Folding Electric Bikes

With an Aventon folding electric bike, you won't need to worry about its limitations. Aventon's Sinch range of e-Bikes are the most powerful & versatile on the Australian market, coming with rear motors, front suspension, and one of the most robust folding mechanisms in the world. While not particularly light, they are ideal companions for camping, caravanning, and general adventuring. Order yours today.

Simply put, a folding electric bike is a type of bike that has one or more collapsible parts. Not all folding bikes fold in the same way, however. For example, the Aventon Sinch’s handlebars collapse down to rest parallel to the frame, then the whole thing folds in half which makes it ideal for storing in small spaces. On the Aventon Abound, however, only the handlebars fold down to reduce the overall height of the ride. 

Portability is the main reason people buy a folding bike. Whether you need to store the e-bike under a desk, in your car, or in your house, the folding componentry ensures it takes up the minimum amount of space. For this reason, folding electric bikes, particularly the Aventon Sinch, are popular with caravan and camping enthusiasts as they can easily be transported in the back of cars, or stay in a tent without taking up sleeping space.

With a large number of folding ebikes, what it feels like to ride a folding bike is very different from how it should feel like to ride. 

With most folding bikes, the folding mechanism represents a ‘weak point’ in the frame that can introduce a number of negative features into your ride:

• Frame flex
• Stem wobble
• Creaking & cracking noises
• Instability

This is very common in cheaper, commuter folding e-bikes that are designed to be basic but functional. Sadly, even more expensive folding e-bikes can have these same problems. 

The Aventon Sinch, however, is larger than most folding electric bikes when unfolded, which means that its folding mechanism is a lot more stable. It is held in place by a secure and robust locking mechanism that requires a button to be pressed in order to release. 

On top of that, the Sinch has the winning combination of fat tyres and front suspension to ensure ride comfort. 

The Sinch represents a rarity in the folding electric bike market in that it’s probably the closest thing you can get to that ‘fixed’ bike feeling without actually being a fixed bike. Despite its folding mechanism, the long wheel base improves balance & stability, meaning it doesn’t feel like a significant departure from a normal bike. 

This largely depends on how you intend on using the bike. While weight is a key factor in choosing a folding e-bike for commuting, the Aventon range of folding bikes are a little heavy for this purpose. Outside of this though, here’s what you should look for:

Secure folding mechanism

At best, an insecure folding mechanism can give you significant ride anxiety, particularly if you feel like the bike may collapse at any given moment. At worst, an insecure folding mechanism may actually collapse at any given moment and land you with a serious injury. Making sure the mechanism firmly locks in place, and cannot be accidentally unlocked, is paramount. A firm folding mechanism also improves overall ride quality. Generally, this means the cheapest option is not the best when it comes to folding e-bikes.

Motor Power

If you’re using the e-bike for off-road adventures, you’ll likely end up with a heavy ride. For this reason, you’ll need to make sure the motor is powerful enough to propel the ride’s weight. For example, the Sinch and the Abound both feature a 750W motor, which is great because they weigh 31 & 37 kg respectively. 

Comfortable Riding Position

The smaller nature of folding electric bikes can lead to them feeling more like comically-small monkey-bikes. While this is manageable for small journeys (say from the train to work), this quickly gets very uncomfortable. Ideally, your riding position shouldn’t feel too different from a regular bike. You may be in a more upright riding position that perhaps you’re used to, but this is still preferable to being hunched over. 

Suspension, Fat Tyres & Brakes

If you’re choosing from something such as the Sinch, you’ve probably got adventure on your mind. Whether this is driving out to the wilderness and camping, or hitching it to the back of your trailer, likely you’re going to end up on loose, rough, and unstable terrain. 

For this reason, you’ll need the trifecta of ride comfort and safety. More often than not, folding electric bikes come with 20 inch tyres, which have reduced impact absorption due to their site. Fat tyres help with this, while also providing additional grip & traction, but you’ll want to choose something with suspension. 

It can be hard to find U-brakes for fat tyres, so choose a disc brake of some sort as well to ensure you can come to a stop quickly and securely.