Addmotor Citytri E-310

This is a review of the Addmotor Citytri E-310, the second folding electric trike we’ve tested at BikeRide after the Mooncool TK1.

To begin, we’ll provide a brief overview of Addmotor and the Citytri E-310, followed by its pros and cons, and a closer examination of the components and specifications. Then, we will discuss the results from our standardized testing and finish with a description of the ride experience and our final verdict on the Addmotor Citytri E-310’s value.

About Addmotor

Addmotor was founded in 2011 and opened a US warehouse and showroom in El Monte, California, in 2021. The company has some partner retailers spread across the USA that offer customers after-sales support and servicing.

Addmotor offers a wide range of electric bikes and trikes, including both mid-drive and hub-drive models and a semi-recumbent trike. The lineup also includes powerful moped-style e-bikes, e-folders, cargo e-bikes, and an electric commuter.

What is the Citytri E-310?

Addmotor claims the Citytri E-310 is the “best spec’d e-trike under $2000,” describing it as a powerful electric trike designed for urban commuting and pleasure riding.

The Citytri has a 48V electrical system, a 750W, 90Nm rear-drive motor, and a 20Ah battery. This trike has an aluminum step-through frame, and both the stem and frame fold.

The Citytri comes in two sizes, E-310 and E-310 Plus. Both use the same frame, but to accommodate riders of different sizes, the standard E-310 has a 20” front wheel and 18” rear wheels, while the bigger Plus has a 22” wheel up front and 20” wheels at the rear, all with 2.4” tires. Our test bike is the E-310 Plus.

Both the trike and battery are certified for compliance with UL 2849 and UL 2271. Unfortunately, Addmotor doesn’t provide an IP rating for the bike’s water ingress resistance, stating only that it has water-resistant cable connections and can be ridden in light rain.

Addmotor says the trike weighs 86lb, but we weighed it at 94lb with the rear rack, cargo bag, and mirrors installed. It’s rated to carry a rider up to 280lb and 80lb of gear on the rack. Lastly, the top speed is 20mph, whether using the throttle or the seven levels of pedal assist.

Pros

Practical Cargo Capacity

Not only can the rear rack carry a useful 80lb of cargo, but it’s also mounted down low, making it easy to access. The added stability of the third wheel also makes it easy to carry substantial loads without worrying about balance while loading it or riding. A parking brake locks the rear wheels to prevent the trike from rolling away while loading it.

Our test model included Addmotor’s optional zip-up rear cargo bag, which currently retails at $99. Addmotor also offers a front rack to add more carrying capacity.

Plenty of Power

I was surprised by the E-310’s ability to climb hills with minimal pedal effort. The 750W motor has 90Nm of torque and peaks at 1,440W, giving it plenty of kick. However, the single-speed drivetrain’s lack of gearing range forces the use of high PAS levels or the throttle when climbing. This really drains the battery.

Good Stability

Trikes are inherently more stable than two-wheeled bikes at low speeds over level ground. This is a great asset for anyone who needs the extra comfort and confidence a three-wheeled platform provides. However, the caveat is to avoid exceeding the trike’s limits by riding over uneven terrain, where the bike could tilt or flip, or cornering at speed, as the inside wheel can lift off the ground.

Cons

Impractical Gearing

This E-310’s single-speed drivetrain is geared too low for pedaling at high speeds and too high for the trike’s weight. The cadence becomes uncomfortable at around 12mph. At lower speeds, the combination of a 38t chainring and 16t rear sprocket results in overreliance on the motor, especially when riding uphill. Even on level ground, pedaling this trike without motor assistance is no fun.

Poor Real-World Range

Addmotor claims a range of up to 90 miles using PAS 1. However, the high weight and lack of gears make it hard to get anywhere using only PAS 1. In our range test, the Citytri lasted only 27 miles. Even though this was a PAS 4 range test, steeper hills required PAS 7. So, riders with hilly journeys won’t get anywhere close to the stated range.

Lack of Quality Control

Feedback online for Addmotor’s bikes shows plenty of complaints about poor quality control. Unfortunately, our experience with the Citytri E-310 was no different. In fact, the problem our test bike suffered was shocking.

Just two miles into the first test ride over level ground, the six screws that fix the main drive sprocket to the rear differential disappeared. I started to hear a rattle from the back, and then suddenly, the drive didn’t work, making it impossible to go anywhere using the pedals or throttle. There was no way to perform a roadside repair, so I had to walk the trike two miles back to my starting point.

Addmotor confirmed that these screws should have been properly tightened at the factory, and that this is not something consumers should need to check before riding. This was a serious problem and frustrating to fix. It required disassembling the trike, removing the rear brake calipers, hammering out the drive shafts from the differential on both sides, and then replacing the screws before reassembling the unit.

The fact that something so critical went so wrong, especially on a test bike, raises serious questions about Addmotor’s quality control and supports the complaints online.

Erratic Battery Level

The five-bar battery meter’s inability to provide consistent, reliable readings during range testing was very frustrating.

After the first of the five bars disappeared, the battery level would drop by one or two bars whenever the motor was working hard, only to bounce back when the power output dropped. This made it difficult to estimate the remaining range on long rides.

The low battery warning was also confusing. When the meter reaches the last bar and the battery gets low, the display flashes. This behavior is also erratic, as it only flashes when using the throttle. But when the single bar flashes for the first time, there is less than one mile of range left. The sudden shut-off came as a surprise, and once again, I had to walk the trike home.

Weight, Bulk, and Pointless Folding

Some folding bikes are designed so well that folding the bike becomes a joyful part of the experience. Addmotor’s Citytri, however, is the opposite. The folding frame surely adds to the trike’s weight, but doesn’t really enhance its utility.

The Citytri is heavy and there’s no mechanism to stop it unfolding, which makes it hard work when lifting it into a vehicle. The unfolded bike fit into my SUV with the front wheel removed, so arguably, the folding frame isn’t worth the added cost and weight.

The Citytri E-310 in Detail

The Citytri E-310 is a Class 2 electric trike intended for commuting, hauling cargo, and urban pleasure rides.

Frame, Fit, and Folding

The step-through frame makes it easy to get on and off the trike, especially with the parking brake set. The seat has a backrest, the riding position is straight-backed, and the handlebars are height-adjustable. Up front is an 80mm coil suspension fork.

Again, the Citytri comes in two builds, each with different wheel sizes, accommodating riders of different heights. Addmotor says the standard build fits riders from 5’1” to 5’9” and the Plus fits riders from 5’3” to 6’1”. Both are available in five colors: blue, green, grey, red, and the bright yellow of our test bike. The Citytri is rated to carry riders up to 280lb with 80lb of cargo on the rear rack.

The E-310’s folds at the stem and frame. However, it’s still bulky and heavy, and will likely only fit in vans, pickup trucks, and SUVs with the rear seats folded down. Additionally, at 94lb, it isn’t easy to lift, especially as it doesn’t stay folded.

E-Bike System

The 48V e-bike system includes a 750W, 90Nm motor and a 20Ah (960Wh) battery. The battery is mounted behind the seatpost and is secured by a key-operated lock. The power button on the battery must be turned on before the trike will turn on at the display.

There’s a half-twist throttle on the right grip, and pedal assist is managed by a cadence sensor. The top speed is 20mph for both throttle and PAS. The integrated throttle isn’t easy to remove, but it does have an on/off button to prevent unintentional use.

Wheelset

Both versions of the Citytri come with 2.4” tires with a knobby tread that works well on pavement and provided reasonable traction on the smooth dirt paths I rode. These tires don’t have puncture protection. All three wheels use nutted axles.

Drivetrain and Brakes

The E-310 has Addmotor-branded mechanical disk brakes on all three wheels and aluminum brake levers. The rear brakes can be locked by holding a button while the brake lever is squeezed. This stops the trike from rolling and is useful when getting on and off or loading the cargo basket. Squeezing the brake lever again releases the lock.

As already mentioned, there’s only one gear, so the bike doesn’t have a shifter or derailleur. The motor and drivetrain power the rear wheels via a differential, allowing the bike to corner smoothly.

Cockpit and Touchpoints

The cockpit features rubberized grips, aluminum brake levers, a 2.75” monochrome display mounted in the center of the handlebar, and a six-button control pad by the left grip. The half-twist throttle is built into the right grip. The adjustable stem makes it easy to raise or lower the handlebars. Our test bike also came with mirrors, which are included for free at the time of recording this review.

Other touchpoints include a well-padded saddle with an adjustable backrest and plastic platform pedals.

Accessories

Our test bike came with a rear cargo basket, a rear cargo storage bag, wide mirrors, and a cleaning kit. The rack, mirrors, and cleaning kit are currently included for free, but the rear storage bag costs $99. Addmotor also offers a front rack, spare battery, and cover.

Testing the Addmotor Citytri E-310

Given the Citytri’s single-speed drivetrain, I expected weak performance in the hill-climb test, but this bike really surprised me. The motor supplied ample power, and the bike was able to climb hills using mainly throttle power, allowing the trike to compete with other e-bikes.

Hill Climb Tests

The Citytri’s 750W, 90Nm motor easily outperforms all other trikes I’ve tested. With its 500W motor, the Mooncool TK1 trike was 28 seconds slower on the small hill climb. The E-310 also nearly matched the Himiway Zebra D5, which climbed the hill one second faster. However, the E-310 fell short of the Snapcycle R1 Pro and Fiido T2, which were both significantly quicker up the hill, despite having similar weights and nominal motor outputs.

The medium-elevation hill test was even more surprising, as the E-310 maintained its position in the middle of the pack. It beat the Mooncool TK1 by 25 seconds and the Himiway Zebra D5 by six seconds, but was nine seconds behind the Snapcycle R1 Pro and 19 seconds slower than the Fiido T2.

Acceleration Tests

The E-310’s powerful motor gets it to 20mph from a standstill in an impressive 8 seconds using the throttle. However, using pedal assist takes 10 seconds. This is partly due to the slight lag in the cadence sensor and the unhelpful gearing of the single-speed drivetrain, which requires considerable effort to get the bike moving.

Range Test

In the range test, the E-310 covered just 26.4 miles and 981 feet of elevation gain at an average speed of 17.2mph. This is unimpressive for a 20Ah battery and puts this trike firmly at the back of this pack. As mentioned earlier, we couldn’t test the Citytri’s range using only pedal assist, because ghost pedaling above 15mph meant I sometimes needed the throttle.

Even the Mooncool TK1 squeezed an additional four miles out of its 14.5Ah battery, albeit at a slower average speed of 14.93mph. So, the E-310 is not the trike for extended journeys at high speeds.

Brake Tests

The E-310 stopped from 20mph in a respectable distance of 15 feet. From a safety standpoint, this is more than sufficient, and is better than all of our comparison bikes, which only have two tires, and therefore less grip when braking.

The only other trike I’ve tested, the Mooncool TK1, stopped in just 11 feet, but that was from 15.5mph, which is the speed limit of that bike’s motor, so this isn’t a fair comparison. When the E-310 is limited to 15.5mph, it stops in around 11–12 feet.

These brakes could be upgraded to hydraulic discs, but that would remove the parking brake, too.

Riding the Addmotor Citytri E-310

I don’t have any problem balancing on a bike and find regular two-wheel bikes easy to use, so I’m not a fan of trikes. Despite my bias, I was impressed by the E-310’s stability at speed and the motor’s power. At low speeds, the Citytri is easy to ride. Loading cargo is easy, thanks to the trike’s natural stability, especially with the parking brake engaged.

However, the riding position is cramped, and sitting almost directly over the pedals with a straight back made pedaling uncomfortable. At 6’ tall, I had the seat at its highest position, which tracks with the upper end of the 5’3” to 6’1” stated fit range for the E-310 Plus, and means that anyone my size or taller will probably feel cramped too.

The Citytri handles like other trikes I’ve ridden. It’s stable enough at high speeds in a straight line and during low-speed maneuvers, but sharp turns and cornering at speed are no fun. The inside wheel is prone to lifting off the ground in turns, and over uneven terrain, the trike can tip over. As with all tricycles, the E-310 is designed for slower, controlled riding.

Riders who need the additional low-speed stability of a trike will enjoy the handling. It’s worth noting here that many e-trikes are limited to 14mph because of safety concerns, and Addmotor should probably have done the same.

The frame felt solid and displayed no speed shimmy or flex. At 28mph on a downhill, the trike felt fairly stable, but I wouldn’t recommend riding the Citytri at high speeds. I enjoyed the motor’s pep when climbing hills, but acceleration at high PAS levels was excessive for a trike.

Conclusion

The Citytri E-310 offers some great features and value. It proved to be a stable, surprisingly powerful, and responsive ride. I also found loading cargo and getting on and off easy. However, it really doesn’t suit tall riders or anyone who needs extended range in hilly terrain. And then there’s the question of build quality and reliability.

I was not impressed with the quality control, or lack thereof, which led to the problem with the differential and sprocket. Addmotor was fairly quick to reply and send me the replacement parts. But still, it took around 4 weeks to get the parts, and it was a hassle having to repair the bike, which I shouldn’t have had to do in the first place.

Score Breakdown

• Build quality: 65
• Performance / Innovation: 70
• Design: 65
• Ride quality: 72
• Price / Value: 65

Overall: 67

Detailed Specs

Electric Bike Class: Class 2
Warranty: 2-year limited
UL Certification: UL 2849, UL 2271
IP Rating: None
Total Weight: Claimed: 86lb – Actual: 94lb
Motor Brand: Addmotor
Motor Type: Rear hub (with differential)
Motor Nominal Output: 750W
Max Torque: 90Nm
Battery: 48V 20Ah (960Wh)
Range Claimed: 90 Miles
Range Tested (PAS 4/7): – 20mph – 26.40 mi – 981 ft. – 17.2mph avg.
Top Speed: 20mph (unlockable to 25mph)
Throttle: Yes – ½ twist
Pedal Assist: 7 levels
Charger: 2A output
Charge Time: 10 hours
Display: 2.75” monochrome LCD
Frame: Aluminum
Fork: 80mm coil suspension
Brake Levers: Mechanical
Brake Calipers: Addmotor mechanical
Brake Rotors: 180mm
Chain: KMC
Crankset: 38T
Rear Sprocket: 16T
Rims: 22” front wheel, 20” rear wheels
Tires: 22” x 2.4” front, 20” x 2.4” rear
Fenders: Plastic full-coverage
Lights: Headlight, rear light with turn signals and brake activation
Grips: Rubberized slip-on
Saddle: Cushioned with backrest
Pedals: Plastic platform
Handlebar: Swept-back 700mm, BMX-style
Payload Capacity: 360lb (280lb rider, 80lb rack)
Rack Capacity: 80lb

Geometry Details

Seat Tube: 15“ (381mm)
Reach: 17.7” (450mm)
Stack: 28” (711mm)
Stand Over Height: 13.8” (350mm)
Min. Saddle Height: 29.5” (749mm)
Max Saddle Height: 36.6” (930mm)
Wheelbase: 49.2” (1250mm)

From our review, the Addmotor Citytri E-310 e-trike is a solid choice for a reasonably priced folding e-trike with a powerful motor.

… even if you don’t fall on one of those criterias… not feeling comfortable riding a traditional bicycle because of… a balance issue… or you intend to carry a bunch of cargo, this is still a really fun and great option.