Speaker 1: This is Huff's Oslo, electric, lightweight folding commuter bike. It's my first time trying out a full, full bike. Let me tell you all about how it might fit into your light.
Speaker 1: I've been trying out this bike for the last two weeks when it hasn't been pouring rain in that time, I've become pretty familiar with it and how it could slot into my lifestyle. Normally I ride a single speed road bike. So I'll let you know how it compares to that. [00:00:30] In this video, I'm gonna talk about the setup process, how easy it is to fold and store at home. I'll also get into its weight and some considerations will to make when transporting it. And of course, I'll talk about that motor and how it goes else to ride. I'll leave time codes in the description. In case you wanna jump around the Oslo. Electric is an easy to fold commuter e-bike it folds down the middle at the handle bars. And even the pedals can fold if need be. The bike has seven gears controlled by a twist shifter. It features a 36 fold battery that powers a 250 wat rear hub motor at batteries [00:01:00] positioned under a rear rack with a max load of 10 pounds. It even has this floor stand guard piece that protects the gears. If you wanna lay the bike flat when storing the Oslo is priced relatively low at $1,100
Speaker 1: As this was my first time trying out a folding bike, I was really impressed with how easy it was to set up. It comes a out to you in a big old box with pretty much everything already attached. I didn't have to screw any cables into place. The tires were already attached. Even the handle bars [00:01:30] and the seat were ready and just needed to be sized for me, the only components needing a bit extra were the pedals and screwing those into place was a breeze. As someone who has spent hours putting together a regular bike from the mail, this one was ready in a fraction of the time unfolding and setting up the bike. The first time probably took me about 30 minutes and I bet a good chunk of that was me messing around with my camera while I filmed the process. Now, after using it a few times, I can unfold and get riding within a few seconds.
Speaker 1: I live in a tiny two-story walkup. So space is definitely limited. And the biggest advantage the Oslo [00:02:00] has is how compact it can fold down small enough to fit under a desk or even in a closet. So bringing it onto a train or in the back of your car is definitely easier than a traditional bike. In fact, the only real issue I had when storing it is the pedals would sometimes get in the way of the bikes floor stand. That meant I had to rotate the pedals while in an awkward half fold until everything was positioned better. Something that could be hard to do. If you were about to store the bike in a small area, folding and unfolding, the bike is fairly easy and pretty straightforward. Each hinge is well secured and even has an [00:02:30] additional level of fastening to ensure it doesn't pop open. However, it's definitely not the easiest to deal with once folded
Speaker 1: The Oslo weighs in around 45 pounds, which is definitely on the lighter end of e-bikes, but you'll soon discover when carrying it that it's awkward shape can be tricky to navigate. There aren't any handles on the bike. So picking it up, isn't very comfortable. Now some folding bikes have a feature that will allow easy transport once compacted like the Brompton [00:03:00] electric that my coworker, Logan reviewed, and a link to his video below the Branton locks into place and has a handle to wheel the bike around like a piece of luggage. The Oslo has neither, but remember that this bike is less than a third of the Brampton's $3,800 price tag with that said carrying the Oslo meant I consistently had to lift the bike at awkward and while carrying it, the bike would sometimes begin to unfold or sway around in my arms. Definitely something to keep in mind. If you have to Lu a bike up a stairwell. Now, I can't think of a better way to test out an e-bike than to ride it [00:03:30] up the steepest hill I can find. So let's do that.
Speaker 1: The battery isn't very big from both a size and capacity standpoint, a 36 volt battery powering a 250 wat motor is much smaller compared to many e-bikes around this price range. The electric XP two has a 48 volt battery with a 500 wat motor, but it's also 20 pounds heavier. But with the OS 250 wat, it means this bike can reach up to 20 miles per hour with the pedal assist. And I found it lasts anywhere from an hour, depending [00:04:00] on how many Hills I'm climbing, even without the battery. The also electric feels like we're riding a normal bike, meaning I wouldn't be worried if I ran out of power while out and about with that said, the battery is small, compact, and quite easy to charge it slides out from under the rear rack. So you can plug it in or throw it in a backpack, but you can charge it while secured to the bike. If need be for added security, the battery can be locked in place easily, but I'd still recommend taking the battery off. If you're locking your bike outside that way, it's protected from the elements and people won't realize you're [00:04:30] riding an expensive stealable e-bike so easily.
Speaker 1: The most important thing to know about the Oslo electric is that has only one level of pedal assist it's either on or off. That means you can't specify how much power and assistance you'd like, and you enable it by turning the battery on and pressing this green button by the gear shift. When you activate it, you'll definitely feel the power kick on after about five seconds, as you begin to accelerate much faster. And as a [00:05:00] result gearing up will be much easier. So hitting the top speed is pretty quick and effortless. The downside is that the motor turns off once you stop pedaling. So if you're wanting to take a break and coast or have to slow down because of traffic or a stop sign, the motor will turn off too. And you'll decelerate quite quickly. This is because the Oslo has a cadence sensor, which only monitors, whether you're pedaling or not, and outputs a fixed amount of power.
Speaker 1: Other e-bikes like the super 73 or the rad runner have torque sensors. This measures the actual force you're pedaling and outputs power to match [00:05:30] accordingly with the Oslo. It becomes a bit uncomfortable since you'll naturally reach a speed higher than your pedaling resistance will allow for, but in order to keep the assist going and maintain your momentum, you need to continuously pedal at this empty friction. It's not a huge problem at first, but if you're pedaling at a high gear or up a hill, you now need to pedal at the last gear you were on, which is probably the hardest one for a few seconds before the bike will help you out. Again, as a result, there was really only two situations where the pedal assist felt totally comfortable to ride with. The first is going [00:06:00] uphill. This made the gear tension constant, and the motor made the incline a breeze to overcome.
Speaker 1: The second was on long stretches of straight road. This meant I didn't have to keep slowing down and breaking to navigate traffic and pedestrians. So the motor wasn't constantly starting and stopping along with my pedal cadence. The also, and I don't really have big feet, but my ankle kept hitting the kickstand while I was riding. What's up with that, with that said, it is nice that the Oslo at least has a kickstand. Logan pointed out how the Brompton didn't come with one [00:06:30] and you had to rotate the tire if you wanted the bike to stand on its own.
Speaker 1: So who is this bike for? I feel like the Oslo electric is for a very specific kind of rider out there. It's for people commuting to work or to the store. If you need to bike the last couple of miles from the train or bus, maybe they have a couple of Hills on their road that they'd prefer to avoid. Otherwise they'd show up at the office with pit stains, this shorter distance doesn't need a large or super long last and battery. It's also for people who don't [00:07:00] have a lot of space at home for a regular bike and need to be able to slip this out of the way or easily place it into the back of a car. And lastly, it's for someone who's looking to save money, all of Huffys bikes are priced on the lower end electric bikes. The Oslo comes in at around $1,100 and their standard more fully featured bikes cost only a or dollars more personally, there's just too many drawbacks for me to totally recommend this bike.
Speaker 1: The small storage footprint is awesome, and it allowed me to keep this and a regular bike inside while making this video. [00:07:30] But the awkward carry I had to do to get it upstairs was not ideal. And the biggest letdown was that cadence sensor and motor the bike just didn't end up being a comfortable run enough of the time. I'd advise looking into the electric X, P two or the rad mini for similarly priced. E-bikes neither are as light and compact, but much more versatile with their feature sets. You could also look into an electric scooter as an option. Hey, thanks for checking out this video. If you're looking for more e-bike reviews, got [00:08:00] this playlist of options, and if you thought this video was helpful, maybe give us a thumbs up. And if you thought this whale was cool, drop a whale emoji in the comments. And let me know if you prefer traditional or folding bikes for your lifestyle.
