Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.

Search Results for: buyers guide

Buyer’s Guide to Electric Bikes

New to the world of electric bikes? Welcome.

The bicycling world is going through a bit of a reckoning right now. Or maybe it’s growing pains; it’s hard to say.

Even before a pandemic drove everyone outside (and drove bike sales through the roof) the budding popularity of electric bikes had been attracting newcomers to bicycling in droves. E-bikes have democratized the cycling world, opening the door for people who previously wrote off the sport (and mode of transport) as a pastime of lycra-clad fitness enthusiasts. Bikes equipped with small motors and batteries are changing the shape of what is possible on two wheels and by who; making bicycling more accessible, less intimidating and flatly more fun for beginners and experienced riders alike.

The bicycling world is booming and we’ve got e-bikes to thank. So if you’re new here, welcome.

But with this new tech (and all these new people) has come a void of knowledge. E-bikes are complicated, and things like amperage, motor type and watt hours can be foreign concepts to the uninitiated. So, we wrote a guide to help with that.

This electric bike buyer’s guide will help you navigate the budding e-bike market and choose which bike is right for you. From commuters to cruisers and drive systems to laws, we’ll cover the basics of what you need to know before opening your wallet.

Want to jump to a specific topic? Here’s links to specific sections of this guide.

The Complete Guide to E-Bike Mid-Drive Motors

Mid-drives use a system of complex gears and a torque sensor for the motor to provide electric assist through to the pedal cranks

Mid-drives are electric-assist motors on e-bikes that drive through the pedal cranks (usually on turning the cranks – so-called pedelec power). They have become hugely popular in recent years as the technology has become more powerful, lighter, and more efficient, with every year bringing announcements of new mid-drive developments.

They are frequently used by some of the best electric bikes.

A typical mid-drive motor design that powers the bike along via the pedal cranks. Mid-drives are usually activated on pedalling with power both proportional to your pedal effort and dependent on what power level you have the motor set at. A few designs include an auxiliary throttle control in addition to ‘pedelec’ control.

Biktrix Juggernaut Classic Duo ST Review | Burly & Bespoke

This aggressive fat tire e-bike features a near-effortless ride and TONS of customization options.

While I tend to like, or at least appreciate, what the average fat tire e-bike has to offer, there’s no denying the fact that many of them feel and function similarly. A set of common features often defines bikes of this style: an upright riding position, a girthy frame, a powerful but controlled motor, and, of course, wide and stable 4”+ tires.

The Biktrix Juggernaut Classic Duo ST mixes things up a little.

It shares many expected characteristics with its peers, like those stable fat tires and a powerful motor, but the details differ. For example, instead of 26” wheels, the bike has smaller and more maneuverable 24” wheels. Instead of an upright riding position, it features a sportier, forward-leaning position with a more aggressive feel.

Additionally, instead of a rear-hub motor, the Classic Duo ST packs a burly 750W Bafang mid-drive with a cadence sensor for a surprisingly powerful and easy ride.

This is one of many elements of the bike that can be customized; the bike has a base spec level, but Biktrix offers a massive range of options to upgrade the battery, motor, brake system, suspension fork, and more. Shoppers can also choose from 182 custom powder coat color options for the frame!

In our experience, the Classic Duo ST’s mid-drive/cadence sensor combo is relatively unique. Most e-bikes we’ve tested with mid-drives had torque sensors, allowing them to adapt their power output to the rider’s effort. We weren’t sure if or how the Juggernaut’s performance would differ from its peers, but there was only one way to find out!

See below for the results of our real-world performance tests and our evaluation of the Biktrix Juggernaut in relation to similar bikes.

Best Electric Bikes For Kids | Be Safe AND Have Fun!

Riding bikes with your kids can be amazing fun. It’s a great way to connect with family and be active outside. Fun as it can be, keeping everyone together can be a challenge. Kids have shorter legs and ride on bikes with both smaller wheels and smaller gears. The bike world now has a solution for that: E-bikes for kids.

An e-bike for kids offers some great opportunities for parents, as well as a few areas for reasonable concern. The big opportunity is that if your child is riding an e-bike, it will be easier to keep everyone together. Kids can hit their endurance limit both hard and unexpectedly. A throttle can keep a fun spin from becoming a death march home.

One of the other terrific benefits of an e-bike made for kids is that it is much easier for them to reach a speed sufficient to balance. Of course, there’s also reason to be concerned: A tiny person moving faster than you can run can be pretty scary.

We took a hard look at the e-bikes out there—there are more than you might guess—and have rounded up the best options in a number of different categories. Rather than divide the bikes according to use, we’ve organized them according to the age group they are most likely to fit. We’ve done our best to include objective sizing based on rider height because what parent hasn’t had the experience of buying a shirt for a six-year-old that fell to their knees?

Knowing the ways our kids have sometimes displayed more enthusiasm than judgment, we’ve weighted our collection toward those e-bikes that enable a parent to restrict the e-bike’s top speed. More control provides greater safety until you see how much control and skill the child can exercise over the e-bike while riding.

Our list begins with e-bikes for kids young enough to learn how to ride, and we follow them all the way up until they are big enough to begin riding adult-sized e-bikes. While we’ve assigned age ranges for each of these e-bikes, the fact is that most of them can accommodate riders well outside those narrow ranges.

You’ll find a broader sense of who they fit in each of our reviews. To get these age ranges, we took the manufacturer’s sizing recommendations and then correlated them with Centers for Disease Control data on height.

The youngest age in our range corresponds to children in the 75th percentile of height for their age, and the oldest age in our range corresponds to children in the 25th percentile—from the youngest kids who might reasonably fit an e-bike to the oldest kids who might fit it.

Electric Bike Report aims to help consumers find the right electric bike for their needs. When you buy a product we recommend, we may earn a commission.

Our Best Electric Bikes for Kids for 2024

Best Electric Bike for 6-7 Year Olds: Himiway C1
Best Electric Bike for 8-9 Year Olds: JackRabbit OG
Best Electric Bike for 10-12 Year Olds:Lectric XP Lite 2.0
Best Electric Bike for 13-15 Year Olds:Aventon Soltera
Best Electric Bike for 16+ Year Olds: Ride1UP Portola
Best Electric Mountain Bike for Kids: Specialized Turbo Levo SL Kids
Best Electric Mountain Bike for Teens: Trek Marlin+

Sponsor

Best Electric Bikes for Hunting | 9 Better Ways to Bag Game

*Electric Bike Report aims to help consumers find the right electric bike for their needs. When you buy a product we recommend, we may earn a commission.

One of the best practical applications for e-bikes might be the all-American pastime of hunting. Hunters using e-bikes can conserve energy, access more remote locations, and haul heavy loads of gear or game more easily than on foot.

This list of the best electric hunting bikes highlights some e-bike brands that deal semi-exclusively in e-bikes for hunters, fishers, and overlanders. These companies offer a wide assortment of accessories and add-ons to make the job easier, and many of their e-bikes even come in camouflage color schemes!

Our list also showcases some quality-built e-bike options made for more general off-roading purposes. These may be less directly geared toward outdoorsmen (and women), but they can still be a significant upgrade to your hunting experience.

So what differentiates a top hunting e-bike from the pack? Many factors are involved, but these electric bikes tend to have powerful motors for tackling tough terrain as well as high-capacity batteries to support off-road riding with large amounts of weight.

Hunting e-bikes often sport large tires with aggressive tread and at least some sort of suspension to make off-road riding more comfortable. Many also include cargo racks for carrying game or gear between the truck and the tree stand.

Before we discuss the benefits of hunting e-bikes further – and reveal Electric Bike Report’s picks for the best electric bikes for hunting – there are a few important things to consider:

First, while hunters are free to use e-bikes as they wish on private land, agencies like the US Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) limit the areas where these vehicles can be operated on public land. It’s important to thoroughly research the laws and regulations governing e-bikes where you plan to hunt.

Second, we perform range tests to determine the distance most riders should expect to travel on a single charge, but hunters hauling a lot of gear, towing a trailer, or riding over difficult terrain should expect significantly less range than we achieved. It’s likely best to make conservative estimates or spring for upgraded/additional batteries when possible.

Those caveats aside, electric bikes have many additional benefits to help you blaze a faster trail to your next 12-point buck. With sound and scent being some of the most important factors when hunting, e-bikes make minimal noise and emit no odor, giving them distinct advantages over gas-powered ATVs or UTVs.

Whether using e-bikes to scout potential hunting areas or travel to an established location faster, e-bikes can provide relief to aging hunters with physical limitations. E-bikes can also help hunters avoid sweating and overheating, which can quickly lead to shivering in the colder months.

Now that you know some of the benefits e-bikes can offer, see below for a list of models we consider to be the best electric bikes for hunting!

Our Best Electric Bikes for Hunting for 2024

The Best Electric Bikes for Hunting with Mid-Drive Motors

Quietkat Apex Pro
Himiway Cobra Pro
Bakcou Mule
Tern Orox S12
Bakcou Storm
Specialized Turbo Tero X 5.0

The Best Electric Bikes for Hunting with Rear-Hub Motors

Aventon Aventure 2
Blix Ultra
Mokwheel Basalt

Sponsor

Orbea Wild Review | Find Out Why It Won All Those Awards

The Wild combines impressive power and range with terrific handling in a stylish package.

Orbea is back with the latest incarnation of their long-travel 29er eMTB, the Wild. This is version four, and it shows a number of improvements and refinements over the previous version.

Let’s cover the basics before we jump into the improvements in our review of the Orbea Wild. The Wild is built around 29″ wheels front and rear and 160mm of travel in the fork and the rear. That places the Wild in enduro territory. Bosch’s Performance Line CX motor—arguably one of the most popular motors for eMTBs currently—provides the muscle. More on that motor in a bit.

To Power the Orbea Wild, riders can choose between either a 625Wh or 750Wh battery, and that’s but one of many options that buyers can specify thanks to Orbea’s MyO program. Few e-bikes offer as much flexibility and customization as Orbea does, but this has been one of their specialties ever since they entered the U.S. market at the turn of the century.

At 53 lbs. our M20 model of the Orbea Wild isn’t super-light for an eMTB, but that’s a terrific weight for an eMTB with this much power, range, and suspension travel. It also felt lighter and more nimble than you’d expect.

Often, when we look at e-bikes with this level of sophistication, we find ourselves asking where the weakness lies. With the Wild, we had to look hard. Let’s dig into its performance in our tests.

Vinci Motorbike Review | Faster Than A Speeding Bullet?

An aggressive, conceptual moto-style e-bike every bit as fast as its sporty design suggests.

Look! Out on the road! It’s a torpedo on wheels!

It’s an off-road bazooka!

It’s… the Vinci Motorbike!

Whatever you might want to call it, this cafe-racer (or moped-style) e-bike sports a unique high-design aesthetic that’s unlike anything the team here at Electric Bike Report has seen before.

A key element of the Vinci’s artful, custom design is its offset and slanted cylindrical body. The bike’s tail end houses its 48V, 720 Wh battery and circular tail light. The projecting front “cannon” hosts a massive 2300-lumen headlight and cutouts to allow for effective steering.

As both a designer and e-bike reviewer, I can confidently say that it’s an appealing – and extremely refreshing – design.

The Vinci’s aggressive appearance isn’t just for show, though; this bike can get around! Its cast alloy wheels carry an integrated 750W rear hub motor with potential for blazing speed and confident climbing.

So does the bike’s performance match its looks? We tested the limits of this voguish speedster using our standardized tests to find out!

Electric Bike Reviews, News, & Testing – Electric Bike Report

Yamaha YDX-MORO 07 Review | Full-Sus eMTB For Only $2599!?

Oct 04, 2024 - Griffin Hales

Best Fat Tire Electric Bikes 2024 | 17 Expert-Tested Options

Oct 04, 2024 - Griffin Hales

Lectric XPress 750 Review | High-Power, Low-Price

Oct 01, 2024 - Griffin Hales

Bosch Updates Performance Line CX Motor – More Range, Better Performance, Less Weight

Sep 30, 2024 - Patrick Brady

Velotric T1 ST Plus Review | Simple, Light, and Impressive!

Sep 26, 2024 - John S. Bozick

Sponsor

Welcome to Electric Bike Report

Electric Bike Report sits at the forefront of the electric-vehicle industry. We have the latest information about e-bikes, e-scooters, e-trikes and other non-automotive electric transportation. Throughout the website you will find recent e-bike reviews, news, testing & top recommended electric bikes.

Looking for a new e-bike? Do you need something compact? Folding? Multi-rider? Read on and you’ll find categories for every e-bike style. Whether you are a professional looking to reduce your carbon footprint with an electric commuter or a mom who wants to transport kids and cargo to the park, we’ve got you covered!

Sponsor

News & Reviews

Specialized

Specialized Globe Haul LT Review | The Full-Size Cargo King?

Sep 25, 2024-John S. Bozick

Best Electric Bikes

Best Electric Bikes 2024 – Don’t Buy Until You Read This!

Sep 25, 2024-Griffin Hales

Commuter

Lectric XPress 500 Review | What More Could You Ask For?

Sep 20, 2024-John S. Bozick

Fat Tire

Velotric Nomad 1 Plus Review | Now With More Nomad!

Sep 19, 2024-John S. Bozick

Best Electric Bikes

Best Electric Cargo Bikes 2024 | Top 9 Options Options We Tested

Sep 17, 2024-John S. Bozick

Best Budget E-Bike

Guide to E-Bike Mid-drives

Best E-Bike Car Racks

Guide to Hub Motors

Throttle vs Pedal Assist

Guide to E-Bike Batteries

Sponsor

E-bike Categories

Commuter

City/Urban

Hybrid Path

Sponsor

Featured Brands

Sponsor

About Us

Griffin Hales

John S. Bozick

Patrick Brady

Richard Peace

Justin Taylor

Our staff of writers are also riders! We love e-bikes and our goal at Electric Bike Report is to help people get outside, get out of their cars, and get more exercise and fresh air. E-bikes are a perfect compliment to any lifestyle.

Our staff includes experienced road cyclists, mountain bike experts and devoted e-bike enthusiasts. Every bike we review has been personally tested for functionality, durability and performance. Our e-bike experts map out the pro’s and con’s of each bike so you can find exactly what you want and need.

About Us

Electric Bike Reviews, News, Guides & Recommended E-Bikes

At Electric Bike Report, we cover trade shows, trends, the newest designs and other developments within the industry. Our reviews and recommendations are based on hands-on testing and performance evaluations. We regularly interview industry experts and e-bike manufacturers for more insight into R&D and what to look for in the future.

If you are here to learn more about the e-bike industry, we’ve got you covered. Check out our “Get Started Guide” to help you figure out what e-bike will best suit your needs. Weekly blog posts keep you up to date with regular discussions about e-bike laws, regulations and other issues. As electric vehicles become ubiquitous throughout the world, laws and regulations change quickly. Our e-bike experts can offer insight into how to ride safely, how to navigate automotive traffic, the best way to fold and carry your e-bike, bike locks that work, and even how to efficiently load cargo or passengers!

The Swytch is a new e-bike conversion kit that uses a front-wheel hub motor and straps a moderately sized battery to the top tube or mounts on the handlebar.

E-bike conversion kits have been around for a while, but because the challenge to install them can be considerable, they haven’t enjoyed widespread acceptance. Most people have found that it’s easier to simply buy an e-bike new. Some folks, however, need to keep their budget snug as an overtightened belt. That’s where Swytch’s latest innovative kit, the Go, comes in.

The Swytch Go is a new e-bike conversion kit that aims to make conversions both easy and affordable. The design is so innovative it won a Red Dot Award. Their approach simplifies matters to a great degree. Rather than replacing the rear wheel, the Swytch Kit goes with a 250W front hub motor, so only the front wheel is replaced.

The kit comes with the front wheel with brushless, geared hub motor, battery, charger, pedal sensor and LED display/controller. Buyers can choose between several different batteries, depending on how clean you want the installation to look and how much range you want.

go hybrid bike

The Swytch Go comes with all of the above and a battery that straps to the top tube and seat tube. The battery comes in three different capacities: 187Wh, which Swytch says should offer 15-20 mi. of range; 280Wh, which should offer 30-40 mi. and 378Wh, which should give riders 45-60 mi. per charge.

Swytch also offers the Swytch Air, which comes with all the same components, but instead of a battery pack that straps to the frame, it comes with a smaller battery that mounts to the handlebar and comes in either 98Wh (7-10 mi.) or 180Wh (15-20 mi.).

Sponsor

The Swytch Go and Swytch Air are refreshing approaches to retrofitting a bike with a motor. What typically sours people on such a conversion is the difficulty of running the wires from the controller to the pedal sensor, battery and the motor. The Swytch kits simplify installation by saving the rider from dealing with the rear wheel, but it doesn’t eliminate running leads from the controller to the cadence sensor, battery and motor.

Running the cables to the components won’t be especially difficult. They also simplify installation by including a two-piece cadence sensor so that you don’t have to remove a crank arm to install it. In fact, installing the Swytch Go or Swytch Air requires only a handful of tools.

Sponsor

*Please help support our efforts at Electric Bike Report. We work hard to provide the highest quality content, news, and reviews for our readers – and our sponsors make all of this possible. Please visit our sponsors from their ads on our website and let them know that you appreciate what they do for the e-bike industry and Electric Bike Report

Buyer’s Guide to Electric Bikes

New to the world of electric bikes? Welcome.

Want to jump to a specific topic? Here’s links to specific sections of this guide.

The Complete Guide to E-Bike Mid-Drive Motors

Biktrix Juggernaut Classic Duo ST Review | Burly & Bespoke

This aggressive fat tire e-bike features a near-effortless ride and TONS of customization options.

Best Electric Bikes For Kids | Be Safe AND Have Fun!

Our Best Electric Bikes for Kids for 2024

Best Electric Bikes for Hunting | 9 Better Ways to Bag Game

Our Best Electric Bikes for Hunting for 2024

The Best Electric Bikes for Hunting with Mid-Drive Motors

The Best Electric Bikes for Hunting with Rear-Hub Motors

Orbea Wild Review | Find Out Why It Won All Those Awards

The Wild combines impressive power and range with terrific handling in a stylish package.

Vinci Motorbike Review | Faster Than A Speeding Bullet?

An aggressive, conceptual moto-style e-bike every bit as fast as its sporty design suggests.

Electric Bike Reviews, News, & Testing – Electric Bike Report

Welcome to Electric Bike Report

News & Reviews

Top Tips & Guides

E-bike Categories

Featured Brands

About Us

Electric Bike Reviews, News, Guides & Recommended E-Bikes

Our Picks Best E-Bikes For Heavy and Tall Riders of 2024

Search Results for: buyers guide

New to the world of electric bikes? Welcome.

Want to jump to a specific topic? Here’s links to specific sections of this guide.

This aggressive fat tire e-bike features a near-effortless ride and TONS of customization options.

Our Best Electric Bikes for Kids for 2024

Our Best Electric Bikes for Hunting for 2024

The Best Electric Bikes for Hunting with Mid-Drive Motors

The Best Electric Bikes for Hunting with Rear-Hub Motors

The Wild combines impressive power and range with terrific handling in a stylish package.

An aggressive, conceptual moto-style e-bike every bit as fast as its sporty design suggests.

Welcome to Electric Bike Report

News & Reviews

Top Tips & Guides

E-bike Categories

Featured Brands

About Us

Electric Bike Reviews, News, Guides & Recommended E-Bikes

The Swytch is a new e-bike conversion kit that uses a front-wheel hub motor and straps a moderately sized battery to the top tube or mounts on the handlebar.

Our Picks Best E-Bikes For Heavy and Tall Riders of 2024

Don’t be a stranger, stay connected

Subscribe to our newsletter

About

Guides

Reviews

What’s Trending