Fiido T2 Review

The Fiido T2 is an electric longtail cargo bike rated to carry up to 200 kg. It runs an unusually large battery, uses a rear-hub motor and combines fatbike-style wheels with a low step-through frame. The question is how well those pieces work together. The source test covered more than 200 km over a month of use.

The Fiido T2 does not go unnoticed. There is the striking green colourway that draws the eye and prompts the first remarks from other cyclists, and above all the large 20 x 4-inch fatbike wheels that make it look more like a small scooter than a bicycle. That impression is reinforced by the front light, which also borrows from motorcycle styling.

Fiido plays on this ambivalence and owns it completely. Those big wheels also contribute to a very easy step-through: the longtail sits so low that you barely have to lift a leg to get on. That is a real asset, and a regular criticism of cargo bikes that do not make the same design effort. On this point Fiido is impeccable.

The deck at the rear looks fairly short at first glance, an impression confirmed later when two passengers wanted to use it.

The enormous battery is cleverly housed along the seat tube. That is almost certainly where its weight is best distributed, and its vertical position also makes it easy to reach. Fiido had the good idea of fitting a two-position saddle that lifts vertically to clear the path to the battery.

At the rear, the loading board is as basic as it gets and needs a few accessories before it can carry passengers. The total load capacity of the bike is 200 kg, including the rider.

On the handlebar there is a basic display on the left, along with a thumb throttle on the right that gets the bike moving without pedalling from a standstill. The device is not new, but it is interesting to find it on a bike this accessible. The handlebar then extends into a fairly rudimentary but welcome front rack; the alternative model sold in the manufacturer's online shop is considerably more practical, but it is a paid option.

The first challenge with the Fiido T2 begins as soon as the box is opened. Getting the bike out of it is an immediate demonstration of the weight of the machine, and then its assembly has to be finished.

That procedure is normal for a bike delivered in a box rather than collected from a shop. Most of the time it means straightening the handlebar and fitting the front wheel, the pedals and the few accessories supplied in the box. With the T2 there were a few extra surprises.

The reduced space between the brake pads meant they simply had to be swapped out. Fortunately a second set of pads is included in the box, and only then was it possible to slide the wheel in properly without the discs rubbing. The rest of the work went without a hitch, but the 7-speed Shimano Tourney transmission was poorly adjusted from the factory, so a few extra minutes were needed to sort out the shifting. In total it took about an hour of assembly, adjustment and checks before the bike could be ridden.

On a cargo bike, perhaps more than anywhere else, the equipment matters, because the considerable weight of the machine dictates the standard of the parts it needs.

Here Fiido is not always beyond criticism. The main issue concerns the transmission. The 7-speed Shimano Tourney is an entry-level product ill-suited to the demands of a bike like this, and simply of mediocre quality. It is clearly one of the biggest weak points of the T2.

The decision to fit a suspension fork at the front does not pay off particularly well. Its 60 mm of travel does not deliver impressive performance. Extremely soft, the fork helps take the edge off imperfections in the road but proves incapable of maintaining any real rigidity. The result is that you feel the jolts and lose precision in steering.

The kickstand is fairly basic but rather effective. It is a pity Fiido did not include a tab to rest a foot against when operating it, but it works well and is simple to use without having to bear the weight of the bike.

The good surprise comes from the brakes. This is a four-piston hydraulic system from Karasawa, and its behaviour is close to exemplary: braking is progressive, controlled, and can become sharp when the situation calls for it.

Like any cargo bike worthy of the name, the Fiido T2 carries specific equipment but also needs additions before it is genuinely useful day to day. For parents there are at least three: the footrests, the guard bar and the cushion.

As standard, Fiido includes a separation kit, which is the plastic cover that shields the rear wheel, along with a fairly basic front basket. The configuration covered here added a lateral guard bar of the monkey-bar type and rear footrests, both paid options.

In both cases the conclusion is the same: too short. The guard bar considerably reduces the space at the rear, and in practice it did not allow two children aged 5 and 11 to sit together without cramming them in. The footrest raises the same problem, being too small for two rear passengers.

The other issue, and perhaps the most significant with this equipment, is that the bike loses stability. Because the kickstand is minimalist, the bike tips sideways when a child uses the guard bar to climb aboard. Fiido does not claim otherwise: in its promotional images the brand always shows two independent child seats when illustrating the carrying capacity of the bike. On this point the T2 pays for its compactness.

The cushion supplied with the guard bar also deserves a mention. It would benefit from thicker padding and from a more suitable fixing system than the few poorly adjusted hook-and-loop straps that have to be tucked out of sight.

The most irritating detail of all is the key. The manufacturer chose to lock both the motor and the battery of the bike with a single key that inserts into the top of the large battery pack. That works well in theory. In practice there is a catch: the ignition has to be switched on every time to start the bike, and once it is on, the key has to stay in place while riding. It is not a key to attach to a keyring, on pain of losing everything at once, so using the T2 day to day means having to think about a key at all times.

On the other hand, and this is a strong point, the T2 has numerous anchor points for adding further accessories, and the manufacturer's official shop is well stocked with options for different needs.

The Fiido T2 puts its power unit in the rear wheel: a 250 W hub motor developing 55 Nm of torque. The good news is that it is paired with a torque sensor.

In the end this Mivice S200 motor proves reasonably well suited to basic use. Slightly undersized in the eco and normal modes, it pushes the rider towards Turbo mode whenever the bike is loaded, and it shows its limits most clearly on steep gradients, where 250 W works no miracles.

What really characterises the Mivice unit, though, is the noise it generates, which reinforces the impression of riding a moped. Anyone hoping to go unnoticed is not looking at the right cargo bike.

On the battery side, this is a large block sitting under the saddle, a pack of close to 1 kWh — 998.4 Wh to be precise, the biggest battery encountered on a bike in this test programme. It is not the most enduring, and the weight of the T2, at close to 40 kg, has plenty to do with that.

There is also a considerable gap between the figures published by the brand and reality. In a table on its own site headed as a real-world range test of the Fiido T2, the manufacturer quotes a colossal 136.26 km in eco mode and more than 100 km, or 102.45 km, in Turbo. It sets out its protocol as an 85 kg load, meaning rider plus equipment, on flat ground at 27 °C. With a lower weight and more variable temperatures, the recorded testing struggled to exceed 60 km in Turbo, which was the most-used mode.

What surprises during the first few turns of the wheel is the riding position, which is very unusual. The centre of gravity is low and the knees sit higher than normal, so the impression of being on a scooter is total.

Even so, the T2 is very easy to ride and, despite its considerable weight, remains highly manageable. Riding enjoyment is clearly one of the strong points of this bike, and despite that very timid suspension fork the longtail stays reasonably comfortable.

With plenty of qualities but also a fair number of flaws, the T2 still manages to make its case. One uncertainty remains, however, and it is significant enough to weigh on the decision to buy: repairability. The brand has been present in France for several years and can point to a local industrial presence, but that facility is an assembly line rather than a repair centre. On after-sales support and the availability of replacement parts, Fiido still has to prove itself over the coming months.