Fiido Air Carbon Fiber Electric Bike Review: A Light, Quiet Ebike

Despite a few outliers like the $7,850 Brompton T-Line E-Motiq, most electric bikes are big and cumbersome. While 40, or even 50 pounds is not considered heavy, if you’ve ever had to carry one up a flight of stairs, or manhandle it onto a bike rack, you’ll beg to differ.

Electric bikes are hugely practical if you have a garage or easy access to storage, but in urban areas, where space is limited and bike theft is common, basic pedal power or bikeshare schemes remain the sensible way to go. But Chinese direct-to-consumer brand Fiido has a better idea in the form of the Air, a single-speed, pedal-assist electric bike built around a carbon fiber frame and components that weighs just 30.3 pounds.

The Fiido Air uses a belt-drive system instead of a chain, comes with pneumatic disc brakes, 250-watt rear axel motor, 208.8 Wh (watt-hours), and a quoted maximum range of 37.49 miles. It also boasts a fingerprint scanner, integrated lights, app, and smartwatch. And despite it looking like something a twelve year old might ask Sora to design, I’ve absolutely loved riding it. There’s plenty I’d change though, and it won’t suit everyone, but for urban commuting on a reasonable budget, I’ve not ridden better.

There’s something amusingly futuristic about the Fiido Air. The curved contours of the carbon fiber frame and internally routed cabling give it a sleek appearance. Some people have chuckled at it, one boy pointed and said, ‘Woah, look at that cool bike Daddy!’ I’m somewhere in between. But I do love the fact that it looks more like a traditional commuter bike—albeit a souped-up, space-age one—than your average clunky electric bike.

As well as the frame, the front fork, handlebars, stem, and aero style seatpost are all carbon. It’s an impressive amount of carbon fiber for the cost, and shows how hard it is to keep the weight of electric bikes down. Being single speed, and ditching the display, also reduces weight.

It is available in medium, large and XL, catering to everyone from 5’5” to 6’9”. The large fit my 5’9” frame well.

Carbon components aside, the Fiido Air features a 250-watt rear motor with 35 Nm (Newton meters) peak torque, paired with a Mivice torque sensor that adjusts assistance based on rider input. The integrated battery is 208.8 Wh, charged via a 36 volt charger, and the brand has calculated a range of up to 37.5 miles in Normal mode, dropping to 32.3 miles in Sport mode. Top speed for assisted pedaling is just 15.5 mph, which might not suit everyone, but it’s more than acceptable for short urban commutes.

The headline stats are a little und