When talking about the F5’s ride quality we have to again keep in mind that it’s a folding e-bike, so we can’t expect the same kind of ride we’d get from a regular e-bike with a similar powertrain and components. And frame size and design is one area where this bike cannot satisfy every rider. That’s because there’s only one frame size, and this bike lacks components for adjusting the sizing and fitting for a rider. Remember, it’s a folding bike, so it;s going to be “one size fits all.”
The quick release on the steering head gives a 5-inch range for adjusting the handlebar up and down. Of course, the bike still has the quick release on the seat post, but that’s it for adjustments. This gives the rider an upright posture, and the 20-inch reach means most riders will probably have their arms fully extended, or close to that. I found this to be pretty comfortable on my rides.
The F5 has a suspension fork to smooth out the bumps I encountered. They’re generic forks with 60mm of travel, so I couldn’t expect them to help that much. Rolling on 20” x 4”, Chaoyang Arisun street tread tires worked great on most of my rides. GoTrax said the tires work on dirt trails but I found that the tires don’t handle well on loose or soft sand, so try to keep this bike on pavement, and if you have to ride on dirt with these tires, be careful.
Having the correct PSI in the fat tires also helped with the bumps. But it’s still a folding bike, so again I had to be thankful to be able to ride something that was folded up and sitting in a space that was less than ⅓ its original size.
Where the riding position seemed comfortable, it did so at the expense of making the bike feel less controllable at times, especially in tight sections or parts involving back-to-back turns. The tall steering stem and 585mm handlebars aren’t conducive to anything but simple riding, so you’ll want to remember that this is not a sporty bike you can be aggressive on.
Reflecting on my long rides on the F5, the main things I wanted to see improved were the motor engagement and the seat. The seat was okay, but sitting for a long time had my toosh crying for a silicon gel seat cover for added cushion. No big deal there because those are available at most bike shops and box stores for under $20. The motor? That’s a bit more complicated.
First, there were the slow speeds I mentioned before in PAS 1 and 2. But I also noticed – on all of my rides – longer-than usual delays when the motor engaged with my pedaling. This was more common when using PAS 1 and 2, but I did notice this a couple of times in PAS 3 and a handful of times in PAS 4 and 5. Some delays were longer than others.
Everything on this bike that controls the motor is generic. For sure this was so GoTrax could sell this bike at around $1000. That’s not a big deal when talking about levers and kickstands, but it can be a bigger deal with motors, batteries and sensors. We don’t know if GoTrax had a say in the setup for this 500W motor. Some companies just take what’s available and build a bike. Whatever the case, we urge GoTrax to give this a much closer look and find a real solution so the PAS speeds are higher and the motor engagement better.
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