Here it is mounted, The electric bicycle has become one of the dominant themes of the moment in terms of mobility. The large number of low-cost products arrived on our market that made it more attractive and affordable for everyone contributed to popularizing this means of locomotion.
Among other factors there is also the differentiation of the models that now stand out in a large number of variants among which the mini-bikes of which we have already published several reviews have great visibility. The ZiYouJiGuang T18 fits perfectly in the middle of this scenario with its reduced price ( on Geabeast currently on offer at 335 euros ) and its small size. We have tried it in recent days to see how it is made, how it goes and to whom it would be suitable.
ZiYouJiGuang T18, how it is made
The ZiYouJiGuang T18 arrives in a box of significant dimensions. Inside you will find the bicycle, almost completely assembled. In practice, only the rear fender and the saddle are missing but only for the first you will have to use a screwdriver and key (also included in the package). In our case we also found the battery fully charged.
We will not dwell on describing the bicycle because from our photos you can learn many of its characteristics. Perhaps the general impression may be of more interest. The Chinese-made bicycle appears generally solid and well built in its structural components: welds, metals, components (rims and disc brakes for example), tires, give the impression of being quality.
The only exceptions are some plastic details that are not too convincing (such as headlights and fenders, the latter really light and roughly mounted), but these are details that can be overlooked given the cost of the bicycle.
Despite the small size, another important aspect, we are not faced with a bicycle that can be carried for a walk on the shoulders. It does not fold in half like other competitors and has a significant weight (about twenty kg on our scale). Although it is easy to reposition the handlebars, close the pedals and remove the saddle, the best you can imagine doing is to put it inside the trunk of your small car . Surely you will not be able to put it on the shoulder or under the arm as happens with some micro-bikes, if only for the weight.
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The package whose ZiYouJiGuang T18 
is delivered to you If anything it wasn't clear to you that it is of Chinese production … 
The bike inside the box 
The ZiYouJiGuang T18 just taken out of the box 
The only keys you need to mount it. Behind the power supply 
Here it is mounted
Ergonomics
From an ergonomic point of view, there are few measurements to be made. You can position the handlebar and saddle to your liking. The seat requires rather extended arms but without being forced to accept compromises and discomfort. The saddle is dimensionally comfortable enough for all sizes.
The only detail that we would like to highlight from the point of view of use is that it is not a bicycle for small people and this despite the apparently small size of the vehicle. In fact, apart from children who should be kept away from this vehicle, for speed and performance (of which we will discuss below), even those who, like the writer, are 1.70 tall, only with the saddle completely lowered rest their feet completely on the ground. and therefore has perfect stability. On the other hand, those who are tall do not have to worry about traveling on an uncomfortable vehicle.
The bike is also equipped with an adjustable rear suspension which cushions bumps quite well. This component, added to the 12.5X1 / 4 tires, the engine that (see below) offers a good starting point and the aforementioned well-padded and generously sized saddle, allow the bicycle to tackle even imperfect terrain and even a modest off-road.
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The saddle springs 
The foldable pedals 
The brakes 
Here is the engine
The design
The ZiYouJiGuang T18 looks somewhere between aggressive and jaunty. It is completely black with some orange stickers and profiles; the single rear shock absorber and the high gap between wheel and saddle also contribute to giving the impression of a two-wheeled “SUV”. The centrally located battery pack is very visible but is used as a design element. It is not a classic city bicycle and it does not pretend to go unnoticed, which is to be taken into account. When you parade on the street it is, therefore, likely that you will attract some eye of passers-by. It will also attract attention to the fact that it is a small bicycle in relation to the performance it manages to express …
The ZiYouJiGuang T18 seen from the front; it almost looks like a scooter
The technique
The ZiYouJiGuang T18 doesn't have many components that deserve to be analyzed, but some certainly are. Among these is the battery, a vital element for an electric vehicle
The battery
The manufacturer declares for this “luxury” model that we have in test (there is a “base” without shock absorber and with only one disc brake) a battery from 36V to 8 Ah and a 350W motor. Before we hit the road, we took a look at what we could inside the bike to check the specs. We found that the 30 18650-type rechargeable lithium batteries actually provide 6 Ah , as the label applied on the package kept in the compartment under the central barrel also says. It is not clear why this battery was fitted which does not match any of the specifications, but from what we could see online, the same thing happened to other sites that have reviewed the same bike.
In addition to this it must be said that the batteries are not easily replaceable as they are integrated in a package that cannot be dismantled. When they are exhausted in their capacity you will have to use one of the spare parts that are on the market and which have prices ranging between 120 and 200 euros. It is not advisable, even if it would be much cheaper, to buy single batteries because you will then have to weld them and create the battery pack yourself.
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The battery holder 
The battery in its box 
Here are the “plate” data of the battery 
30 rechargeable lithium batteries type 18650 
Dimensions in height of the battery pack and … 
… in width 
The “plate” data of the bicycle 
Other information useful in the evaluation phase of the purchase
Brakes and controls
Among the technical details that deserve to be underlined there are also the two disc brakes which are decidedly powerful, capable of giving safety, the system of disconnection of the engine by means of a switch when braking (in this way the engine immediately stops giving power and what we could define the engine brake intervenes), the LED lights with the rear one that also has a stop function, the knobs that also work as hand rests.
The system for folding the bicycle, although brief in its ability to really reduce its size, is very efficient and precise, as well as robust.
The main controls are grouped on the right where we find the ignition key and the very simple indicator of the battery status. We basically only have three notches that tell us if the battery is fully charged, half charged, or it's time to recharge. There is no speed or mileage indicator. A little less than other competitors.
Always on the right we find the accelerator, the engine activation key, while on the left we find the horn and the “push-push” switch, not particularly pleasant in operation and materials, for the lights. As mentioned above, the ZiYouJiGuang T18 mixes a series of components that give the impression of high quality and solidity to other less convincing ones. Light controls and LED indicator belong precisely to this second category.
The not excellent block that contains the switch for the lights and the horn
The suspension
The rear suspension, as mentioned, appears to be of good quality. It absorbs bumps well and resists pedaling; so no unnecessary effort when it comes to pushing the bicycle with the pedals. It should also be noted that the suspension is interesting because it is adjustable through a special wheel that manages its rigidity. You can then adapt it to your need and make it collaborate with the generous springs and saddle padding to travel more comfortably.
The adjustable shock absorber
ZiYouJiGuang T18 bicycle or scooter?
We have defined the ZiYouJiGuang T18 an electric bicycle but in reality we should more than anything else classify it as an electric scooter with pedal start. The reason is in the particular system by which the engine is primed. If electric bicycles proper, in fact, always assist pedaling at any speed and with any effort, in practice you pedal and the motor helps pedaling, with the ZiYouJiGuang T18 this does not happen. If you push on the pedals you will notice after the initial effort entrusted to your leg, once reached 5/8 km per hour the motor starts automatically and it will become impossible to pedal because the bicycle will exceed the speed that you will be able to impose on the pedals themselves that will spin. In practice, since it will be like pedaling on a bicycle with the chain dropped, at that point you just have to leave the engine to do it, adjusting the speed with the accelerator that you find at the right knob, keeping your feet still on the pedals that they will only become a platform.
It must be said that it is also possible to leave without pedaling at all. Just turn the accelerator and the vehicle will start without moving a single muscle (of the legs).
We are not very experts in the laws and quibbles of the highway code, but all this, as we explain in this article, places the ZiYouJiGuang T18 out of the rules that regulate electric bicycles and logically to be used within private property and not usable on urban roads without running any risk of sanctions or of going to an unlikely (but perhaps it is better to say impossible) do-it-yourself homologation …
Performance
Beyond the regulatory issue, ZiYouJiGuang T18 has performances that seemed excellent to us . The recovery and the starting point are excellent, to the point of being able to define the small bike-scooter as aggressive as its appearance. The speed just as good : on a flat road we measured 23 Km / h. We have not been able, for geographical reasons, to experience uphill performance, but we have no doubt that an average-weight passenger can tackle bumps and slopes like those found in most Italian cities.
Autonomy
We evaluated the autonomy of the bicycle on a country road (in order not to take risks with the highway code) with a very regular surface with our only weight (65 kg) on board and have I love reached 21 Km on one occasion and 24 on a second occasion. We specify that this result was achieved by starting the bicycle with the pedals and relying on the engine only when the vehicle was already started. On a third occasion we tried to see what happened using only the accelerator and the autonomy collapsed , slightly exceeding 10 km . Evidently the engine requires a significant amount of energy when it is forced to move the vehicle from a standstill. The data are in any case quite in line with those declared: a ZiYouJiGuang T18 with a 5 Ah battery should reach 18 km. Ours, as mentioned, has a 6A battery.
Conclusions
The ZiYouJiGuang T18 is a good product in relation to functions and price . Even if it mixes components of not excellent quality with others much more convincing, all the essential elements have favorably impressed us. It is not particularly compact, but once closed it does not struggle to fit in the trunk of even a small car and is also comfortable to ride. The only limit, which may not be such for everyone, is in the aspect that focuses a lot on aggression. If you want to go unnoticed, this is not the way for you, in short.
Folded the ZiYouJiGuang T18 does not struggle to fit in the trunk of a utilitarian
On the other hand, the fact that the ZiYouJiGuang T18 cannot be classified as an electric bicycle is more serious and impacting on a large scale. Of course it has pedals and you can also move it with them, but you won't be able to pedal beyond a certain speed because only the motor will move. In addition, there is no means of either switching off the engine or regulating the power beyond which the engine starts. Using it on the public road therefore means running the risk of a pecuniary sanction and seizure and is therefore inadvisable. Unless you want to count on the fact that having only a few pedals could come up with a check when it was stationary. But of course when you whiz at over 20km per hour in the city without twisting your legs, any police officer, even the least acute and attentive, will raise their antennas and may decide to apply a hefty penalty.
For all these reasons we would like to recommend the ZiYouJiGuang T18 to all those who want a means to move quickly and effortlessly in specific and private contexts as a covered or uncovered department store, a warehouse, a plot of land. You can also ride the bicycle-scooter on a private road , a country road, an open field (also given the discrete off-road capabilities), a farm. You could also put it effortlessly inside the hold of the camper and use it to circulate inside a campsite. If you want to use it on public roads instead, especially in the city, you will do it instead at your own risk.
Pro
Cons
The ZiYouJiGuang T18 can be bought at the moment on Gearbest at 335 euros from this link, with priority and free shipping from Europe .
The offer is valid while stocks last.
