Like with everything else in life, buying an electric bicycle is a matter of prioritizing and choosing accordingly. Though the e-bike bubble has lost some air recently, e-bikes are still an expense that takes proper consideration.
So, if you're on the market for an e-bike, you should spend your money wisely. You have to decide whether you need it for city riding on the daily commute, or for the kid's commute, or if you want something bigger, heavier, or more expensive, like a cargo bike that would also allow you to run errands and do the weekly grocery run. If you're into fishing, hunting, or hiking in remote places outside of town, then you're looking at a bigger expense.
But what if there was a bike that could do all these things and, just as importantly, do each and every one of them right? That's what Titan wants to do, to be the "bike that caters to all your needs," regardless of the scenario, the payload it'd be carrying, the terrain you'd be riding on, or your riding style.
Fiido calls it the SUV on two wheels, and it is just that. Titan is a beast on two beastly wheels, with a powerful motor and safety features you won't find on other fat-tire bikes, and a bunch of surprises as well – and it's still affordable, too.
Design Evaluation
Titan is part of the new and more diverse range of e-bikes from OEM Fiido meant to cater to every segment of the market and announced at the end of 2022. Titan itself made its official debut in November last year, with the first unit shipping just a short while later. It is geared toward the more adventurous cyclist or, oppositely, a more utility-focused one since it's designed with certain features you'll find on cargo bikes.
Titan is whatever you imagine when you hear the name. It's big, tall, wide, and heavy. But size is by far the most important thing about this e-bike, as anyone getting a single ride on it can attest. That would be its stability on the road or any terrain and how surprisingly smooth and nimble, reliable and versatile it is.
Titan is offered in two configurations, the basic one and the long-range version. In the basic configuration, which is still way more than what you find on most fat-tire bikes, you get the bike with a battery, a rear wooden seat, a front rack, and pannier bags. The long-range spec is for those who leave for the entire week on their bike, so it offers two additional batteries for extended range, promising up to 400 km (248.5 miles) of assisted riding.
I was offered the former configuration for these tests.
The Titan still bears the same design language common to the new range of Fiido two-wheelers, though it's better hidden under the beastly exterior. It's mostly noticeable in the design of the cockpit, where you'll find the same large, centrally mounted display for detailed stats with controls, and, of course, the focus on delivering a quality product at a decent price point.
Titan gets adjustable 60 mm front suspension and rides on 26-inch wheels clad in 4-inch fat tires, which is fairly standard for this type of e-bike. What's not standard is the one-piece wheels, which were designed specifically for this model with the goal of making them more durable and maintenance-free.
Power comes from a single 696Wh battery hidden in the downtube, accessible from underneath but protected from splashes or accidental scratches by a plastic cover. It's this kind of detail that shows that Fiido really cares about making a quality product. Sure enough, the cover feels like cheap plastic to the touch, but it's still a physical barrier between the battery and whatever you encounter on your outings. You have three different ways to unlock and remove the battery, and that again speaks in the maker's favor for commitment to a job well done.
The motor is a 750W rear hub one, peaking at 1000W, but limited to EU territories to just 250W and a maximum assisted speed of 25 kph (15.5 mph). There's an easy way to unlock it if you want to ride on private property without limitations, so you can max out at 45 kph (28 mph) on torque alone. Unlocking the motor is reversible and won't void any warranty since it's only a combination of buttons.
A 9-speed derailleur complements the five levels of pedal-assists (PAS), so you can ride at your most comfortable regardless of the terrain you're crossing. You can still break a sweat if that's how you like it, but you can also glide almost effortlessly – or altogether effortlessly on torque. The torque shifter on the right handlebar also helps with kicking off at dead starts.
Titan gets four-piston hydraulic brakes and a torque sensor designed for cargo bikes. The saddle is the Velo cargo model, so plush, large, and comfortable. The standard spec includes a powerful light with an integrated horn, a taillight with a braking light that comes in handy in heavy traffic, and IP54 rating for the whole bike. The step-through frame makes the bike suitable for riders between 155 cm (5.0') and 200 cm (6.5').
Maximum payload is 200 kg (441 lbs), which includes the 37.8 kg (83.3 lbs) of the bike with one battery. Yes, the Titan is as heavy as it's big, but take it from a girl: you can still haul it up and down a flight of stairs if you have to. Maximum payload is also about 50 kg (110 lbs) more than what you'd get with similar e-bikes.
Real World Application
Like with all the other new e-bikes from Fiido, you'll notice the focus on quality the moment you unbox the Titan. The bike is wrapped in protective plastics and cardboard, with the front wheel and handlebar packed separately and a separate accessories box with a very neat, clean arrangement of tools and parts.
Assembly is required, but Fiido provides both a detailed owner's manual in the box and online tutorials that make the job easier. Since this is a heavy-duty bike by design and utility, a checkup at a local bike shop is strongly recommended after you're done, if only to make sure you did everything right.
Titan is described as the e-bike tailor-made for adventures, for fishing and hunting trips, weekend getaways and even week-long outings with the extra batteries. But it's just as suitable for inner city streets, where you can put it to use as a cargo bike thanks to the extra payload capacity, the daily commuter for yourself or your kid, and your own personal errand-running machine. Its dimensions allow you to ride it on standard cycle paths, but it sticks out like a sore thumb.
A Titan ride is smooth and very stable, but the bike is also impressively fast, even without motor assistance. You'd think a machine this heavy would also be heavy on the road or heavy to control, but it's anything but. Just like Fiido promises, the Titan is made to make your life easier, whether you're an adventurer type or even someone with certain medical conditions who can't ride a conventional bicycle.
The addition of the front rack and pannier bags to the standard configuration is a welcome one, extending the bike's utility beyond weekend outings outside the city and bridging the gap with a cargo bike. Equipped this way, the Titan is just the machine to help you beat traffic and get the weekly groceries checked off the list.
Bluetooth connectivity pairs the Titan with the Fiido App or the Fiido Mate smartwatch, so you can monitor your stats there, if checking the second menu on that truly beautiful display is not to your liking. The Mate allows remote unlocking of the bike, which means you can ride off as soon as you hop on the bike without having to press the battery and power buttons.
The only downsides to the Titan that I encountered are the horn and the lack of a down button for PAS levels on the left handlebar, the latter of which I've taken issue with on other Fiido bikes.
You get five levels of pedal-assist, ranging from low to high as Eco, Normal, Sport, Turbo, and Turbo+. You can move up and down these levels with ease from the main display, but while in motion, it's more convenient to do so with the left-hand controls. The problem is that you have a single "up" button here, so if you're in Sport mode and wish to go down to Normal, you have to go through Turbo, Turbo+, and Eco first, which feels like a waste of time and energy.
As for the horn, it isn't as loud as Titan would deserve. Since it's integrated into that massive front light, it's facing the rider, so you're getting the brunt of the noise, not whoever you're trying to warn.
Other than that, Titan lives up to the promise of being "a safe, reliable, and versatile fat-tire e-bike at an exceptional value." I might add that it's also super-fast (*for an EU bike) and super-fun, regardless of whether you ride it on asphalt, gravel, mud, or snow.
Conclusion
Fiido Titan is a massive bike that seems like a lot to handle at first sight, but it has a steep learning curve thanks to the extra focus on safety and performance. Fiido deliberately set out to create a fat-tire bike that would integrate certain features from cargo bikes, such as the proprietary torque sensor, the frame, the one-piece wheels, and the overall versatility of the bike, and the result is outstanding.
Titan handles exceptionally well on all terrains, with or without additional cargo. It's fast, it's responsive, and it's reliable – though it's not particularly silent as you up motor assistance. It tackles hills effortlessly or with whatever degree of effort you're personally comfortable with. It takes obstacles and rough patches like a champ and can substitute a daily driver on the weekly grocery run.
At €1,699/$1,699 for the standard configuration (the extended battery combo is €2,397/$2,397), it's a complete solution for any cyclist, whatever their needs, preferences, or even physical condition.
Pros
- Sturdy
- Very comfortable
- Powerful (surprisingly so for EU riders)
- Highly responsive
- Good range
- Hydraulic brakes
- Extended utility
- App & smartwatch connectivity
- Excellent visibility on the display
- Quality finishes
- Bonus accessories
Cons
- No down button for PAS on the left handlebar
- Needs a louder horn
Rating: 5 / 5