Smaug
Well-known member
Sailnovo Electric Bike Review (rev 2022-06-23)
Edit 9/29/2022: This bike is not safe unless both hands are on the grips at all times. The steering geometry is such that it immediately gets unstable if a hand is removed from the grip. Teenagers cannot seem to handle the idea of needing both hands at once, rather than having a hand free to mess with their devices.
OVERVIEW:
This is a mini eBike. It has one speed and is geared for about 10 mph pedaling quickly or 7-8 taking it nice & easy on flat ground. It weighs about 50 lbs., so although it is small, it isn't very light for its size. It's a good bike for low speed cruising on urban and suburban bike paths where the distances are a bit much for walking. It's good for an urban commute, too, especially one where bike paths are available.
PORTABILITY:
I bought this to have something that would fit in the trunk of my sedan, a 2022 Subaru WRX. As a reference, it barely fits and has to be put in an an angle, being careful not to catch & rip the weather stripping. Anything bigger would be no sweat. The seats don't need to be folded down. There's some room left on top of the bike and between its crevices for other stuff, but not too much. It would be an easy matter to get this into a hatchback or anything else with a tall opening.
HOW IT FEELS TO RIDE:
This feels nothing like a full size bike. It has small 14" wheels and a long stem on the handlebar, so it is twitchy. One-handed riding is not going to be on the menu for long unless you're a real daredevil. To an experienced cyclist, it's OK, as we have steady hands. Others will learn it, but it hurts to watch them as they're all over the place. More on this later.
With its small wheels, the ride could be quite rough. One reason I chose this model is because it has rear suspension, so every bump doesn't go right through the rump and up the spine. It's nice and works well.
Even though the wheels are small, the motor doesn't feel too torquey. They advertise a 500 W motor, but on the hub, it says 450 W. I suspect that is a peak value too, as it has nowhere NEAR the torque of my heybike Ranger, which has a 500 W motor too and larger 20" wheels and 4" wide tires. (granted the Ranger is running 48 V instead of 36 V)
PAS: (The Pedal Assist System) is not that well-implemented, but not dangerous, either. There is no selection for it; it only has one setting. When I start pedaling, nothing happens for the first several seconds. Then very slowly, it feeds more assistance. I didn't even notice at first; thought it was broken. As it feeds in more and more power the pedaling gets easier. I get up to 10 mph and my legs are moving like mad. Ghost pedaling doesn't work. The result of all this is that if you want to pedal to extend the range, the motor is constantly going on and off. Because of that, I think the best use of the pedals is to get it going up to about 8 mph; kind of a launch assist, then twist the throttle to maintain the speed I want. If you're OK going 9 mph or less, just turn off the power switch and pedal; it's easy enough because it's geared low.
THROTTLE MODES: There are three throttle modes selectable. Level 1 gets us to about 8 mph. Level 2 = 13 mph. Level 3 = 18.5 mph. (I'm a 185 lb. rider)
SEAT:
The seat is OK. It's comfortable for periods of less than half an hour; after that, my prostate area really gets sore. The cutout in the middle of the seat seems to be decorative; it is not well-placed and not deep enough to be effective on a guy. My fiancé rode this bike for about a half hour, and she said it was comfortable. Maybe it's designed for women?
The seat height gives full leg extension for my 10 year old daughter, who is about 4'6. I'm 5'8 with a 30" inseam, and I cannot get full leg extension. However, that doesn't really matter, because it's geared low enough that it's not needed unless you're trying to pedal uphill.
LIGHTS:
For making the rider visible at dawn, dusk and nighttime, they are great. The running lights can be switched on with the switch near the left grip. When braking, the rear light blinks brightly. This is a nice safety feature. The headlight is not quite adequate for pitch dark riding at 18 mph. It's not a focused enough beam. It's OK at 13 mph and under, though. I really like how the lights are integrated into the frame. A lot of eBikes advertise integrated lights, but when you look at them, they're mounted on brackets and not even the WIRES go into the frame. That's "lights included", not "integrated lights".
FRAME:
This is advertised as a "folding bike", which is a bit deceptive. Only the handle bar folds down. The seat telescopes down, but that doesn't make it a folding bike, either. Phrasing issues aside, it does fold small enough to get into a typical sedan's trunk, even a compact sport sedan like my Subaru WRX.
The *design* of the frame is quite elegant, I think, though that is subjective. What do you think?
REAR SHOCK:
It is quite effective. It's more than a barrel bushing. It might just be a spring in there, but whatever it is, it works. With the small wheel and lack of front suspension, we can feel every bump in the hands, but the riding posture of this bike doesn't have much weight on the hands, so it's not too objectionable. They made the right call here. Having front suspension would add another 5-10 lbs to an already heavy compact bike, as well as adding cost.
VALUE:
Speaking of cost, I paid $480 for this bike on Amazon in June 2022. The white one cost more. I consider it a good value, if if holds up well.
SAFETY:
I was surprised to see the UL Mark on a sticker on the bike frame. I think it's counterfeit though, because there is no Control Number or File Number associated with it. (I'm a former UL engineer) The power supply for charging it is also marked with UL, but it appears to be legit. The power supply gets quite warm while charging the bike's battery, but not "hot". They just chose the right size charger and are squeezing the most power out of it. The connector is a simple barrel connector with one contact in the center and the other concentric around it. It makes a good connection and doesn't get warm while charging. My other eBike, the heybike Ranger, which cost about 3X as much, has a fancier looking three-pin connector, but sometimes gets warm, which means a lot of power is being lost making heat there, due to a high impedance connection. The charging jack is supplied with a rubber cover. (if the fender breaks, the rear wheel would roost water in that connection, which would likely short out the system if it was salt water)
SUMMARY:
+ Compact enough to fit in a sedan trunk when folded
+ Well-built
+ Plenty fast for its wheel size
+ Elegant design
+ Functional rear shock
+ Good brakes
- A bit heavy, for its size, at 50 lbs.
- PAS is not well-implemented; it's only useful to assist the motor to get going.
- Advertised 500 W hub motor. It does not feel like it puts out 500 W worth. Hub says 450 W, which might be a peak rating. ...or maybe it's only 500 W when fed 52 V? (which it's not here)
- It's only worth pedaling to get started or for low speed, power-less cruising. Consider it more of a large-wheeled, comfortable eScooter with a pedal back-up.
- It's unstable due to not having stable enough steering geometry
BOTTOM LINE:
It's unstable enough that riding without both hands on the grips is pretty likely to cause a crash, especially with attention-challenged or mal-coordinated teenagers. I don't recommend it. Save up a bit more and get a Lectric XP Lite.
See also updates and crash experiences below.
Edit 9/29/2022: This bike is not safe unless both hands are on the grips at all times. The steering geometry is such that it immediately gets unstable if a hand is removed from the grip. Teenagers cannot seem to handle the idea of needing both hands at once, rather than having a hand free to mess with their devices.
OVERVIEW:
This is a mini eBike. It has one speed and is geared for about 10 mph pedaling quickly or 7-8 taking it nice & easy on flat ground. It weighs about 50 lbs., so although it is small, it isn't very light for its size. It's a good bike for low speed cruising on urban and suburban bike paths where the distances are a bit much for walking. It's good for an urban commute, too, especially one where bike paths are available.
PORTABILITY:
I bought this to have something that would fit in the trunk of my sedan, a 2022 Subaru WRX. As a reference, it barely fits and has to be put in an an angle, being careful not to catch & rip the weather stripping. Anything bigger would be no sweat. The seats don't need to be folded down. There's some room left on top of the bike and between its crevices for other stuff, but not too much. It would be an easy matter to get this into a hatchback or anything else with a tall opening.
HOW IT FEELS TO RIDE:
This feels nothing like a full size bike. It has small 14" wheels and a long stem on the handlebar, so it is twitchy. One-handed riding is not going to be on the menu for long unless you're a real daredevil. To an experienced cyclist, it's OK, as we have steady hands. Others will learn it, but it hurts to watch them as they're all over the place. More on this later.
With its small wheels, the ride could be quite rough. One reason I chose this model is because it has rear suspension, so every bump doesn't go right through the rump and up the spine. It's nice and works well.
Even though the wheels are small, the motor doesn't feel too torquey. They advertise a 500 W motor, but on the hub, it says 450 W. I suspect that is a peak value too, as it has nowhere NEAR the torque of my heybike Ranger, which has a 500 W motor too and larger 20" wheels and 4" wide tires. (granted the Ranger is running 48 V instead of 36 V)
PAS: (The Pedal Assist System) is not that well-implemented, but not dangerous, either. There is no selection for it; it only has one setting. When I start pedaling, nothing happens for the first several seconds. Then very slowly, it feeds more assistance. I didn't even notice at first; thought it was broken. As it feeds in more and more power the pedaling gets easier. I get up to 10 mph and my legs are moving like mad. Ghost pedaling doesn't work. The result of all this is that if you want to pedal to extend the range, the motor is constantly going on and off. Because of that, I think the best use of the pedals is to get it going up to about 8 mph; kind of a launch assist, then twist the throttle to maintain the speed I want. If you're OK going 9 mph or less, just turn off the power switch and pedal; it's easy enough because it's geared low.
THROTTLE MODES: There are three throttle modes selectable. Level 1 gets us to about 8 mph. Level 2 = 13 mph. Level 3 = 18.5 mph. (I'm a 185 lb. rider)
SEAT:
The seat is OK. It's comfortable for periods of less than half an hour; after that, my prostate area really gets sore. The cutout in the middle of the seat seems to be decorative; it is not well-placed and not deep enough to be effective on a guy. My fiancé rode this bike for about a half hour, and she said it was comfortable. Maybe it's designed for women?
The seat height gives full leg extension for my 10 year old daughter, who is about 4'6. I'm 5'8 with a 30" inseam, and I cannot get full leg extension. However, that doesn't really matter, because it's geared low enough that it's not needed unless you're trying to pedal uphill.
LIGHTS:
For making the rider visible at dawn, dusk and nighttime, they are great. The running lights can be switched on with the switch near the left grip. When braking, the rear light blinks brightly. This is a nice safety feature. The headlight is not quite adequate for pitch dark riding at 18 mph. It's not a focused enough beam. It's OK at 13 mph and under, though. I really like how the lights are integrated into the frame. A lot of eBikes advertise integrated lights, but when you look at them, they're mounted on brackets and not even the WIRES go into the frame. That's "lights included", not "integrated lights".
FRAME:
This is advertised as a "folding bike", which is a bit deceptive. Only the handle bar folds down. The seat telescopes down, but that doesn't make it a folding bike, either. Phrasing issues aside, it does fold small enough to get into a typical sedan's trunk, even a compact sport sedan like my Subaru WRX.
The *design* of the frame is quite elegant, I think, though that is subjective. What do you think?
REAR SHOCK:
It is quite effective. It's more than a barrel bushing. It might just be a spring in there, but whatever it is, it works. With the small wheel and lack of front suspension, we can feel every bump in the hands, but the riding posture of this bike doesn't have much weight on the hands, so it's not too objectionable. They made the right call here. Having front suspension would add another 5-10 lbs to an already heavy compact bike, as well as adding cost.
VALUE:
Speaking of cost, I paid $480 for this bike on Amazon in June 2022. The white one cost more. I consider it a good value, if if holds up well.
SAFETY:
I was surprised to see the UL Mark on a sticker on the bike frame. I think it's counterfeit though, because there is no Control Number or File Number associated with it. (I'm a former UL engineer) The power supply for charging it is also marked with UL, but it appears to be legit. The power supply gets quite warm while charging the bike's battery, but not "hot". They just chose the right size charger and are squeezing the most power out of it. The connector is a simple barrel connector with one contact in the center and the other concentric around it. It makes a good connection and doesn't get warm while charging. My other eBike, the heybike Ranger, which cost about 3X as much, has a fancier looking three-pin connector, but sometimes gets warm, which means a lot of power is being lost making heat there, due to a high impedance connection. The charging jack is supplied with a rubber cover. (if the fender breaks, the rear wheel would roost water in that connection, which would likely short out the system if it was salt water)
SUMMARY:
+ Compact enough to fit in a sedan trunk when folded
+ Well-built
+ Plenty fast for its wheel size
+ Elegant design
+ Functional rear shock
+ Good brakes
- A bit heavy, for its size, at 50 lbs.
- PAS is not well-implemented; it's only useful to assist the motor to get going.
- Advertised 500 W hub motor. It does not feel like it puts out 500 W worth. Hub says 450 W, which might be a peak rating. ...or maybe it's only 500 W when fed 52 V? (which it's not here)
- It's only worth pedaling to get started or for low speed, power-less cruising. Consider it more of a large-wheeled, comfortable eScooter with a pedal back-up.
- It's unstable due to not having stable enough steering geometry
BOTTOM LINE:
It's unstable enough that riding without both hands on the grips is pretty likely to cause a crash, especially with attention-challenged or mal-coordinated teenagers. I don't recommend it. Save up a bit more and get a Lectric XP Lite.
See also updates and crash experiences below.
