In today’s review, I focus on the Vakole Y-20 Pro electric bicycle and whether it’s worth buying. It’s a 20-inch fat-tyre bike you can fold to take on a trip—say, into the car—or stash away at the end of the season.
This bike has a few clever solutions: you sit on it like on a soft cloud, and it packs a decent punch. A couple of things, however, didn’t quite win me over. I invite you to watch the video. Up front I’ll add that the bike for this review came straight from the BuyBestGear store, which sells this and other models from warehouses in Poland.
If you plan to buy this bike and you use my link and discount code, you’ll get a rebate, and I’ll also receive a small commission that lets me keep the channel growing. Thanks for supporting my blog and channels! Let’s get started!
I take the parcel from the courier and… first surprise: the box is much smaller than I expected. Huge fat-bikes have already taught me that I always had to ask the courier to help carry the carton in.
- Store link: https://tinyurl.com/VakoleY20 3% discount code: BBGJOTEM
Here the box is half the size; the big VAKOLE logo jumps out at you. I grab the carton from underneath and try to lift it a bit. You can feel the weight, but it isn’t a brick load that makes you call the neighbour from the ground floor right away.
Assembly
When I cut the tapes, I instantly notice the first difference compared with most e-bikes that have passed through my living-room. Usually the manufacturer adds at least one modest leaflet with 3-D drawings and short arrows: step one—start with the handlebar, step two—fit the wheel. Here there’s no manual at all.
Most e-bikes come partially assembled and the user’s servicing is reduced to simple things, yet here I came across a few solutions I had to think through. On the manufacturer’s website I found a user guide, but for the previous generation of this bike. That generation arrived fully assembled, just folded in half. The user’s task was only to take the bike out, unfold it, mount the pedals and basically that was it.
Here you not only had to fit the folding steering column and the handlebar itself, but also mount the brake disc on the rim, install the axle while minding the correct order of washers and spacers, then tighten the reflectors, fit the saddle, screw on the pedals and attach the front basket. If you want to get wild, the set includes a special throttle grip for pure-electric riding.
EU regulations, however, do not allow e-bikes to be equipped with such devices, so I installed it at my own risk. Standard in the kit you also get a tool set, a pump, a multi-tool, the front basket, a display manual and a phone holder, which I managed to break the moment I unpacked it.
All together it takes me over an hour with the film cutaways, so without the camera—if you wanted to repeat the whole process at home—you’d wrap it up in an hour.
How did the assembly go? I recorded a separate video about it—link in the description. In short, it’s easiest to start with the steering column. Straighten it, loosen the clamp and slide on the second piece that sets the height. Next, fit the handlebar, which has its own clamp.
Tighten the clamp lightly to align the bar properly. When it’s in position, only then torque the bolts firmly. The plus side: all cables and extra bits like the display and horn are already mounted and connected. The next step is the front wheel. For easier fitting it’s best to flip the bike upside down. It turned out the front wheel lacked the brake disc, which lay separately.
I had to fiddle a moment because the screws for the disc were in a bag from another part. Finally I fitted the disc too and it was time to install the axle in the wheel. Here I had another doubt—beside the washers and retainers, the axle also had two spacers of different lengths. With no manual it was a bit of guesswork, but after studying the build I figured out how to seat them correctly.
Then came removing the temporary transport axle screwed into the fork, swapping in the wheel and making adjustments. The front calliper rubbed a little and I couldn’t dial it perfectly. The manufacturer advised riding a bit so everything beds in and only then adjust. In fact, after 50 km the brake stopped rubbing.
Next, a few odds and ends—mounting reflectors, I’d fitted the saddle earlier, and the front mudguard. Your own spanners are handier here than those in the kit, because the LED lamp is quite long and has an extra reflector that makes tightening with the short supplied wrench awkward.
I always try to build bikes with what the maker includes, but here I took the easy route a bit.
First impressions
When everything’s put together, the bike stands on its wheels and only then does it hit me that it doesn’t look like a child’s toy at all. Despite 20-inch rims it has a very nice geometry that also makes mounting easier. The matte grey frame and orange accents really play well together and simply look tasteful.
What surprised me? It’s the first bike with a rather intriguing rear light. Not only a running light and brake light, but also sweeping indicators like on new limousines. Almost invisible by day, at night—a hundred-percent showstopper. It doesn’t raise safety by two classes, yet it makes an impression on the path.
I mount for the first time. And here the magic happens—a huge seat swollen like a pouffe under your backside. The moment I sat, I felt like on a cloud, and I carry some kilos. My wife, many kilos lighter, said it’s the most comfortable bike she’s ridden so far.
Both of us agreed the lack of a rear shock doesn’t matter. That sponge really swallows every bump. The bike has a low step-through frame, so you get on without swinging your leg—anyone who dislikes gymnastics at stops or lights will appreciate that.
Interestingly, the bike folds. Mid-frame there’s a special latch that releases the lock. The frame then hinges a full 180 degrees—wheel to wheel. The handlebar has its own hinge, so you can fold it too. In the unfolded position it helps wheel the folded bike. In the end you can fold it with the bar and stash it in a corner or take it in the car. Unfolding takes no more than 15 seconds.
Will I do it every day? I doubt it. Extras like a bag or mirrors force extra care when folding, and even filming how to fold it, I managed to scratch the mudguard with the pedals. Yet if you work in an office block and have a medium-size lift—this trick really saves your life. I’ll probably fold it only after the season so it doesn’t eat up space among other stuff in the garage.
Motor, battery and assist
Before I powered up the bike, I charged the battery fully. The Vakole Y-20 Pro comes in two motor versions—250 W and 750 W. You also choose battery capacity: 20 ampere hours (that’s 960 Wh) or 30 ampere hours (1,440 Wh).
The batteries use Samsung cells (smaller one) and EVE cells (larger) and run at 48 V. For the bike’s mass the smaller pack is fully sufficient and that’s what I picked. I also chose the more powerful motor because I like cutting loose off-road and that’s how I test all e-bikes. This motor gives 60 Nm of torque.
PAS packs a punch
The Y-20 Pro has a classic cadence sensor—simple, cheap, reliable. A slight crank turn and the motor kicks in. By default the bike is limited to the EU standard (it’s certified): 25 km/h cap and no throttle. I installed the throttle separately, and in the service menu you can quite easily unlock full power.
Unlike Duotts bikes, you can set any top speed here and choose 3 or 5 assist levels. It matters because the controller automatically splits the chosen max speed across the assist levels, so you can tailor the bike to your liking. I set 38 km/h. Why that? During tests I saw that’s the maximum speed at which you can still half-decently pedal.
Remember folding bikes are tuned for Europe’s 25 km/h limit, so the gears target mainly that range. The motor is strong enough that on throttle alone it’ll go past 40 km/h, but then you spin the cranks with no resistance, which isn’t fun.
How about motor responsiveness? Big surprise—absolutely zero delay. A quarter turn, a hefty dose of power, your elbows straighten. Maybe it’s my inner kid, but that’s exactly what I expect from a fat-tyre e-bike: I want to feel that thrust when I ask for it.
Only downside: after unlocking full power, the bike is too responsive. If you don’t use the throttle, only PAS—once you hit the set speed, the motor cuts out. When that speed drops, it kicks back in instantly. Riding up a gentle hill, this can cause a jerky effect.
There’s a simple fix—enter the PAS settings and instead of the factory sensitivity 12/12, set the lowest. Assist activation is then less twitchy and more civilised for those who want smoother power.
Real-world range
You ask about range—and rightly so, because the leaflet numbers are always a lottery. My bike has the 20 Ah battery and trust me, I wasn’t riding to the shop for rolls. Our favourite routes are mainly dirt roads, a bit of gravel—the more adrenaline, the better. Hitting such a route at an average even 30 km/h, after nearly 50 km I still had half the battery left.
Translated into a plain forecast that gives an easy 70 km at that riding style and more if you cruise gently. But remember range depends on many factors: ambient temperature, rider weight, riding style and terrain. Every hill and every throttle squeeze drains percent faster than a 4-litre Jeep’s fuel gauge.
Ride impressions—what we liked and what not
For testing we took 3 e-bikes on a highly varied track with one goal—finish as fast as possible. The lineup: the Vakole Y-20 Pro, the Engwe Engine 2.0 (also a 20-inch folder) and the mighty cruiser fat-bike Orzel K17.
The course was roughly 20 % tarmac, the rest gravel, stones, fields, concrete slabs and plain dirt. Very demanding and totally not for city 20-inchers. That’s why we were curious, especially since we decided to ride it at maximum possible speed—blasting over stones or fields so fast you can’t pedal. And since I wanted impressions, every 10 km we swapped bikes.
We clocked a total of 60 km. Surprisingly, everyone getting off the Vakole had the same wide grin. It’s a really compact, lively machine that can keep up with bigger rigs in varied terrain, unafraid of stones or sand. What steals the show from the first second is the superb saddle—the thickest, softest I’ve tried on an e-bike. I’m thrilled. The lack of rear suspension doesn’t hurt at all because that foam sucks up most vibrations.
In daily use I appreciate the clever handle cast into the frame. The bike weighs about 36 kg, so grabbing that handle exactly at the centre of gravity lets you surprisingly easily hop a few steps or move it in the garage. At the back there’s a beefy rack set away from the pedals—the pannier doesn’t rub your heels, which on narrow folders is far from obvious. Downside? If you want to slim the Vakole by removing the rack, you’ll have nowhere for the brake-light; you’ll need to make a mount.
Up front is a basket bolted to the frame, so it doesn’t turn with the bar. Handy, but the basket is shallow—without straps a bottle or jumper can pop out on the first bump. Better order a couple of bungees straight away or a smart retractable strap.
Paintwork—though offered only in one scheme—appealed to me. Graphite matt looks great with orange touches. The paint holds up nicely, welds are neat and the hinge latch closes with a loud, confidence-inspiring click.
The front fork is a short springer—fine on cobbles, limited in the woods, but here the wide balloon tyres save the day, swallowing small roots and stones.
Stopping is one of the Vakole’s strong suits. Hydraulic stoppers with large discs rear up even under full load, though the levers sit far from the grips. Riders with small hands have to reach further. There’s also no bite-point adjust in the levers.
The front calliper rub I heard in the first kilometres indeed vanished after a dozen k—here the maker was right: “let it bed in”. The rims are aluminium, dead straight, zero wobble even after bombing over field and gravel.
Pedals? A bit slippery, narrow platforms mounted rather low. In an aggressive lean they can touch down, and off-road you need to level the cranks before a rut.
The nit-pick list begins with an average front lamp run by an enormous switch (really, it could be half the size) and ends with the brilliant rear lamp: running light, brake light and animated indicators straight from a limo. Indicators are clear mainly after dark, but it’s still a gimmick unheard of in this class.
Pity there’s no room atop the bar for mirrors—the set includes mirrors, but you can mount them sensibly only “downwards”, which not everyone likes.
On the left side of the bar we have a rather large module for lights, horn and indicators. Next to it a tiny display whose three rubber buttons (plus, minus, power) are set at right angles to the screen. When I angle the screen so I can see the speed, the buttons hide under the bar.
Hitting them with a normal finger is tricky; in gloves it’s almost impossible. Biggest switch on the bike—the lamp; smallest—the assist controls. The reverse would make more sense.
The drive in the Vakole is great, but it’s still a simple cadence sensor. So the bike will accelerate us to the speed assigned to that assist level. Some riders like this type of aid; others prefer torque sensors. For everyday riding, the drive does the job. Climbing bigger hills, however, means you have to pedal.
I must also mention one aspect a viewer pointed out. He asked if I’d experienced a momentary loss of assist. Indeed, over the total 150 km of testing, it happened to me a few times.
If you stop pedalling briefly or back-pedal, assist resumes, but it can be irritating because it’s completely random. It’s not a power cut—the display stays on.
Also worth noting is the riding position. Besides the praised saddle, the adjustable bar height is great. It’s very comfortable to ride; neither back nor hands ache. You just gobble up kilometers and can’t wait for more.
Who is this bike for?
For people who ride mainly in the city but like to hop onto dirt roads now and then. For those living in a block with a lift or a small garage—folding makes storage easier. For people wanting a well-made, small fat-bike for good money.
For those needing larger overall e-bike range. For older riders who’ll appreciate easy mounting, a comfy position and an upright posture that relieves the spine.
Who is it not for?
For people who mainly ride heavy terrain. For those living in a block with no lift and nowhere to store a bike. The bike weighs 40 kg with the battery; without it it’s still about 35 kg. This and previously tested e-bikes are not a good gift for a child.
Discount coupon
If you plan to buy this bike and use my link and discount code, you’ll get a rebate, and I’ll also receive a small commission that helps grow the channel. Thanks for supporting my blog and channels! Thank you for watching and see you in the next videos.
- Store link: https://tinyurl.com/VakoleY20 3% discount code: BBGJOTEM
