The hotly anticipated Fiido D11 electric bicycle has just made its worldwide sales debut, and for a killer price.
[Update: The Fiido D11 Indiegogo campaign has ended and the bike is now on sale here.]
Fiido D11 folding e-bike launched
The new Fiido D11 was unveiled a few weeks ago, but has just now launched for sale.
The sleek little 20-inch folding e-bike comes with an introductory price of just $799, including free shipping.
The international debut marks the first time that the major Chinese e-bike brand has launched a worldwide sales campaign.
It also adds to a growing trend of East Asian electric bicycle companies targeting European and American riders as e-bike sales continue to skyrocket.
Fiido D11 offers interesting new design
The Fiido D11 stores the battery inside the seat tube of the bike. This allows riders to remove the battery and saddle when parking the bike outside, thus stripping the bike of the two most commonly stolen parts on an e-bike.
The seat-tube battery can be carried inside to charge separately from the bike.
By placing the battery outside of the frame, the Fiido D11’s designers were able to implement a smaller, lighter design to create a sleek folding frame. Without the battery and seat tube, the bike weighs just 12.9 kg (28.4 lb), though Fiido says that the battery and seat tube add back another 4.6 kg (10.1 lb).
The battery has a capacity of 417Wh, which Fiido says should propel the D11 for 80 to 100 km (50-62 mi) of range with pedal assist, or 40-50 km (25-31 miles) with throttle-only riding. Even when using the throttle, the 25 km/h (15.5 mph) top speed and 250W motor mean the bike won’t guzzle too much energy.
The Fiido D11 features an LCD speed display, front and rear LED lights (with the rear light built into the seat post) and dual wheel mechanical disc brakes. There’s also a 7-speed Shimano transmission and even a built-in torque sensor, meaning smoother pedal assist.
Full production is under way on the Fiido D11, and the company says that shipping should begin in August.
Like many new e-bike launches, Fiido is taking to Indiegogo to launch the D11. We always advise some caution with crowdfunding campaigns, but we also try to point out which ones are more likely to be legit.
Fiido is a large, established e-bike company and we’ve even positively reviewed a previous Fiido model here on Electrek. So the company is certainly reputable and doesn’t carry the same risk as backing an unknown startup on a crowdfunding site.
Electrek’s Take
I’m a fan of the design. It’s novel, interesting, and yet still minimalist.
After our previous article covering the D11’s announcement, some readers raised concerns about locking the bike. While there isn’t a standard triangle to feed a U-lock through, I imagine you could still fit one over the narrow frame tube. You could also wrap a chain lock around the frame just like with a standard bicycle. I’ll be testing both when I get my hands on a D11 prototype in the next few days, and I’ll be sure to report back.
But locking aside, the bike seems to tick a lot of boxes. It’s a lightweight folder for a great price. It’s got 7 gears, a removable battery, lights, disc brakes, pedal assist and a throttle (though I’m guessing the EU models come sans throttle). What more do you need in a city commuter e-bike?
This bike of course won’t stand the test of time like a Riese & Müller, but it’s also 10% of the price of those high end e-bikes, which will be the deciding factor for a lot of people who can’t drop thousands of dollars on an e-bike.
What do you think of the Fiido D11? Let us know your thoughts, and check back soon for our test ride of the D11 once the prototype arrives.
You can also check out the promo video for the bike to see it in action below.
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