Nakto Folding OX Review 2024

The 500W motor and 480Wh battery pairing is maybe the most notable combo of parts that tips you off that the Nakto Folding OX is an e-bike on a budget. Fans of max assist should expect less than an hour of time in the saddle with such a pairing.

Now that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker though. I’m always happy to dish out credit where it’s due, and to Nakto’s credit they are one of a few e-bike manufacturers that set the expectation accordingly as they list about a 22-mile range on their website (many others are guilty of quoting the lowest assist range expectations).

From our testing, that claim checks out. We saw between 21-31 miles from our two different tests. It’s also notable that we held decent speeds during both tests, and the ability to get from A to B in a hurry is nice. Considering most rides one looks to take on a cruiser are likely to be under 20 miles anyway I’d say it’s an alright result.

To summarize my thoughts on the battery I’ll say this: not everybody will love charging the bike after every ride, which is likely to be the case here unless you’re making very short trips, but if you’re a weekend bike warrior who likes to just cruise around I think it’ll serve you well.

In my time speaking with people about what appeals to them about e-bikes I’d wager I hear more about how e-bikes can help on hills quoted more than any other aspect they bring to the table. That makes a lot of sense – for many people bikes transition from fun to work once a few degrees of incline get in your way.

So how does the Nakto Folding OX fair on hills? It does well – but to a point.

From the two hill tests that I conducted on the Folding OX to better see how a 500W, 52Nm motor could scale a hillside I thought it did great until it cut out.

The throttle-only test looked like it would make it to the top of our 1/3 mile, 12% grade test hill as it was holding decent speed into the second of the two steep pitches. However, motor power suddenly cut out on me forcing me to put a foot down.

Even on the PAS test, which I technically completed up to our segment point, the motor shut off shortly after finishing that test too.

Now, I can’t for sure say what occurred, so keep in mind that the following is an educated guess, but either the motor or the controller is able to shut down motor assistance in the event the motor starts running too hot. Considering it was giving full juice to a 230 lbs rider attempting to summit a steeper than most hill, it makes sense to me that the motor may have been running hot.

Now this result was a first for me on testing e-bikes, but I’m taking a glass-half-full viewpoint on it. Having a motor stop on me is something I’ll take any day over discovering what can happen if the motor overheats. Considering I didn’t encounter any motor shutoffs over the course of the several dozens of miles I put on the bike in normal hilly conditions also indicates to me that It’s not quick on the trigger to shut down per se either. Hell hole has seen many bikes fail to reach the top, this one just happened to call it for itself before the reviewer did which is fine by me.

When kept to normal riding conditions I think it’ll do fine, just know that it has limits if you are trying to tackle particularly steep roads on the regular.

Over the past two years we’ve started to see more and more Zoom hydraulic disc brakes come on bikes. It’s a brand that’s been able to supply at a time when many others have struggled with parts availability, so we’ve seen them come on more and more e-bikes. They’ve typically faired well in terms of performance.

This review of the Nakto Folding OX represents our first go around with Zoom mechanical disc brakes that I’m aware of, and it left a little to be desired. A stopping distance of 25’4” isn’t the result I’d typically hope for.

The purpose of our brake test – where we take the average of five attempts of riding the bike to 20mph before braking to measure overall stopping distance – is to get an idea of how well a bike can stop you in a hurry. Given that e-bikes produce higher speeds it’s essential to know you can counter that speed with good stopping power, and I’d say that the Nakto Folding OX was a bit lacking in that regard.

Upgrading the rotor from 160mm to 180mm would be a cost-effective solution, or if a jump to hydraulic brakes could happen for a few dollars more then I’d say it would be worth the price difference.

Before diving into the meat of the handling I think a quick PSA on bike assembly is worth talking about.

We review several DTC e-bike brands and considering the savings for the consumer we love how it makes e-bikes affordable and opens it up to more people finding an e-bike within their budget.

However, unless you’ve tuned your own bikes we do recommend taking DTC bikes, such as the Nakto Folding OX we reviewed, into a local mechanic for setup. Ours arrived needing some TLC with the shifting and brakes before we were ready to hit the road. We have seasoned bike mechanics here on staff, but average consumers will want to make sure things are set up properly by a more experienced professional.

Once you’ve got things dialed in the ride experience is overall pretty decent. The Shimano Tourney works fairly well with shifting, and I think the gear range on this bike works pretty well.I’m largely a fan of the 52T front chainring as it helps lower gearing levels feel like they have meaning (which isn’t often the case when using any amount of PAS on some other e-bikes).

The 60mm spring fork does okay at soaking up the impact of bumps in the road, and the spring dampened saddle will keep you at a relatively good comfort for how long you’re likely to be riding.

Given that the Folding OX is an upright cruiser, I expected handling to have the wide-turn radius that cruisers can be a bit notorious for having. Happily, I don’t think that was entirely the case here. It was more responsive than most of its peers in terms of navigating tighter turns, and the wider tire makes leaning into them a good overall handling experience. The handlebars and grips weren’t standouts in either a good or bad sense – several fairly standard harder rubber grips, simple LCD motor controller, and blaring horn that you see on many a budget e-bike.

The 20” X 4” fat tires roll decently and are capable of hitting some light dirt and sand areas with a little more sure of footing than a standard cruiser tire. The highlight for me is more in their handling on the road than the allure of taking them offroading.

Two areas for improvement on future Nakto Folding OX models would be in the weight distribution and the folding mechanism. The bike is heavier in the rear than the front half – a motor, battery, and upright rider make the backend account for more of the load and I sprang up more than I thought I would when pulling up on the curbs I went off. More of a quirk than an outright con, but something worth noting.

Folding bikes have a soft spot in the hearts of many. Whether it’s the ability to store them in an apartment more easily, or having the option to quickly toss it in the back of a truck, SUV or a car, there is definitely a reason they are in demand. One thing that the Nakto Folding OX doesn’t do that several competitors do is have a fold down handlebar. This means that my sedan couldn’t carry it around in the trunk (which I always hope to get away with when reviewing a folder) and I needed to get a bike rack or swap out for my wife’s SUV to haul it around. The highrise handlebars are unique to folders, but that’s the tradeoff you have to accept apparently is that you’ll have a taller profile than others when folded, and no way to avoid the handlebar width when hoping to close a trunk.

So here at the end of the review of the Nakto Folding OX I’ll answer the question likely on your mind: do I think this is the thousand(ish) dollar e-bike you should buy? Reviewer cop-out: it depends.

I grew fond of the way the Folding OX pulled so many different bike styles into one e-bike, and having ridden cruisers, fat tires, and folders extensively I do appreciate the taste it gives you into each of their respective worlds. I’m also a fan of sheer comfort you get from an upright cruiser with highrise handlebars – it nails the bombing around town feel I like for more leisurely rides – but the motor can definitely let you go fast if you’re looking for that too.

But as is always the case, the low price point means a few compromises are to be expected. It isn’t the most convenient folder on the market, though it still could be enough to make a difference for some out there. Also, I do think this bike needs to have stopping power more on par with the speeds it’s capable of.

I’d say the Nakto Folding OX is worth a hard look for the budget-conscious crowd who isn’t expecting the world from an e-bike but would like a fun little e-bike for shorter trips.

You can buy the Nakto Folding OX online and have it shipped to your front door.

‘Happy Riding, make sure to let us know if you have any questions down in our comments section or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Nakto Folding OX.