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Electric Bike Guides

Cool E-Bikes: Aesthetic Trends We See & Like

Electric bikes have come a long way from the days of DIY klunkers and bikes with obnoxious battery and motor placements.

Technology is better, designs are nicer and e-bikes look much cooler than they once did. Many e-bikes are now so discreet that they’re hardly discernible from their non-motorized cousins, and those that are look much sleeker and more integrated. Some companies are even giving buyers the option to fully customize their bikes, making them look exactly as they like.

Cool e-bikes moped styling

A member of the relatively new and aesthetically-driven class of moped style e-bikes, the Himiway Escape has a look we really dig.

While some of these aesthetic changes are being driven by the maturation of the relatively young e-bike market — especially as eCommerce e-bike companies grow older and more experienced — there are some brands that just appreciate nice looking e-bikes.

From fully-customizable bikes that allow you to choose everything from the spoke color to how the frame’s painted, here’s the cool e-bike trends and aesthetics we’re fans of.

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Why are electric bikes so expensive?

Why are e-bikes so expensive?

Electric bikes cost money; probably more money than the average person might expect. So why are electric bikes so expensive?

Bicycles have come a long way since the heyday of Schwinn and the classic six-speed. Even without a motor and battery, a traditional bicycle is a complex piece of engineering. That engineering takes time and money — likely a lot more time and money than the average person might expect, which could explain some of the sticker shock so many first-time e-bike buyers experience.

Why are e-bikes so expensive? Stromer

The Stromer ST5 is in the upper echelon of luxury e-bikes and has a price tag to match.

This post will offer some explanations for modern e-bike costs and hopefully help you better understand what you’re paying for when you do pop for a new ride. It’s not comprehensive by any means, but these are at least some of the reasons you might think twice before balking at the price of that new e-bike.

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Guide to E-Bike Conversion Kits

Guide to E-bike conversion kits

E-bike conversion kits are a solution that allow you to add a motor, battery and electric controls to a non-electric bike to make it into an e-bike. Chosen with care and installed correctly, the resulting e-bike lets you ride with electric assist just like a ‘regular’ e-bike. With the range of readymade e-bike designs larger than ever, kits have some competition from off-the-peg, ready to pedal e-bikes. However, they still offer positive advantages as well as some drawbacks which are considered first-off.

E-Bike Conversion Kit Pros

You Like Your Current Bike: You might want a bit of power assistance on a cherished non-electric machine that fits you like a glove.

Unique Bikes: The type of bikes you prefer may not be available in electric versions (folders and recumbents are cases in point, though more are appearing on the market, especially e-folders). Electric bike conversion kits can be useful at the ends of the power envelope less catered for by off the peg e-bikes, that is to say moderately powered but very ‘bikelike’ machines or at the other end of the scale, power hungry beasts.

Swapping: E-bike conversion kits can be swapped between bikes, giving the option of trying electric-assist on several different machines. Similarly, if the kit is a very easy to remove front hub wheel kit (for example as is the case with Leeds, Cytronex,Swytch etc.), you can use your bike unassisted at any time by simply swapping the wheel back to the original and leaving the battery off (the bike then weighs just a few hundred grams more than before). With such systems you can also choose at any time to electrify more than one bike and fully utilize your battery, just by swapping it between bikes.

Greener: If you already have a bike you want to make electric, e-bike conversion kits are generally a ‘greener’ option than a brand new e-bike, for the obvious reason they don’t need another brand new bike to be manufactured to replace the one you have bought!

Tinker or Do Something Totally Different: Those who love fiddling with bikes may be intrigued by the endless permutations of motor kits and bikes – the performance of a kit will be affected by the bike it is fitted to. Hub motors are usually geared for a specific wheel size to ensure they stay within the speed limit set for electric bikes in the territory in which they are sold. However, to take one example of how you can play with the design characteristics of motors and bikes, if you fit a hub geared for a larger wheel into a smaller one it will give excellent pulling power at low speeds, producing an excellent hill-climber or load-hauler.
You even have the chance to design an e-bike radically different to anything any mainstream manufacturer offers. To give one example, Canada’s Grin Technologies have a range of solar panels and associated devices that allow for solar charging of your e-bike conversion kits bike as you ride along.

swytch E-Bike Conversion Kits

Great Value: E-bike conversion kits can be great value for money. If you have a ‘recipient’ bike languishing in the shed or have picked up a decent quality steed at a good price, it can be converted quite cheaply when compared to the cost of a new e-bike of similar quality. Do note the Fitter’s Responsibilities section below about the quality of the recipient bike you might want to fit a kit to.

Lightweight: Kits also make it possible to put together an incredibly lightweight electric bike – a total weight of 22 pounds or 10kg is actually possible, and if money really is no object even lighter! There are an increasing number of off-the-peg lightweight e-bikes available now however, though these are generally mid to high priced e-bikes, so e-bike conversion kits can still be an economic way to a lightweight e-bike. E-bike conversion kits that add a little over 3kg to the weight of a non electric bike are now widely available and there are even lighter options out there, though these tend to be rather light on the amount of power assist you get.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Kits containing illegal motors and control units are in the market, and many people are using them on the road, either innocently or otherwise. A fast and/or powerful kit can be a lot of fun, but bear in mind that once you exceed the parameters set in the regulations, you are on your own. In most territories, your bicycle will be treated as a moped in the eyes of the law, and subject to the much more stringent penalties that come with motorcycle use. If you are found responsible for injuring someone, you will be in very serious trouble. The electric bike legislation is a safety net for your protection, and you leave it at your own risk.

E-Bike Conversion Kit Cons

May Be Complicated: Some e-bike conversion kits are easier to fit than others, but most require at least basic bike DIY skills. However, the simplest, such as the Leeds system and the rather more sophisticated Cytronex system really only require you to install a wheel, mount the battery on your bike and attach a basic cable run, so don’t really require any specialist bike knowledge. Even then you might need to do some unexpected mods in supposedly ‘universal’ fit systems, for example filing out fork dropouts that are a little too narrow.
All-In-One Wheels like the Zehus and Smart Wheel can offer an easy install option, though they have their performance limitations.

Somewhat Limited: If you want a mid-drive system your choice is very limited and they are more difficult to fit than most hub motor systems.

Aesthetics: Often kits will not look as neat as off-the-peg electric bikes. External cable runs secured with cable ties are the order of the day, whilst most complete electric bikes nowadays come with cables hidden within the frame.
Having said that, the smallest and neatest e-bike conversion kits out there do integrate very well onto the bike and it may be hard to tell it’s an e-bike.

May Not Fit: Not all e-bike conversion kits will fit all bikes. Attention needs to be paid to getting the correct speed of motor for your size of wheel (although most hub motors come ready spoked into the correct size of wheel) and finding a suitable battery mounting point amongst many other factors. Front hub motor e-bike conversion kits are generally easier to fit than rear hub e-bike conversion kits simply because they don’t involve interfering with the gear system. Some e-bike conversion kits must be fitted by a qualified fitter whilst with others it is only recommended unless you are a very competent bike mechanic.

Quality: As with complete electric bikes, quality varies from kit to kit: Heinzmann for example stand out in this regard because of its high quality connectors and cabling, giving you the confidence to produce smooth tight cable runs, minimising the kit’s visual impact.

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Long Range Electric Bikes: How To Find The Long-hauler For You

Long Range Electric Bikes

Long Range E-Bikes: Intro

The electric bike world has plenty of sprinters, heavy lifters and high jumpers, but what about marathon runners?

There’s lots of options for long range electric bikes on the market today, from dual-battery eMTBs to sleek super commuters and everything in between. But, with batteries being the most expensive part of an e-bike, the question quickly changes from how far you’d like to go to how much money you’re willing to spend.

Herein lies the trick of long-range e-bikes: You’ve got to balance your distance needs with practicality and budget.

That balancing act is tougher than you might think, but armed with some basic information about a bike’s electrical specs, a little knowledge of your own pedaling abilities and (as always) a realistic grasp of what you’d like to do with the bike, you can confidently choose a long-distance e-bike that won’t cost an arm and a leg.

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Mechanical And Hydraulic E-Bike Brakes: A Comprehensive Guide

E-bike Brakes

What You Should Know About E-bike Brakes

There are lots of companies hyping products that claim to be made specifically for e-bikes.

You can buy e-bike drivetrains, e-bike rated tires and even e-bike rated cycling shoes — It seems like everyone is trying to get in on the electric bike boom.

E-bike braking systems are high on the list of components we see most often marked as e-bike specific. A quick survey of the dozens of e-bikes currently in the Electric Bike Report offices shows they are all equipped with a braking system made and marketed specifically for e-bikes.

So, should you buy into the hype around e-bike brakes? Yes. You absolutely should. But there are some things to take into consideration.

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Guide To Electric Bike Drivetrains

E-Bike Drivetrains

The 3 E-bike Drivetrain Types:

The type of drivetrain you choose for your electric bike will significantly influence how you ride your bike and how much you enjoy it.

There’s not a ton of drivetrain variations to choose from — really only three, which I’ll get into below — but the make and model of your drivetrain is an important choice, especially when buying an e-bike.

  • “Traditional” sprocket, chain and cassette drivetrains: A chain-driven system that transfers power from a front sprocket attached at the cranks to a cassette of different sized cogs mounted on the rear wheel. The chain wraps through a derailleur (or two) which mechanically pulls the chain onto the different sized cogs or sprockets when you change gears, altering the gear ratio. This is likely what comes to mind when you think of a bicycle drivetrain.
  • Single speeds: A chain or belt-driven system extremely similar to a “traditional” bike drivetrain that lacks the capability to shift gears. You get one sprocket in the front attached to one cog in the rear, making for a super simple system that’s strong and easy to maintain. The downside is you’ve only got one gear option.
  • Internally-geared hubs: Power is transferred to the rear wheel by a system that looks extremely similar to a standard single-speed drivetrain, but once it arrives at the rear wheel the power is transferred to a complex gear or drive system housed inside the rear hub that allows a rider to change the gear ratio. This type of system is becoming more and more popular on e-bikes, though the technology has been around for a while.

The first two categories I’ve listed above are probably familiar to most people reading this, so I won’t waste a bunch of page space explaining them. Instead, I’m going to jump right into internally geared hubs.

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How To Fix A Flat E-Bike Tire

How to fix a flat tire

Intro to Fixing A Flat E-Bike Tire

We’ve all been out for a ride that’s borderline heavenly; the weather’s pristine and everything seems to be perfect until BAM! You’re riding around on a deflated tire. The frustration is real, but you can learn quickly enough how to fix a flat e-bike tire.

While a serious flat may be the end of your ride that day, it doesn’t have to keep you off the trails for long. With proper preparation and a few simple steps, it’s only a matter of time before you can resume riding like nothing ever happened. The Electric Bike Report team has outlined simple step-by-step instructions for fixing a flat and getting back on the road.

Before you get started you’ll need

  • 1. A replacement tube
  • 2. Tire levers
  • 3. A way to inflate the tube
  • 4. A wrench (possibly)

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eScooter Laws and Regulations In The USA

Don’t worry if you are confused about the laws surrounded electric scooters – it seems much of North America is too, including lawmakers themselves. Even the naming is confusing – just to be clear when this article refers to electric scooters we mean what are also known as kickscooters and not the small step-thru motorbike type objects that can also be referred to as scooters.

Electric scooters have taken the US by storm, having gone from rarity to reality over the last few years, especially public share rentals run by the likes of Bird, Lime and Spin. But these are rentals specifically authorized, usually by particular city authorities, that only authorize the deployment and use of that particular company’s electric scooters.

Rules and regs around use of your own electric scooter need local research to make sure you comply with the law

But what about if you fancy the convenience of owning and using your own electric scooter where you live or work? Unfortunately, the state of electric scooter law is only just beginning to emerge in the United States and varies from state to state and even city to city. But before we take a look at different regulations on electric scooters across the US and Canada and look at the most commonly asked questions about them lets get an overview of federal legislation.

Federal Consumer Law – Safety Standards

Actually there isn’t any Federal Law specifically on electric scooters – The Consumer Product Safety Act of 1972 was amended by Congress in 2001 so there is now a national  definition of e-bikes in the US as they are classed as ‘a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of fewer than 750 watts (1 h.p.), whose maximum speed on a paved level surface, when powered solely by such a motor while ridden by an operator who weighs 170 pounds, is less than 20 mph (i.e., a low-speed electric bicycle).’

The above doesn’t tell you where the e-bike can be used, it only gives a legal definition of it. Since then People for Bikes has done brilliant work lobbying for the three-class law now adopted by 28 states across the US which does tell e-bike riders where they can ride along and states have also legislated on a host of other issues for e-bikes like whether helmet use and insurance are also mandatory – clearly many of the legal issues relating to e-bike use also relate to electric scooters.
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What Is The Best Budget eBike?

With e-bikes offering better value than ever and companies now fiercely competing for who can come up with the best value offering in the value stakes, it can be pretty confusing trying to narrow down just how much you should spend and what features you should expect – even if you are on a pretty tight budget.

Here we try and demystify the topic by breaking budget e-bikes down into two broad price categories, low budget and lower mid-range to see just what you might expect to see in each category, whilst picking out the best value bikes out what we consider to be the very best value e-bikes out there.

Low Budget eBikes – US$1000 / £1000

Undoubtedly the hardest category to actually pick a bike in as there will be a lot of poorer quality e-bikes below these price points. EBR tends not to recommend many e-bikes below these price points and they have to stand out from the crowd. There are even e-bikes out there for just a few hundred $ but these may well  be even more compromised in design or manufacturing quality than the slightly higher priced ones which themselves can be very poor. Amazon and Ebay are full of such cheaper e-bikes.

Typical purchaser complaints you might find include parts that last only a few months (including more expensive consumables like the lithium-ion battery), motors that feel underpowered compared to what they were expecting, having to deal directly with an company in Asia and waiting several weeks for replacement parts. Communication may be by email only and you may not be sure exactly who you are dealing with and where they are or what your warranty terms are (if any).

All this isn’t to say there aren’t satisfied buyers out there who have purchased such e-bikes; they may even get a few years use from their Ebay purchase but no doubt the majority of these e-bikes end up broken and at the back of the garage or at the refuse tip much more quickly than higher priced e-bikes. In other words it can be a haphazard affair.
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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.

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