It is easy to make a folding electric bike like the one P20 Engineering It looks great on paper.
First, you price it at around $1,000 and promise that it can be folded in 10 seconds. Then you replace the traditional, oily chain, derailleur, cassette and shifter with a belt-driven motor and torque sensor that should intuitively increase pedal-assisted power without the need for shifting or maintenance. Finally, you add hydraulic disc brakes to bring everything to a controlled stop, and you wrap it all up in a nice package that can be carried on a train or in the trunk of a car.
On paper, the Engwe P20, which costs 1,099 euros (about $1,190), ticks all the boxes for an e-bike that's recently released in Europe. But after riding it for the past month at my home in Amsterdam, it's become clear to me that you still get what you pay for.
The P20's price and feature set make its flaws mostly forgivable, but they are flaws nonetheless.
My first issue with the P20 is the torque sensor setting. There is a noticeable delay in the pedal assist provided by the P20’s “Talengo JKaero” belt drive when leaving the start line. Trying to start on a hill is even worse, requiring a few seconds of fairly significant effort from the rider. And since it’s a single-speed bike, there’s no shifting to alleviate fatigue.
Perhaps this setting is intentional, as the unbranded 250W rear hub motor is only capable of generating 42Nm of torque. It wouldn’t be the first e-bike to shift the load onto the rider’s quads rather than the motor (and battery) in favor of getting a bit more range per charge. The P20 isn’t the bike to get if you need to climb rough terrain regularly, but it handles moderate inclines just fine.
My second problem became apparent after I got the P20 up to speed. At about 23 km/h (14 mph), my legs started spinning so fast that the seat became uncomfortable. That upper limit is fine if you're fine riding at a leisurely pace, but it's annoying if you need to get somewhere at the P20's top speed of 25 km/h (15.5 mph), according to European limits.
And like almost all mail-order e-bikes, you can unlock the motor for even more speed if you know the trick (which is what I did for this review). Not surprisingly, I found it impossible to pedal at American speeds of 20 mph (32 km/h). Fortunately, the model I tested came with a throttle lever even though it can’t be used in much of Europe. It was disabled in the software, but can also be unlocked with a bit of Konami code magic. Annoyingly, even the P20’s throttle suffers from a delay.
I pedal at 23 km/h, press the accelerator to stop the blades from moving and… the motor turns off, and starts up again after a second or two, once the accelerator is finally activated. In the end, the bike reaches 32 km/h (and more, if you dare).
These performance quirks would be inexcusable for a $3,000+ e-bike I often review, but the Engwe P20 costs just a third of that. And there’s a lot to like about it.
There are many things I like here
The P20's hydraulic disc brakes bring the 20 x 1.95-inch tires to a quick and controlled stop. Just be aware that the brakes are unmarked, which could cause trouble finding replacement brake pads when the time comes.
The P20’s geometry is also larger than its size, so the steering doesn’t feel overly twitchy like some smaller folding bikes. It’s heavy for a folding bike with 20-inch tires, coming in at 18.5kg (41lbs), or 22kg (55lbs) when you attach that removable (and lockable) 346Wh (36V/9.6A) battery. But that extra weight helps make the ride feel a little more secure at the expense of portability.
Range is decent, although intensive use of the throttle reduces it considerably. When I used only the motor for pedal assistance, I managed about 52 km (32 miles) on a full battery when riding in power levels two or three (out of three). Not bad. The battery takes more than five hours to charge.
Engwe says the P20 folds in 10 seconds, which is certainly ambitious (my best time was about double that, but you might get better results with lots of practice). Both the handlebars and seat can be lowered using quick-release latches, and even the pedals fold down with some effort. The bike then folds in half along what feels like a reassuringly strong latch found halfway along the center tube.
A magnet helps hold the front and rear wheels together when folded, allowing you to push or pull the heavy bike by balancing it on one wheel while holding the seat with two hands. It takes some practice and strength to get it right. A small built-in metal stand allows the bike to rest on the ground upright without tipping over too easily.
1/twenty-one
The P20 also comes with plenty of extras included in the price, including integrated mudguards, a rear rack, a kickstand, and front and rear lights (with a useful brake light), which are all necessary for most city users. It also has a turn signal function with dedicated buttons on the handlebars. Using these is fiddly as they don't make noise, don't automatically turn off, and aren't very visible during the day. In my opinion, you're better off using hand signals.
There's no app, the screen is small but fine, and the entire bike can withstand rain and water jets while riding. You'd think an IP6 rating would be standard for all electric bikes intended for outdoor riding, but it's not guaranteed in this price range.
What frustrates me about the P20 is that it could be a great e-bike, but instead it feels like it was developed by a marketing team using off-the-shelf parts culled from a catalogue, with no one taking the time to optimise the riding experience. But that’s what you get at the budget end of the e-bike spectrum.
At €1,099 / £1,099, the Engwe P20 is a decent option for anyone who needs a relatively inexpensive electric bike as part of a multi-modal commute or is looking for a folding bike that rides more like a traditional bike.
Photograph by Thomas Ricker / The Verge
