Fiido Air Review Ireland: Is a 13.75 kg E-Bike Worth €1,499?

There's a moment that sells more Fiido Airs than any spec sheet. Someone comes into the shop in Ballymount, we lift the Air off the floor with one hand and pass it to them, and they laugh. That's it. A full-size, full-carbon electric bike that weighs 13.75 kg, about the same as an ordinary hybrid, when most of the e-bikes on our floor are 20 to 30 kg.

So this is our honest Fiido Air review, written from the shop floor in Dublin, not a press kit. We've sold 19 of them in the past year, seven of those in October alone, and most through the Bike to Work Scheme. It has 21 customer reviews averaging 4.7 out of 5. We also know exactly what people ask before they buy it, and what they say after. Here's the lot.

Who the Fiido Air is for

The Air is for the person who has been put off e-bikes by the weight. If you live in an apartment with no lift, carry your bike into the office, take it on the DART or simply hate wrestling 25 kg through a hall door, this is the bike that fixes that. It's also for the rider who wants something that looks like a nice bike rather than a machine, with the battery hidden in the frame and no cables hanging off it.

It's not for everyone. If you want a throttle, big range, suspension or a bike that laughs at the hill up to Howth Summit with a week's shopping on the back, look at the rest of our Fiido range instead. More on that further down.

The weight is the whole point

13.75 kg is a number worth putting in context. Here's how the Air compares with the e-bikes it sits beside on our floor:

The difference you feel isn't on the flat. It's on the stairs, at the bike rack, lifting it onto a train, and when the battery is empty and you're pedalling a bike rather than dragging one. A 25 kg e-bike with a flat battery is a chore. The Air with a flat battery is just a bike.

How it rides

The Air uses a Mivice M070 mid-drive motor and a torque sensor, which is the combination that makes a good e-bike feel like a good bike. A torque sensor measures how hard you're pushing on the pedals and matches it, so the assistance arrives instantly and smoothly rather than with the lurch you get from a cheaper cadence sensor. Push gently and it's gentle. Stand on the pedals at the lights and it goes.

It's rated at 250W with assistance to 25 km/h, which is the legal limit for a pedelec in Ireland, and there's no throttle. That's not a cost-cutting choice. It's what keeps the Air classed as a bicycle on Irish roads: no tax, no insurance, no licence, and it can be bought through the Bike to Work Scheme. Above 25 km/h, you're pedalling a very light bike, and on the flat you'll find yourself doing exactly that.

The single-speed belt drive takes a bit of explaining to people used to gears. There are none. The motor is your gears. On the flat and on Dublin's ordinary rises it's never an issue, because the motor adds more the harder you push. On a proper climb, the kind where you'd normally drop three gears, you'll feel the single ratio and work for it. Fiido rates it for a 12 degree incline. The hill up to Dalkey or the back road up Killiney is fine with effort. Loaded panniers and a long steep climb every day is where you'd want a geared bike.

The ride itself is firm. It's a rigid carbon frame and fork on 700 x 40C tyres, so there's no suspension, but the tyres are wide enough to take the edge off Dublin's cycle lanes and the carbon takes out the buzz that an aluminium frame passes straight up your arms. The hydraulic disc brakes are strong and easy on the hands in the wet, which matters more here than almost anywhere.

Range: the honest bit

This is the trade-off, so let's be straight about it. The Air carries a 208.8 Wh battery built into the frame. That's small. A Fiido C11 Pro carries about 500 Wh. Fiido's own test gives 60 km in Normal mode and 52 km in Sport mode, on a flat course with a light rider in good weather.

In real Dublin use, in winter, with a bit of wind and a few hills and the assist turned up, plan for noticeably less. For a commute of 8 to 12 km each way, that's a charge every two or three days, and the charger does a full charge in 3 to 4 hours from a normal socket. For a 25 km each-way commute in December, it's the wrong bike without the extender.

One of our customers put it exactly right in his review: brilliant for short trips, but the range is limited for longer commutes. He gave it four stars. That's a fair score and a fair summary.

The fix, if you need it, is the range extender battery (€259). It's a second 208.8 Wh pack that mounts on the frame and roughly doubles the range. The nice thing is you only carry it when you need it. Leave it at home and the bike stays at 13.75 kg.

The belt drive: no chain, no oil, no trousers ruined

The GATES carbon belt is one of the Air's best features and the one people underrate until they've lived with a chain through an Irish winter. There's no oil, so no grease on your trousers. It doesn't rust. It doesn't stretch and skip. It's near silent. The maintenance is: nothing, for years. Combined with hydraulic brakes and no derailleur, the Air is about as low-maintenance as a bike gets, which is part of why it suits someone who wants transport, not a hobby.

The clever bits

• Fingerprint unlock. The bike powers on with your finger on the top tube, and a tap switches assist modes. No key, and no display on the bars to steal.
• Integrated lights. Front and rear, run off the main battery, so they're always there for the dark evenings.
• No display. There isn't a screen on the bars. Ride data lives in the Fiido app, or on the Fiido Watch if you have one. Some people love the clean bars; some miss a battery percentage in front of them. Decide which you are before you buy.
• IP54 water resistance. Fine for Irish rain. Not fine for a pressure washer.
• Quick-release front axle, onboard screwdriver for the seat height, and a 120 kg rider limit.
• Red Dot Design Award 2024. It's a good-looking bike, and people tell you so at the lights.

Here's Fiido's own film of it:

Sizing: get this right

The Air comes in three frame sizes. Unlike a lot of e-bikes, it's a proper bike geometry, so the size matters:

• M: 165 to 175 cm (5'5" to 5'9")
• L: 170 to 190 cm (5'7" to 6'3")
• XL: 185 to 205 cm (6'1" to 6'9")

If you're between sizes, call in and sit on it. The seatpost has a good range, but the reach to the bars is what decides comfort on a bike like this. Stock on each size comes and goes, so if you need a particular size for Christmas or a Bike to Work deadline, ring first.

What €1,499 actually costs through Bike to Work

The Air's price is no accident. At €1,499 it sits one euro under the €1,500 Bike to Work limit for an electric bike, which is why most of the ones we sold this year went through the scheme. Your employer buys the bike, you repay it from gross salary, and you skip tax, USC and PRSI on the whole amount.

On our Bike to Work savings calculator, that comes to roughly €1,090 at a €30,000 salary, €790 at €55,000 and €715 at €80,000 on 2026 rates. Spread over 12 months, the top-rate figure is about €60 a month for a carbon e-bike. If you're applying before the end of the year, our Bike to Work before year end guide covers the December payroll deadlines.

Not through work? Humm and Klarna instalments are available in the shop and online.

The complete package

The Air comes as a bare, beautiful bike: no mudguards, no kickstand, no rack. For Ireland you'll want at least the first one.

• Mudguards (€89): the one add-on we'd call essential in Ireland. Without them the Air sprays your back on every wet road.
• Range extender (€259): if your commute is over 15 km each way, or you want weekend spins.
• Kickstand (€50): there isn't one as standard. Carbon bikes are fussy about where you lean them.
• Lock (€49) and GPS tracker (€35): a €1,499 carbon bike needs both. Our dark evenings kit guide covers locking up properly.
• Spare charger (€60): one for home, one for the office, and you'll never carry it.

What it adds up to: the Air with mudguards, a lock and a tracker is €1,672. Through Bike to Work, the scheme covers €1,500 and you pay the €172 difference to us before handover. Add the range extender and it's €1,931, with €431 to pay directly or spread with Humm or Klarna.

The honest bits

• Range is the compromise. 208.8 Wh is small. Plan on charging every two to three days on a normal commute, and budget for the extender if you ride far.
• Single speed means hills take effort. The motor helps a lot, but on a long steep climb you'll miss gears.
• No suspension, no mudguards, no kickstand, no display. It's a clean bike by design. Add what you need.
• It's carbon. Don't clamp the frame in a workstand, don't lean it on sharp edges, and if you crash it hard, get it checked. Carbon doesn't dent, it cracks.
• Stock is thin. It sells in small numbers, we often have one size on the floor, and sizes restock from Fiido's EU warehouse in weeks, not days. Ring before you set your heart on a size.
• It's €1,499. You can buy a heavier e-bike with twice the range for €600 less. You're paying for carbon, the belt and the weight, and only you know if that's worth it.

Fiido Air alternatives at Inner City Scooters

• Fiido C21 (from €975): a 250W Mivice hub motor with a torque sensor, the same 208.8 Wh battery, 9-speed gears, and mudguards, lights and a kickstand in the box. 17.5 kg, aluminium. The sensible choice if you want hills and a lower price.
• Fiido D3 Pro Mini (€579): small, 17.3 kg, our most-sold e-bike this autumn. Not in the same class, but if "light and cheap" is the brief, it's the answer.
• Engwe ZIP (€1,049): a 19.4 kg folder with a 360 Wh battery. Less elegant, more range, folds for the car boot.
• Fiido C11 Pro (€1,075): the classic commuter with a big battery and a rack. 24.5 kg, so a different proposition for stairs.

Our Fiido, Engwe or Pixar guide compares the brands if you're starting from scratch.

Is the Fiido Air road legal in Ireland?

Yes. It's a pedelec: a 250W motor, pedal assist only, cutting out at 25 km/h. Under Irish law it's a bicycle, so no tax, insurance or licence, and you can use cycle lanes. It's eligible for the Bike to Work Scheme, and we're the official Fiido seller in Ireland, so warranty and servicing are handled here in Dublin. It comes with a 1-year warranty.

Looking after it

• Charge indoors, with the charger that came with it, while you're home. Our winter charging guide has the rest.
• Keep the belt clean. A rinse and a dry cloth is all it needs. No lube, ever.
• Store it around half charge if it's parked up for a few weeks.
• Bring it in for a check after the first few hundred kilometres. Our Dublin workshop services Fiido bikes and we hold the chargers and spares.

Our verdict

The Fiido Air is a specialist. If your e-bike life involves stairs, lifts, trains, tight hallways and a commute under 15 km each way, it's the best bike we sell for the job, and the one we'd pick ourselves. It rides like a proper bike, needs almost no maintenance and looks the part. If your life involves long distances, big hills or carrying a lot, buy the C21 or the C11 Pro and keep the change. Either way, come in and lift it. That's usually the moment the decision gets made.

Come and see it

The Air is on the floor at Unit 19B, Fashion City, Ballymount Road Upper, Dublin 24 (D24 YT68). Try it for size, ask about Bike to Work, and we'll build the quote with you on the spot.

• Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm, closed Sunday
• Phone: 01 263 5707
• WhatsApp: message us here
• Email: info@innercityscooters.com

We deliver across Ireland and the EU, and the Air ships boxed free to anywhere in Ireland, or built, charged and safety-checked for €50 on store collection and Dublin delivery.

Last updated 13 November 2026. Specifications from Fiido. Range figures are Fiido's test results and will vary with rider, route and weather.