The ADO D30 eBike offers a massive 90 km range, with a top speed of 25 km/h with assisted pedal power. The 250 W motor is enough to make any hill an absolute breeze, and the battery can store enough juice to ensure you can complete fairly lengthy commutes without losing too much juice. If you do, the battery is removable for easy charging and as an added security measure. An excellent ride for anyone seeking a pedal-assisted hybrid bike, that is great on roads, gravel, loose stone—and it eats hills for breakfast.

Specifications
  • Brand: ADO
  • Battery: 10.5 Ah
  • Weight: 22 kg
  • Maximum Speed: 25 km/h
  • Brake Style: Hydraulic disc
  • Frame Material: Aluminum alloy
  • Wheel Size: 27.5 inches
  • Suspension: Front suspension
  • Motor (W): 250
  • Range: 90 km
  • Electronic Power Assist: Yes
  • Charging: Power source only
  • Connectivity: USB-A for charging
Pros
  • Huge range
  • Easy assembly
  • Simple to operate and ride
  • Pedal assist allows you to still exercise
  • Adjustable suspension on the fly
  • Great braking system
Cons
  • Ridiculous packaging foam
  • No rear light
Buy This Product
ADO D30 hybrid eBike

Cycling is an excellent pursuit. Not only do you get to see further afield than your immediate locale, much quicker than on foot, but it is also an excellent mode of transport that benefits you and the environment.

In rides the ADO D30, a $2,432 (at time of writing) eBike that offers a pedal assist function; great if you want some help to tackle those hills, but when you also don't want to have the bike's motor doing absolutely everything for you.

The D30 is available to buy now, from Banggood, or from ADO directly.

So, what is the ADO D30 eBike like? Let's put our foot to the pedal and find out...

What Comes in the Box?

ADO D30 packaging

The ADO D30 ships in a large bike box, and some assembly is required before you can get it going. Our test device also came encased in carbonite expanding foam, and it was an absolute nightmare to remove. I mean, granted, it certainly protected the bike, but there must be a better way to ship it other than with 146,224 cubic centimeters of expanding foam.

Not only that, but using this much foam is terrible for the environment. It doesn't wash away with water like Greenfill packing, or decompose easily like biodegradable packing peanuts, so it pretty much sticks around... forever.

Once I had spent 20 minutes chiseling away the packaging while avoiding it blowing around my garden, I discovered the box contained:

  • ADO D30 eBike
  • ADO D30 bike seat
  • eBike battery
  • eBike battery charger
  • Battery release keys
  • Bicycle pump
  • Smartphone mount
  • Assembly tools
  • Quick start guide
  • Instruction manual

And that is it; pretty much what you'd expect to get from an eBike.

Assembling the ADO D30 eBike

ADO D30 out of packaging

Putting the bike together isn't particularly difficult. It is the unpacking that will cause you the most inconvenience before you first peddle off on your new eBike.

You'll need to install the following, which you can do with the included tools, or you simply fasten the quick release lock:

  • Install bike seat (quick release lock)
  • Fix the handlebars in place (using a hex key, provided)
  • Install the front wheel (quick release lock)
  • Attach the peddles to the crank arms (using a spanner, provided)
  • Charge and install the battery (locks into place)

Overall, unpacking the parts, checking to ensure everything was present, and assembling the bike, took about 60 minutes, including clearing up any stray detritus like bits of packing foam and cable-ties.

Let's Take a Tour de France Around the ADO D30

ADO D30 installed handlebar

The ADO D30 eBike actually looks pretty cool. Our test device comes in a nice gunmetal gray color, although you can also get it in a silver colorway, and ADO crafts the frame from aluminum alloy. This makes the frame itself pretty lightweight. However, note that the assembled bike weighs just under 49 lbs, so you might struggle to take it up any steps and so on, if that is necessary for you.

This is not a folding bike, and it takes on a hybrid style, so it has a full, fixed frame, with shocks at the front, but narrower, less grippy tires, which make it great for light terrain use and road use.

The bike is 71 inches from front to rear, and 43.5 inches from the wheelbase to the highest point on the bike, the top of the brakes. The bike measures 25 inches across the handlebars, which is its widest point.

Both wheels are 27.5 x 1.9 inches, so this is a 27.5-inch bicycle, as that figure comes from the wheel size. The front wheel has a hydraulic disc brake and an orange wheel reflector. The rear wheel has the same features, but also houses the 250 W, 42 Nm, brushless motor, centrally, as you might expect. An aluminum drum protects the motor. You'll also find the 11-speed Shimano gear cassette here.

ADO D30 battery connection and key

As mentioned, the frame itself is aluminum, and the down tube is where you'll find the chamber to insert the 10.4 Ah battery. Next to this you'll see a key-operated lock, which you use to release the battery. There is also a semi-motivational phrase on the side of the down tube—Cross Your City—which I don't think is required and makes the bike look a little less cool in my opinion, but I concede this is a very minor point.

On the left-hand-side chainstay, next to the rear wheel, you have a kick-stand. Above the rear wheel, you have a rear reflector in traditional red, and the seat stem. The seat drops into this, and you secure it in place with the quick release lock.

Up front, hydraulic forks flank the wheel. Obviously, this is your front suspension. You'll notice a wire attaches to the top of the right fork. This is to lock the suspension or free it. The head tube carries a bright orange ADO logo, which looks quite striking against the gray colorway. Above this is the headset and stem, which hold the handlebars in place.

From left to right, the handlebars feature the rear brake lever, the power console (with three buttons, one to turn power on, and two thumb buttons to increase or decrease the power level for pedal assist) the suspension lock switch, the ride computer (with a USB-A port to charge your smartphone!), the gear shift levers, the bell, and the front brake lever. The handlebar features rubber grips on either end, as with most bikes.

Note that as this is a pedal-assist eBike, there is no throttle button or lever to speak of. You can only use the peddle assist function by operating the pedals yourself, and there is no automatic or "cruise" mode.

In general, this is a really nice-looking bike, with everything you would expect in terms of features and controls, aside from a rear light (which seems like a minor oversight on an eBike).

How Does the ADO D30 eBike Operate?

ADO D30 rear wheel hydraulic brake

As it is pedal assist and not throttle-driven, the ADO D30 is easy to use. Also, because it is a pedal assist, you can actually turn that function off and use the bike as a regular push bike.

With the kickstand in its retracted position, all you need to do is switch on the ride computer using the power button, and this will engage the battery and the motor ready for you to receive pedal assistance. You can select the degree of assistance you receive using the up/down arrows on the power console. Gear one gives pedal assistance up to 15 km/h, gear two 20 km/h, and gear three 25 km/h. You can switch gears while you ride.

With the pedal assist function operational, once you move off and push the pedal down, the pedal-assist will take over up to the maximum gear speed. If you want to go faster with pedal assist, a press of the up button will increase the gear up to a maximum of 25 km/h, as per the maximum speed. If you go faster than this, then you're on your own, but drop back into that 25 km/h limit, and pedal-assist will take over.

ADO D30 peddle

Thanks to the hydraulic brakes, stopping the bike is buttery smooth if you control your stop, or immediately if you need to slam on. During testing, I noticed no loss of control when I had to lock the brakes. Likewise, the gears operate very easily, with no catching, creaking, or clicking as you ride the D30. Shifting gears is simple as well, thanks to the shift levers.

In terms of the other components, all you need to worry about is the battery. The ride computer gives you the battery level as a percentage (with a battery graphic as well, showing when the battery is depleting), so you know when to charge the battery. It takes about eight hours to fully charge the battery, which you do simply by unlocking it with the provided key and plugging the battery into a power source with the adapter.

Really, operating the ADO D30 is no more difficult than operating a regular kick bike, aside from the fact that you have the pedal assist function to help you get around.

An Amazing eBike for the City (and Beyond)

ADO D30 front wheel hydraulic brake and quick release lever

I have to say, the ADO D30 is an excellent eBike. While I could not test it on any trails, I have no hesitation in saying it performs like a dream in any number of settings. Riding it around the roads in my locale, I was pleased to find that the seat is incredibly comfortable (a feature you rarely get with a manufacturer-supplied seat). The suspension was more than capable of absorbing any bumps or divots the asphalt threw at it (which are frequent on UK roads) with aplomb.

The part of Liverpool (UK) where I live is close to a good stretch of river with a flagstone foot/cycle path running along its bank. This gave me an opportunity to test the bike on a nice smooth surface, which it glided across as though I was riding on sheet glass.

Coming away from the river are several fairly steep climbs, which would test anyone's endurance flat out on a pedal-only push-bike. The ADO D30 ate up even the steepest and longest of these ascents, and it left me with lungs full of breath thanks to the pedal assist. These are hills that would normally leave me heaving for air if I was to tackle them in one fell swoop on a push-bike. The D30 took me to the top in a matter of seconds.

The hybrid nature of the bike means you can switch from smooth pavement to road, to light terrain with no issues. I can't see anyone taking this bike up the side of a mountain, but it copes well with looser ground, like gravel and other granulated surfaces. Stony woodland pathways, for example, wouldn't be a problem. Boulders and rocks might be.

ADO D30 motor housing

With a 90-kilometer range, this eBike has the chops to take you on extended commutes or bike rides without even breaking a sweat. This should be more than enough to get you to the office and back, providing you don't live too far away. If you think about the fuel here, particularly as costs continue to soar at the time of writing, you could save yourself an absolute fortune using the ADO D30 vs. your car.

The ADO D30 is also excellent if you have weakened knee joints. I do, thanks to playing football (soccer) for about five hours every day during my teens and twenties, so my knees are shot. I find running makes them hurt, due to the impact, and even cycling a standard push bike isn't problem-free for my knee joints. The D30 takes the difficulty out of riding a bike, but because it is pedal assist, I am still moving my legs and getting exercise, just without the resistance hammering my knees.

ADO D30 usb charging port

Including the USB port on the ride computer is a stroke of genius, as you can plan your journey and have your route planner open on your smartphone, which is mounted to your bike with the included smartphone mount. So, you won't run out of juice on your phone before hitting the home stretch.

In short, I think the ADO D30 is a fantastic bike.

Should You Buy the ADO D30 eBike?

Do you want a bike that helps you ride but doesn't take all the work out of it for you? Then the ADO D30 is ideal for you. ADO prices the bike competitively, and thanks to its huge range, you should be able to complete countless lengthy journeys on it, whether those be for business or pleasure.

Sure, it might not have a cruise mode or a throttle, but you'll definitely notice how it takes most (but not all) of the struggle out of your commute. With so many people looking towards alternative forms of transport than the car, ADO has positioned the D30 perfectly to cater to the needs of people who want to travel longer distances on an eBike.