Blog

Most e-bike conversion kits have, until now, been unwieldy devices that aren’t easy to install and result in a cluttered array of leads running from the motor to the handlebar. We’ve looked at conversion kits and examined their many pros and cons. One new innovation aims to improve upon that.

Skarper is a new motor that mounts to the rear of a bicycle and uses a special disc brake motor to propel the newly minted e-bike. To use Skarper, a rider replaces their rear disc brake rotor (just the rotor, not the caliper) with Skarper’s special DiskDrive, in which a proprietary gearbox is housed within the brake rotor’s mounting area.

Skarper houses the motor and battery within a small unit that attaches to the frame. The motor drives the DiskDrive rotor. The obvious question is what that does to the rear brake, but Skarper says that the brake functions as normal.
[Read more…] about Skarper: Innovative Kit Turns Ordinary Bikes Into E-Bikes Using Disc Brake

Winter riding isn’t as much fun as riding during spring and summer months when the weather is nice, but for the dedicated commuter, riding when the weather is cold can be rewarding for a number of reasons. First, it cuts down on that gas bill, and saving money is always handy. Second, for those of us trying to improve our health by riding rather than driving, year-round exercise is a win. And for those of us who need to correct for all that holiday eating, and possibly drinking, riding on e-bike is one of the best ways to burn those pie calories.

But riding in the winter requires a slightly different game plan than riding in warmer weather. Here at Electric Bike Report we’ve got a few tips that will make winter riding more enjoyable.

Keep the battery inside

Most of us store our e-bike outside or in a garage. While those are appropriate places for an e-bike, lithium-ion batteries don’t perform well in cold temperatures. During a recent blast of cold air that gripped much of the nation, there were widespread reports of EVs suffering from reduced range.

Engineers we’ve spoken with suggest keeping your e-bike’s battery indoors for both charging and storage. The ideal temperature range for both charging and storing is between 50 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Read more…] about Four Tips for Winter E-Bike Riding

Officials in Spearfish, S.D., are examining how e-bikes use is beginning to grow in their city. Spearfish is just one of many cities across the U.S. that hasn’t passed any local ordinances defining where and which e-bikes can be ridden.

While the three-class-system defining e-bikes may seem the law of the land, many cities around the country have yet to take up the question.

In Spearfish, the Parks and Recreation Department is examining e-bike use on a recreation path that runs through the city of 12,000 as well as on the trails of Lookout Mountain, a popular mountain biking spot.

The reason the city is choosing now to examine how to handle their use is due to citizen complaints following what Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Ehnes termed “negative interactions.”

In a meeting with the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Advisory Board, Ehnes said, “If you can imagine a 28-mile-an-hour bike coming up the rec path, that is extremely fast. That’s I think where the speed comes in. I think the class three is where people start to get a little bit nervous about how fast it can go.”

It’s a common dilemma cities face: How fast is too fast for an e-bike?

The concerns over Lookout Mountain take a different form. Users express concern about increased erosion, a position Ehnes doesn’t agree with.

“Claims of erosion simply aren’t true…. It’s still a bike tire,” he said.

In 2023 the Northern Hills Ranger District took up the issue of e-bikes and concluded that they are motorized vehicles. That distinction effectively banned all e-bikes from the area’s forest service trails used by hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians.

“Like I always do, I tried to reach out to other agencies to figure out what they’ve done, how they’re addressing it so that we don’t have to recreate the wheel. Most of the time when I reach out, I find a trend, you can sometimes figure out what the general consensus is,” Ehnes said. “This is wildly different across every organization.”

On the other side of the state, in the city of Sioux Falls, the city ordinance allows Class 1 (maximum assist speed of 20 mph and no throttle) and Class 3 (maximum assist speed of 28 mph and no throttle) e-bikes, but Class 2 e-bikes (which have a throttle) are banned.

Confusing matters is the existence of a South Dakota state statute. It declares that Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are permitted on any bicycle path or multi-use path in the state, unless otherwise forbidden.

Potential user conflicts are but one consideration when examining how to legislate e-bikes in the city. The city must consider whether they can effectively enforce any law they pass.

“My concern as director is that if ordinance and regulation is adopted, enforcement will be difficult,” Ehnes said. We don’t have the staff to control these areas and even if we did, parks department doesn’t have any authority to ticket them or fine them for violating ordinances. “I called the district ranger and I said, ‘OK, you’ve got the regulations; are you enforcing them?’ He kind of laughed and said, ‘I don’t have the staff available to enforce it.’”

Some area residents want laws on the books regardless of their ability to enforce them.

“I have spoken to several concerned citizens…. While they understand that enforcement is an issue, they believe having an adopted ordinance would give them the ability to say something when another user is in violation. Kind of a self-patrolling mentality. Right now, they don’t feel like they can say anything because there’s nothing on the books,” Ehnes said.

One possible solution the city is considering would be posting speed limit signs to encourage good behavior. The city plans to accept input from the cycling community as well as citizens both for and against e-bike usage.

[Read more…] about Spearfish, S.D., Officials Contemplate E-Bike Ordinances

Bikepacking With an E-Bike

E-bikes offer some distinct advantages over traditional bicycles when used for bikepacking, but they also come with specific limitations.

On one hand, e-bikers are less likely to feel the effects – namely, exhaustion – of added weight due to the assistance offered by their bike’s motor. Riders of e-bikes can also take advantage of their throttles to take a break from pedaling, though this leads us to one of the tradeoffs that bikepackers on analog bikes needn’t be concerned with.

For starters, many off-road trails do not allow e-bikes, so route planning with this in mind is essential. More specifically, however, e-bikepackers need to consider the battery life and range of their e-bike. With the addition of extra weight, an e-bike’s motor will need to draw more power from the battery, thereby reducing the distance an e-bike can travel on a single charge. Riders using their throttle will deplete battery charge even faster!

For this reason, it is recommended that e-bikepackers use the lowest pedal assist system (PAS) setting possible to get the most from their batteries. We also suggest doing a test ride with a fully-loaded bike to get a sense of the distance the bike can travel before running out of juice. The Range Tests we perform in each of our e-bike reviews can be a good starting point, but considering that our range testers are relatively light (the 150 lb. range), our data is less likely to be accurate with a heavier load.

For extended trips beyond the range of a single charge, e-bike adventurers should plan their route carefully depending on their anticipated method of charging. Awareness of potential charging locations is paramount, as is knowledge of how long your battery takes to charge. To determine the number of hours this will take, divide the amp-hour rating of your battery by the amperage of the charger. Easy peasy!

Those spending their nights indoors – perhaps in motel rooms or on a friend’s couch – shouldn’t need to worry about where they’ll plug in, and for those who prefer sleeping under the stars, electricity is often available in many campgrounds. A conveniently-located coffee shop may work in a pinch if you find yourself running low on charge; a couple of hours of topping up might make the difference when your destination is still a ways out.

For shorter trips, staying within your e-bike’s range is key, but bringing a second battery may be an option to consider, even if only for added peace of mind. And if your e-bike is light enough, pedaling without the motor can extend your charge or get you home if your battery expires.