£1,332.90 Small on price, big on power
Weight 34kg (one size) Frameset Alloy, 42mm travel rear shock Fork Suspension, 61mm travel Gears Shimano Acera 8-speed rear hub (42, 14-28) Wheels Engwe 20-inch mag alloy Brakes Hydraulic disc E-bike system: Engwe 750W rear hub motor and 768Wh battery Finishing kit Lights, rack, alloy post, unbranded saddle, kickstand, Wi Ergo leather grips
ENGWE’S ENGINE PRO EBIKE certainly looks very different from your average folding ebike. It’s quite frankly gigantic, with 20-inch wheels wrapped in 4-inch-wide studded off-road tyres that look like they belong on a motorbike. The Engwe certainly has a monster truck appeal to it. It’s one seriously heavy bike too: at 34kg with all the accessories in place, the idea of this being a portable folding bike is somewhat fanciful, though I appreciate being able to reduce the bike’s footprint from its 114cm wheelbase (174cm end to end) to half that for storage.
The Engwe’s engine has impressive figures. The rear hub motor is rated to 750W and the frame houses a 768Wh battery. Engwe claims the bike is good for 120km which, like most ebike claims, is somewhat generous. But the Engwe’s engine does impress, as does the way it’s controlled. The full-colour HD screen is bright and easy to read, and the five-button bar-mounted remote gives easy access to the system’s functions. With three power modes (Eco, Normal and Sport) then five levels in each of those, the bike has plenty of options for power assistance.
In Eco, the bike is a sedate ride, the steering is quick, and the upright riding position makes it a comfortable place to be. Push up through the modes and into Sport and the higher levels, and the motor really shows its true mettle. The Engwe has simply ridiculous amounts of pure grunt, to the point where the pedal assistance can hardly keep pace with the motor input, so occasionally it can feel as if the bike is running away from you. A dab of the brakes disengages the motor, but it’s a bike you do need to get accustomed to.
It also has a throttle-assist trigger that comes in handy when pulling away from the lights or helping you get up an incline on what is one serious weighty machine. If you hold the throttle in the open position, the bike has a built-in cruise control, which maintains the power irrespective of pedal input (though still requires it). It’s not quite a full-on throttle operation; it’s a bit of a grey area.
Perhaps the motor system’s neatest trick is that you can drop it down to level 0 in Eco mode and use your pedal power
