A Fantastic, Well-Rounded Experience – Review Geek

The Fiido X Ebike improves on the D3 Pro Mini in nearly every way. This bike truly folds, rides higher, and provides a good workout. If the seat were more comfortable, it’d be perfect.

I recently had the chance to test out another one of Fiido’s ebikes—the D3 Pro Mini—and for the most part, enjoyed my experience with it. So I jumped at the chance to test out a larger, more powerful e-bike from Fiido: the X Folding ebike. And oh boy, it did not disappoint.

It’s $1,100 more than the D3 Pro Mini, so I expected there’d be more to love about the X, but I honestly didn’t expect I’d like it this much. I was wary of past news reports on the X’s frame snapping in half, but I knew that the company had dealt with the issue, and a newer, stronger version of the frame is what’s currently being sold—and that’s the version I tested.

During my time with Fiido’s X ebike, the only thing I didn’t like was the seat’s comfortability, or rather, lack thereof. But that’s so minuscule compared to everything else I loved about the bike, and you can throw a comfy cushion cover on there and forget all about it. Without further ado, let’s get into the bike’s best features!

Specs

Initial Setup Process

Much like my experience with the D3 Pro Mini, there wasn’t much of a setup process with Fiido’s X ebike. The bike is delivered mostly pre-built, with the handlebar folded down. The only pieces that came separate and needed to be attached were the two pedals, the bike seat, and the fenders.

The pedals simply twisted into place and then needed a one-turn tightening with the included wrench. Then, the bike seat—which houses the battery—slid into place within seconds and secured with one of the bike’s many built-in clamps.

Putting on the fenders was the hardest part of the X’s “setup,” only because there weren’t any instructions, so I had to guess and intuitively place the different-sized screws and figure out which direction everything was supposed to face. They were finicky to attach in the first place, and then I had to adjust them when I found out they were hitting the bike’s tires. Knowing that they’re not entirely necessary, I kind of wish I had just left them off.

To get the bike ready for first-time use, I adjusted the seat to my liking and familiarized myself with the controls. There’s a power button on the battery beneath the seat, and it’ll only turn on when the seat clamp is completely closed.

Once the power button is green, you can flip up the keypad’s protective casing, press the on/off button for three seconds, enter your six-digit password, and press the on/off button again to turn on the e-bike’s power. As soon as you correctly enter the password, the screen affixed to the handlebar lights up and the bike is ready to go.

Design & Adjustability

Another feature of the X that I love is the coded lock. You can’t start the bike and use the electric features unless you enter the correct password first. I don’t know how easy it’d be for someone to override the system, but it’s at least some type of built-in protection. I’d still invest in a physical bike lock, though, because someone could still pedal away manually or just pick it up and throw it in a vehicle like a lot of motorcycle thieves do.

I also smiled like crazy when I discovered that the X ebike is equipped with a mechanical bell rather than an electric horn. Because the D3 Pro Mini I reviewed had an electric horn—and because I’m the type of person to dive right into a product after unboxing it—I was searching all over for some type of horn button and couldn’t find it.

So I looked at the parts list, saw where it said the bell was located and was trying to push it like a button for slightly longer than I care to admit. When I finally worked it out and heard that mechanical bell ring, it sent such a nice, nostalgic feeling through my bones. It’s at the perfect spot on the handlebar too, where you can just reach your left thumb over and push it down.

There’s not a lot you can adjust here, but luckily there’s not much need. The handlebar height can’t be changed, but you can roll the handlebar forward and back to your preferred position. Then, you can adjust the seat height. Because the battery is in the seat post, it sticks out the bottom if you have the seat set too low, so I’d definitely recommend setting it where you want and walking the e-bike over a curb or something similar to see if you need to raise the seat a bit.

I’ll get into the folding and unfolding process later, but I do want to note here that I love how well it folds down. When it’s folded, it can easily fit in the trunk of a car—even the small trunk of my hybrid car, where the battery is already taking up some space. At 43 pounds, getting it into my trunk wasn’t the easiest process, especially since there’s not a very comfortable way to hold or lift it.

Battery Life & Charging

Fiido’s X e-bike is equipped with a 417.6Wh battery that’s tested to last for a little over 80 miles (or 130 kilometers) per charge. While I certainly didn’t ride anywhere close to 80 miles, I’d say this is a fairly accurate estimate from the company. After riding around for roughly five miles, the battery indicator still hadn’t dropped any ticks.

Even if you lived five miles from work, for a total daily commute of 10 miles, you’d have more than enough battery life to last you a full work week—and then some. To fully charge the bike, it takes about seven hours, so you could easily plug it in right before you go to bed and it’d be fully charged by the time you wake up the next day.

The Riding Experience

With the D3 Pro Mini I tested from Fiido, the bike felt good to ride, but it was so small and low to the ground. I’ve only ever had larger bikes with a form factor closer to that of the X from Fiido, so as soon as I got on this one, I thought, “This feels right.” It’s not that the D3 Pro Mini felt uncomfortable in any way to ride, but I much prefer the larger frame of the X because I’m higher off the ground.

Aside from the form factor, the X is closer to a traditional bike than the D3 Pro Mini because of its speed gears and ability to pedal without any assistance from the motor. There are three power-assisted gear modes, which require the bike to be turned on so it can use the motor, and seven speed gears. Comparatively, the D3 Pro Mini had three power-assisted gear modes as well, a throttle on the right handlebar section, and no separate speed gears.

Fiido says that the first power-assisted gear mode is suitable for relatively flat roads, and the second and third modes are for larger inclines. The max speed for any of these modes is 15 miles per hour, and you can keep track of your speed on the display affixed to the handlebar. When I use power-assist, it feels natural and well-integrated, almost like you’re going downhill rather than being propelled by a motor.

If you’ve ever been on a traditional bike with different speed gears, it works just the same on Fiido’s X ebike. The speed gears change how much resistance you’re met with to push the pedals, which translates to how fast your feet are pedaling. Riding around on flat roads, I typically stayed around speed gear four, five, or six. Anything lower just felt like I was pedaling quickly and not going anywhere, and speed gear seven was great for a good workout, but not for a casual ride.

Because of this mixture of power-assisted gear modes and speed gears, I feel like you can get a good workout with the X, whereas you really can’t with the D3 Pro Mini because the motor does too much for you. The X ebike actually works your legs and requires effort from you to gain assistance from the motor, and you have the option to turn off power-assist altogether if you want. With the D3 Pro Mini, you could potentially have an entire ride where you never have to pedal at all and just use the throttle to get around instead.

While you’re riding, you can check the display on the left side of your handlebar to see your speed, the remaining battery life, whether your lights are turned on, and which power-assisted gear mode you’re in, if any. Then, you’ll also see how far you’ve traveled on your current ride, or you can switch the screen to show your total historical mileage.

There was only one unfortunate aspect of my riding experience with the X ebike: the seat. This seat is so uncomfortable after only a short period of time, which is really disappointing since everything else about this ebike is awesome. I even had my husband ride it around as well to get his opinion, and he shared my sentiments. Luckily, there are some inexpensive seat cushion covers you can find on Amazon.

Folding & Unfolding the Bike

When I tested out the D3 Pro Mini, I was excited to try out my first folding bike. Although it had a compact form factor, there wasn’t much folding action going on. The pedals folded in and the handlebar folded down, but that was it. I was a little disappointed, but the bike itself still performed well.

The reason I mention all this is because the Fiido X is what I’d consider to be a true folding ebike. I was ecstatic to get my hands on it, despite our news article earlier this year on reports of the Fiido X snapping in half. Since then, the company located the source of the issue, and all X ebikes are now equipped with a newly tested frame that reaches twice the strength set by the EN15194 standard.

This e-bike folds down pretty dang compactly within only a few minutes. Once you have the folding process down, I’d say you could even get it folded in under a minute, and unfolded in less time. To completely fold the bike, all you have to do is lower the seat, fold the handlebar stem down, and then fold the frame in half until the magnets on the wheels attach. Before moving or folding anything—the seat, handlebar stem, and frame—there’s a tight clamp or latch in place that you need to undo.

Once the e-bike is folded, maneuvering it is a bit awkward, but if all you need to do is move it on and off a train or put it away in your home, the awkwardness is short-lived. You can use the seat cushion to push the folded bike around or use the bottom of the battery to let the bike stand on its own. Or, if you’re able to lay the bike down on its side—like in your trunk or on your garage floor—there’s a built-in metal stand near the wheel frame, so you don’t have to worry about scratching the bike’s frame.

Verdict: Honestly, This Ebike Is Great For Everyone