You must be fed up with excessive sweating by covering long distances on your bikes. Paddling can be time-consuming and a reason for body ache. The use of electric bikes has solved these problems and the technology used in them is beneficial in many ways.
Electric bikes contain motors that get started after paddling for two to three revolutions. No matter how much distance you want to cover, you would not do any physical labor or get sweat.
They are used for different purposes i.e, for racing, for running errands, for normal usage, for long or short passages, or for mountainous ways. Choosing an electric bike can become difficult or tricky. You must be vigilant and observant of the selection of electric bikes.
How to Choose An Electric Bike
Every year, there is an increase in the selling of electric bikes. There are lots of types of electric bikes on the market. You must choose an electric bike, by keeping in view your needs.
Needs
You must choose an electric bike according to your requirements. If you own a business and want an electric bike for delivering purposes, then you are in need of a bike with fast speed. So, while buying an electric bike, you must focus on high-speed bikes.
Or if you are living in a hilly area, so the electric bike you need should be stable enough to resist the irregular pathways. In such a case, a high-speed electric bike would not be wanted.
For picnic lovers, foldable electric bikes are also present. You can fold them to take them on trips through trains or planes. So, whatever is your need you must keep that in your mind while choosing an electric bike.
Types of Assistance
Different electric bikes are designed on the basis of different types of assistance they provide to the customer. They are dependent upon the amount that you are able to pay. More expensive electric bikes will provide better assistance than those with less expensive ones.
1. Motion sensor bikes are those electric bikes that are dependent upon the motion of the bike. As the name suggests, they contain motion sensors that get activated only if there is some sort of motion in the bike through paddling.
If you are choosing these electric bikes, they are difficult to start up and can be more tricky than other electric bikes. But once it gets started, you can cover long distances through them.
So we can say that if you want long-distance covering bikes without any brakes, you must buy these. They are relatively less expensive because of the labor, you have to perform in order to start the electric bike.
2. Power sensor bikes are those electric bikes that are not dependent upon the motion of electric bikes. The engines of power sensor bikes get activated without much effort in paddling. The maximum speed of such bikes is approximately 60 km/h.
These bikes are more comfortable for the routes where you have to stop and start frequently. They are good for delivery purposes as well as for the routes where you have to stop for traffic lights because of their ease in getting started quickly.
These bikes are usually more expensive than motion sensor bikes. The more assistance level would be more costly and more preferable.
Knowledge of Battery
Before choosing an electric bike for your need, you must go through the lifespan of the battery used in electric bikes. Each company will give you assurance about the batteries used in electric bikes made by them. You must not blindly believe their commitments about warranty.
No matter how long the battery of an electric bike is, it is dependent upon the user’s usage of it. The battery range is dependent upon the type of route you will use, the weight that will be put on those bikes, and the number of stops you will have to stop on.
There are two parameters for the battery ranges. These are;
- Capacity of battery
- Voltage of battery
1. The Capacity of Electric Bike
The capacity of any electric battery refers to the quantity of electricity a battery is able to provide in an hour. You must check the range of current the battery can provide you. You must check the units of current which can be measured in Ampere hour (Ah) or coulombs (1 Ah = 3600 C).
If you are purchasing a bike for covering long distances then your priority must be those electric bikes that can provide more current per hour. A 10 Ah battery can provide a 10-ampere current for an hour.
Or if you want a bike for covering short distances then a battery with 8Ah would be enough. In short, if your battery’s capacity would be higher, it will last for a longer period of time.
2. The Voltage of a Battery
Voltage refers to the pressure through which current flows. Before choosing an electric bike, keep in view the route where you want to ride it. If the voltage of a battery would be higher, your electric bike would be able to climb difficult paths as well.
If you want to ride flat paths then a low voltage battery would be more preferable. 24 V of the battery would be enough for normal paths. They will be comparatively affordable than high voltage batteries.
But for hilly areas or for cliffs, high voltage batteries would be required. A 34V battery would be suitable for such paths. In this way, your bike could maintain the grip by the pressure of current.
To check maximum energy delivered by an electric bike, you must multiply the capacity by the voltage. Hence, the formula would be
“Energy = capacity x voltage”
Proper Brake System
For choosing electric bikes, the quality of brakes should be given high value. As electric bikes provide high speeds, a proper brakes system is also needed. In bikes, VAE (Variational autoencoder) brakes are very famous.
These VAE brakes involve disc brakes and pad brakes
1. Pad brakes refer to the type of brakes present in automobiles. They consist of steel backing plates that provide friction, in order to stop the bike. You must check the quality of pads of brakes while choosing an electric bike.
If they are in good condition, they can provide a better grip on the ground wherever you want. Bikes with this brake system are very effective.
2. Disc brakes are a little different from pad brakes. They use squeezers to squeeze the pads against the disc, in order to provide friction. The production of heat makes it more usable for wet weather.
They need more maintenance as well as protection from heat. These brakes are less appropriate for ATV, All-terrain vehicles, because of their sensitivity towards overheating.
3. Motor brakes are also best in braking systems. When you apply these brakes, the generation of negative torque stops the movement of the motor present in electric bikes.
These brakes also recharge your battery while in rest positions. This quality of motor brakes makes them much faster as well.
Speed Monitoring
One of the important needs is speed. While choosing an electric bike, you must check which sort of speed quality is being provided or presented to you according to your demands. There are two-speed management systems;
1. The derailleur gear system is commonly used on bikes. Such bikes contain various chainrings and changing of gear takes place when the chain moves from one chainring to another.
While buying electric bikes, you must examine the type of gear system present in it. This braking system has lots of issues as well. Only pedaling can change the gear of such electric bikes, which can be difficult in harsh pathways.
Hence, this brake system is less expensive and makes your bike lighter in weight. They can be more preferable where paddling of bikes is necessary.
2. Integrated gear systems are also known as hub gear because of their presence at the hub of the wheels. They are being designed in opposition to the derailleur gear system.
They do not contain various chainrings, unlike derailleur gear systems. Only one chainring is present in them where a change of gear takes place. Even the gears and lubricant is sealed in the hub which prevents it from getting dusty.
These properties make maintenance-free and long-lasting. You will not face any issue related to the derailment of chains as there are not many chainrings. This makes it more expensive with less speed.
Hence, while choosing electric bikes, gear systems should be examined for speed level.
Weight of the Bikes
Electric bikes are usually of more weight than normal bikes. The weight of the engine and battery is also added to them in addition to the weight of the frame, which makes it heavier.
Their weight is almost 9kg to 30 kg. This increase in weight is not a great issue because the presence of the engine in it makes it faster than normal bikes.
It’s a normal perception that heavier bikes would be of low speed and will face difficulty in climbing difficult paths but it depends on your choice of electric bike. If it contains a good engine then no need to worry about weight.
Hence, lighter bikes cost more because of the use of smart engines. While heavier bikes are comparatively cheaper.
Price Monitoring
All the other elements depend on the element of price. Your budget would be your priority. If you can afford an expensive electric bike, you can easily find all other features as well.
Best quality bikes can cost from 1500 to 3000 dollars. There are more expensive and cheaper electric bikes as well but they depend upon the type and quality of your bike. Otherwise, you can get a good electric bike for almost 1500 dollars.
There are some levels of price ranges,
- Entry-level is the start of the price for an electric bike which is less than 800 dollars. With this small budget, you have to compromise on many components of bikes, like battery, material, speed, etc. still, they can be more helpful than normal bikes in many respects.
- The mid-range level comes between 800 till 3000 dollars. Between this range, you can find any type of electric bike. Either it is a long-distance or short-distance bike, city or mountain racing bikes.
- The top range level starts from 3000 to 6000 dollars. In this category, you can buy high-speed bikes with more durability. Usually, international bike racers are interested in such bikes for professional usage.
- The very high-end level is even more expensive from 6000 dollars. They are mostly lightweight vehicles with expensive and smart engines.
If you are aware of the advantages of electric bikes, you cannot resist buying these bikes. Some of the advantages are as follow;
Related Guides: Build your own bike | Top e-Bikes Under $1000 | How to change e-bike’s battery
FAQs
What should I look for while buying electric bikes?
Electric bikes are designed for different purposes. You must look for various things while buying electric bikes. A playground is an area where you need to ride, keep it in mind. Range, speed, types of electric bike are all important areas while buying an electric bike.
One thing you will keep in mind would be to test riding. Until and unless you will not test ride by yourself, you would not be able to examine it practically.
Are electric bikes worth the money?
Electric bikes are definitely worthy of spending money. They provide equal or more benefits than any normal riding bikes. You can improve your mental health as well with the help of these bikes as they are the source of satisfaction and lessens the tension of working.
Instead of all other things, the specialty of electric bikes is mountain riding. This can be done easily with the help of the usage of a battery.
Can you ride an electric bike on bike paths?
You can ride electric bikes on bike paths but that can be a little dangerous. The speed of bikes is usually greater than electric bikes. So most laws for electric bikes are to ride them on bicycle paths or trails.
Conclusion
No matter if it is any kind of vehicle, that you are choosing to buy either you are choosing electric bikes, normal bikes or cars, etc. your safety must be your prime concern. You must ready yourself for any sort of accident by keeping all protective gear.
You must wear a helmet as well as keep a rear-view mirror and danger indicator on your bike for safety purposes.
