The original Eovolt Afternoon impressed our reviewer when tested back in 2022. This latest version has been revised for 2024 with subtle upgrades, lower weight and an all-new Vintage flavour. I’ve been testing this latest model with regular shopping trips and the occasional leisure ride to see how it fares against the competition. 

In a marketplace awash with cheap Chinese folding e-bikes, Eovolt is a French company proud of its heritage. Sitting halfway between the budget offerings and the more expensive options (from the likes of Brompton), the Eovolt Afternoon Vintage costs £2,199.

For your money, you’re getting a bike hand-assembled in Lyon with quality components. The motor is their own design, and the wheels are built in-house.

Eovolt Afternoon Vintage , by Tony Tompkins

The bike was delivered fully assembled, and once all the packaging was removed, you’re greeted with a bike that can only be described as striking in appearance. The satin blue paintwork contrasts well with the highly polished alloy finishing kit, pannier rack and mudguards. Completing the look is a brown Selle Royal saddle with some nice leather grips. It’s all very pleasing to the eye.

Setting up the Eovolt for your first ride is easy. The handlebar height is adjustable via a quick-release mechanism, and the saddle can be set low or high enough to accommodate riders of varying heights. I’m 6ft tall and had the seatpost at its maximum height; my 11-year-old daughter is just over 5ft and could also comfortably ride the bike.

A small spanner is provided to set the tension on the seatpost clamp. I recommend doing this before your first ride, as the clamp wasn't initially tight enough to support my (substantial) weight. 

The ride

Once the battery was fully charged, I wasted no time and headed out for a quick spin around town. The first thing I noticed was how smooth and quiet the bike is. The motor responds well to pedalling input via the torque sensor. There are five assist levels to choose from, each incrementally increasing the bike’s power. The assistance is subtle in the lower levels and provides a useful boost on moderate slopes. When things get steeper, the highest setting gives a surprising amount of power and is only let down by the limited gear range.

The Eovolt is a little heavy, at just over 20kg, but you don’t notice this out on the road. Pedalling without the assist isn’t too much hassle, and the transition to unassisted pedalling (above the 25km/h motor assistance limit) is seamless and barely noticeable. 

The ride quality is very good. This shows you don’t need fancy suspension or ridiculously big tyres on a folding bike. The Eovolt takes poor road surfaces in its stride.

The Schwalbe Pick-Up tyres are a good size at 2.35 inches wide - they roll well, offer good grip in wet or dry conditions and provide just the right amount of cushioning. Folding bikes with 20-inch wheels can sometimes feel a little nervous and twitchy - I didn’t get any of that with the Eovolt. It’s a ride that inspires confidence, and you’ll quickly forget you’re on a folding bike. 

I was equally impressed with the comfort. The riding position can be dialled in to suit your size. I prefer a sportier riding position, so I had the handlebar set at its lowest. Raise it a little, and you can be bolt upright for relaxed cruising. The Selle Royal Essenza saddle is also very comfortable. My only niggle here is the seatpost tends to slip over time. Despite tightening the clamp, I’ve had to periodically re-set the seat height, which is a little frustrating. 

Over the three-week testing period, I’ve spent most of my time on the road, dodging potholes and sunken drain covers. I have also ridden on rough country lanes without issue. The weather has been a mixed bag, with cool, blustery days and the occasional heavy shower. However, the Eovolt has always felt safe and planted regardless of the road conditions.

Specification

The aluminium frameset is well-finished, with smoothed welds and nice paintwork. It is available in satin blue or black. The only visible welds are in the bottom bracket area, which looks good. It’s also nice to see the addition of bottle holder bosses — something that’s sadly missing from many folding e-bikes. The cables are externally routed but neatly tucked away on the frame's underside. 

Eovolt designed the 250W motor exclusively in-house, and I’ve been very impressed by its performance. For starters, it’s nice and quiet — in the lower assistance levels, it’s barely audible. The power delivery is refined but provides a good boost to your pedalling when needed. I’d go as far as to say it’s one of the best small hub motors I’ve experienced on a folding e-bike. 

The power is delivered via a bottom bracket torque sensor, which works well. The Afternoon responds well to pedalling input. Even in full-power mode, the electric assist is subtle if you’re pedalling gently on the flat. But once you come to an incline and pedal harder, the motor responds in kind. It would be nice if all torque sensors behaved this way, but they don’t and often feel like glorified cadence sensors. 

The battery is housed within the seatpost, and the range is impressive for its size. 360Wh is relatively low by today's standards, but due to the motor's efficiency and that torque sensor, achieving 40 miles isn’t unrealistic. This falls within the claimed range of 37 to 50 miles.

A security lock on the seatpost/battery clamp prevents it from being stolen, and a coiled cable connects the controller to the battery's underside.

Power is controlled via a discreet display and a keypad located next to the left grip. It provides all the necessary functionality and doesn't clutter the handlebar. 

A Shimano Tourney 7-speed derailleur and trigger shifter provides gearing with a 14-28 freewheel. Although the gears have shifted consistently well over the testing period, the Eovolt would have benefited from a better gear range. It feels like you need another gear once the assistance cuts out, especially if you’re riding downhill. Meanwhile, the 28t low gear doesn’t cut it on steep hills, making the going a little tough. However, for typical urban riding with flatter terrain and gentle hills, it’ll be more than adequate. 

The brakes are excellent - although Shimano's MT200 are entry-level hydraulic brakes, they're very effective. Not only do they provide good modulation, but they're suitably powerful and very smooth in operation. 

The wheels use polished alloy Mach 1 rims and are hand-built in Eovolt’s Lyon assembly plant. The front hub spins smoothly, and all the spokes are well-tensioned out of the box. Despite some kerb hopping and brief stints on gravel, the wheels remained true. As mentioned above, the Schwalbe Pick-Up tyres were excellent — grippy, reasonably fast-rolling, and puncture-resistant throughout testing. 

The handlebars are a nice width, and although the grips look nice, I didn’t find them particularly comfortable on longer rides — something like Ergon GP1s would have been a nice touch at this price point. 

Accessories include a Knog Oi Classic bell, metal mudguards, a quality pannier rack, a kickstand and a front light. The rear light doesn’t run off the bike battery, which is disappointing considering most cheaper e-bikes have this feature. Everything is finished in polished alloy, which looks great. My only niggle is the mudguards can make a creaking noise when going over bumps - I’ve checked and tightened the mounting screws to no avail. 

Folding and transportation

The Eovolt uses a typical three-fold process, similar to other folding e-bikes, and all the locking catches are well-manufactured. The stem folds inwards, the frame folds in the middle, and the seatpost can be dropped right down. The alloy Wellgo pedals are also foldable, which completes the process. Magnetic clasps on both wheels hold everything in place. 

It’s a somewhat bulky and weighty package. If you’re just taking it on or off a train, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but I wouldn’t want to take it up several flights of stairs regularly. 

Competition

At £2,199, the Eovolt Afternoon Vintage is sandwiched between dozens of cheaper brands and a few high-end brands like Brompton and Tern. 

The Estrali E20.7 Original Pro costs considerably less at £1,350 and looks similar to the Eovolt, even down to the battery seatpost. It doesn’t have hydraulic brakes or a torque sensor, but benefits from being a couple of kilos lighter (at the expense of battery capacity, which is 259Wh).  

Brompton’s Electric P Line is at the other end of the pricing scale at £3,775. It’s much lighter and folds up smaller, but it will only appeal to riders with deep pockets. As you’d expect, the build quality is excellent, but a front hub motor does have its drawbacks, and with a 312Wh battery, the range will be somewhat limited. 

Finally, we have the MiRiDER GB3 for £2,495. This bike really impressed Richard when he tested it. It features the Efneo GTRO 3-speed gearing system in the chainring, which enables the use of a belt drive, and means any ongoing maintenance is minimal. The MiRiDER has a 252Wh battery, but is a touch lighter at 19.1kg and with a lively motor.

Conclusion

I like the Eovolt Afternoon Vintage. It’s a nice-looking all-rounder with a great little motor, decent battery range and good comfort and handling. The general build quality and frame finish is excellent, but minor niggles, like the seatpost slippage, limited gear range and separate rear light should be addressed to make it a folding e-bike worthy of its price tag. 

eovolt.co.uk