Ride1Up's Portola Is a Budget-friendly, Foldable E-bike

A comfortable ride

The Portola came neatly packaged in an 85-pound box. The installation took me about 40 minutes to complete following the paper instructions in the box, which were unfortunately not very clear. I later found the video below, which would’ve made my life much easier.

Once assembled, I was ready to take the bike outside. I am a 5'7" and 162-pound guy, and I will admit I had some trouble getting this 59-pound bike up and down the stairs while trying to hold the door open (I'm used to carrying road bikes up to my shoulder with a single arm, for comparison).

To get the seat adjusted to my height and get a full leg extension, I put the it just two levels below its maximum height adjustment level. If you're a tall person, you might have to go beyond the labeled markings, which is possible, but I can't speak to how safe that would be.

Riding the Portola e-bike. Credit: Daniel Oropeza

But despite the somewhat laborious setup, actually taking a ride on the Portola felt great. The seat is very comfortable; the suspension holds up; the tires are thick and feel like you can push the bike to do some off-roading (although it's not advertised to do so), and the handling feels controlled, although there was one caveat.

Once I was ready to push for the maximum speed, I started to have that eerie feeling of not being in control, so you'll have to be a little careful there. The Portola can go up to 28mph, but I only briefly dared to push it that high (purely for journalistic integrity, I assure you). At that speed on a 59-pound machine, a fall could be damaging to all parties. While I didn't feel like the e-bike was going to fall apart, I knew if anything unexpected were to happen that would require me to react quickly, I would be screwed.

I did go up some hills around my neighborhood and was surprised at the speed the bike could achieve with only throttle and no pedaling. A moderate hill that I would estimate to be about five degrees gave the Portola no issues and I was able to hit 17 miles per hour with no pedaling on it. For the most challenging hill in my neighborhood, an eight-degree one that I can't do on my road bike, I was also able to hit 12 miles per hour with some slow acceleration. I was pleasantly surprised.

Keeping it compact

Portola e-bike in my living room. Credit: Daniel Oropeza

One of the main allures of the Portola is its ability to fold in half. This means it can neatly fit in most spaces comfortably, so you don't need to prop it up on a wall or leave it in a basement—that's great news, given that it's not particularly light. I am able to fit it behind my dining room table and would even dare to say it looks good there. It is not easy to completely get it compact, but it's also not that hard; you get better with practice. It now takes me less than a minute wrestling with it to get it to its most compact state.

It fits in my Corolla's trunk

Portola e-bike in my car's trunk. Credit: Daniel Oropeza

By far, my favorite part about the Portola was finding out I could fit it in my 2011 Corolla's trunk and bring it with me to visit my family for the holidays. I was able to fit other suitcases and bags in my trunk, even with the Portola there. It measures 36 x 16 x 30 inches when folded, which is fair. But unless you're a decently strong person, you're going to need help to get this into your trunk and avoid damaging vital parts of the e-bike.

Strap on the Portola e-bike. Credit: Daniel Oropeza

A cool little feature that made the handling process much easier was a strap that secures the two halves of the frame when folded in two. While this strap is a lifesaver, it can also cause a bit of a headache. Unless you have the frames touching each other side by side, the strap will not reach around to lock in place.

The display does the minimum

The display is underwhelming. Credit: Daniel Oropeza

I wasn’t impressed by the LCD display on the Portola. It does give you all the basic information you need to know, like a battery bar, your speed, an odometer, etc. However, it looks like the screen of a Nokia phone. I wish you could see the percentage of the battery instead of a five-bar battery symbol. I will say that it's nice to be able to manually turn the LCD screen as well as the headlights on (they turn on automatically when it gets dark, too). The brake lights do turn on every time you hit the brakes, also, which they still do even if they're already on after dark.

Brake lights on the Portola e-bike. Credit: Daniel Oropeza

Added features

Every state has its own laws about what class of e-bikes are allowed where. The Portola comes out of the box as a Class 2, but you can easily change it to any class setting by holding both the DOWN and POWER buttons for two seconds and choosing between C1, C2, and C3 classes. This is a nice detail that makes the Portola able to ride anywhere in the U.S.

The Portola also has a pedal assist to help give you that extra kick for an easier ride. The five levels are easily accessible on the display by clicking the "+" and "-" buttons. They feel smooth and reactive at the right times.

You can also upgrade your Portola to either have a second passenger by getting an extra rear seat, or you can occupy that space with a basket.

Specs