E-Bike Overview
The Montague M-E1 is the world’s first full-sized folding e-bike. With full-sized, 700c wheels and a frame that even a bigger guy or gal won’t get scrunched up riding, this electric bike lets you ride on a 25-mile journey in full comfort.
It comes packed with all the good stuff you expect from a hybrid e-bike. A mid-drive, Shimano STEPS E6100 motor chucks out up to 60 Newton meters of torque. This is powered by a 418 Watt-hour in-tube battery and controlled with a neat little LCD controller that wouldn’t be missed on a standard hybrid.
The pedal drivetrain won’t compete with a full-blown eMTB but has 10 speeds and good ratios from 11-32t on the rear cassette. And the brakes are solid Shimano Deore hydraulic discs.
Unfolded, this is a very good performance hybrid electric bike that’ll handle a gravel trekking route or a 40-mile road ride perfectly comfortably. Folded, it’ll sit in a car trunk or apartment closet neatly and out of the way.
Reasons to Buy
Perhaps the neatest element of the Montague M-E1 is that rolls on front and back wheels in parallel when folded. If you’re commuting into New York City every day by train, forget the subway, as the M-E1 will roll through the station concourse with ease. Many other folding e-bikes need you to lift them, so the wheeling gets around the issue of trying to look composed while carrying the equivalent of a five-year-old child on one arm.
The Montague M-E1 is a good pick for those who want a fully equipped commuter or hybrid bike but lack the storage space for one. Whatever your need for a folding electric bike, the Montague M-E1 will fit comfortably in your car’s trunk or a small closet.
Things to Consider
Montague suggests you could enjoy a long day ride on this e-bike, but this isn’t quite the case. While the 40-mile range is long compared to folding e-bike standards, it’s certainly not a 70-mile epic adventure. Even so, this is far and away the most rideable folding electric bike on the market.