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as a Brompton owner I honestly couldn't recommend them enough - and the electric ones are very nippy (speedy and helpful) but these come at a whopping cost and they really are quite a lot heavier. so, kinda depends on the person and the use case! even if your mum doesn't lift it, or even fold it often, they are handy. re: cost, they are long term investments and come with a lifetime guarantee iirc, plus a ton of add-ons to make it perfect for your use case. i had a different folding bike before and the Brompton is an order of magnitude better imo.
but as you clarified - compact bikes not necessarily folding bikes, honestly i really couldn't say without speaking to your mum! you may have to yolo it and pick the best one given the data you have (lightweight, fairly affordable, can attach some kind of pannier or rack or basket, easily mounted/dismounted so a low bar/stepthrough, eBike or not) and in six months or a couple years you'll (and she'll) have a clearer idea of whether this is the right bike for her - in which case you can sell up and refine and get a bike better fit for her purposes. i think you're doing a great job of exploring options!
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ioreka
Thanks!
Purchase will most likely be postponed until spring 2021 as she would not be driving around on a bike much in the winter months anyway.
I have been using my folding bike (which is actually not fold-able) a lot recently and couldn't help but think that this kind of bike would be a lot easier to handle for my mum compared to a regular "big" bike.
As the bike would presumably be used for short-ish shopping / "leisure" trips, wouldn't that be a good option?
Are there folders / "little bikes" with electrical assist some of you can recommend?
Didn't dare to check the prices yet but wouldn't a Bromton eBike actually be a good idea?
Please correct me if I'm wrong but I get the impression a small bike would be much easier to handle and less problematic in case of a fall?