ADO’s new Air Carbon is a 20” wheeled folding e-bike that is impressively light, nippy and built to a very high standard. It’s not been released yet - in fact the Indiegogo campaign's still live - but we’ve managed to get our hands on one for a ‘first ride’ to see if it’s worth investing in one once it is.
We reviewed ADO’s aluminium framed Air 20 around about this time last year and it performed well. Alex pointed out that the quoted range was in no way achievable, but that aside it was a well specced package for decent money.
This Carbon version mimics the Air 20 in terms of frame design and performance figures, although thanks to the carbon fibre frame it is much more svelte. ADO say 12kg all in, but with the battery and pedals fitted I found it to be closer to 13.5kg.
That’s still light though, especially when you consider that the Air 20 weighed around 18kg fully built for the aforementioned review.
The bike
As you can no doubt work out from the pictures, the Air Carbon is a folder and comes with 20” wheels. The carbon fibre frame and fork give a very comfortable ride - something not all small wheeled bikes can achieve over poor road surfaces, but the ADO really absorbs those bumps and vibrations.
The low weight makes it feel nippy as well, especially away from a standing start and it feels incredibly quick getting you up to the regulation 25km/h speed limiter. When the limit is reached you can feel a small amount of drag from the motor, and the bike can feel a bit of a slouch when the power assistance is off.
It’s great to see hydraulic brake calipers though as opposed to cable operated. Not being able to stop isn’t going to be an issue with plenty of power here.
In fact, the whole bike handles well even at speed on downhills, and it’ll easily cut through traffic regardless of how tightly packed it is.
The drivetrain feels efficient, and the frame feels stiff throughout - ideal for those bigger, more powerful riders. The only thing you need to watch out for is the front wheel lifting under bigger efforts which can be a little unnerving. That’s something all folders can be guilty of though, not just the ADO.
The Air Carbon is a one size fits all sort of affair, but I would definitely say that at 1.80m I am right at the upper end of that with the seatpost showing its limit mark. The upright position feels a little restrictive too in terms of reach to the handlebar.
For short trips around town, I’d say the position was fine though, and you’ll feel more comfortable if you are shorter than me.
The motor
From a power assistance point of view, you are getting a 36V/250W Bafang brushless motor which delivers up to 35Nm of torque. As I said above, it’s pokey off the line and delivers smooth power on the flat.
It’s responsive too with no delay when stopping or starting pedalling, like you can get on some lower priced machines. In fact, the only place it struggles is on climbs where that 35Nm is found to be lacking.
You’ll notice the speed start to drift downwards even on steady inclines, but it’s still more efficient than riding a standard folding bike.
The battery is stored within the seatpost which means that the frame can be kept compact. The capacity is 345Wh and it’s good for about 25 to 40 kilometres tops rather than the 100km quoted by ADO, depending on which modes you are using and terrain.
That should be plenty for most people though for popping into town for a bit of shopping, or a short commute. A recharge time of 4-6 hours is decent, and you can remove the seatpost battery from the bike for charging indoors if you need to.
For the controls you get a 2.4” display on the handlebar which is easy to read and gives all of the data you require. For some changes, like switching from Eco to Sport mode, you’ll need to download the ADO app. You can also change things like how many power modes you would like, and whether you want the display to run in km/h or mph.
The fold
Finally, the folding part.
This is something it does well and it follows the simple design of many other folding bikes of this size. The handlebar/stem folds down and the frame folds in half thanks to a hinged design. The seatpost can then be dropped low enough to poke out of the bottom of the frame.
A couple of things I would like to see though are some kind of magnet or bracket to keep the two halves of the bike together when folded, and also I’d like to see foldable pedals like I’ve used on the likes of Estarli’s folders. The folded package measures 838mm x 430mm x 660mm.
I’m a big fan of the belt drive though as it means there are no cogs or sprockets to trap your fingers in when folding the bike and no oil to get on your clothes. Maintenance is also kept to a minimum.
In terms of pricing, the ADO Air is currently available for an ‘early bird’ price of £1,518 and for that you are getting a fair amount of kit and a quality frameset for the money. ADO have that marked as a 40% discount though off the full price which would see it around £2,350 at RRP.
Verdict
Like I said at the beginning of the piece, this is purely a ‘first ride’ and round up of our initial findings. On the whole, I’m a fan. The Air Carbon feels solid and well made, and aside from a few small niggles it rides well too.
Once the Air Carbon has been released we’ll hopefully be back with a full, in depth review along with official UK pricing.
