Fiido L2 Issues After 10 Months

 After about 10 months of ownership and about 1,000kms traveled my Fiido L2 conked out. The bike essentially broke down twice. The first time we were able to make the bike run again by fixing some wires connected to the batteries. The bike ran a for about 8km after that until it finally gave in. When the bike first broke down I asked the FB Fiido community based in Laguna to recommend potential people who can service the bike. While one of the recommendations was a reseller of Fiido ebikes I didn't get the impression that they could service it. The other recommended entities were other escooter sellers and ebike sellers.

When my Fiido L2 broke down and second time I decided to get in touch with the most recommended company on Facebook which was Pro Scooter Shop which was in Manila. There were other potential options but they were the most popular and they immediately answered my messages on FB even if it was on a Saturday evening. I decided to go straight to them because I didn't want to wast time on generic ebike or escooter shops. I set an appointment and it was an hour and a half drive from home. It would have taken longer if it wasn't for Covid. 

Traveling to the city was a great decision. The issue was diagnosed within 5 minutes. Everything could have been done in less than 10 minutes but I had to wait for a part that had to be picked up in another location. It turns out the main issue was the LCD which controlled the power and settings of the bike. The wire had been worn down because of the constant turning. I also decided to replace the battery harness/connection since it was about to break. Given the distance and effort it takes to go to Pro Scooter I wanted to make sure everything was working well.

This is the LCD (that's what the call it) and that's the wire that had been run down.

 

This is the battery harness. As you can see the red cap and one of the prongs is already loose. This essentially still works but definitely it won't last.

I was also considering upgrading the controller which will increase the speed and I think torque of the ebike but I didn't think it was appropriate to spend a large sum of money given the recent calamities which befell the country. With an increase in speed I felt I will also need to upgrade the brakes which is another expensive upgrade. While the bike is slow with a max speed of 22kph based on the app Strava, it does its job. I still have fun with it.

I'm very much disappointed that the Fiido L2 broke down so quickly. I somewhat understand the wear and tear of the wire. But the battery harness should last longer, especially that I don't take the battery off that often. My hypothesis on why the battery harness broke down quick is that the bike may have been the display unit and the sales personnel kept removing the battery during their sales spiels. The guys in Pro Scoot Manila placed a plastic protector around the wires which touch the steering column hopefully it's going to last much longer. At the very least I know what to watch out for. 

 I really do enjoy having an electric bike and this was a sad incident given it's not even a year of ownership. It does seem that a lot of Fiido ebike owners are very happy with their bikes. I actually enjoy riding my Fiido L2 a lot especially as the Christmas season approaches. I'll take the opportunity to take night rides and enjoy the holiday atmosphere.

Here's a quick summary of the issues since I got it last February 6, 2020.

1. A little over a month after my purchase the tensioner fell off. Luckily I heard it fell and I was able to get all the parts back (minus the spring) and return it.

2. The tensioner fell again around April or May. It turns out another user experienced the tensioner falling of in another FB group.  I guess this has to be tightened once in a while.

3. A flat - around early October but this isn't about the bike. Had to mention it though.

4. LCD and preventive change of the brake harness thingy. 

I don't use my ebike as much as others and it seems there aren't that many issues that I see on FB at a least. I'm hoping that this bikes gives more joy than headaches. So far no biggies and I don't expect any more in the foreseeable future. So I'll bike on.

Electric Bike Fiido L2 After 6 Months

I bought my Fiido L2 electric bike February 6, 2020 and it's almost 7 months usage. Since the time I bought it, a quarantine lock down of about two months happened and life hasn't gotten back to the normal pre-pandemic phase. The lock down happened around March 14 and lasted until May 31 and life has changed for most of the world.

The pandemic pushed personal mobility forward with sales of bikes and e-scooters, including electric bikes surging because of the lack of public transportation. At present the government will push through to bring most public transportation back online. Given that the cases are still rising this may be a foolish yet necessary move to push the economy forward. Those who are smart though would still probably avoid using public transportation and use personal mobility devices.

As mentioned during my first two weeks review, I found it difficult to find real world ownership reviews of the Fiido. Now, however, the local and international Facebook group of Fiido owners seems to be consistently growing. Owners are quick to provide feedback and give pointers on their ownership experience (myself included). The Fiido L2 has even been reviewed Electrek.com on their YouTube channel. Electrek being one of the news sites that cover transition from fossil fuels to 'sustainable' electric power. Their review of the L2 is very favorable stating the price and functionality as its primary selling point. Essentially, it give great value at a low price.

The Fiido L2 even made it on the list of their top 5 full suspension bikes for summer 2020! I'm now feeling really good about my purchase.

During the quarantine period I was only able to use my L2 in our village. I made an effort to use it regularly to keep the battery healthy. I actually used it almost everyday during the lock down compared to the past month. On average the distance per charge is about 45-50km. Note though that I don't fully charge the battery most of the time. the top 2 longest distance on full charge was 60km and 68km. Also note that I'm a bit on the heavy set 200lbs (90kilos) so that should factor in on the range as well. I have now clocked about 750km on the bike using Strava. Google and Strava seems to have different reading on distance which is about 10% less on Google. I don't really know which one is more accurate.

Here are some notable stuff after 750kms of use.

- my tensioner fell of after 3 weeks and again after about 5 months. Another user in the international Facebook group experienced this as well. My suggestion is to make sure to to tighten it regularly. I though it was an isolated issue but since another person posted about this I feel owners should look out for this.

- I couldn't find the original spring of the tensioner the first time it fell off so it was replaced. Prior to that the chain seems to get easily derailed. A tighter spring was used to replace the original

- the fenders are quite flimsy, especially the rear ones look after that. When you hit bumps it might cause noise (kalampag sa tagalog), it might just be a matter of adjusting it

- the stem of the steering became wobbly towards the 3rd or 4th month. We just had to tighten the the stem of the bike

- several time I experience that there was no power when I use the throttle but it was never a long and consistent issue. So, I never found out why. One reason may be the loose wiring or I was pressing on the brake while throttling. This didn't happen often enough to be an issue

- the 22kph (based on Strava) top speed is really slow but upgrading the controller for P7,000 might not be a practical option at the moment especially since I live in the province. I'd need to take time and effort to bring my back to the city to have it modified.

The longest ride I took was 25km. On average I travel 4 - 5km per ride whether just around the village or to do errands. Sadly, finding a secure place to park the bike is an issue. I'm a little picky on where to park the bike though. Given it's an electric bike parking it outdoors is out of the question. Both the heat and rain can damage the bike. You have to talk to the guard to accommodate you and I just park it to do quick things in the store.

In the Fiido Facebook groups I see people the accessories they bought for their bikes. The bike isn't cheap so I really didn't want to spend too much to accessorize. While the lights on the bike was adequate I felt the need to purchase additional lights. I bought 2 front lights, because one only lasted about 40 minutes. The other light is a tactical flashlight which you can detach. I found this detachable light useful in case something drops at night or you are just looking for something. The other light is another rear light just to add to night visibility. I also bought an extra bar to mount the lights on. These extra light were really helpful to shine on a broader are while the stock lights focused on the immediate front of the bike.

Overall I'm very happy with the bike and it was good to have it during the pandemic for me to get out of the house almost daily. Now the are more ebikes that you can choose from in the market. If I was still looking for an ebike there are now cheaper alternatives to the Fiido L2 with comparable range. I'd probably buy those especially since one of the big chain bike shops offered one recently at P25,000 which is significantly cheaper. I can't take back time though and the comfort of the suspension and seats are something that I really appreciate with my L2. I'm just looking forward when the pandemic is over and I can go to places where I've never been.

My Fiido L2 Electric Bicycle

One of my frustrations with the internet is not getting enough ownership experiences of products you want to purchase. There are a lot of unboxing and product reviews which provides you with a lot of details about products, especially about mobile phones, laptops, and other popular gadgets. These are all good but what I want is the actual ownership experience did the product deliver the performance after a few months. Did it last long, was it durable? I've had a bad experience with a low end HP laptop I bought which didn't even last a few months and I needed to have it serviced, then suddenly it stopped charging and I just decided to scrap it - it did not even last 2 years. My Xiaomi 360 IP camera didn't even last 6 month (I give this a pass because it was indoors but in the patio so it was exposed a bit to the environment...but 6 months!?)

When I was considering buying an ebike I also found it difficult to find a good long term review locally. I didn't exactly know what to buy or that I really wanted to buy one. But the Fiido Q1 initially sparked my interest. Small, compact, and fold-able so I can probably fit it into my car which is a sedan.


It wasn't something I was rushing to buy but I kept on looking and researching about it until a lot of other Fiido models came out in the market. The brand had a lot of different foldable ebikes. From the time a started looking until the time I actually purchased my ebike the price of the bikes lowered a bit. Initially the Q1s was at about Php30,000 now you can buy one at P26,000. One of the first Facebook sellers I found selling the Fiido L2 started at about Php42,000 and as I found more sellers the lowest I found was at Php34,500. The whole range of Fiido's available start from P26K - P38K (it's cheaper when you pay cash) for the latest M1 which is a fat mountain bike.

Most of the Fiido models have a rated range of 40 - 55km except for the L2 which had 80 - 125km range. The range varies so much especially for the bike since you can actually use pedal assist to extend the range. I have yet to come across posts about the actual ranges of the bikes. Initially I thought I didn't need the range and I wanted to purchase just the basic which was the D1 (because only D2S was available in the shop nearest me) and it was just about Php26K. But when I finally decided to buy I got the L2. Below is a long video about the L2.


Why did I chose the Fiido L2 instead of the cheaper models. The real reason is impulse, I really preferred this model when I saw it but the initial price it was selling for was Php42K. When I saw one being sold for Php34,500 this seemed to be more reasonable but still quite expensive if you can buy a D1 or D2 at P26K or 27K. But my rationale were:

- range, while I didn't really need it it's always good to have long range
- it had a basket and a bike lock that came with it. Not really big extras but those are good to have. I didn't have to purchase third party baskets online
- front and rear suspension, at the time I got it I didn't really think it was that important but when I started to use the bike it was important. Riding the bike is really comfortable with the stock seats and the suspension system.
- 350 watt motor vs 250 watts I don't notice the difference but it's still essentially a bigger motor
- the removable battery and its large capacity. It seems easier to replace and order the battery. Also, battery life is connected to charging cycles, my thinking is because a larger battery will have longer cycles before charge it lasts longer and, as the battery degrades, it can still hold more usable range compared to a smaller capacity battery. I just hope my logic hold true.

Here are picture of the L2 a stole from giztechreview.com - my bike is orange as well but I'm just too lazy to take pictures, transfer and post here.

The handlbar has a built-in phone holder where you can also charge your phone via a usb port below the holder.

Here's the gear mode and the battery indicator. As you can see the battery indicator isn't accurate. As the battery drains when you pull the throttle sometime one of the lights dims and goes back again as you de-press. I find it hard to gauge the state of charge especially as it goes down to one or two bars.

The removable battery where you use the keys to turn the power on and you long press the middle button on the battery indicator to turn on the bike.

The rear wheel and the disc brakes. Those bars on the fender bend easily, so when transporting make sure that these are not leaning on something.

The build quality seems to be very good.

It has a LED head light and a tail light. The headlight shows good illumination but I still added lights both in the front and rear for added visibility. I think you'll really need extra rear lights since the rear light is quite low.

Here is my experience after two weeks of ownership:
1. I haven't figured out the range. I use Google Maps and Strava as an odometer but there seems to be some discrepancy in the mileage readings. After my first full charge I'm at about 60km and have about 2 bars left with bar 2 flashing as I put on the 'gas'.

2. On higher incline hills you'll need to pedal to help the bike out. You'll not have to put much effort to it though but you'll need to use the throttle while you pedal. Pure bike assist mode without the throttle would require more effort.

3. I'm not sure about this but the difference in gearing is torque and top speed but I don't notice torque that mush since I'm usually at gear 3 immediately. Top speed based on using Waze or GPS based apps as speedometer is 20kph it's listed at 25kph though. Not really sure.

4. Once you hit top speed at a flat surface, trying to increase you speed by pedaling may not help at all - at least I haven't tried it. It seems that way though.

5. Having full suspension is worth it. While I don't know what having no suspension feels like - this bike is really comfortable.

There are shops which can modify the bike to increase the top speed. I think they modify the controller of the bike. When I inquired it's about Php7,000 for the controller upgrade. I'll consider upgrading when the 6 month warranty expires. I think 40 kph top speed should be fine. The current top speed seems quite slow but you'll sacrifice range with an increase in speed. I'm also not sure if I want to spend more on this.

Right now I'm still trying to get to know the bike and I'll post long term reviews in the next month. I'll post links below for some more resources about electric bicycles which I found useful. I should actually have watched these before I purchased the bike...

Bolton Bikes
ElectricBikeReview
EbikeSchool