(Get your Unicycle today}, "Fiido X [folding] e-bike" recalled due to risk of breaking in half.

[darknessblade]

Summary

Fiido X e-bike recalled due to risk of breaking in half.

 

Quotes

Quote

 

Update April 14th, 4:10AM ET: Fiido has notified owners of recall plans, offering free collection and replacement with an improved Fiido X or an alternative, but comparable, e-bike that the company sells. The stronger 2.0 frame comes with a three-year warranty. Detailed instructions are available here: Fiido recall arrangement

 

Fiido, maker of cheap direct-to-consumer electric bikes, has suspended sales of its Fiido X and is preparing a recall after discovering a fault that could cause the folding e-bike to break in two. Fiido spokesperson Jennifer Sun confirmed the issue to The Verge and says the company will release more details by April 12th. The recall was first reported by Electrek.

 

When The Verge reviewed the $999 Fiido D11 e-bike in 2020 we concluded that you get what you pay for. The followup $1,298 Fiido X, though, was an improvement in nearly every way, leaving us optimistic about the late-stage prototype we tested ahead of its launch on Indiegogo.

 

My thoughts

{Please note as this bicycle is not sold in my country, My opinion is only based on what information I can find online, And from having tested "Folding" ebikes from a different brand at a local bicycle store}

 

I never used a Folding E-bike in my life "aside from having test driven one".

"Yes I have a Normal e-bike that I use daily", so I can understand the need of a more portable E-bike during vacations or Road trips, as it is quite nice to have a small boost given by the motor when cycling.

 

For it to break at the part/location that needs to be the strongest, it is quite Ironic.

Normally you would expect them to stress-test a bike by having it used in such a rough way that it suffers 100+ days of use in a single day. and if you find any defects with a folding mechanism. It is better to fix it, before bringing it into production. {AKA Idiot proofing}

You would also expect a bike to last longer than 2 years, and not break at its weakest link. even if its a folding bike.

{I have seen normal folding bikes that lasted for dozens of years, and still worked fine to this date.}

 

Another reason for it to fail can be due the Folding e-bike being used as a daily bike, instead of a travel bike that is only used at most 3-4 weeks a year.

As from what I know 99% of all folding bikes are not suitable for daily use, as opposed to regular bikes. especially if you use the folding mechanism daily, the risk of breaking increases with every use.

----------

If I look at the Pictures the frame and bike to me it just scream I BREAK IN 2 YEARS

 

But this could be due that my country is known for their superior quality bikes, {Compared to "Carbon/magnesium frame" USA bikes}, Since All I am used to is higher quality bikes, based on my own testing, and reviews.

I cannot speak of Anything other than what I read online about quality of USA made bikes.

 

Regarding Frames: in my country they either uses steel of Aluminum for their frames, and you can use them as rough as you want and it would still not break at all.

The only carbon frames I have seen are on Racer-bikes. which are not really common for daily travel, I rarely see a Racer bike on the road at all.

----

Even using Bicycles in general is more common in the EU than in the USA

Mostly due Bicycle culture being more normal, and common. "Which can be thanked due USA zoning laws, Prohibiting a grocery store from being right in a residential area", Making it easier for Citizens to walk or bike to a store, instead of being forced to take the Car. even roads are more bicycle friendly.

 

Sources

https://www.pcmag.com/news/fiido-x-folding-e-bike-recalled-after-reports-of-it-breaking-in-half

https://electrek.co/2022/04/13/after-revealing-that-their-bike-has-a-tendency-to-break-in-half-fiido-quickly-announces-new-plan/

https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/8/23016232/fiido-x-break-in-two-recall

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Other

 

https://www.singletracks.com/uncategorized/europes-warm-embrace-of-electric-assisted-cycling/

https://www.reliance-foundry.com/blog/biking-usa-europe

 

https://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/trnews/trnews280WesternEurope.pdf

[Bombastinator]

It’s not like bicycle frame design isn’t over a hundred years old or anything.  Why do people keep assuming that every one of the millions of people born before them were all idiots and they’re the fist person with (an apparently semi) functioning brain?

[poochyena]

I don't really get the point of its foldability. What scenerio is that really useful? Its still heavy, so it doesn't make it that much more portable.

1 hour ago, Bombastinator said:

It’s not like bicycle frame design isn’t over a hundred years old or anything.  Why do people keep assuming that every one of the millions of people born before them were all idiots and they’re the fist person with (an apparently semi) functioning brain?

Because every single other part of a bicycle has had improvements over the past 100 years? Seriously, what an incredibly odd thing to say.

[Bombastinator]

53 minutes ago, poochyena said:

I don't really get the point of its foldability. What scenerio is that really useful? Its still heavy, so it doesn't make it that much more portable.

Because every single other part of a bicycle has had improvements over the past 100 years? Seriously, what an incredibly odd thing to say.

They’ve been doing folding bycicles for a hundred years and they’ve never been good.  The problem isn’t technological it’s morphological. The classic triangle frame invented in the 19th century is just an unreasonably strong structure, but if you cut it in half it isn’t.  There are unreasonably strong materials now but they still can’t do a good job because those materials get applied to standard bikes too so the base keeps shifting upwards.  There can’t ever be a good folding bike compared to other bikes of the period it was created in.  Materials change but math doesn’t.

[darknessblade]

5 hours ago, poochyena said:

I don't really get the point of its foldability. What scenerio is that really useful? Its still heavy, so it doesn't make it that much more portable.

 

The only scenario as I already said in my post, where it is useful is on a road trip/vacation, where you use a Camper, with minimal space, so the folding design helps you save space, in a already tightly packed room.

 

 

[HenrySalayne]

I mean, yeah, it's a design flaw.

But why are they disposing all affected bikes? They could easily bridge the faulty folding mechanism with a structural sleeve. Most people probably just don't care about the folding mechanism. It's kind of sad that thousands of units will end up in a landfill.

[SimplyChunk]

10 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

It’s not like bicycle frame design isn’t over a hundred years old or anything.  Why do people keep assuming that every one of the millions of people born before them were all idiots and they’re the fist person with (an apparently semi) functioning brain?

ownership

[Senzelian]

10 hours ago, poochyena said:

I don't really get the point of its foldability. What scenerio is that really useful? Its still heavy, so it doesn't make it that much more portable.

Every German BMW 5 series driver:

[tim0901]

15 hours ago, poochyena said:

I don't really get the point of its foldability. What scenerio is that really useful? Its still heavy, so it doesn't make it that much more portable.

They're quite common amongst commuters in the UK - it's much easier to get a folding bike on and off of public transport than a regular bike. Heck some train operators outright ban regular bikes during rush hour due to the space they take up.

 

They're also handy if you live/work somewhere where bike crime is an issue. If buying a folding bike means I can store it inside (eg. under my desk) rather than leaving it tied to a fence by the door, then that avoids the hell that is having your bike stolen. This is especially important when you're talking expensive e-bikes, which are clear targets for thieves due to their looks and price.

[staticpage]

All the pics I have seen of the broken hinges have a large telling sticker as a warning a few mm from the failure.

 

MADE IN CHINA

[poochyena]

36 minutes ago, tim0901 said:

Heck some train operators outright ban regular bikes during rush hour due to the space they take up.

but.. they take up the same amount of space, folded up or unfolded, its just taking up space in a different dimension depending if its folding or not.

[Forbidden Wafer]

Folding bikes are super silly. Just get a foldable scooter, which the folding part is not load bearing. These have been a thing for a long time, never seen one failing.

[starsmine]

2 hours ago, staticpage said:

All the pics I have seen of the broken hinges have a large telling sticker as a warning a few mm from the failure.

 

MADE IN CHINA

There is nothing wrong with made in china so long as it meets specs as defined. That kind of mentality does not really apply at all anymore. 

[Bombastinator]

9 hours ago, SimplyChunk said:

ownership

A salient point.  Explains why it keeps happening with this generation after generation.

[Bombastinator]

1 hour ago, starsmine said:

There is nothing wrong with made in china so long as it meets specs as defined. That kind of mentality does not really apply at all anymore. 

It’s stopped applying then started again.  The problem isn’t China though.  I don’t think Chinese businesses are any more or less ethical than American ones.  It is simply that some laws can be harder to enforce there for various reasons.  Business in China is relearning some of the same hard lessons American business experienced many years ago.  It’s not like that doesn’t happen in America too though.  The one that is a problem right now is pump-and-dump, which applies to more than just stock.  That one happens in American business too.  Just because a company built a reputation for high quality products doesn’t mean they can‘t start making crap at any time. 

Edited April 19, 2022 by Bombastinator

[Blue4130]

7 hours ago, poochyena said:

but.. they take up the same amount of space, folded up or unfolded, its just taking up space in a different dimension depending if its folding or not.

No they dont. Many of the parts fit inside space that is empty when unfolded.

[poochyena]

29 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

No they dont. Many of the parts fit inside space that is empty when unfolded.

Sure, maybe you save some space, but its not like folding it in half takes up half the space or whatever. It fills up like maybe ~10% less space or something. Not enough to make any real difference that I can imagine.
I also don't even get the point of an electric bike. Literally just a worse version of an electric scooter or regular bike. If you need something small and don't want to pedal, an electric scooter (or skateboard or one-wheel) is better in every way that I can imagine.

[tim0901]

21 minutes ago, poochyena said:

Sure, maybe you save some space, but its not like folding it in half takes up half the space or whatever. It fills up like maybe ~10% less space or something. Not enough to make any real difference that I can imagine.

It makes a lot more difference than you think:

It's blatantly clear from that shot that the bike is using a lot less "space" when folded. The folded version is obviously smaller in all three dimensions - remember the handlebars and pedals stick out a fair bit. When folded it will easily fit between your legs or on a luggage rack, rather than being an awkward obsticle for other passengers to have to avoid. It's also much easier to take up and down stairs, on and off lifts or through ticket barriers.

Also, folding bikes are usually smaller than regular bikes even when unfolded. Regular bikes usually use 24" (700cc) or 28" wheels, while the wheels on folding bikes are normally 16-20".

2 minutes ago, poochyena said:

I also don't even get the point of an electric bike. Literally just a worse version of an electric scooter or regular bike. If you need something small and don't want to pedal, an electric scooter (or skateboard or one-wheel) is better in every way that I can imagine.

Electric scooters are illegal to use on public highways in some countries (including the UK, with exceptions for some trial rental companies) and are illegal to bring onto public transport in even more due to a number of incidents with them catching fire/exploding on packed trains (kind of like what happened with "hoverboards" a few years ago). Many countries also require you to have a driving license and/or insurance to use them because they fall under the same laws as electric motorbikes. This is all contrary to electric bikes which generally do not require any of this - they are classed as "power assisted pedal bikes" which makes them exempt. Hopefully some of this regulation changes in the future, but for now this is how things are.

 

One wheels are really expensive for what they are (£1000? for a single wheel???), illegal to use on public highways in the UK like the above and (from what I've heard) are a pretty bad idea if you want to carry anything with you - falling off of one onto your laptop is not going to end well. At least with a bike or scooter you're less likely to fall backwards onto your bag (and more likely to be seen by other road users due to your size).

[poochyena]

4 minutes ago, tim0901 said:

It makes a lot more difference than you think:

Well, thats not an electric bike so it can fold better than the bike discussed in OP, but still, it you look at it from the other angle, you can clearly see its a lot wider. Also, the pedals were removed, which is sorta cheating.

 

11 minutes ago, tim0901 said:

It's also much easier to take up and down stairs

Wouldn't it me much easier to push up stairs than to carry? Anyways, just seems like the use-cases are very niche.

 

19 minutes ago, tim0901 said:

This is all contrary to electric bikes which generally do not require any of this - they are classed as "power assisted pedal bikes" which makes them exempt.

but.. all that stuff could easily apply to electric bikes too. Sounds like a weird legal loophole. Are those things actually enforced though? I believe its illegal to ride a bike on the sidewalk nearly everywhere in the US, but I've never had a cop ticket me for it or ever heard someone get ticketed for it unless that person was causing issues in some other way.

[Bombastinator]

It’s not about volume.  It’s about storability.  The big thing folding bikes do is they get shorter.  This can matter for some situations.  If they could make a folding bike that didn’t look ridiculous and/or ride like a non folding biker, there would be almost no non folding bikes in the world.  This is makes people keep banging their heads against a brick wall. False hope.  The number of people who need folding bikes enough to use one is vanishingly small generally, though this public transportation thing mentioned earlier is interesting.  Roof Bike racks make obnoxious amounts of noise and eat fuel economy even when they don’t have bikes on them.  Rear mounted automotive bike racks aren’t quite as bad that way, but they have their own problems.

[Blue4130]

1 hour ago, poochyena said:

Well, thats not an electric bike so it can fold better than the bike discussed in OP, but still, it you look at it from the other angle, you can clearly see its a lot wider. Also, the pedals were removed, which is sorta cheating.

 

Wouldn't it me much easier to push up stairs than to carry? Anyways, just seems like the use-cases are very niche.

 

but.. all that stuff could easily apply to electric bikes too. Sounds like a weird legal loophole. Are those things actually enforced though? I believe its illegal to ride a bike on the sidewalk nearly everywhere in the US, but I've never had a cop ticket me for it or ever heard someone get ticketed for it unless that person was causing issues in some other way.

That photo of the folded bike is taken closer making it look bigger. 

 

But the proof is seen on the subway. I live in a major subway using city. I see many folding ebikes. They fit more easily around people's feet than a non folding bike would. 

[suicidalfranco]

This is my bike

This bike belonged to my father

This bike has probably twice the age I have

This bike is foldable

This foldable bike never broke

 

How can you fuck such a simple concept is beyond me

[darknessblade]

3 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

This is my bike

This bike belonged to my father

This bike has probably twice the age I have

This bike is foldable

This foldable bike never broke

 

How can you fuck such a simple concept is beyond me

This bike is made from a STEEL frame, thus 100X sturdier than that "Magnesium" frame Fiidoo use.

[suicidalfranco]

2 minutes ago, darknessblade said:

This bike is made from a STEEL frame, thus 100X sturdier than that "Magnesium" frame Fiidoo use.

Simple concept they still managed to fuck up

[suicidalfranco]

And just out of curiosity I googled a bit on the history of the graziella: born in 1964.

 

If I consider that my father could have received it by the time he was 10, my bike would be 51 years old by now.

 

And it barely asks for maintenence xD