Urtopia Carbon Fold Step Thru Review
Just some thoughts and considerations I wish I knew before buying one
Overall this bike is only good for very specific circumstances like I have. Tiny apartment, semi secure bike parking that makes me anxious to park there, tiny hallways in my apt. I am not able to lift a huge bike. I don't have a place to store a huge heavy bike. Because this folds, I can tuck it out of the way and not bump into it a lot. I can handle it and lift it up stairs! It also moves alright while it's folded, but only straight and not backward.
It doesn't have a huge range, it can make it one way on an 8 mile commute. The other carbon fold (non step through) can hold a second battery for twice the range, but I didn't like the aesthetics of it. And it was a bit heavier. I put a pannier rack on mine and can hold a lot back there. I feel like the pedal assist is very natural. I can also bike if the battery runs out, or stretch it by using eco mode. My bike shop installed the throttle for free and it is addictive to zip around and not have to pedal. But that runs the battery down so fast. The website claims 3-3.5 hours for a full charge.
Pros
Folds quite small, I can put in the back seat or trunk of my car
Very light
Built in front and back lights
Easy to maintain
Throttle
5 levels of assist, very natural cadence assist
There are a bunch of other features but those are pretty common across all ebikes these days and you can check the website
Cons
Not a far range in distance
Not a big range in rider (height) though you can move the handlebars and seat up and down quite a bit. Just isn't comfy for taller folks
Can be annoying to fold and unfold
Pinch points on folding
The magnet to hold it together while folding doesn't hit quite right and isn't very strong. I use a Velcro strap to hold it together
Bumpy ride. In exchange for weight and folding, you lose a lot of shock absorption. I even notice that when I go on particularly bumpy or long rides, all of my accessories shake and unscrew, like my phone holder, my bike seat holder, my handle bar holder? I'm going to try and screw those on much tighter but sheesh it's annoying for my handlebars to slowly slide down 4 inches after 20 mins of riding! I gave up on using my side mirror because it just keeps bouncing out of place no matter how hard I tighten it.
I would recommend if you are shorter than 5'6" and need a light, folding bike that you can put in your car or small living space. And if you don't care about range or speed or bumpiness. I would also only recommend it if you have a pedego or other shop that services urtopia in your area. I wish I had one closer (closest is 30 in good traffic which there never is), and I wish my local shop down the street would service it :(
If you don't need it to fold, I would not recommend it. It you just need it to be light, urtopia has a carbon bike that is maybe 35 lbs? And is much more normal bike haha. And other brands do light bikes as well. If I didn't need it to fold and be light, I would've gotten a very different bike haha.
Happy to answer questions about the bike, I have only had it for about a week and a half? So I may come back and update my review.