I’ve just been adding a few accessories to my new bike. I fitted a frame-mounted bottle holder, an extra bar across the handlebars to house my camera mounts, a phone holder, and my 15-litre rack bag, complete with an additional rear light.
I was planning on doing my weekly grocery shop this morning, but instead, I decided to take the bike out for its first proper run. I headed over to Aldi in Otford to pick up a few essentials and, at the same time, give the bike a nice 16-mile out-and-back run.
So, how did it do?
Excellent!
I have to admit, from the moment I set off on this 16-inch-wheeled bike, I felt comfortable and completely in control. I put a lot of that down to the bike being much better suited to my height and giving me a more comfortable seating position compared with my 20-inch electric bike.
I also really liked the way the three speed settings performed. The top speed in each setting, and the smoothness with which the bike reached those speeds, felt much better suited to me compared with the rather more racy way my Ado 20+ performs.
And the step-through frame? An absolute dream for me. I could simply hop on and off with ease, without having to worry about awkwardly swinging my leg over the bike.
There are also a couple of other features that really stood out for me on this first ride, and one of those is the position of the key.
On my Ado 20+, the battery is housed in the main crossbar, with the key position underneath it. That means I have to bend down to see and operate it. On the iSinwheel U4, the key is positioned just below the rear of the seat, which is much more convenient for me. There’s less bending involved, and I can actually see what position the key is in — whether it’s locked, off, on, and so on.
The ease with which the battery can be removed is another big plus for me. It literally takes seconds to remove. That meant that when I arrived at Aldi, I could simply whip the battery out, secure the bike to the bike rack, and take the battery into the shop with me in my fire-resistant LiPo battery bag.
Apart from being convenient, I think removing the battery also makes an e-bike a less attractive proposition to a potential thief. Obviously, it’s no guarantee against theft, but if the battery is removed, the bike becomes considerably less useful — and that has to be a good thing.
There was one minor issue. I’ll need to adjust the front brake caliper slightly, as there’s a little rubbing from the brake pads. But that’s a fairly common issue with self-assembly bikes and nothing particularly concerning.
All in all, it was a lovely, comfortable and, most importantly, safe 16-mile ride.
I’m really impressed with the bike so far, and I’ll be going into much more detail about how it performed, along with the setup, features and everything else, when I record my full review video.
