After some research into foldable e-bikes, I ordered the Samebike in the first week of January. It was delivered to me within one week, which is great. The bike ticked a lot of boxes from my list of initial requirements:
- It's foldable so I can transport it in the cargo space of my camper
- It promotes a powered 40 kilometer action radius
- It can carry 150 kg of weight
- It is suited for larger persons
So, after using it for the last couple of weeks, riding it for some 120 kilometers, do I like it? I do.
As stated by other reviewers, this bike feels very solid. The downside to this is that it weighs a lot, some 28 kg. So don't expect to carry this around a lot while folded, it's heavy and the bike is hard to handle in folded condition. I searched for a carrying bag but could not find one because the bike in folded state is still quite large. For my purposes, transportation in my camper and storing it in the hall of my home, it serves it's purpose.
Less solid are the brakes on the bike. It took some tuning to set them up so that they are responsive. I also treated the bike to some silicone spray due to small spots of rust appearing after a couple of wet rides. Other reviewers also noted the clanking of the battery on the frame while driving; I fixed it with some padding on the battery.
As to the powered driving range of the bike, the driving range of 40 km is nowhere near to what I achieved on 1 battery charge. I weigh 100 kg and I am 1,86 m tall, so that will probably influence the range that is reached. Driving with the drive assist at 3 or 4 (out of max 5) I reach some 30 km on a single charge. The fact that the display of the battery capacity is all over the place while riding the bike (driving up a hill seems to instantly deplete the battery's capacity) does not help in the assessment of the true range of the bike. I might buy an extra battery to remedy the issue for longer rides. Positive point is that the bike can easily be used without the electric assist due to the nice 7 speed Shimano system.
As to the display and the menu of information that is served; I have 't found any documentation on how to read the display (some things are self-explanatory others are not) or how to set up the configuration of the bike. Searching online I got some answers but I would expect this from the producer of the bike.
But I do like it. 🙂 Riding this bike is a lot of fun. I hope it will give me a lot of fun kilometers in the future.