Ride Quality is a complex subject encompassing many areas of a bike’s feel and operation; in essence, it’s a measure of the overall user experience. Strap in for a long read, as this section will likely form the bulk of my review; the Fiido Air might look simple, but it has a surprising amount of depth when considering the app and the included smartwatch.
Starting off with the basics, Fiido offers the Air in three frame sizes at the time of writing: a Medium, a Large, and an XL. The Medium frame is intended for riders from 5’4” to 5’9”, while the Large fits those between 5’7” and 6’3”, leaving the XL for cyclists sized from 6’1” to 6’9”.
At 5’11”, I am right in the middle of the recommended height range for the Large frame we tested. The bike’s proportions felt great; its saddle’s 4” range of adjustment allowed me to set a comfortable leg extension. Its reach felt on the longer side, placing me at a relatively aggressive forward lean with my weight balanced between the handlebars and saddle.
I typically don’t enjoy e-bikes with such an aggressive feel, but the Air felt comfortable throughout my testing. Its slim, performance-oriented saddle was supportive and not too firm. Its rubber grips were soft and squishy, and its pedals were relatively small but grippy and sturdy.
My only real complaint about comfort is minor. Our test bike included a kickstand that doesn’t come standard (but can be added at purchase, like the optional fenders and side mirrors). With a US men’s size 12 shoe, I often found my left heel hitting the kickstand mount, though this could be avoided with mindful foot placement.
Thanks to the bike’s carbon fiber frame, it picked up speed quickly and felt extremely agile and maneuverable while moving. Cornering felt crisp and predictable with my weight half on the bars, thanks to the bike’s rigid fork.
Speaking of the rigid frame, it’s important to note that carbon fiber has a “softer” feel than aluminum or steel because it’s slightly more flexible. This shock-absorbing property means that the Air’s ride felt far less jarring when riding over uneven surfaces than a typical alloy frame; as someone who prioritizes comfort, the ride was appreciably smooth and enjoyable.
The Air includes 700x40c knobby tires from Kenda, which serve to make the bike capable of light off-roading. They performed well and provided great traction when I tested the bike on short sections of dirt and gravel paths. I think the Air will likely satisfy gravel riders who prefer bikes with flat handlebars to the drop bars typical of gravel-specific or road bikes.
Before moving on, I want to mention the many positive features of the Air’s single-speed drivetrain. While somewhat limiting when pedaling uphill, this setup is extremely low maintenance; the Gates Carbon belt is rated to last at least twice as long as a chain. It’s also much cleaner, as it does not require grease—a feature many commuters in business attire will appreciate.
Now for the more technical stuff: the bike’s user interface, the Fiido app, and the smartwatch.
Starting with the fingerprint reader and light ring that make up the bike’s interface, this system has a learning curve, though overall, I found it intuitive.
Once a fingerprint is set up through the Fiido app—a process which is similar to older smartphones, where the user must perform a series of thumb/finger presses with some slight rotation until registered—a long press of 3 seconds will turn the bike on or off.
A single tap will cycle through the bike’s assist levels (Sport mode and the zero-power level are both purple, which is somewhat confusing), while a double tap will activate or deactivate the lights.
The colored light ring around the fingerprint reader is used to indicate the battery’s charge level. At 60% or above, it shows green, then switches to blue until 40% remains, whereupon it will show red.
As a sidenote, I learned through trial and error that, should the bike’s Bluetooth pairing mode be needed, it’s essential to use a finger that isn’t paired with the bike to avoid simply turning it off.
This leads me to my next point: the electronic ecosystem between the bike, the app, and the smartwatch. Each of these elements can only be connected to one of the others at a time, so properly setting up the connections is essential.
I found this to be somewhat of a stumbling block, which I attribute partially to my own eagerness (I jumped in without reading the instructions) and also to some lack of clarity in the instructions. I had to restart the process a few times and discover some details as I went; I recommend not connecting the app and the watch to avoid some frustration.
Diving into the app, I found that it’s a useful and relatively robust feature. In addition to serving as a control panel that can turn the bike and/or its lights on and off, it can track ride data and link to your preferred navigation app, in addition to hosting a social-media-like feature and providing access to many of the bike’s controls.
The app can serve as a display with a variety of customizable ride data modules. If you prefer to keep track of how many feet of elevation you’ve gained over your ride instead of the bike’s maximum speed, you can choose what information the display mode presents.
It is also used to set up fingerprint profiles and choose which security measures are employed. For example, when the Smart Unlock feature is activated, the bike will automatically turn on when a user wearing the smartwatch approaches it. Additionally, watch control can be completely deactivated, leaving only the smartphone holder with the ability to use the bike.
Finally, let’s dive into the smartwatch itself. It ships already paired with the Air (an aspect I missed when trying to set up connections), so that when the bike is turned on, it can switch between bike and watch modes.
When in bike mode, it displays a speedometer, a bar-based battery charge indicator, and the current pedal assist setting. It can also be used to activate lights or switch between the bike’s Normal, Sport, and zero-power modes.
When in watch mode, it shows the time, the wearer’s heart rate and step count, and the number of calories burned. Users can select from a variety of faceplate appearances and access a variety of apps, including weather (though I couldn’t figure out how to change my location), an exercise-tracking Sports Mode, a timer function, and a relaxing breathing app, among others.
If connected to a smartphone, it can also be used to see notifications, control music, access the phone’s camera, and a variety of other features.
Overall, I think the smartphone is a great alternative to an onboard display for those who prefer a minimalistic look, as the only option for most similar e-bikes without a display is a bulky phone mount (though, of course, this is still an option).
In conclusion, the Fiido Air’s ride quality is a solid step or two above the norm, largely due to its carbon fiber construction and integrated tech. It clearly has a learning curve (be sure to read the instructions first!), but once set up properly, I don’t expect most users to have much trouble.
