The Fiido T1 electric bike seems to break in half like other models

October 17, 2022

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It’s been a tough six months for Fiido, the Hong Kong-based electric bike company whose e-bikes have proven themselves in both the US and other markets. In April, the futuristic-looking Fiido X electric bike was recalled Electrician received reports that the highly engineered frame had a tendency to break in half. Now it looks like another model, known as the T1, will meet a similar fate.

The breakdown of the Fiido X was the result of a magnesium frame that was highly engineered with a sleek and minimalist design.

Unfortunately, this design proved to be too minimalist around the folding mechanism, which resulted in the bikes eventually cracking in half due to repeated stress-induced micro-fractures in the frame.

Electrician just looked at a few posts about another Fiido model, the Fiido T1also suffered cracks or complete breakdown.

The images below were courtesy of a Fiido T1 owner who explained that the bike simply snapped in half while riding at about 8 mph (13 km/h) on a flat road. He added that he was not a heavy rider, that he had never ridden off-road and that the motorcycle had never been in an accident.

The photos show that the aluminum frame has cracked a few centimeters above the downtube in the undercarriage of the bike.

The rider was uninjured, explaining that the bike basically crumbled under him and he just ran off it, staying on his feet. But he added that if it happened on his next trip, he would have a baby on his back.

Another Fiido T1 owner submitted a picture of his bike with what appears to be a large crack that has formed a few centimeters lower on the same frame tube.

The rider says he hasn’t ridden the bike in a month due to an unrelated issue, but recently discovered a crack and is worried it could have gotten bigger or even caused the frame to fail completely if he had ridden the last month.

After defective Fiido X e-bike recalled for breaking in half, now another model is doing it — A second Fiido T1 with a visible crack in the frame

The Fiido T1 thru-frame isn’t unique in appearance and uses a design similar to many other trail bikes. However, small differences in aluminum alloy composition, tube wall thickness, weld quality, tube length, joint angle, and other frame geometry variations can have very different effects on the strength of the resulting frame.

Weighing in at 36.2kg (80lb), the Fiido T1 has a rated load of 200kg (440lb), split between 120kg (265lb) on the saddle and 80kg (176lb) on the rear rack.

The bike can reach speeds of up to 45 km/h (28 mph) and comes with a one-year frame warranty.

Electrician reached out to Fiido for comment but has yet to hear back.

When the Fiido X frame defect was first discovered, the company quickly issued a response and followed with resolution plan this included offering owners either a different e-bike model or an updated version of the Fiido X that would include an upgraded frame.

The company recently started shipping this updated version, which also includes other upgrades like Shimano’s 7-speed shifter, an upgraded handlebar display, a more comfortable saddle and handlebars, and of course, a stronger folding mechanism that (hopefully) won’t break in half. .

A Fiido representative recently explained Electrician that the company has extensively tested the new design, subjecting it to 20% more stress than the EN15194 testing standard and double the number of test cycles than the testing standard specifies.

The company also shared detailed images showing the frame upgrade.