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Summary
Despite lacking a suspension system, the newest E-Gravel bike from Fiido feels fantastic to ride, whether you’re on smooth roads or rougher terrain, even gravel, as the name implies. It looks sleek and minimalistic, and it’s equipped with a powerful 250W motor, a 9-speed derailleur to switch gears, and a long-lasting battery.
Despite being marketed as the E-Gravel bike,Fiido’s new C22 Prois capable of tackling way more than gravel roads. Whether you take this ebike on gravel, off-road terrain, hills, or asphalt, it’s a smooth riding experience worth every penny.
At $1,599.99, it’s equipped with a high-quality torque sensor, hydraulic disc brakes, a powerful (and yet, extremely quiet) 250W motor, and a long-lasting battery. All of those pieces fit together in a slim, striking frame that’ll make people do a double take when you tell them it’s an ebike.
I’ve reviewed two ebikes from Fiido before: thefolding X modeland theD3 Pro model. Testing each of these previous ebikes was fun, but the C22 Pro is hands down my favorite model from Fiido so far. It’s the perfect blend of affordability, power, and comfort.
Could the C22 Pro be better? Sure, that’s why it didn’t receive a perfect score. But for me, the reasons to buy an E-Gravel bike from Fiido far outweigh the few cons I noted. If the C22 Pro sounds like an ebike you could be interested in, let’s jump into the specs.
Specs
Assembly
I’ve built plenty of ebikes in the past—two from Fiido—and the C22 Pro has been the toughest one to build so far. The instructions made things confusing because they weren’t worded well or weren’t clear, with spelling and grammar mistakes throughout. There’s one tool labeled as a “Y-Type Allen Wrench” on the packing list page, but it’s also referred to as a three-prong wrench in the manual and an inner hexagon tool in the assembly video.
The front of the manual says “Fiido C22 Pro, Folding Electric Bike,” but it’s not a folding ebike. I don’t remember seeing this ebike labeled as anything other than the C22 or C22 Pro in the manual or on the box, but on the site, it’s marketed as the E-Gravel. Odd naming conventions certainly aren’t something just Fiido does, but it’s worth noting the difference in titles.
Fiido delivers the C22 Pro in a big box with most of the assembly completed already. There are only eight parts for you to install: the handlebar, front wheel, meter (display), front light, seatpost, pedals, fenders, and rear light. Then, you have to connect the wires on the bike to the display once you’ve installed it.
The instruction manual guides you through everything except installing the fenders and the rear light. I struggled with installing the front wheel because the front fork needed to be pulled apart a bit to fit over the wheel, but the C22 Pro assembly video I watched made it seem like it was supposed to just glide into place. Then, if it wasn’t for watching the assembly video and my previous knowledge of what a front brake spacer looked like, I wouldn’t have understood what to do when asked to remove the brake spacer based on the print instructions alone.
Connecting the wiring was slightly confusing, but Fiido makes it foolproof. The number of wires in the picture didn’t seem like it was matching with what I was looking at on the bike, but this step only took me about 10 minutes to figure out between the manual and assembly video. Fiido color-coordinates wiring connections and has you match up arrows to ensure wires connect properly.
Then, I didn’t know I had an issue installing the handlebar until I wiped out during my first ride. To be fair, Fiido notes in the manual that you should make sure riser cover screws are tightened with force to avoid safety hazards, but it doesn’t tell you how. In the assembly video I watched later, they tightened the handlebar cover by using a cross pattern with the four screws. If you don’t tighten this properly the first time, you might hit a bump like I did and push the handlebars down while riding, leaving you unable to brake properly and forced to crash land.
The instructions for installing the rear light are in its box, and there are no instructions for the fenders. The taillight is easy to install because you just have to secure it around the seatpost. However, the fenders were so difficult to install that I just gave up after 45 minutes or so. There are unlabeled screws, bolts, and washers, so it was unclear which pieces needed to be used for the fenders. I think the bike looks sleeker without the fenders anyway, so unless you’re riding on gravel with a lot being kicked back up at you, they’re not necessary.
Design and Adjustability
I’m in love with the way this ebike looks. The C22 Pro’s frame is thin and minimalistic, and if it weren’t for the display, it’d be difficult to tell that it’s an ebike. There are two different screens to swap between on the display, with one prominently displaying your speed and current pedal-assist mode and the other showing more in-depth ride details. The screen is bright and colorful and easy to see in sunlight.
Related:I Review Ebikes for a Living. Here’s My Favorite One So Far
I received the Step-Through model in the gray color and small frame size, which fits riders between 5'0" and 5'9". This model comes in a blue-green color as well, but it doesn’t come in any larger frame sizes. If you want a larger frame size, you can get the C21 Pro, which is the same ebike, just with a Step-Over frame. The C21 Pro comes in gray and dark green, and offers a Medium frame (5'2" - 5'7") and a Large frame (5'6" - 6'4") for taller people.
I think the gray exterior looks almost black, and when you pair it with these tires that feature a light brown accent, it’s just a beautiful ebike. Then, it’s nice that Fiido includes lights with this bike instead of just reflectors. The front light is powered by the bike’s battery, and you turn it on by holding the M button down below the display. It’s a powerful light that makes riding at night a breeze. The taillight wraps around the seat post and needs to be charged on its own via the included USB-C cable.
The handlebar feels fairly comfortable while riding and I love the grip design, but I wish you could adjust the handlebar height. The only thing you’re able to truly adjust on the C22 Pro is the seat height.
The Riding Experience
Starting with what you experience when you first get on the C22 Pro, let’s talk about the seat. Many of the ebikes I’ve tested haven’t had a very comfortable seat, and this seat is relatively comfortable. It still doesn’t feel great after a long ride, but it’s much more comfortable than the seat on theFiido X, and it doesn’t feel as necessary to invest in an aftermarket seat cushion cover.
Overall, rides feel incredibly smooth on this ebike, despite the fact that it lacks a suspension system. Even going over rougher terrain, I can feel more bumps than I’d like to, but I never feel unstable while bouncing around. As it’s referred to as the E-Gravel bike, I had to test it out on some gravel, and it handled beautifully.
I love the 9-speed derailleur gearing system because it’s easy to customize how much work you want to put in. If you want a tougher workout with a little pedal assist for hills or rough terrain, you’re able to shift to a higher gear. Or, if you’re just looking to cruise around on a relaxing ride, use one of the lower gears.
Related:Fiido X Ebike Review: A Fantastic, Well-Rounded Experience
This gearing system, mixed with the C22 Pro’s torque sensor, makes it a joy to ride. It’s more responsive when you first start pedaling, it adjusts with you as you start to pedal harder, and it gives you some much-needed resistance to not feel like your legs are flailing while riding. I only wish that there was some visual indication of which gear I was in. The Fiido X has a simple indicator below the right side of the handlebar, but the C22 Pro only has the gear shifters in this area.
Braking feels great from any speed, which is no surprise as the C22 Pro is equipped with hydraulic disc brakes. Whether on the road, grass, or gravel, I have no issues coming to a quick stop, though you should always take care when braking on a new surface just to see how the bike handles.
The max speed of 15 mph is a bit of a downside if you’re trying to use this ebike to commute. For the price, it’d be nice if there was a way to unlock the speed if you’re in an area that allows for Class 3 ebikes. Otherwise, if you’re just in search of a casual commuter bike or something fun to enjoy on the weekends, a 15-mph max speed is perfectly fine. I never felt like I wanted or needed it to go faster than that while casually riding around bike paths and neighborhood roads.
The bright, centered display makes it easy to glance down and see my speed and pedal-assist mode. It’s nice that you can keep this simplistic display or swap to a display that shows you more in-depth ride details, like your trip, top speed, average speed, and time spent on the ride. Most often, I found myself using the simplistic display while riding and only flipping over to the detailed display when I stopped somewhere.
Lastly, I think this is the first ebike I’ve owned with a built-in front light. This might be a requirement for any future ebikes I buy because it was such an awesome, useful feature. Even though I do most riding during the day, there are a few times that I’m out when the sun goes down and the front light makes getting home a safe, more enjoyable experience.
Battery Life and Charging
The C22 Pro is equipped with a 208.8 Wh Lithium battery that takes about three hours to fully charge from empty. When the battery is full, it can last you for up to 50 miles, but this all depends on which pedal-assist mode you’re in and whether you’re using the front light. I haven’t ridden 50 miles on the C22 Pro just yet, but after riding about 10 miles and frequently using pedal-assist mode two or three, I’ve gone down to four out of five battery ticks on the display.
Related:Why I’ll Only Buy an Electric Bike Moving Forward
There’s a quick lock mechanism on the charging cable that you can turn when you plug it into the bike so it doesn’t move around a lot while charging. The battery is equipped with a management system that protects the battery against overheating, overcharging, and short-circuiting. So even though you should do everything in your power not to charge an ebike overnight, it’s nice to know that if you do forget to unplug the C22 Pro, the battery management system will help you out.
Fiido Mate and The App
TheFiido Mate Cycling Watchis one of the company’s newest products. It’s compatible with the C22 Pro, so I was sent one to try out with this ebike and the newFiido mobile app, which seems to only be available on Android at the time of publishing. For $100, it has a lot of great features, but it’s clearly still a new product that needs to work a few kinks out.
After unboxing and turning the watch on, I had to figure out how to switch it to English from Chinese based on icons. It’d be nice if the watch was able to recognize that it was a new user and ask which preferred language to use. Even though the watch and app are now set to English, there are still some settings that show up in Chinese.
When pairing the watch to a smartphone, it shows up as Fiido_S3, which is a confusing naming convention since it’s called the Fiido Mate. you’re able to only pair the watch to your smartphone or to the bike, but not both at the same time. It’s a pretty easy process to switch between being paired to the bike and to your smartphone, but this means you have to make a tough decision when you go for a ride.
If you pair the watch with the bike, it doubles as a second display for the C22 Pro. I can’t see a situation where I’d want to look at the same ride details on my watch rather than the main display while riding. However, you can view the speed and pedal-assist mode on your main display and all the other ride details on your watch display, or vice versa. This way, you can see all the details the bike has to offer at once without having to switch between display screens.
All your ride details from the bike will show up in the app, where you can share them with the Fiido community. Connecting the watch to your bike also enables a proximity sensor that turns the bike on as you get close and turns it off as you leave.
Or, if you want your watch to track your heart rate, calories burned, and other fitness metrics while you’re out for a ride, you have to pair the watch to your smartphone rather than the bike. The watch can also measure your blood oxygen and blood pressure, but only when you navigate to these screens on the watch face. Once a measurement has been taken, it’ll be logged in the app for you to view at any time.
The Fiido Mate is supposed to be able to track sleep patterns as well, but I’ve yet to see it track any of my sleep. It’ll also display notifications from some apps on your smartphone to the watch face. I’ve had an incoming phone call show up on the watch face, but none of my text notifications have come through.
Even though the Fiido Mate is still in its beginning stages, it’s neat to see the company exploring new ways to get people excited about riding. Getting on an electric bike is already a pretty fun experience, but when you can effortlessly turn your bike on and off just by wearing a smartwatch, that’s pretty cool.
Verdict: The C22 Pro, or E-Gravel, Is a Stellar Ebike
For most people, I think theFiido C22 Prois a fantastic option. At $1,599.99, it’s relatively affordable for what you get, which includes a torque sensor, hydraulic brakes, a 9-speed derailleur, a decent battery range, and a great display. On top of that, this ebike looks gorgeous with its thin frame and sleek coloring.
The only reasons I could see someone opting for something else would be if you want a higher max speed, a suspension system, or height-adjustable handlebars. If none of those features matter to you, you’ll absolutely love Fiido’s C22 Pro.
