What is an E-Bike

What is an Electric Bicycle

An electric bike, or e-bike, is a bicycle with an electric motor that assists the rider's pedaling. E-bikes come in different styles, including commuter bikes, mountain bikes, and folding bikes and different motor locations.  Most e-bikes mount the motor in the back wheel, several mount the motor between the cranks so the motor can take advantage of the bicycle gearing.  And a few mount the motor in the front wheel.

Why Ebikes are the Future

Ebikes are the future because they are so much fun to ride and they are so convenient to use.  I am a huge fan of E-bikes.   Just a simple 300 watt pedal assist on a bike allows non cyclists to easily ride up most paved roads as fast or faster than an avid cyclist.  Any Electric Bike will make it so easy for the owner to just hop on it and go. They are one of the most efficient means of transportation and did I mention they are a lot of fun?

How does an Electric Bike work?

An electric bike works by using a motor to assist the rider's pedaling. The motor is powered by a battery that can be recharged by plugging it into an electrical outlet. Some e-bikes also have a throttle that allows the rider to control the motor without pedaling.

E-Bike Assist Levels

Electric Bikes almost always have different levels of assist.  Some have 3 levels of boost some as many as 10 levels.  The E-bike controller is reading how fast you are pedaling or how hard you are pedalling and giving you a boost.  The Assist levels will determine how much boost.  From my experience 3 levels of boost vs 10 levels of boost does not matter.   

How fast can an Electric Bike go?

The speed of an electric bicycle depends on the model and the motor's power. Most e-bikes can go up to 20 mph, but some can go faster.  The Category 3 bikes will help you accelerate the bike up to 28 mph.  

How far can an E-Bike travel on a single charge?

Most e-bikes can travel between 20 and 50 miles on a single charge.  The range of an electric bike depends on the battery's capacity and the rider's weight and riding style.  With pedal assist you can have the motor boost you just a little bit or you can have it boost you a lot.  The more boost you get obviously the faster the battery will drain. 

How to Extend the distance an E-bike will go on One Charge

Do not use the throttle to start and keep the electric assist at the lowest level.  Starting from stopped and using the throttle will use the charge up faster.  In stop and go riding, using the throttle to start can consume 40% of your battery power.  Pedalling for the first bit will save a lot of battery power.  Most of the time this will not matter as I am very rarely low on battery.  But if I am trying to squeeze more miles out of the charge I will not use the throttle at all.