The Wildeway FW11S is another one of these e-bikes that we frequently see launched by lesser-known e-bike companies. But unlike the many dime-a-dozen models that fit into that category, the FW11S comes with something most others don’t: two to three times the battery capacity.
That’s right – the Wildeway FW11S e-bike has a battery that is between double to triple the size of the common batteries found on most other e-bikes these days. At 48V 32Ah, it’s one of the largest we’ve ever seen on a retail e-bike.
If you keep the bike in lower power mode, that’s enough battery for over 100 miles (160 km) of range!
Check out what else makes this e-bike so excessive in my video review below.
Wildeway FW11S video review
Wildeway FW11S tech specs
- Motor: 750W rear geared hub motor (1,000W peak power)
- Top speed: 30 mph (48 km/h)
- Range: Up to 100 miles (160 km) on pedal assist
- Battery: 48V 32Ah 1,536 Wh
- Weight: 77 lb (35 kg)
- Max capacity: 330 lb (150 kg)
- Wheels: 20-inch x 4.0-inch tires
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes with adjustable levers
- Extras: Large color LCD, headlight and taillight, included padded rear bench seat with foot pegs, plastic fenders, 7-speed gearing, front suspension, kickstand
- Price: $1,399
A fast but slightly janky ride
The FW11S is a fast and fun ride, but the quality is only what I’d call mediocre. It’s fine for basic everyday use, but don’t expect to get a top-quality e-bike at this price – especially not one with such impressive performance specs. You can see where the money went on this bike, which is more toward the performance than the components.
The $1,399 price tag is largely thanks to the torquey motor (80 Nm) and the massive battery. The two combine to turn this into a seriously fast and powerful e-bike. In fact, it feels more like an e-moped that you’d use to replace a car for around-town trips. I didn’t quite hit 30 mph (48 km/h) as they claimed, but I did see peaks at around 28 mph (45 km/h), which is pretty darn close. Maybe they had a tailwind or perhaps a teenage girl doing the testing for an even better power-to-weight ratio – who knows?
So the power and speed are great, don’t get me wrong. But the corners that were cut in terms of quality will sneak up on you. For example, the cheap plastic fenders flop around like a fish out of water. The cheap tires weren’t even perfectly round but rather seemed to have an imperfection that created a slight bump when inflated to higher pressures. And the adjustable brake levers, while being a nice feature to have, seem to jiggle around while you ride. It didn’t impact performance, but it just looks and sounds a bit janky.
That said, if you can look past those issues, the bike is nearly all positives from there on out.
The rear seat is a great addition for carrying a friend or significant other with you, though the 110 pounds weight capacity means they better be a smaller friend or petite partner. I’m glad to see footpegs are included, too, since some e-bikes tend to leave the footpegs off, even when including a rear passenger seat.
The hydraulic disc brakes feel plenty grippy, which is good for a fast e-bike like this. The motor is powerful and gets you rolling quickly. And that battery – oh, that battery! It’s a massive 20-pounder, but it lasts all freakin’ day. For a fast e-bike like this (and a heavy one, too, at nearly 80 pounds), you’ll want a big battery that can supply the power-hungry motor.
As a folding e-bike, there isn’t anything too special here. It folds like any other e-bike, and the suspension seat post can drop down fairly low to the rear seat’s backrest height, meaning it’s both short and compact. But it’s heavy, so carrying it around in folded form is not easy.
Oh, and speaking of that seat post, that’s the last gripe I have here. The seat can’t go very high because the seat post starts quite low (to allow for shorter riders), but that meant that even in its highest position, I couldn’t get full leg extension to the pedals. You’ll notice the bottom bracket is fairly high on this model, so that only compounds the problem. And I’m not particularly tall at 5’7″ (170 cm), so taller riders will find it even more scrunched in the leg/knee department. But since most people will treat this like a moped anyway and will throttle around most of the time, that might not be a big issue for the majority of riders that choose a bike like this.
There’s also a step-over version of the bike called the FW11, and that model seems to have a higher maximum seat height, so it may be better for folks with longer legs and those who don’t necessarily want or need a step-through frame.
Sum it up for me!
To bring this to a close, here are my final thoughts: The Wildeway FW11S is a fast, powerful and fun e-bike. For anyone that wants speed and passenger-carrying ability on a budget, this can do it for you. You’ll get up to faster speeds than other passenger-carrying e-bikes on throttle only, and you do it for a fairly reasonable price of just $1,399.
But this isn’t the highest quality e-bike, so don’t be surprised if you hear some rattle along the way or see your fenders flopping up and down on big bumps. Trade-offs are required to get high performance at a low price, and you’re looking at them.
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