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When you think of a folding bike, you probably picture a dainty, somewhat nerdy looking contraption.
The Engwe X24 is a folding bike. But it’s not that type of folding bike. This is a true beast of an electric bike that just happens to fold.
And there are pros and cons to that. So in this Engwe X24 review I’ll discuss my experience of riding this electric bike, including the things I loved and the things I didn’t.
Watch the Engwe X24 Short Video Review
Engwe X24 Review
- Range
- Terrain
- Style
- Value
- Quality
Summary
The Engwe X24 is a robust folding electric bike with notable pros and cons. Despite its folding capability, it’s exceptionally heavy at 49.32kg (108lb) making it challenging to carry. However, its features are impressive: dual removable batteries, triple suspension, and a powerful 1200W motor, providing an extended ride range of up to 40 miles under full assistance. Excellent value for money
Pros
- Fantastic dual battery
- Flies up hills and through even the softest and bumpiest of terrain
- Folds in half and can fit in large car boots
- Great value for money
Cons
- Very heavy
- Fiddly to remove the batteries
- No mudguards
A Heavy Folding Electric Bike
Before I dig into this Engwe X24 review, let me address the elephant in the room: this is a exceptionally heavy folding bike. I’m really not exaggerating. The dual battery version of the X24 weighs 49.32kg (108lb) with the batteries in place. That’s the equivalent weight of 408 bananas or a very overweight Golden Retriever.
Fat e-bikes are typically heavy (normally 35-40kg). But this is the heaviest I’ve reviewed yet.
A heavy fat bike isn’t a problem per se. Unless you have to carry around – which is something that you’d expect to do with a folding bike.
So this isn’t a “folding bike” you’ll want to carry around as you can get on and public transport.
But there are two use cases for the folding aspect:
- if you have limited storage at home, this bike will fold in half
- the X24 can be folded in half and put in a large car boot and drive somewhere new to start a two-wheeled adventure.
While I can say I was able to fold the bike, lift it up and put it in my car boot. It wasn’t easy.
Only my exceptional strength, flawless technique and modesty made this task possible. It is very heavy and awkward to carry.
Despite this, the Engwe X24 still makes a lot of sense. Let me explain why…
What/Who is the Engwe X24 For?
It’s not just the folding capability that makes the Engwe X24 interesting. This e-bike also has two removable batteries, triple suspension and tonnes of power with a massive 1200W motor.
Note: There is also a single battery version available, but I’d recommend splashing out a big more cash for the dual option and the extended range it brings.
Electric bikes brands typically claim double the real-world range. Not because they’re lying, but because they calculate their range based on using the lowest assistance settings on flat, smooth terrain (probably with a backwind for good measure).
Engwe claim this bike can go 93 miles on a single charge, and my experience (riding around with full assistance on all kinds of terrain) found this bike can easily go 40 miles. If you lower the assistance level, you could certainly get more.
For me, this big range is especially useful as my commute is currently longer than usual at 12 miles each way – meaning I can easily ride to and from the office (even with the light on at night) without worrying about the battery giving up on me.
A True Adventure E-Bike
But more than anything, this bike is a lot of fun.
It might be deemed a bit silly even. And it definitely gets more than its fair share of attention. But it’s fun without doubt.
You can ride through any terrain (sand, mud and snow are no problem) and it flies up hills with minimal effort.
Throttles are very much needed on fat e-bikes and thankfully this has one as standard.
This bike whizzes around town, goes on the beach, flies through the forest and batters any hill. Then you can even throw it in a car boot if you want to take it elsewhere.
There’s even a back seat for a guest (although I’m pretty sure that’s illegal to use on the streets).
The Engwe X24 Isn’t Perfect, Though
Although I have thoroughly enjoyed riding and using the X24 on a daily basis. It’s not perfect.
I’ve already the weight issue considering it’s a folding bike. Although, this isn’t really possible for Engwe to rectify considering it is a dual battery fat bike. It’s a miracle it can fold at all real. If you want a lightweight folding bike that’s easy to carry, this isn’t for you!
I would have also like to have seen mudguards included on this bike as you quickly get messy riding in wet weather or off-road. The rear seat does prevent a fair bit of splashback, but it’ll be difficult to add fenders to this bike if you still want to fold it up.
The last issue I’ve encountered with this bike is that it is quite a pain to remove the batteries. Both batteries are removable, but you need to fold the bike to access the battery in the frame (it is secure with a key so people can’t just open your bike and steal it), while the bigger battery in the seatpost requires another key to lift the seatpost up and it is a awkward and slow to remove. That said, both batteries can be charged while still in the bike – so if you can bring your bike indoors, I’ve found this to be the easiest option.
Engwe X24 Electric Bike Review
Overall though, I’m surprised by how much I like this folding fat e-bike. It’s a crazy bike, but, man, it’s fun.
It’s powerful. It’s adventurous. It’s got a great battery life and it’s bizarrely versatile.
Engwe Electric Bikes
I’ve become well-acquianted with Engwe over the past year or so. It’s a relatively new e-bike brand, but one that is innovating at an impressive rate and producing increasingly eye-catching electric bikes.
I started out by testing the Engwe EP-2, which was a decent fat folding bike, before I was really blown away by what I still maintain is the best value electric bike for commuters, the Engwe P26.
But in recent months, their range has gone to a whole new level and I’ve been testing out the eye-catching motorcycle-esque Engwe M20 and city cruising L20.
The Engwe X24 is another impressive addition to their affordable line-up and at under $2,000/£2,000 it’s again an example of why Engwe are quickly becoming the best value e-bike brand in the world.
The Engwe X24 typically comes in black (pictured) and grey, but there’s also a stunning blue colour called Ymir, although it’s limited to 100 units only.
