MiRider One review (2021)

If you’ve made up your mind to buy an electric bike, you’ll already have realised that there’s a huge amount of choice from touring bikes to mountain bikes and city bikes. MiRider’s One falls into the latter category and is able to fold up in just a few seconds, allowing you to more easily take it on public transport and store it.

This is the 2021 model, which has been fettled to make it lighter and more powerful thanks to new wheels which save 1.6kg and a motor with 15% more torque, giving 40NM.

The combination also means better range, which up from 30 to 40 miles. As with all e-bikes, though, that’s your best-case scenario: a warm, windless day with no hills and using plenty of pedal power alongside the motor.

Features & Design

The MiRider One has a striking design which is made all the more conspicuous if you opt for an orange frame. Those that prefer not to be noticed can choose grey or white, but either way, it’s an unusual-looking bike.

It’s compact, measuring 770 x 430 x 680 mm when folded and even though the frame is small, a telescopic seat post means it suits both short and tall riders. Similarly, the handlebars extend (and higher than the 2020 model) so even taller riders can sit comfortably upright.

There’s a small rear shock absorber to smooth out small bumps in the road, but ultimately the MiRider one is intended for relatively short trips, whether nipping to the shops or as part (or all) of your commute.

It isn’t meant to be the last word in comfort for long distance cycling, but even so, the new ‘anti-fatigue’ hand grips have a wider section to help support your hands. Plus, the brake levers have been swapped out for a better pair that can be operated with only two fingers.

The lighter spoked wheels (still 16in as before) make the MiRider look more like a traditional bike than the previous mag-style wheels and bring the weight down to 17.2kg. This is still a bit heavier than some folding e-bikes, but you’ll be hard-pushed to find a better, lighter model at this price.

On the left side of the handlebars is a display which shows your speed, distance, assistance mode (from 0-5) and remaining battery power. 

The ^ and v buttons adjust the mode, but holding down ^ for a few seconds turns on the front light, as well as the LCD’s backlight, which is great in the dark. It’s a shame there’s no rear light, just a reflector, but it is good that mudguards are fitted as standard. And that’s especially true in the UK where you can never be sure it won’t rain.

If it does, it’s reassuring that the electronics are IP65 certified which means they can handle downpours.

Inside the weld-free box frame is a removable LG battery. The 187Wh capacity is pretty small, and in order to get 40 miles out of it, you’ll have to use mode 1 (the minimum motor power) and put in a decent amount of effort. And you’ll probably have to be a lot lighter than the 120kg maximum rider weight. You can see the full details of how MiRider achieved that distance.

On any significant hills you’ll want to use mode 4 or 5 where the extra torque of the motor makes its presence known. Using mode 5 all the time will reduce range massively, and more so in winter. Expect around 10 miles if you’re going to do that.

You could buy and carry a spare battery, which weighs 1.2kg, to double the range, and swapping them over takes less than a minute.

Performance

Rather than having multiple gears the MiRider One keeps things simple and uses a single speed that’s optimised for pedalling at the top speed of 15.5mph. This does make it more difficult to pull away from a standstill, but you can use the ‘boost’ lever on the right-hand side of the handlebars to quickly get up to full speed regardless of which mode is selected. It will also bring the bike up to 4mph when you’re not pedalling to help with both flat and hill starts.

Just make sure you’ve got a fully charged battery before you set off on a particularly long ride. It isn’t going to be much fun if you encounter any hills when it’s run out because you’ll end up walking up any steep ones.

With that warning out of the way, the 2021 MiRider One great fun to ride. It feels powerful and, despite the 15.5mph law-mandated top speed, makes it surprisingly fast to cover short distances. You’ll also have a smug look on your face when you whizz past lycra-clad cyclists on hills.

I still prefer the GoCycle GX’s ride quality, which partly comes from having 20in wheels, but when you’re paying over twice the price, you’d expect that, so it’s not a slight against the MiRider One.

Even in the depths of winter when I ended up testing it out, it proved itself on a commute to the office. All the effort was taken out of the short but hilly journey to the train station, it was easy to fold up and stow on the train (helped by the folding pedals which make it even narrower) and then make short work of the 2 mile dart to the office at the other end.

The only real niggle is that the wires and brake cables get in the way of the quick-release lever for the telescopic stem when it’s extended, making it difficult to open it enough to lower the handlebars.

As with the 2020 model, there’s almost no noticeable flex in the stem or seat post and all components have a good quality feel. The Schwalbe tyres have puncture protection, so you’ll be unlucky if you do get a flat.

In terms of power delivery, MiRider has done a fine job of emulating a torque sensor even though it uses a cadence sensor. In mode 5 you still get a surge of forward movement a moment after you start pedalling, but stick to the lower modes until you’re used to that and you’ll be fine.

There is some motor noise, particularly in mode 5, but it’s very quiet at lower assistance levels.

When folded, there’s a little third wheel underneath the crank which stops the chainwheel hitting the ground and also makes it possible to wheel the bike along, although it’s not easy to do that for any great distance. MiRider now supplies a strap to help keep the frame folded in half, in addition to a strong magnet between the front and rear wheels.

Price & Availability

You can buy both the 2020 and 2021 bikes from MiRider’s website.

The former – reviewed here – will only be around while stocks last, and with £100 off is great value if you’re not fussed about the upgrades.

There’s a price hike of £95 for the new bike, but even at £1395 it’s way cheaper than the GoCycle GX (£2899) and still undercuts the Furo X Max by hundreds. But the Furo X Max (and Fiido’s D11) both have gears and may be more tempting if you want the option of riding without help from the motor.

Plus, being a UK company, MiRider’s two-year warranty is more reassuring to UK buyers than any warranty you get when importing a bike from China, such as with the D11.

And to help offset that price rise, MiRider was at the time of writing offering a free winter pack including a rear light, rain-proof jacket and snood.

For alternatives, see our roundup of the best electric bikes.

Verdict

A definite improvement on the 2020 model, the 2021 MiRider One is a bit lighter, more powerful and has a range of other subtle tweaks that make it a great choice.

As long as the range is within the distances you usually cycle, there’s really no disadvantage to it being single speed.

There are cheaper electric bikes, but even with the new higher price, the One offers a nice balance of quality, features and weight.