Intro
New e-bikes are introduced like phases of the moon. We see something new announced about once week. Generally, what we see is exciting. Every now and then we run across something that grabs our interest, and once or twice a year a company introduces an e-bike that causes a shift in what we believe is possible in the e-bike market. Ride1UP, a brand with a consistent history of producing value-packed e-bikes has just introduced its first folding e-bike, the Portola. This is one of the most surprising e-bikes we’ve seen in the last year.
In our Ride1UP Portola review we’re going to examine what may be the most exciting new e-bike release of the year thanks to its amazing balance of performance and value. Just as the Mona Lisa isn’t just another pretty face, the Ride1UP Portola isn’t just another folding e-bike. No one detail of this e-bike is especially surprising, but when added up and then considered against its price, we’re left scratching our heads. How did they pull this off without taking a loss on every unit?
So just what is the Ride1UP Portola? The basics go like so: The Portola is a folding e-bike with 20-in. wheels (small enough to make folding easy), a 750W hub motor (more powerful than we typically see on folding e-bikes), a choice of either a 500Wh or 643Wh battery, hydraulic disc brakes and an 8-speed Shimano drivetrain. An e-bike with those specs is unusual—most folding e-bikes sport a 500W hub motor (nominal power, not peak) rather than a 750W motor—but it’s not impossible or unheard-of. What makes this e-bike unusual is that we would expect that collection of features to retail for more than $1500, not hundreds of dollars less.
Considering the price point this e-bike occupies, we would have understood if Ride1UP had decided not to include a rear rack, fenders, lights and a kickstand, but they included those as well, even going so far as to integrate the rear rack into the frame design, a decidedly upscale move. More on that later.
When we consider this e-bike’s category—folding—it sounds like a limitation, a narrowing of utility and appeal. The Ride1UP Portola is more properly viewed as a versatile and affordable e-bike that just happens to fold up after the rider reaches their destination.
Let’s take a deeper look at what has made the Ride1UP Portola such a surprising new e-bike.
E-Bike Category: Folding
Who the Ride1UP Portola Electric Bike Is for: This folding e-bike presents such an impressive value it’s great for anyone looking for an e-bike that maximizes value
Ride1UP Portola Electric Bike Review Ratings:
***All ratings are relative to e-bikes of a similar style and price point***
Speed/Acceleration | 4.6 5 |
Hill Climbing | 4.6 5 |
Battery Range | 3.8 5 |
Braking | 4.4 5 |
Construction Quality | 4.7 5 |
Handling | 4.3 5 |
Included Accessories | 4.5 5 |
Warranty | 3.2 5 |
Value | 5 5 |
Ride1UP Portola E-Bike Specs
- Battery: 500Wh or 643Wh lithium-ion
- Expected Range: Up to 40 mi. (estimated) with 500Wh battery
- Charger: 2A
- Motor: 750W brushless, geared hub motor
- UL Certification: Charger
- Pedal Assist: 5 PAS levels
- Throttle: Included
- Display: black and white LCD
- Headlight: 40 Lux
- Taillight: Included
- Frame: 6061 hydroformed aluminum
- Fork: 80mm-travel suspension fork
- Fenders: Included
- Kickstand: Included
- Handlebars: Alloy, 600mm wide, 6-degree sweep
- Grips: Ergonomic rubber
- Drivetrain: 8-speed Shimano Altus, 11-32t cassette
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes, 180mm rotors
- Pedals: Sunlite, folding
- Saddle: DDK City comfort
- Tires: 20 x 3-in., low-profile tread
In-Depth Ride1UP Portola Review
Ride1UP Portola Review: Comfort, Handling, and Ride Qualities
Folding e-bikes were conceived to fulfill an obvious need: to make them easy to store when not in use. In making them easy to fold many manufacturers have settled on a step-thru design that benefits anyone looking for an e-bike that is easy to mount and dismount. With the Ride1UP Portola, we have an 18.2-in. standover height, which is low enough to help riders who have stiff joints but still want to ride.
Ride1UP gave the Portola an 80mm-travel suspension fork and 3-in.-wide, low-profile-tread tires to give this e-bike a comfortable ride. The 18-in. reach from the saddle to handlebar is short enough to accommodate a reasonably broad range of riders, though their estimation on the height range for riders of this e-bike (4 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 4 inches) is unrealistic. Anyone 5 feet 5 or shorter, or taller than 6 feet should try to ride one before committing.
Most folding e-bikes are spec’d with 20-in. wheels. This serves a couple of purposes. First, it makes the e-bike easier to fold up. Second, it helps keep the center of gravity low, which improves handling and smaller wheels are easier to accelerate.
For riders concerned about negotiating busy bike paths with moms pushing strollers, dogs (hopefully on leashes) and unpredictable little people, the 20-in. wheels will definitely help maneuverability.
The hydroformed-aluminum frame integrates the battery nicely and because it’s positioned on the top of the down tube, rather than under it, the battery can be removed easily so that after folding a rider can carry the e-bike in one hand and the battery in the other, helping to distribute the load.
Ride1UP Portola Review: Motor, Battery, and Drivetrain Performance
One of the first surprises we found when we began looking the specs over for the Ride1UP Portola was the presence of a 750W brushless, geared hub motor that produces 65Nm of torque. Most folding e-bikes go with a smaller hub motor in order to keep weight down, but that often means sluggish acceleration and lackluster performance on hills.
Ride2UP’s decision to go with a 750W motor means that this folding e-bikes has more power for accelerating and climbing than most of its competitors. While the Portola ships as a Class 2 e-bike (20 mph maximum assist, plus a throttle), but can be unlocked for Class 3 speeds. In many instances, we tell people not to get their hopes up about pedaling along at 28 mph due to a combination of a lack of motor power and a drivetrain with gears too low to drive the e-bike at speeds north of 20 mph. The Portola not only has the power necessary, the drivetrain has what it takes as well.
In what we think is a first for an e-bike retailing for less than $1400, Ride1UP has spec’d the Portola with an 8-speed Shimano Altus drivetrain. This includes a trigger shifter that is easier to shift than the thumb shifter more common to e-bikes in this price range. It also features an 11-32t cassette which gives the rider a nearly 300 percent gear range, rather than the 200 percent more common to this price range. This wider range of gearing will make going uphill easier as well as going faster than 20 mph possible.
Ride1UP gives Portola shoppers a choice in battery sizes. The base model comes with a 10.4Ah (500Wh) battery, or for a bit more, buyers can order it with a 14.4Ah (643Wh) battery. Why go with what are modest batteries considering the hub motor’s power? Well, when an e-bike is equipped with an underpowered motor, the rider is stuck with it. It will always be underpowered. But with a small(ish) battery, riders can choose to charge the e-bike more often or (usually) purchase a range-extending battery. That still doesn’t answer why the options are on the small side, though: A good folding e-bike needs to be light enough to pick up, and e-bikes aren’t especially light. By going with a 500Wh battery, Ride1UP manages to keep the Portola to a reasonable 59 lbs., which is an achievement when we stop to consider that a well-made folding e-bike frame is not light.
Ride1UP says the Portola should be able to handle between 25 and 40 mi. per charge. For riders who want to commute to and from work in PAS 5, that probably means charging the Portola each and every night. That’s not terrible, but anyone prone to range anxiety is probably breaking out in a cold sweat right about now.
Ride1UP Portola Review: Braking, Safety & Warranty
The Ride1UP Portola has more surprises than a kid’s birthday party. Our next eye-opener comes from the brakes. The Portola comes equipped with hydraulic disc brakes paired with 180mm rotors. This is a solid setup for e-bikes with 26-in. or larger wheels; it’s even better on smaller wheels because the rotors represent a bigger percentage of the wheel’s circumference and the bigger the rotor, the better the stopping power.
We were surprised by this because hydraulic disc brakes are uncommon below $1400 and unheard-of on folding e-bikes below that price. We were genuinely surprised by this.
The first question anyone asks about a folding e-bike is, “Is it safe? Will I have a problem while riding it?” The simple answer is no. The latch on this e-bike is similar to what we’ve seen from some other manufacturers, like Aventon. Unless the frame is properly latched, the e-bike will start to fold up; there’s no almost latched. And to unlatch it requires the rider to slide a fail-safe lever before the latch can be opened, preventing accidents cause by the bump of a foot. It’s a reliable system.
Ride1UP’s warranty leaves something to be desired; it offers a single year on manufacturing defects.
Ride1UP Portola Review: Recommendation/Final Verdict
When friends and family come to us for advice about purchasing an e-bike we always give the same advice. Our first suggestion is always to decide what the e-bike will be used for. What is the primary need? Commuting? Leisure? Adventure? Deliveries? The next question to resolve is budget. How much can they spend? Those two questions will eliminate most of what’s on the market unless someone answers: Fun, $10,000.
We’ve yet to run across a perfect e-bike. There’s always something that can be improved, right? With the Ride1UP Portola, any criticism of this e-bike has to be immediately tempered with the acknowledgement that changing the spec in any way is almost sure to result in a price increase. Delivering this much e-bike at this price is an achievement. That said, we dislike the small display that is integrated with the PAS selector and is mounted near the grip. It’s easier to look at a display mounted at the stem when moving because looking to the side often results in a rider drifting in that direction.
When we ignore the big hinge and latch in the middle of the frame of the Ride1UP Portola, what we see is an e-bike that other e-bikes on the market struggle to compete with from a standpoint of quality. Are there other e-bikes on the market that include a 750W hub motor, hydraulic disc brakes, an 8-speed drivetrain and go for less than $1500? Probably, but we haven’t run across one from a company we trust.
Out of the box, the Ride1UP Portola fulfills all the requirements of a good commuter. Ride1UP has put together an impressive array of accessories, including a passenger kit, making it suitable for the parent who has a child they want to ferry to school/daycare. With the addition of front and rear baskets Ride1UP offers on their website, it could serve as a terrific utility e-bike for making deliveries.
When considered against other e-bikes in these categories, the Ride1UP Portola stacks up nicely. There’s not a category this e-bike fits into where it isn’t competitive—that’s how good its pricing is. For the foreseeable future the Ride1UP Portola is likely to become a standard bearer of sorts. Any time an e-bike wants to ring the maximum-value bell, it’s going to have to take on the Portola. After an entire review complimenting Ride1UP for their excellent design, the best recommendation of all is saying this will be the e-bike by which everything under $1500 will be measured.
Thank you for reading through our review of the Ride1UP Portola. Still have further questions? Wondering how it compares to a similar e-bike we’ve reviewed? Let us know in the comments below!
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