Fiido D11 Review 2024

While I may have been a little disappointed at first, I had to remind myself that this bike is not designed to be fast, or powerful. The D11 is closer in relation to electric scooters than e-bikes when it comes to its performance, and once that’s taken into account the D11 didn’t do half bad.

When I did the circuit test I found the highest pedal assist level to be a little bit underwhelming at first with the amount of assistance it gave me. I’ve taken lots of bikes on Electric Bike Report’s circuit test at this point, and the D11 had the least amount of change between assistance levels.

With everything taken into account I would still like to feel a little more juice in the highest pedal assist level, as 12.9 mph just isn’t enough speed for me to feel like I was riding an electric bike.

For me, the top speed doesn’t do the Fiido D11 any favors; a higher top speed would give the D11 more of an edge over electric rental scooters and standard bicycles. With that being said I see most, if not all D11 riders only using moped mode or maximum pedal assistance.

The Fiido D11 may not be fast, but it never gives up.

Childhood memories of “The Little Engine That Could” popped into my mind as I ascended our test hill. While it certainly wasn’t easy for the D11, it never gave up and I made it up our very steep, and brutal test hill without having to put a foot down.

This was pretty admirable considering we chose “Hell Hole” to be our test hill because of the way it pushes e-bikes to their limit. Despite the difficulty of the hill looming over me the D11 felt light enough to push uphill even with the lack of power, and for that it definitely exceeded my expectations.

When I tried the hill climb on throttle only I made it about half way up before the D11 finally stopped. Despite the fact that it didn’t finish I was still quite impressed with how far it made it for how slow I was going.

The 35Nm of torque that the motor produces seems to be enough if you’re pedaling with the D11, however it’s unlikely you’ll find yourself scaling any steep grades if you’re only using the throttle.

I was actually pretty impressed with how well the D11 climbed our test hill. Prior to trying it I didnt think that I was going to make it to the top at all.

The Fiido D11 takes some getting used to, but once you are you’ll find yourself on a very easy to handle and maneuverable e-bike.

The 20-inch wheels provided me with a tight turn radius, and a low center of gravity. Because of the low center of gravity I felt very stable and balanced on the D11; I also felt like I had sufficient grip on corners.

The only place the handling of the D11 can be a little scary is going down steep hills, fast. The long stem, and small wheels make for an unsettling feeling if you’re riding over 25 mph.

My best recommendation for riding the Fiido D11 at high speeds is to brake sooner than you’d expect. Locking up the brakes on the D11 at 25-plus mph is quite a terrifying experience and I don’t recommend finding that out for yourself.

I found the Fiido D11 to be quite comfortable for my 5-10 mile rides, which is about the prime amount of miles for the little bike. Any longer than that, though, and I began to experience some discomfort in my arms and lower back. It’s hard to fault the D11 for this, as it’s really not built for pedaling long distances, but it’s something to keep in mind should you consider commuting longer than a few miles.

The reach is a little short for larger riders (I’m 6 feet tall and I felt a little cramped), but it’s not particularly noticeable during shorter stints in the saddle. It’s a bike that certainly trades some pedaling efficiency and long-range comfort for the ability to fold up small, but that’s really the whole point of the D11 — it’s a folding bike, not a super commuter.

It took me a little while to appreciate the motor on the D11, and I’ve come to realize that the things that make this 250W motor nice largely revolve around its low key design. The motor is good in the sense that it’s easy to ignore, as it’s quiet and lightweight. It’s also not going to blow your socks off — instead it provides you with consistency and control.

When I was in the highest assistance level the motor ended up being powerful enough to make it up our hill test which I definitely wasn’t expecting. While it wasnt by any means fast, it had enough juice to keep me from burning myself out on the steep hill; a very nice surprise.

The D11 motor never allowed me to go above 15 mph, but it also wasn’t common for me to drop below 10 mph. The motor offered me consistency and a solid average speed and for that I can’t complain.

The Fiido D11’s 36V, 11.6Ah battery is one of the most unique designs I’ve seen on an e-bike to date. After all, it’s not just your battery, it’s your seatpost! The dual purpose design not only added to the looks, it also seemed to benefit the overall performance of the D11.

The battery placement allows for the front end of the bike to be far more lightweight and nimble than it could have been with a battery-downtube design. The weight of the battery was right below me as I rode and because of that the front end of the bike felt very acoustic and natural.

As far as the charge life goes for the battery, it lasts for a really, really long time. Especially for only being a 36V, 11.6Ah battery. Our range test results proved the seat post batteries worth — in our minimum assist test we reached 47.23 miles before the battery died.

The battery life far exceeds the mileage you’d probably find the D11 optimum for, but I’m glad they added such a large battery. Because of Fiidos decision to add a larger battery the D11 isn’t an e-bike you’ll have to charge after every ride or two. If you’re riding 4 miles a day on the D11 it’s probably going to last a couple of weeks.

The Fiido D11 comes with 3 pedal assist levels and a lever throttle on the right side of the handlebar. When I rode in PAS 1 and 2 it was hard to tell I was even riding an e-bike until I reached a hill, where the bike did a great job of allowing me to maintain my speed.

While the Fiido D11 may not be fast, it still has enough power to help you maintain speed when your route gets a little bit steeper.

Most of the time I was riding the D11 around I was in PAS 3, and I believe most riders will find themselves doing the same. If you really want to know you’re on an e-bike PAS 3 is virtually the only option aside from the throttle.

The throttle comes with a “moped” feature where the throttle will stay engaged when you hold it down for more than 5 seconds. I found this to be a lot of fun and quite nice for the way the style of riding the D11 is meant for; it was very much that motor scooter feeling that I appreciate for short commutes.

With a quick pull of one of the brake levers the moped feature will shut off.

The Fiido D11 comes with a colored LCD Display on the left side of the handlebar. I found the display to visually be appealing with its modern, minimalist design. With that being said the interface was a little odd for me at first.

For example the mileage read out isn’t very specific, it just reads out in whole numbers. I could be at 8.99 miles and It would just say “8”. Maybe it’s just my data-geek side but I would like to have a little bit more specific mileage readout.

The pedal assist button to cycle through the different assist levels was also a little bit different than what I’m used to. The display only uses one button to change between assistance levels which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, more-so just something I had to get used to.

I got used to the display interface after a couple of miles though and overall I think it works well. If you aren’t too worried about specific mileage readout then I think this display will be plenty high quality for your needs.

The Fiido comes with mechanical disc brakes, and 160mm rotors. One thing to know is that the brakes come set up for European and Asian markets, with the brake levers swapped backwards to what you may be used to. With a quick switch of the cable, you can change the brakes back to the standard (at least in the U.S.) setup with the rear brake operated by the right lever and front brake operated by the left lever.

My experience with the brakes was an interesting one, the brakes worked really well on flat ground but the bike seemed to hate it when I pulled the levers going downhill at higher speeds. When braking hard at higher speeds the D11’s brakes seemed to struggle a little bit, making for somewhat of a chattery, skippy experience.

In our brake test it took an average of 12 feet and 2 inches to stop from top speed. The braking distance was pretty solid and I think that has to do with the weight of the bike more than anything. I’d recommend pulling the brakes a little sooner than you typically would when it comes to downhill riding. As I mentioned before, locking up the brakes on the D11 isn’t exactly the most optimum riding experience.

The D11’s baby blue frame is constructed of aluminum alloy and it feels quite solid for being lightweight and foldable.

I liked how lightweight and maneuverable the front end of the bike was and that’s mainly due to the way Fiido designed the D11. As I mentioned before, the weight distribution of the D11 makes for a light front end and easier handling. The folding clamp is also placed appropriately, whereas some clamps can come dangerously close to your knees when pedaling, but that isn’t the case on the D11.

The Fiido comes with a rigid aluminum fork that’s stiff but still provides a little give over rough roads.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect the shifter and drivetrain to be as smooth as they ended up being.

The 7-speed Shimano Tourney derailleur comes with a S-Ride shifter. Seeing a different brand connected to the Shimano drivetrain made me a little skeptical at first, but the S-Ride shifter proved its worth right away. The S in S-Ride must stand for “smooth” because that’s exactly what it was.

The gear range is appropriate for the D11’s intended use, and I was able to make it up our hill test in the easiest gear. In summary, the D11 comes with a comfortable amount of range in its gearing, making for a well rounded ride.

The D11 also comes with a monster 52t chainring, perfect for maintaining momentum.

My main takeaway regarding the contact points is that they’re plenty comfortable for 5-10 miles but any more than that and you’re going to feel it a little bit. To me, that was okay because the D11 isn’t intended for long, cross country expeditions. The D11 is meant to be the connector between you and your final destination. Keep below 5 miles and you’ll see that it does its job very well.

The grips are hard and the bar isn’t very wide, the combination of the two made for some sore hands around 12 miles into my range test. I did like the saddle, and I think it’s the perfect saddle for the D11. It’s comfortable and fits the theme of the bike nicely. No complaints here.

One odd thing, however, was Fiido’s decision to spec the D11 with non-folding pedals. The flat pedals that came with the bike are the standard sort that you’d find on an entry-level bike and stick out slightly when folded for storage. Folding pedals are pretty standard issue on folding bikes, so it was a bit of a surprise that the D11 lacked them.

I found the D11’s Cheng Shin 20” x 1.75” tires to be fast rolling if not a little hard. These tires held up to punctures throughout our 75-plus miles of reviewing the Fiido D11 and I have no complaints about their performance.

The Fiido D11 comes with a kickstand, a headlight, and a tail light integrated into the battery pack. Fiido also offers optional fenders that are sold on their accessories page.

In all, Fiido offers a wide selection of replacement parts, and additional accessories. I’d recommend picking up a couple of spare tubes for potential flats.

This e-bike is also built to be a true folder in the sense that is actually convenient to fold up and transport. While there may be loads of bikes that can fold, many of them lack the convenience aspect that make them a true folding e-bike.

As my mileage increased, so did my liking for the Fiido D11.

At first I couldn’t get behind the lack of power and speed, but I had to remind myself the D11 wasn’t designed to have either of those things. Once I looked at the Fiido D11 for the pocket commuter that it is, I started to grow fond of its unique design and characteristics.

One of those characteristics is the included moped mode, which added more convenience and fun factor to the bike overall. Riding in moped mode was a lot like cruising around on an electric scooter, and it was an easy way to ride at top speed. The moped mode adds a lot of value to the D11 and I wouldn’t mind seeing more e-bikes with this feature.

The battery performance and design both impressed me quite a bit. With how large the battery is it’s pretty impressive that the D11 weighs in at under 40 pounds. This seatpost battery offers 36 inches of range in seat height which is far greater than any other e-bike I’ve reviewed.

The D11 is a true folding e-bike in the sense that it was built around folding convenience, which can’t be said for every e-bike with a folding clamp. Some e-bikes appear to be designed as a one piece solid frame that had a clamp slapped onto it for an additional feature. The D11 is not one of those bikes.

I see the D11 being optimum in situations where you have 2-3 miles to walk, but don’t want to walk.

If you’re commuting in a big city the D11’s handling will definitely give you an edge in weaving in and out of traffic and pedestrians. The perfect scenario for the D11 is somebody getting off a train or public transport a few miles from their office but they’d prefer to not walk the rest of the way. And it’s affordable to boot — at about $1,000, it’s among the most inexpensive e-bikes on the market today. You can check out Fiido’s website for more details on pricing and availability.

Fiido as a company isn’t one I was too familiar with prior to reviewing the D11, but my time on their small folder has made me curious for what they’ll come out with next. I believe they’re on the right track with their design and engineering and I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw more and more D11’s popping up around town.

Regardless of if you’re a big city commuter, a low-on-space enthusiast, or a self claimed “moped-er,” I think you’ll find a lot of use and value in the D11. Truthfully, I don’t fit into any of the mentioned categories yet I still found myself smiling when cruising around on the Fiido D11.