Bike Friday has been hand-building custom folding bikes and ebikes since being founded in 1992. Now with some 40,000 bikes shipped, the company has officially announced a new ultralight ebike model called the All Day.
This fun-loving Class 1 folder is designed for mixed-surface riding and has been more than a year in development and prototyping. That’s because, in collaboration with Vapor Propulsion Labs (VPL) – the North American distributor for Bosch – the team had to come up with a unique way to cram the Performance Line SX motor into the frame.
According to VPL’s co-founder, Zach Krapfl, the frame features an “exoskeleton node that allows the motor to pivot to tension a chain or Gates belt drive. This is a completely new way to package the SX motor within a frame, raising the bar for what a high-performance folding bike can be.”
Bike Friday
All that tinkering has resulted in what’s claimed to be the world’s lightest Bosch-equipped ebike at just 33 lb (14.9 kg). That includes the mid-mount motor, a PowerTube battery and 12-speed SRAM Apex AXS wireless shifting. The base option for this ebike actually tips the scales four pounds heavier though, and sports a 9-speed derailleur. Other drivetrain options shape up as a Shimano Alfine 8-speed hub or a 14-speed Rohloff hub paired with a Gates Carbon belt – though we’ve no idea what such configurations would weigh.
The Bosch motor provides pedal-assist to 20 mph (32 km/h) and doesn’t sport a throttle. Four preset ride modes are available, with a companion app allowing for custom ride settings, navigation tools and viewing ride metrics. Buyers can choose a 400-Wh or 545-Wh battery as well as adding in a 250-Wh range extender if needed.
Bike Friday says that the ebike can be folded down in 20 seconds to stow in a trunk of heft onto the train. It can also be broken down to fit inside an airline-checkable Samsonite suitcase – though “the battery is too large to be legally transported this way. There are a growing number of options for renting batteries globally or there is also the option to ship it ahead.”
Bike Friday
The All Day is hand-built to order, and there are numerous options to bump the base price of US$5,200 into something much more demanding of the wallet. The SRAM Apex setup, for example, will add $1,990 to your price tag, the larger PowerTube battery costs an extra $390, a rear rack that’s rated to carry 55 lb (25 kg) adds $195, and the lightest frame available is also an option – which is priced at $600. The All Day reminds us a little of Brompton bikes, and riders can even choose to add a mount for a Brompton Front Carrier.
Pre-orders were actually opened up last September, but the first production model was completed only recently at the company’s Eugene, Oregon, workshop.
“Customers have been asking for a UL-certified Bosch ebike,” said company CEO Hanna Scholz. “Now, after more than a year of design work, prototyping, and field testing, we are proud to deliver an ultralight ebike that combines the reliability of Bosch with the repairability, sustainability and customer satisfaction of Bike Friday frames.”
Product page: Bike Friday All Day
