NEW E-BIKES HOT TECH

THOUGH THE C21 is billed as a ‘gravel style’ e-bike, in reality it’s a typical commuter with capabilities to tackle easier off-road paths — and at £1,599 it promises good value. The pedal assistance comes from a MiVice rear hub motor — we’ve tested this before on the Tenways CGO600 and rated its smooth, purposeful, torque-sensing power delivery and here again it was impressive, feeling like a set-up from a significantly pricier e-bike.

The Fiido has a conventional diamond-profile frame, with dropped seatstays, and it weighs in at a respectable 18kg. We even managed to shoehorn an oldschool pannier rack on the back, despite the pretty wide 145mm rear dropouts (Fiido offers its own rack too, at extra cost). Three sizes are available, spanning riders from 5ft 2in to 6ft 4in, and there’s also a step-through frame that, oddly, only comes in the smallest size.

The stem (pictured below) cleverly integrates a crisp colour display that shows your speed, power level and remaining battery levels. These ‘bar chart’ indicators can be notoriously inaccurate, however this one proved an exception and reliable. It’s a very sleek solution but it does mean you can’t swap stems to shorten or lengthen your riding position; adjusting the saddle position or handlebar choice is the only option.

The rest of the spec proved functionally solid too, with the Tektro disc brakes complemented by nine-speed L-Twoo derailleur gearing; this budget far-eastern combo shifted reliably once indexed properly. Unfortunately there is an overly large front chainring — at 52-teeth we only ended up using the bottom three gears. Thankfully it’s an easy swap (and about £25) to something more suitable.

The 208Wh, non-removable battery is fully enclosed in the downtube; it’s small and the fact it can’t be removed on a daily basis for charging might seem like a big weakness. But a tested range of around 30 hilly miles made this a phenomenally efficient bike. As it’s light, many people will be able to carry it inside to charge anyway. Fiido says a range extender is in the pipeline for longer rides.

The direct sales model won’t be for everyone as it does mean fairly extensive home assembly is

Verdict

+ The Fiido offers a very bike-like ride and is a serious rival to similar, pricier e-bikes powered by the likes of Mahle’s hub motor system.

+ Gearing will be too high for most riders — swap the chainring to cure this.

required, but there’s clear written instructions and videos to help, and nothing’s too taxing.

Notwithstanding the strange overgearing, this was a fast, smooth ride, one that easily climbed some 15% gradients. For daily commutes, including towpaths and cobbles, it’s likely all most people really need.

Factfile

n Quiet and super-efficient torquesensing rear hub motor is a highlight.

n Comes with LED lighting, mudguards and kickstand, though a rear rack is an optional extra.

n A Fiido app can be used to track the usual cycling metrics, plus it pairs with smartwatches so you can monitor heart rate and other data.