The e-bike ships in a massive box. If you can, ask the courier to leave it right at your door. If they drop it at a building office or elsewhere, getting it home without a cart is a workout.
The box is sealed, but the packing isn’t exactly confidence-inspiring. Mine arrived without damage—thankfully—but if anything small breaks, exchanges can be a pain. (If you buy through a purchasing agent, they’ll usually help sort things out. If you order directly from an overseas site, you may just end up eating a shipping voucher. Unless the price gap is huge, I’d go with an agent.)
On the bright side, the battery, charger, and fenders—parts that are more vulnerable to impacts—were packed separately and well protected. I opened everything carefully, piece by piece. The battery capacity is smaller than on many other e-bikes, so the pack itself is quite compact.
What’s in the box
Lay everything out and check you’re not missing anything before you start. If you notice something’s gone later, it’s hard to tell whether you lost it or it never shipped.
- Bike frame
- Front/rear fenders (mudguards)
- Pedals
- Battery
- Charger(adapter)
- Battery release key
Fenders are often an add-on, so it was nice to see them included.
Assembly
1) Install the pedals
It’s a folding bike, so there isn’t much to assemble. Start with the obvious bits. Tighten the pedals firmly with a wrench. After installing, stand the bike up and spin the cranks to make sure they turn cleanly. It’s a single-speed, so the chain is unlikely to drop.
2) Fit the fenders
Attach two up front and one at the rear. Hold the parts in place and tighten with a wrench/Allen key. You can do it solo, but it’s easier with an extra pair of hands. It’s easy to mix up which goes where: the shorter fender is for the front.
3) Battery: charge & install
onnect the battery to the charger. The plug is foreign, so I used a 220V plug converter. It tends to wiggle loose, but it still charges fine.
When inserting the battery, align the top first; you’ll hear a click when it locks. It feels a bit stiff the first few times in and out—that’s normal.
After seating the battery, connect the bike’s power cable under the pack, then press the round power button. LEDs light up to show remaining charge, and that LED strip seems to double as a brake/indicator light.
There’s a USB port to charge your phone, but I don’t really see myself carrying a giant “power bank” just for that.
Display & riding modes
Turn on the LED unit on the handlebar to bring up the dash.
- Top left shows battery level.
- Right side shows current speed.
- Bottom left reflects the assist/throttle level.
- Bottom right shows trip distance.
On the right, the middle button is power; the up/down buttons raise or lower assist/speed.
PAS(pedal assist)
Bump up the level and start pedaling—the motor helps you along. If you don’t want assist, set it to 0 or turn the system off.
Throttle
You can move without pedaling by pushing the plastic slider beneath the display. On other e-bikes I’ve tried, you have to keep holding the throttle; on the IdeaWalk F1, once you hold it for around 10 seconds, it keeps cruising on its own. It’s a simple touch, but super convenient.
How to fold
Folding is the biggest perk.
Handlebar latch
At the joint below the bars, pull the little silver ball-shaped safety down and release the latch; the bars fold as shown.
Main frame latch
Do the same at the center hinge and the frame folds down to a car-friendly size.
After a bit of practice, I can fold it in about 15 seconds. Lowering the saddle makes it even smaller, but even two folds are usually enough. If you drive, keeping it folded in the trunk means you’ll actually find more chances to ride—and it’s safer from casual theft.
First ride impressions
Overall, I’m happy with it. Most e-bikes feel heavy because of the frame and battery, but this folding model feels around 15 kg to me. They’ve trimmed non-essentials and used a lightweight alloy (they call it “aerospace” material), which helps.
Because the battery is small, range isn’t huge. At assist level 5 in full throttle around town, I covered roughly 3 km before it was nearly drained. For short, flat commutes it’s fine; for exercise or weekend rides, I’d stick with PAS to stretch the battery.
Top speed is listed around 25 km/h, but if you’re used to mid/high-end e-bikes, it’ll feel slower. Realistically, expect about ~20 km/h in typical use, and steep climbs will challenge it. My commute is about 2 km on flat roads, so it suits me well. The kickstand is stable too, so it’s less likely to tip and get damaged.
great as a compact, foldable city runabout for short, flat trips. If you need long range, steep-hill power, or high speeds, this isn’t that—use PAS to save the battery, and enjoy the convenience of a bike you can fold in seconds and toss in the car.
Ebike F12 500W 48V 15AH Folding Electric Bike/14 Inch Fat Tire Electric Bike/Moped with Pedal Drop for Transport EBike - AliExpr
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