Power on a folding bike?

Desertprep

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As an alternative to really long distance bike riding I was thinking of buying a folding bike with 20" wheels, an aluminum frame (chromoly fork) and putting an electric motor on the front wheel. Can someone suggest a limit for the power I can put up there? or even on the bike as a whole?

If I have a folding bike I can ride to the train station, fold the bike up and take it on the train...when I get to my ultimate destination I can wheel the bike out, unfold it and be on my way :)
 
I test rode the Dahon folder with a hub motor. I was very impressed with the power and speed. Fun to ride too. If you can make it light enough to carry on the train (and they allow you), it would be a great solution.
 
IMHO and as a Dahon fan I believe any model with hub moter and SLA will prove heavy to be lifting on and off a bus and trying to stow it will be difficult. However if you're strong and the bus isn't crowded it could work.

My Dahon's took about three minutes to unpack, unfold and put the pedals on with no interruptions, longer to repack if the pedals required a pair of channel locks to remove which was most of the time.
That was each and we carried two on the boat. Now we use e-scooters. Lighter and no pedaling. Wouldn't work on a bus though.

If range permits a regular ebike may be better than riding the bus and you can get the range with the right batteries.

Mike
 
Thanks for the input. My initial requirements are to be able to ride about 100 miles on a charge, which I quickly discovered would require purchasing a quite expensive set of lithium xxx batteries. I did some thinking and realized that if I can ride public transportation I can get away with 40-50 miles. Yes, SLA's are heavy - it would have to be a set of Lithium something or others. A recumbent would be a nice compromise - would be able to go the 100 miles with less money in batteries.

I have test driven a folding non-electric bike and it felt strange to me to ride, probably because I have been riding a 90 pound electric bike for the past couple of months. The weight of my electric bike feels good although it is a bit awkward at times and, in other aspects is not a bike that I want to keep long term. The main issue I have with it is the SLA battery pack - the chemistry and the location - and the weight distribution. The front end is too heavy, and, unless I am carrying a rider, the bike feels unstable. The addition of another 150 pounds on the rear, while slowing the bike down, make the bike ride more smoothly.
 
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