time of writing for 399.990 HUF. The price may seem a bit steep, but for a bike with this kind of performance, other brands are asking the same price, and even...
