British folding e-bike maker FLIT has just unveiled its latest lightweight folding e-bike, the FLIT M2i. And at just 13.3 kg (29.3 lb), this thing is getting impressively light for a fully equipped electric bike.

In fact, FLIT is rather proudly pointing out that the M2i weighs 500 grams (1.1 lb) less than Brompton’s Electric T Line, while carrying a £2,999 price tag that is nearly half Brompton’s £5,799 price.

In the past, the company has poked fun at its local competitor, once offering its own premium folding e-bike for the same price as Brompton’s, but doing so by packaging a 1 lb (450g) can of expensive luxury caviar along with it.

I’ve previously tested an early version of FLIT’s folding e-bike, and it was one of those products that stuck with me. It definitely wasn’t merely another folding bike with a motor bolted onto it. The bike rode surprisingly well for something that folded down so compactly, and the engineering was genuinely interesting. There simply aren’t that many companies trying truly new things with the basic folding e-bike formula.

That’s why I’m particularly excited to see what FLIT has done with the M2i.

The new model sheds 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) compared to the standard M2, but FLIT didn’t resort to an exotic titanium frame to get there. Instead, the company uses its custom aluminum frame manufactured in Cambridge with structural adhesives rather than traditional welding.

It’s a technique borrowed from aerospace and high-performance automotive manufacturing, where structural bonding can avoid the heat distortion associated with welding and help maintain precise alignment.

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