ADO A20 Ebike Review: Ditch the electric scooter and get this affordable folding electric bike

I have previously reviewed the Volt Connect Electric Bike about four years ago. At the time, I was quite sceptical of the benefits of eBikes, but I did like the idea of using it for commuting.

Since then, electric scooters have become the rage, some people love them, some people hate them. I loved using them in Europe, but they are still illegal to use on the roads in the UK, so they feel more like a nuisance at the moment.

Electric bikes have also gained popularity, in particular, foldable ones such as the ADO A20 I am reviewing today. While it is not cheap, at £719, it is considerably cheaper than the Volt, and the smaller foldable design makes it a little bit more commuter-friendly.

Volt also does folding bikes, but these are around twice the price at £1599.

I have come away as a big fan of the electric bike concept. I know drivers hate cyclists, but this seems to be a logical solution to the major issues we have with congestion and an affordable and even more environmentally-friendly alternative to electric cars.

YOu can find out more about ADO from the official website or the Facebook page.

Promotion

ADO are currently running a promotion for the ADO A20+ and the ADO A20F+

This runs from the 20th of Match until the 30th.

Items	original price	Flash sale price	free gift
A20+	€799	€769 （save €30）	1pcs helmet
A20F+	€1,069	€969 (save €100)	1pair fenders

Specification

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Unboxing and Build

The bike appears to be packed up as well as can be. There are plenty of foram inserts to provide some padding, then large parts of the frame have additional thin padding around them, which are taped to the frame. This should help avoid unwanted scratches. There are then quite a lot of zip ties used to hold it all together during transit. Unpacking it all did take a bit of time, which is probably a good thing.

There is not much to do as far as the bike assembly is concerned. Clamping the frame tother was self-explanatory, however, the front shaft was confusing enough that I had to refer to instructions.

You have to align the two stickers together, then tighten up the hex screw in the main shaft. I found that it didn’t feel like it was doing much when tightening it, but eventually, it all locked into place.

Most things can be adjusted, including the seat high and handlebar height, so this should be customisable for almost any size.

As a road bike cyclist, finding a comfortable position took a little time. I tried setting it up as a road cyclist extending my legs fully on the down paddle, but the overall design of this prefers a more bent leg.

Pannier Rack / Rear Luggage Shelf

A commenter pointed out my lack of comment regarding a luggage shelf for this bike. A mistake on my behalf.

It is possible to buy a rear shelf rack for this bike and it looks like it attaches using a generic mount around the seat post and frame.

This is not currently sold by Marks Shop in the UK but you can buy it from Aliexpress and Banggood for around £46.

Build Quality

The first thing I noticed about the ADO A20 was how much it weighs. At 21Kg, this is very heavy. Some of the marketing material shows someone loading this into the boot of a car, but my partner struggled to pick it up at all.

However, the weight does mean this feels like a tank, and there are no significant built quality issues I can think of.

One reason I opted for this bike vs the larger ADO A20F with its fat wheels is the inclusion of mudguards. When I used to cycle my road bike on wet roads (a common problem in the UK), the backsplash from the wheels was very unpleasant. So the mudguards on this should help keep you a little bit drier on wet days.

The main thing was the pedals were difficult to get in smoothly (which led to my damaging them), so you may need some grease to help the installation.

The metal used on the keys is poor quality, I managed to bend one key with barely any force, so you will want to be careful there.

ADO includes a pump for your tires, I didn’t even bother to try and use it as it looks to be terrible quality. You would be better off with a track pump.

In Use – Riding experience and range

Computer and modes

The reason why this is road legal compared to an electric scooter is that you provide pedal-assist for the main modes.

You have three levels of assist as well as the electric assist switched off completely. You then also have a throttle which is on rotary selector on the right side. The throttle allows you to switch to 100% electric assist when in modes 2 and 3.

Speed

Mode 2 allows you to reach a maximum speed of around 20 km/h, and the last mode is set to 25 km/h, which is the limit of both Mode 2 allows you to reach a maximum speed of around 20 km / h, and the last mode is set to 25 km/h. It is possible to unlock this and allow it to go up to 35km/h. However, I have not done this.

I find 25km/h(15mph) is more than fast enough for most urban cycling and is quite a bit faster than most casual cyclists go. It is also slow enough that you don’t feel too unsafe riding around.

In mode 3, without the throttle, I found it very easy to maintain to 25 km/h, even going up slightly to moderate inclines was easy. With a steeper incline, things did drop down to around 20km/h, and I had to put in a little bit of offer.

Due to the weight and gearing, cycling with no assist felt sluggish, but it does a perfectly good job and should be fine on a nice day for a casual cycle.

Braking

Braking is fine, you have mechanical disk breaks, it is not quite as responsive as hydraulic, but for commuting use, I have found it to be more than adequate.

Range

The specification states an electric range of under 60km and an assisted range of 80km. Although, like most things like this, this is the best theoretical range, if you are very light cycling on a flat surface with no wind, it may be possible.

I predominantly used the level 3 assist with some hills, and I would estimate a 40-50km range. This is more than enough, I can’t imagine many people commuting 40km on a bike each way, and it is enough range for you to use it intermittently throughout the day then charge it overnight.

7-speed Shimano gearset

Some bikes lack properly gearing, but this has a 7-speed Shimano. I found it to be very easy gearing with me, typically leaving it in gear 7 all the time. However, it does mean you wont have to put in too much effort with cycling should you run out of juice mid-ride, and you can easily complete your journey with one of the lower settings, albeit at a much slower speed.

Shock seat post

The seat post of this has a built-in shock absorber, which felt a little unusual at times as you can literally feel the seat drop down a bit. However, it will smooth out any significant bumps keeping avoiding your rear end from getting sore.

Lights / Horn

On the controller, you have two buttons, one for the light and the second for a horn. The light is decent enough and a useful addition for commuters. Unlike normal bikes, the horn is electric, and it is surprisingly loud.

The seat also has a rear red light, but this requires you to press a button on the light itself.

How to unlock the speed of the ADO A20

This should not be done if riding on UK roads, as I believe it may be against the law. For private property, you are free to do what you like.

On the controller, hold the two-plus and minus buttons simultaneously for 5 seconds. Then short press the power button until the channel shows P08. Use the plus button to modify the channel value to the desired speed. Wait 5 seconds for the setting state to power off.

Price and Alternatives

You can buy the ADO A20 from MarkShop, which is the official UK supplier of the ADO bikes. The RRP is £749 but using the code  MIGHTY30, you can get £30 off.

There seem to be quite a few of these cheap Chinese foldable bikes, and they seem to have similar specifications, and the overall design is not too dissimilar either.

MarkShop also sell the HIMO Z20 for £769, which seems very similar to this though it has a 6-speed Shimano gearset.

They then have FIIDO, which range in price from £650 to over £1100.

The Elka Model-T Pro electric scooter that I previously reviewed sold for just under £500 and I think you would be much better off with an eBike vs scooter at this price.

Foldable Electric Bike Comparison

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Overall

I kind of love the ADO A20, though I am partially biased as it is more the idea of an electric bike like this that I love.

Apart from the fact that it is quite large, heavy and more expensive, this is a considerably better solution than electric scooters. Being road legal makes it orders of magnitude better from the get-go.

While the speed limiter is the same 25km/h as an electric scooter, I am much more likely to go at this speed on a bike than a scooter, it feels much safer. You are also able to carry a much heavier load, either via a backpack or a rear bike rack. This, therefore, makes this ideal for commuting.

Overall, I think that foldable electric bikes, in general, are superb, and the ADO A20 should be a strong consideration for anyone wanting an affordable well made bike with excellent range.