For the past few weeks, I have been pedaling around the world’s tiniest folding Bosch ebike as my kids (8 and 10) regard me with mingled delight and disgust. My son tried to ride away on it, with the convincing argument that this is not an adult bike, it’s a kid’s bike. I lock it up on the same rack next to my daughter’s mountain bike, and she notes that her bike is taller than mine. I ignore them all. I love this tiny bike.
Oregon-based Bike Friday hand-builds folding bikes of every variety, but as a small person (I’m 5’2”), I am a particular fan of the company’s tiny, light, folding bicycles. The bikes have gone up in price considerably since I first reviewed the Haul-A-Day in 2020 as one of the more affordable family electric bikes. Since then, the company has been slowly repositioning itself as a premium, custom-fitted ebike manufacturer, at a corresponding price. The All-Day is even more expensive than the electric Brompton G Line.
Still, the motor is powerful, it’s lighter than the Brompton, and you can customize it in every way—including in a variety of playful colors and cables! I am a big advocate for a tiny bike that you can carry, fold, and lock up wherever. This one feels as big as you could need.
Whatever You Want
Photograph: Adrienne So
As befits a custom-built bike, Bike Friday consulted with me beforehand on what options I preferred. Not only can you pick what color you want your bike to be, but you can also pick the components (flat or drop handlebars? Basic 9-speed? Shimano hub or Rohloff belt drive?). Be warned, however, that picking your heart’s delight will add up to a staggering price. I requested the 14-speed Rohloff hub with the belt drive, and it added a cool $3,290 to the $5,200 price.
It has a 600-watt Bosch Performance SX mid-drive motor with a little Purion display that’s compatible with the Bosch eBike Flow app. Overall, it’s a shockingly powerful motor and long-lived battery for a bike this size (in comparison, the Brompton G-line has a 250-watt motor).
It arrived swaddled in many layers of paper stuffing and bubble wrap. While Bike Friday is direct-to-customer, that customer is not precisely the same person as the one who might buy, say, a direct-to-consumer Lectric or an Aventon. Bike Friday is a specialty brand for bike people, and I did have to know what I was doing, as well as have access to my own Allen and pedal wrenches. If you were less confident in your bike-building skills, I would suggest contracting with a shop.
Photograph: Adrienne So