Engwe

Engwe electric bikes and the 250W rule behind them

Most people land here having watched a review of a 750W Engwe, then read a forum thread saying that bike is not legal on a British road. Both are true. They are talking about different machines.

In the UK a legal electric bike is an EAPC. That means a 250W nominal motor, pedal assist that fades out at 15.5mph, and no throttle doing the riding for you. Stay inside those limits and there is no licence, no tax, no registration. Step outside them and the law treats the bike as a motorcycle, which changes everything from helmets to insurance.

Engwe builds different versions of the same model for different markets, so check the motor rating on the exact bike rather than the figure quoted in an American review. Nominal is the number on the motor label, not the peak it pulls on a climb, which is why 250W still climbs perfectly well with the shopping on board.

Which Engwe models are worth your time

The E26 is the one most people end up with, and it comes as a high frame or a step-through. Same bike underneath. If swinging a leg over a crossbar has become a faff, take the step-through and be done with it.

The L20 sits low and upright on fat tyres, easy to get on and off, forgiving on a rough lane. The M20 runs two batteries, which is the answer when your route is long or there is nowhere to charge at the far end. It is also the heaviest thing here, and you will feel it lifting the bike onto a rack.

The EP 2 Pro folds, as does the Engine X, the lighter-boned of the two. The P275 SE is the quiet one: no fat tyres, no aggressive stance, a tidy town bike that happens to be electric.

The X24 and X26 are the exception on this page. They are not road legal, and are sold for use on private land only. If you have not got a field or a private track, buy something else.

Folding is not the same as portable

A folding electric bike sounds like something you carry. It isn't. Fold an EP 2 Pro and you get a compact, dense, heavy object. It drops into a car boot, tucks under a desk, fits a hall cupboard. Carrying it up two flights to a top-floor flat is a proper job, and anyone selling you a different story has not tried it.

If your commute is a train plus a walk at both ends, a fat tyre folder is the wrong tool. If the fold is about storage, a caravan or a van, it earns its keep every day.

Fat tyres, and what they cost you

Wide tyres flatten out potholes, towpaths, wet grass and loose gravel, all the surfaces that make a narrow-tyred bike feel twitchy. You also get a softer ride without paying for suspension.

The bill comes as weight and rolling resistance. On smooth tarmac a fat tyre Engwe drains its battery faster than a slimmer bike covering the same distance, and it takes more effort to bring back up to speed after every junction. Long flat commutes on good roads suit the P275 SE better. Farm tracks, beach paths and badly kept cycle lanes do not.

Living with one

Assist cuts at 15.5mph, so on a fast group ride or a long descent you are pedalling an unassisted bike that weighs a fair bit more. Worth knowing before you order rather than after.

Otherwise an e-bike wears the same parts as any other bike. Brake pads, chains, tubes and tyres are consumables, and fat tyre models eat pads quicker. Keep the chain clean. Check tyre pressure monthly, since a soft fat tyre quietly costs you range and you will blame the battery. And do not leave a battery sitting flat through the winter, because that is how a good battery turns into a replacement.

See also: ENGWE fatbikes | ENGWE folding e-bikes | ENGWE electric bikes | ENGWE spare parts | All fat tyre e-bikes