It picks up quickly at lights, and acceleration—especially in Sport mode—is reassuringly quick when it’s time to overtake. I’m delighted by how effortless the overall performance is, and how smoothly the torque kicks in. What’s more, moving it, wheeling it through the house, lifting it onto bike racks, and even just doing basic things like locking it up, is just easier in every way. The motor is quiet, too. While not totally silent, it’s not a distraction.
Impressively, too, the Air can also be ridden reasonably easily without electric assist. A 30-pound single speed bike won’t set any track records, but if power does fail you—or more likely, you misjudge the battery level and forget to charge overnight like I did—it won’t be too much of a workout to get home.
But please don’t confuse this commuter-style electric bike with a powerful mid-drive motor electric bike. With a meagre motor and only one gear (and quite a low one at that) it does not love hills. Steady inclines are easy, but there’s one short, sharp-ish hill close to my office that requires me to stand up and pedal hard to get to the top. I wasn’t as gassed as I would be without any motor assistance, but I definitely wasn’t flying effortlessly up hills.
I’ve also become a convert to the brilliance of belt-drive bikes. They need less maintenance, last longer, and prevent greasy black marks on pant legs. Fiido uses a Gates belt drive here, one of the best systems available, and ideal for urban riding.
Competition and Verdict
WIRED’s current favorite commuter ebike, the Aventon Soltera 3 (8/10), weighs 37 pounds and costs around $500 less than the Air. It’s a superb blend of push bike feel and lightweight electric power and with more power on offer, a faster top speed, and cheaper price, it remains the one to beat. But there’s no denying the appeal of the Fiido Air. It’s a beautiful bike to ride, with stylish looks, nimble acceleration, and push bike practicalities. At 30 pounds, it is impressively light, and easy to live with.
Lightweight electric bikes are starting to appear but competition remains slim. Ribble’s new aluminum Allgrit E AL Sportfit Apex weighs 30.4 pounds and has a hugely practical 12 speed SRAM Apex XPLR AXS gearing. It does cost twice as much, though. Carbon options are limited to a couple of folding designs for now, including the $2,420, 35-pound ADO Air Carbon, and $1,599 Urtopia Carbon Fold Step Thru that weighs just 31 pounds.
So the Fiido Air ticks a lot of boxes, and if you’re looking for a cool pedal-assist electric bike for short, flat urban rides, I highly recommend it. But if there are hills in your life, and you want to keep both hands on the handlebars at all times, the Fiido Air might not be the bike for you.
