10 Best Mobile Apps For Bikes

Posted by Johnette on May 16th, 2021

Whether you’re ditching the car on your commute to work or want an easier ride to the top of trails, an electric bike can offer many of the benefits of a regular bike, with motorised power on tap when you need it.

Electric bike technology has advanced at a pace in recent years and you can now find pretty much any type of bike with a motor, from e-road bikes and e-MTBs, to e-hybrids and e-gravel bikes.

In this guide to electric bikes, we’ll explain exactly what an ebike is, how an electric bike works, how to ride an ebike and answer some of the key questions you may have before buying.

An electric bike, or ebike, is a bicycle equipped with an electric motor to assist you when you’re pedalling. The motor will get its power from a rechargeable battery mounted on the bike.

To classify as an ebike, the motor has to help you rather than propel you on its own. As a result, you need to pedal to get that assistance. How much power the motor delivers is regulated based on how hard you are pedalling and the level of support you have selected.

Electric bike systems offer a number of modes to choose from, allowing you to balance the amount of power supplied through the pedals with range and battery life.

Regulations about how much help the motor can provide, and the speed at which assistance cuts out, vary around the world, but in general the motor is limited to 250 watts output and must cut out when your speed click here reaches 25kph/15.5mph, except in the USA where it can continue to work up to 20mph.

You can go faster than that, of course, but only under your own effort – the bike’s motor will no longer provide assistance.

Bosch, Shimano, Yamaha, Specialized, Mahle, FSA and Fazua all make popular ebike motors. Specifications can vary significantly and the type of motor found on a bike will depend on its price and the type of riding intended.

For example, an electric road bike is more likely to favour a lightweight system with smooth power delivery, whereas a motor on a high-spec electric mountain bike is likely to offer more torque for off-road capability.

Electric bikes are heavier than regular bikes and there’s a wide variation in the weight of ebike motors and batteries.

The lightest systems come in at less than 4kg and are typically found on electric road bikes, but most systems weigh around 6 to 8kg – and sometimes more. The additional mounting points and frame reinforcement required on an electric bike can add some extra weight, too.

The weight of your system will depend partly on budget, but also the intended use of the bike. Bikes that require lots of power, for example, an electric cargo bike or e-MTB, are more likely to have a heavier motor and battery package, whereas an electric road bike requires less assistance and will prioritise lighter weight.

The latest e-road bikes are near-indistinguishable from non-motorised bikes, thanks to the sleek, integrated design of the motor and battery.