Our reviewer next to the Forme Buxton Pro E folding electric bike

Forme Buxton Pro E review: "The most comfortable ebike in and out of town"

Feb 01, 2023Eilis Barrett

Overall rating:  

The Forme Buxton Pro E is a folding electric bike built for anyone, anywhere and with any level of ebike experience. It’s an excellent solution for those looking to revolutionise their commute, keen to experience electric bikes for the first time, or just those who want a great ebike to enjoy on the weekends.

Even better, the Buxton Pro E is exceptionally good value-for-money, offering the same if not better comfort than electric folding bikes double the £1399 price.

Good for:

  • Daily city commuting
  • Trail riding and weekend adventures (thick tread tyres act as a suspension)
  • Portability - fits in a car boot or can be tucked away on the train
  • Small form also makes it useful for caravanners, campers, sailing etc
  • Carrying luggage/bags on rear pannier rack

Pros:

  • Thick profile Kendra tyres are squishy and lead to an incredibly comfortable ride
  • Pannier rack and mud guards as standard
  • Simple folding mechanism
  • 5 speed assist modes and 8 gears make it great for hills
  • Adjustable saddle and handlebar height - comfort for all sizes
  • High spec components such as Bafang motor and King Meter display
  • Features in our best electric bikes list

Cons:

  • At 20kg it’s slightly heavier than rivals such as the Estarli e20
  • Only available in one colour

Expert verdict:

Components + build quality
Safety + security
Performance + handling
Comfort + practicality
Overall star ratings


The Forme Buxton Pro E is an excellent folding ebike that can definitely be considered a competitor against the more well-known brands like MiRider and GoCycle – but for half the price.

I firmly believe that experienced and novice riders alike will get the same enjoyment and employability of the ebike. Emphasised by its versatility, this bike will help you rewrite your daily commute to the office, or help you escape to the countryside at the weekend – the Buxton Pro E can do it all.

Forme Buxton Pro E after folding

And that’s something that even the more well-known names just don’t offer. Often their bikes are built for one purpose, which they excel at, but this really is the ebike for everyone, everywhere.

It’s exceptionally comfortable, however many times I mention this in this review will simply not do this bike justice. Every ebike takes a couple of minutes on the first ride to get a feel for, but I found the Buxton Pro E verging on cosy when I first took to the saddle.

If you’ve got around £1,500 to spend on an ebike, look no further.

Specs:

Size One Size (20" wheels)
Brakes Power Hydraulic Disc
Stem 120mm Height Adjustable
Saddle Forme Comfort
Weight 20.5kg
Folded dimensions 470mm (W), 620mm (H), 890mm (L)
Rider height 5′2″ - 6′1″ (158 - 185cm)
Battery Veken 500WH
Motor Bafang H400B Rear Hub Motor
Range 45 miles
Mudguards 20" Black
Rack 20" Black
Kick Stand Alloy Black
Lights Integrated Front & Rear
Display King Meter E5227 LCD
Folding pedals Yes

 

In detail:

Performance

The Forme Buxton Pro E has all the exciting and useful capabilities of an ebike, and in this case five power modes (ranging from ECO to SPEED) will have you confidently tackling longer rides, steeper climbs, or simply making every ride that little bit easier.

I really enjoyed switching between modes whilst out on the bike, it really enabled me to happily whoosh around with very little effort – and allowed me to very easily keep up with traffic or not loose speed when faced with an incline.

Factor in that the Pro E also has eight gears to use, I could very easily flick down a couple of gears before stopping at a traffic light to help me get away from a stop, and move up the gear set when whistling along flatter terrain.

Forme Buxton Pro E motor and rear hub

The Bafang H400B Rear Hub Motor is extremely confidence inspiring, and its obvious power delivery makes for a really smooth ride once you’re up to speed. I did find that, in comparison to other ebikes like the Estarli E20, that you have to put in more pedal rotation from a standstill for the pedal assist to kick in – so if you’ve forgotten to switch down gears when coming to a stop then the Pro E does need a little more convincing to get going again.

Comfort and Handling

I could make this section of the review long or short. The short version, this is easily the most comfortable folding ebike I have ridden.

In more detail, I shouldn’t be surprised the Forme Buxton Pro E is a cut above the rest in terms of comfort considering the number of features built with ensuring a smile-inducing ride.

The bike has adjustable saddle and handlebar height, which I found allowed me to instantly set up the bike for my personal preferences. That sort of customization means the Pro E will work for riders of almost any height.

Forme Buxton Pro E adjustable handlebars

Instantly finding a comfortable position, I found, offered immediately more confidence as I started cycling. I prefer a more upright position and the Pro E caters to that, allowing much greater visibility and also more presence. You really feel aware of your surroundings, and crucially that your surroundings are aware of you.

Another big player in just how comfortable I found the Pro E, are the Kendra K1054A 20" tyres – these ‘hybrid’ tyres soak up imperfections in the road, and also provide plenty of grip off-road. I’ve ridden plenty of ebikes in recent months, and really took notice of the difference these tyres made.

That chunkier feel offered so much more stability, something that I believe is a big issue for new riders or those converting to a folding ebike with smaller wheels. If you were coming from a full-sized bike to this, I don’t think you’d notice much difference.

Forme Buxton Pro E tyre tread close up

Brakes

The Forme Buxton Pro E has unremarkable brakes, and I say that in the best possible way. There’s no fuss, no difficult action on uncomfortably designed levers on the handlebars. You brake, the hydraulic disc brakes stop you very quickly – what more do you want?

On busy roads I found this particularly useful when trying to deal with stop-start traffic that I was unable to move past. Additionally when on trails or off-road terrain, I had no trouble managing my speed on descents or coming to a stop quickly.

As a safety feature, and as a performance measure, the hydraulic brakes were as good as it gets.

Extras

One of my favourite features on the Forme Buxton Pro E was the large King Meter LCD screen located in the middle of the handlebars. It’s adjustable, so that you don’t get any annoying glare off the screen, and I really enjoyed its readability. Displays on other ebikes can be quite small or tucked away on the handlebars, but I very much approve of Forme’s choice to put it front and centre.

I’m a bit of a stat-tracking addict, I love following things like my average speed, total mileage, and so on, and this allows you to keep up to date with everything at a glance.

Forme Buxton Pro E LCD screen

The Forme Buxton Pro E also comes with mudguards and lights as standard, which I think deserves note. There’s no alternate version where you have to pay more for things that, ultimately, we all end up needing to add to our bikes.

The addition of a sturdy and easy-to-use paneer rack is definitely worth highlighting for riders who don’t want to wear a rucksack or might be carrying a picnic basket with them on holiday. I think it’s well-sized, and also completes the look of this bike.

Folding the Pro E was straightforward – two hinges on the handlebar stem and centre frame allow you to collapse the bike into a well-packaged unit, perfect for storing at home or in the office, for putting in the boot of a car or for taking away on holiday.

Forme Buxton Pro E folding mechanism

I did, however, find it a little more difficult to fold than bikes like the Estarli E20, although I would put it on a par with the MiRider GB3. The central hinge I found quite stiff, and with the extra bulk of the centre frame due to the battery housing, it was quite weighty to get the action right and fold the bike in half.

Like with every folding ebike, I’m very sure that this would become second nature after repeated folding attempts.

Not sure if this was an intentional design feature, but the mid-frame gap acts as a perfect handle to hold the frame if carrying the bike up any stairs.

Reviewer holding Forme Buxton Pro E frame

Purely cosmetic, but I would like different colour options; a nice black deep green would look really good on this frame – but that’s not to say the standard grey isn’t a very handsome colour.

Mentioned sparingly but again worth highlighting at the end of this review is just how good this package is for the price. The Forme Buxton Pro E offers the same quality, functionality and crucially fun that electric bikes multiples of the £1399 price tag offer. Did I mention it’s comfortable?