ADO Air - a new level in cycling
A huge step for ADO, this Air has become a very special bike!
As you probably know, ADO is not a very old company, but you also know that they have put a lot on the table so far. The range of European warehouse and service bases, the good support, and the wide product range speak for themselves. Last year, however, things happened behind the scenes that I already knew about, but you didn't. These things, or rather changes, meant the reorganization of the product range, giving way to the introduction of new products and product lines. But what does all this mean?
The manufacturer played a bit with its name. The full name read: The Dece Oasis (or ADO). That's it A bicycles with the symbol will have the standard (simple) design, the DECE, that is D class includes high-end bikes, the Oasis, that is O and the top bikes are included in the group. Even I don't know how much this was just a plan or how much they will follow this classification in reality, but it is already certain that the bikes of group A are available, and also that bikes belonging to group D are also available, these are the ones from last year introduced Dece 300 and Dece 300C, I was able to make a test and a video of the more serious of these, the C.
The only thing that causes uncertainty for me is the fact that the type of the bike just presented is the A20 Air (that is, this A), but due to its equipment, it should rather go to the top bikes. Well, what is it about, what kind of bike is the A20 Air, and why is it so special that I dare to call it a step up?
At first glance (or even at second glance) the A20 Air is a typical city bike. Aluminum frame, thin, 20-inch wheels, no active suspension. So it's a traditional-looking, folding city bike that we won't venture much outside of bike paths. However, the A20 Air is much more than just a bike, and much more than what we've had from ADO so far.
The first thing that stands out from the crowd is its weight, as it weighs only 20 kilos. This is only the weight of a larger scooter, which means that we can even drag it up the stairs without breaking under its weight. The name Air is clearly aimed at this filigree structure.
The second interesting feature is the presence of hydraulic brakes. In ADO's range, hydraulic brakes have so far only been available for the Dece 300 and 300C, but as the category order described above shows, group D is no longer the group of average bikes.
The third point of interest is the front and rear sprockets and the carbon ribbed belt connecting them. So the truth is that we can't really talk about a sprocket here, since the A20 Air doesn't have a chain, but a belt. This means a much quieter and much more flexible connection between the pedal and the rear wheel.
The fourth interesting thing is that this bike finally has a torque sensor instead of a pedal. Torque-sensing bikes represent the top class these days, here the motor doesn't turn on depending on whether you turn the pedal or not. When we start to turn the pedal, we get assistance almost immediately, and the amount of this assistance changes dynamically depending on how much force we have to turn. The greater the effort we invest, the greater the amount of assistance.
So here there is no throttle, no switchable gears, there is a system that works automatically and always provides just enough extra power and assistance.
The fifth interesting thing is that the batteries of this bike have been moved from the frame to the seat tube, which can be removed with one movement and taken to the apartment to charge the battery. It is also interesting that the type of batteries has also changed, they used the more expensive, better quality, faster charging and more discharging 21700 cells, which come from Samsung, 36 volts, and their capacity is 10Ah.
The sixth interesting feature is the ADO application, which was not available on any ADO bike until now. This means a unit that communicates via a Bluetooth connection built into the bike, and of course the phone application, through which the data can be queried. In addition, the app will also be suitable for navigation and for locking or unlocking the bike remotely (I think this means turning the assistance on and off, not a physical lock).
I think it is clear from what has been said so far that the A20 Air is definitely not A will be placed in a group, but I dare to risk that a Dnot in, but it is O will be his place. We already know essentially all the data of this high-end bike (except, for example, the exact range), one thing we don't know yet is how much it will cost.
The franking abilities will certainly not come cheap, even if at first glance the A20 Air looks like just a city bike. The torque sensor, the belt drive, the application, the hydraulic brakes, the weight of only 16 kilos, the on-board computer with IPS display really make the ADO A20 Air special.
