Fiido Air Carbon Fiber Electric Bike Review: A Light, Quiet Ebike

It accelerates quickly at lights, and acceleration – especially in Sport mode – is reassuringly brisk when it’s time to overtake. I’m pleased with how smooth the overall performance is, and how smoothly the torque starts up. Plus, it’s every bit as easy to do as moving it, moving it through the house, lifting it onto a bike rack, and even doing basic things like locking it. The motor is also quiet. Although it’s not completely silent, it’s also not distracting.

Impressively, one can ride in the air quite easily even without any electrical assistance. A 30-pound single-speed bike won’t set any track records, but if the power fails you – or more likely, you misjudge the battery level and forget to charge overnight like I did – it won’t be much of a workout to get home.

But please don’t confuse this commuter-style electric bike with a powerful mid-drive motor electric bike. With a small motor and only one gear (and quite a low one at that), it doesn’t like hills. The steady slope is easy, but there’s a small, steep hill close to my office that requires me to stand and pedal hard to get to the top. I wasn’t as gassed as I would have been without any motor assistance, but I certainly wasn’t flying smoothly up the hills.

I’ve also become a convert to the genius of belt-drive bikes. They require less maintenance, last longer, and prevent greasy black marks on pant legs. Fido uses the Gates belt drive here, one of the best systems available, and ideal for urban riding.

Competition and judging

WIRED’s current favorite commuter ebike, the Aventon Solterra 3 (8/10), weighs 37 pounds and costs about $500 less than the Air. It’s a great blend of push bike feel and mild electric power and with more power, faster top speed and an affordable price, it’s the one to beat. But there’s no denying the appeal of the Fido Air. It’s a beautiful bike to ride, with stylish looks, snappy acceleration and push bike practicalities. At 30 pounds, it’s impressively light, and easy to live with.

Light electric bikes are beginning to appear but there is little competition. Ribble’s new aluminum AllGrit E AL SportFit Apex weighs in at 30.4 pounds and features extremely practical 12 speed SRAM Apex XPLR AXS gearing. However, it costs twice as much. Carbon options are limited to a few folding designs for now, including the $2,420, 35-pound ADO Air Carbon, and the $1,599 Urtopia Carbon Fold Step Through, which weighs just 31 pounds.

So the Fido Air ticks a lot of boxes, and if you’re looking for a great pedal-assist electric bike for short, flat urban rides, I highly recommend it. But if you have hills in your life, and you want to keep both hands on the handlebars at all times, the Fido Air may not be the bike for you.