Urban Drift FIGOO S2 folding e-bike review

REVIEW – A couple of years ago we got e-bikes after hearing all our friends bragging about all the fun they were having with their e-bikes. And we learned real quick how much fun these things are! We got folding e-bikes from Lectric because we wanted to be able to take them places in the SUV, and that really does extend the kind of fun you can have.  During the warm weather, we will drive about 30 min or so to downtown Nashville and spend the day riding around the parks and seeing the sights. We have loved our Lectric e-bikes, but there are a few things we don’t like, and the new FIGOO S2 folding e-bike from Urban Drift looked attractive, so let’s check it out!

What is it?

The Urban Drift FIGOO S2 is class-3 e-bike that folds for storage/transporting.

What’s in the box?

• The Urban Drift FIGOO S2 folding e-bike (in numerous pieces)
• A small collection of tools you’ll need to put it together
• A small container of black paint (in a fingernail polish-type bottle) to fix nicks and scratches in the paint
• A charger
• A user manual

Product specifications

• Length:  67 in
• Folded size:  37 in x 18 in x 31 in
• Handle width:  28 in
• Seat height:  32.5 inches to 38 inches
• Motor:  Brushless hub with 750W peak power
• Frame construction:  aviation aluminum
• Waterproof level:  IP65
• Brake system: front and rear hydraulic disk breaks
• Charger:  110-240v AC 50-60HZ, 48V2A
• Tires:  4 inches wide, 20 inches diameter *
• Bike weight:  75 lbs *
• Max riding weight:  300 lbs *
• Range: 35-80 miles *
• Battery:  48V14Ah *
• Top speed:  28 mph *

* I found conflicting specs between Urban Drift’s website and Amazon’s website, which contains graphics and product specs from Urban Drift, so it’s confusing to know what’s right. For example, the max riding weight is either 300 lbs or 330 lbs.  The tires are either 20 inches or 21 inches in diameter. It weighs either 75 lbs or 71 lbs. It can get from 35-80 miles on a single charge, or 50-80 miles on a single charge. The battery is either 48V14AH, 48V15AH or 52V15AH.  And the top speed with pedal assist is either 28 mph or 31 mph. I see you shaking your head, but I can only work with what I’m given.

Features and performance

The first thing you notice about the Urban Drift FIGOO S2 folding e-bike is the combination of matte and metallic black color all over the frame, which looks pretty good.  A nice touch that FIGOO includes in the box is a small bottle of paint that you can use to touch up any scratches or nicks you get in the paint, so that’s pretty handy.  The tires are 4-inch fat tires with a 20-inch diameter, so there’s a bit of noise when riding down the pavement because of the substantial tread, which is pretty normal for fat tires.

I should mention right out of the gate that when you get your Urban Drift FIGOO S2 folding e-bike delivered it comes with a user manual with pictures.  And five minutes into the assembly instructions, following them step by step since I am a geek and that’s what we do, I was totally confused.  And I am a dyed-in-the-wool geek, mind you, and we have some skills when it comes to these things. But I was at a loss, so I had to reach out to Urban Drift for help and had some ‘a-ha’ moments when they explained to me what I needed to do. Methinks that the person who did the manual is the same person who proofed the marketing specs (see above). Just sayin.  Special note:  there was nothing in the manual about how to adjust the settings on the LCD panel, but on the Amazon page I found PDFs of the user manual and one for how to change the settings on the LCD panel. They need to put those for download on their website.

The S2 is a class 3 e-bike, which means you can pedal it like a regular bike without any power, or activate the 5 levels of Pedal Assist that make the bike go faster the faster you pedal, or you can hold down the throttle and let the 750W motor propel you down the road. And with a top speed of about 30 mph, this e-bike goes fast! The immediate response to pressing the throttle is a really quick acceleration which can easily startle you if you aren’t used to such a quick response, which is what happened to my wife. She was almost thrown backward off the bike because she wasn’t prepared for the quick acceleration compared to the Lectric bike she normally rides. It’s also worth mentioning that not all parks/bike paths/etc will allow class 3 e-bikes to be used, because of the increased power and speed. These bikes are much more suited for street riding because of that, so be aware of where you use your S2.

On the Urban Drift FIGOO S2 folding e-bike’s left handlebar, you’ll find the power button and the 2 buttons to switch up and down the 5 levels of Pedal Assist. On the right handlebar, you’ll find the Shimano 7-speed gear switch so you can easily change gears if needed while you are pedaling. In the middle, you’ll find the LCD panel where you can see the speed you are going, how much power is left in the battery, your trip meter, the time, and which Pedal Assist level you are using. The LCD by default isn’t backlit, so to turn that on you hold down on the + button on the left handlebar. Doing that also turns on the front headlight and the back taillight.

The seat can be adjusted up and down using the lever under the seat, depending on how tall you are.  On the back of the Urban Drift FIGOO S2 folding e-bike above the rear tire, you’ll find a carry rack attached to the frame to strap items down that you want to carry.  In fact, you’ll also see hooks on each side that can be used to secure the rope/bungee cords you use, which is a nice touch.  The fenders are really nice and wide and secured to the wheels, so it keeps dirt and debris from kicking up on you while you ride. There’s also a small metal basket attached to the front of the bike above the front wheel that you can use to carry smaller items and strap them down.

One of the best features of the Urban Drift FIGOO S2 folding e-bike is something that may go unnoticed at first.  But I noticed it right away because my wife’s biggest complaint with riding our Lectric e-bikes is the position her arms are in.  Because she is so short (5 ft 1 in), when she is sitting on the Lectric bike her arms are forced to be completely extended, with elbows locked, to reach the handlebar. (See pics below) And after a bit, her arms start aching, and falling asleep. The handlebar does not adjust at all, and I have seen many other e-bikes that are the same way.  But the S2 has a handlebar that can be positioned at various angles, depending on your preference. It does require the use of an Allen wrench to adjust it, but it does adjust, as you can see in the pics below. So she now loves riding the S2 because it’s much more enjoyable for her and she can ride longer!

The battery in the middle of the frame is removable by using the included key.  You insert the key into the side of the frame, turn it, and the battery pops out.  You can connect the charger and charge the battery simply by leaving it inserted in the frame, or you can remove it and charge it in the house with the charger.  I think that being able to remove the battery is a nice feature because batteries do wear out and it will be much easier to replace it down the road. Also, unlike some other e-bikes I have seen, the location of the battery and how it pops out from the top of the frame is very convenient. Urban Drift says that you should be able to get 30-50 miles out of a full charge if you are just using the power and not pedaling. And they say should get 80 miles if you are using the power plus pedal assist.  My normal use of the e-bike is casual riding around our neighborhood several times a week, going to the grocery store in my neighborhood a couple of times a week, and taking a trip downtown maybe once a month to ride around for a few hours.  I was able to consistently get about 70 miles of use before the battery required charging.

There’s 1 thing about the key/battery feature that I don’t like about the Urban Drift FIGOO S2 folding e-bike. The key doesn’t actually turn the bike on and off like most other bikes (like the Lectric bikes we own). You simply press the power button on the handlebar and it turns on, and you ride off. So the only function of the key is to secure the battery in the frame. But I am more concerned with someone taking off with the bike than I am with someone stealing the battery. The battery is unique to the S2 and it only fits the S2, so what’s the point of just stealing the battery?  You would more likely have someone steal the whole bike, so why doesn’t the key serve the function of turning the bike on and off, like other e-bikes?  It makes no sense. But maybe I am missing something. I suppose I could use the key to remove the 8-lb battery and take it with me to prevent someone from stealing the bike, but who wants to carry around an 8-lb battery?  So to rest easy when walking away from the bike in a public place, I have a security cable to attach it to a post or bike rack.

Finally, let’s talk about the 2 main features of the S2 that will make it attractive to many people: it can fold, and it has hydraulic suspension.

So by releasing a latch in the middle of the frame at the very bottom, you can fold the bike in half.  I didn’t say ‘easily fold’.  I said ‘fold’.  Cause it ain’t easy. My wife is very short and weighs 115 lbs soaking wet, and she was unable to get the bike folded even after I showed her how. And it takes me quite a bit of lifting and grunting to get it folded. When lifting the S2 into the back of our SUV, it takes both of us to do it because at a weight of around 75 lbs or so, it’s heavy. Another issue that I noticed is that the handlebar doesn’t unlatch and fold down out of the way.  So you can see in the picture below that the handle just sticks out awkwardly when it’s folded and it’s kinda in the way when you are trying to manhandle it where you want it to go. You can remove the handle with a tool to unscrew the bolts that attach to the frame, but that’s a hassle that I am not gonna deal with. So I just live with it. My guess is that most people won’t actually fold the S2, even though they can.  Or the only time it will get folded is when it’s being stored away for the winter. Also, strangely, the pedals don’t fold up. I believe that all folding e-bikes should have pedals that fold up to make it easier to store and transport.

The last feature I’ll mention is the ‘pièce de résistance’ of the whole package:  the hydraulic suspension. Now, there are other e-bikes that have this so it’s not exclusive to the Urban Drift FIGOO S2 folding e-bike. But I think it’s the best thing going on this e-bike.  All my family members and some friends who rode the S2 commented on how smooth and comfortable the ride was compared to other e-bikes.  For example, there’s a lot of construction going on in my subdivision, so the pavement is uneven all over the place. Riding the Lectric e-bikes that don’t have hydraulic suspension can be rough. You go over the pavement transitions too fast and it will jar your teeth out of your head! But with the S2 and the front forked suspension on the front tire, and the suspension under the seat, the S2 can take the bumps and jarring with ease. It’s a joy to ride, really. Very smooth. I took the S2 to a local park that had some bike trails through the woods to test this out and going over the various terrain with tree roots and rocks and bumps didn’t faze me or the S2. It absorbed the rough terrain like a champ. Now, I think that most folks who buy the S2 aren’t going to be chasing kids with BMX bikes through the woods, but they will enjoy the soft, smooth ride.  I should mention that you can actually turn the hydraulic suspension off if you want and lock the suspension in place with the simple switch of a lever (labeled “Lock/Open”) on the right front side of the front tire. Nice.

What I like

• A removable battery that can be charged either while in the e-bike or inside the house
• An adjustable handlebar to accommodate people with varying lengths of arms
• Excellent suspension and shock-absorption on all types of terrain
• Quick and powerful and fast!
• Fantastic price
• It folds up (but see below)

What I would change

• Removing the key doesn’t disable the bike so you have to either secure it with a cable or remove the battery (which is heavy)
• It can fold, that’s true. But it would be difficult for most people to carry/lift it while folded. Also, the handlebar doesn’t fold, so it sticks out awkwardly when folded unless you remove it with a tool which is cumbersome
• The pedals don’t fold up, which should be standard on folding e-bikes
• The user manual isn’t much use, and it didn’t include info on how to adjust the LCD panel settings

Final thoughts

I have come to accept that if you want an e-bike with a big battery to go longer distances, big tires to go over any terrain, and sturdy enough to carry a lot of weight, then it’s going to be heavy. No way around that. So the folding feature of the Urban Drift FIGOO S2 folding e-bike is nice for storing the bike, but lifting it and transporting it are challenging. Most people probably won’t do that and will simply avoid folding it. It would be nice to have pedals that fold up, but that’s not a deal-breaker for me. I always have to be aware when I walk away from the bike to make sure that it’s secured since removing the key doesn’t prevent someone from riding off with it.  But despite those things, I still believe that the FIGOO S2 is an amazing e-bike at a fantastic price.  At the time of this writing, the S2 is available for $1299 on their website, after a $300 discount. The value you get for that price is fantastic. Other e-bikes around that price aren’t going to have the power, the distance, the foldability, or this smooth a ride, so you’ll have to pay more with other e-bikes to get this kind of value. Did I mention the user manual is pretty much useless?  Yeah, don’t let that dissuade you from the S2. It’s a great choice.

Price: $1299.00
Where to buy: Urban Drift
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Urban Drift.