Folding ebike comparison (German, paywall): https://www.heise.de/tests/Vier-E-Bikes-zum-Zusammenklappen-im-Vergleichstest-7154935.html?seite=all
That Agogs one looks pretty good.
I guess, like with all this stuff, you get what you pay for, especially with hills. The Isle of Wight (Bembridge airfield) might be an interesting test location 
The £1500 bike I rented the other day would have struggled there.
As a long time daily Brompton user, I think the battery is not really necessary, unless you’re not fit enough anymore. With the normal chainring and two gears you’re good to go if it’s reasonably flat and the road is ok, cobblestone or rutted gravel roads just don’t work.
The reason I’d like electric is for all the times my ego says we can cycle then it turns out to be more hilly than expected and such as a couple of occasions, or it’s scorching hot.
It’s actually happened that both have coincided a couple of times. I’m very lucky my wife has a sense of humour, and is fitter than I am. Lol.
The Bromptons USP is it’s foldability. If you fold it often and/or need the small footprint, it’s perfect. With a bit of experience you can fold/unfold it in under 10 seconds and it’s positively tiny and the weight is easy to carry up the stairs at a train station. There is no going faster through Berlin than that.
Anything electric adds a lot of mass, but then, you’re joyriding, that is a very different profile. If the folded size isn’t the issue, there are other, valid options, for example the R&M Birdy – doesn’t fold as small but is arguably a better ride for longer trips.
http://www.bromptonauten.de/konkurrenz1.html
I’m unsure how current that page is, but it shows you that there are at least some options.
That’s an interesting comparison site.
What amazes me is the weight of some of these. My full suspension 29" wheel bike is around 13.5kg. These folding bikes are much smaller, especially the wheels. They should be about 5kg
The weight doesn’t matter when riding but does matter a lot when trying to get them in and out of the luggage compartment, which in many cases of people “going places” contains a lot of stuff.
Has anybody tried Brompton electric bike? It looks nice and compact and it doesn’t seem to be heavy (some 16 kg).
Emir wrote:
Has anybody tried Brompton electric bike?
I had a go on one of the retrofit ones where Brompton added a motor to the front wheel and had a motorcycle battery hanging from the handlebars in a kind of rucksack. It’s undoubtedly a good bike but the conversion wasn’t great and it added drag and weight. Cycling normally then going ‘full throttle’ with the twist grip would make the front wheel spin
This was a few years ago and I assume the true electric bikes have had the issues resolved.
Emir wrote:
Has anybody tried Brompton electric bike?
I own a Brompton with an aftermarket electric motor from here: https://www.arccbikes.com/pages/arcc-electric-brompton. I have also test-ridden the electric version direct from Brompton themselves. There’s not much between them – both are good and fold up small. Like all Brompton bicycles, they are heavy but I put mine into an IKEA storage bag and lift it over the (folded-down) rear seats on my 172 without issue.
I would suggest trying a conventional Brompton – the electric is the same but, at least in the UK, pedal-assist. I didn’t notice any additional drag but I already have a bag mounted on the front.
Peter wrote:
These folding bikes are much smaller, especially the wheels. They should be about 5kg
Unfortunately the rider continues to be as big as before and the rims are very light for what they endure. Also Bromptons are still made from steel. You can get expensive titanium parts, but honestly, if I wished to reduce the weight, I unfortunately know exactly where I should rather start.
