Ryd Bike Aero 16 review - The lightest folding electric bike on the market?

Our expert reviewer Eilis reviewed Ryd Bike's folding electric bike and it was one of the lightest folding e-bikes she has ever tried! This could be an excellent choice of e-bike to commute with. 

 

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Good For:

• Commuters

• Those who want a last-mile solution

Pros: 

• Super lightweight 

• Compact

• Removable battery

• Quick and easy to fold

• Rear rack for extra cargo

Cons: 

• Magnet doesn’t always keep the wheels together when folded

• Saddle height range might not suit everyone

• Ghost pedalling sensation at higher speeds 

Expert Verdict: 

There are a lot of folding ebikes currently on the market but what makes Ryd Bike Aero 16 stand out? It is actually super lightweight! Some folding bikes can be heavy and cumbersome but this one weighs in at only 14kg which means that it is really easy to carry and commute with. The carbon belt drive means also that it is clean and low maintenance and the bike has a very sleek design overall. 

It must be said however that when cycling at high speeds a ghost pedalling sensation can start meaning that you can feel quite disconnected from the bike and not as in control.

Find out more by watching our full video review Here.

 

 

Specs

 

Buy direct from Ryd Bike

Components And Build Quality

The Ryd Bike Aero 16 is a beautiful looking bike with a sleek design and great lighting features and a rear rack for carrying up to 25kg worth of extra cargo. You also get a tie-down strap so that you can attach cargo to your rack straight away without having to buy any extras. 

The Ryd have made a bike that is very low maintenance. It has no welded joints which means that it isn't prone to welding degradation and so should last much longer. It also used a carbon belt drive which is cleaner and more durable than regular metal bike chains. These components mean that you don't have to worry about putting your chain back on or knowing anything about bike maintenance to own one of these for a long time. 

The cable to plug a removable battery into an ebike is often located on the very bottom of the frame which can be hard to find and can get quite mucky. Ryd however have put theirs a little bit higher up, just a simple design choice that really elevates the rider-experience and leans into that low maintenance design. 

It must be said that the compact nature of the bike does slightly interfere with the riding experience of taller riders. The frame and setup is small which means that our 5”10 rider could not get their desired seat position, making them more reliant on the motor because they could not output the power they could usually output through their legs. 

The bike comes in at around £1,500 which may seem like a lot but for a fully carbon fibre folding ebike, is a competitively priced ride.

Performance and Handling 

It picks up speed really quickly and rides nicely and smoothly on flats and performed really well during our hill test! On Level 5 Assist the bike maintained around 14/15km/h all the way up the hill. 

We did find that when you get up to about 20km/h on Level 5 Assist you do start to get a bit of a ghost pedal, meaning that your legs are spinning with minimal resistance and it can make you feel disconnected from the bike. The feeling of disconnect might not bother some riders who don't want to break a sweat or have a leisurely route but for those on busy urban roads it might reduce your feeling of being in control and subsequently your confidence to be able to react quickly. 

The handling of this bike is great. We took it on our commute in London and it was really nimble as we were able to easily carry it upstairs and quickly fold it down on the platform in three simple moves. It then also fit neatly under the luggage rack and didn't get in the way of other commuters. 

Despite this bike being super lightweight and easy to carry the Ryd Bike does also have a walk assist mode. If you press the down arrow on the display while the bike is folded the motor kicks in, walking the bike for you. While this could be a helpful feature we did find that the motor was a bit too powerful and so went at a speed a little bit too fast to be a comfortable walking pace. 

Overall this bike is simple and handy for commuters, prioritising that light weight, low maintenance ease rather than riding experience but that is not necessarily a bad thing for a folding ebike for commuters. 

Safety And Security

The Ryd Bike’s seatpost battery not only looks super sleek but it also means that it is not going to attract lots of unwanted attention. The battery is also removable so you can recharge the battery and make the bike less attractive to thieves. You can also lock the battery in the bike and unlock it with a key, making sure that your bike and battery are super secure. 

We found the Ryd Bike easy to fold and really compact, meaning that it is great to take on the train, and easy to slide under your desk or a pub table so that it is not in your way when you are not using it. This also makes it super easy to store if you live in a flat or just don’t have a lot of storage space.

 

 

Buy direct from Ryd Bike