Whilst many higher-priced e-bikes contain mid-drives (examined in full in our recent Guide to eBike MidDrives) the other main type of e-bike motor, hub motors, are often found on more budget models. Hub motors (as you would guess, these are motors found within the wheel hubs) are also used where saving weight is important, for example on lightweight city bikes you might want to pick up and sling over your shoulder to get them up steps or on e-folders that you need to carry in one hand. A third, less common reason for using hub motors (especially of the gearless variety) is on ultra-low maintenance e-bikes where they can be used alongside belt drives and hub gears to give a virtually ‘fit and forget’ system.

As in our overview of mid-drives, we’ll take a look at all the main hub motor players out there but first, there’s just a couple of points to note.

A geared motor (left) uses gears to drive onto the hub shell whilst in a gearless motor (right) the hub shell is actually a rotating part of the hub motor itself.

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Having a comfortable e-bike that is easy to control and that you feel safe on can make all the difference to how much you use it. This is doubly so as you begin to age – when it’s especially advisable for people to keep cycling to stave off the effects of age on muscles, motor coordination, and the immune system.

With this in mid EBR looks at some of the best e-bikes for older riders.

Get the Basics Right 

Comfort and controllability are of extra importance to older riders and a fairly upright riding position is usually the best way to attain this. If the e-bike has a traditional diamond frame (though see below for the advantages of step-thru frames), a short top tube means the seat and handlebars will be quite near each other, making it easy to sit upright. Sportier designs and e-road bikes in particular will have longer top tubes and are inherently hard if not impossible to ride in an upright posture. As with everything, it’s a case of pros and cons though.

This striking image from bike designer Mark Sanders shows how the spine, neck and wrists are forced out of their natural riding positions by sportier designs of bike but a natural and comfortable position is maintained on an upright bike.

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.

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.

ICE electric assist recumbents from the UK fitted with one of the premier mid drives on the market, the Shimano Steps electric assist system

A recumbent bike or e-bike, as the name suggests, is one where you lay down in a seat rather than perch on a saddle. They come in 2, 3 and 4 wheeled versions, though 3 wheelers or trikes as they are more commonly known are by far the most common design.

I’ve test ridden several recumbent and electric recumbent machines and always enjoyed it – and always received loads of interest in the bike itself, mainly in the form of what is it and why would I want to ride one? So, if you want to know too, read on…

Comfort

Fancy cycling in real comfort? Why not try an electric recumbent? These models are from HP Velotechnik who have a wide network of dealers in Europe, US and Canada.

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One aspect of e-bikes not discussed that often but which is a very common point of advice for e-bike shop staff is the question of the ‘best’ e-bike for heavier riders.

As you would expect, there is no single ‘best’ e-bike but most e-bike manufacturers give a recommended maximum rider weight rating for each particular model of e-bike. These can be a useful guide, but certainly no more than a guide. They may have been conservatively rated to ensure that e-bikes are not loaded to anywhere near their safe maximum limit, or a manufacturer may have been overenthusiastic with the rating in an effort to boost the performance credentials of their e-bikes. In any event, it is up to the manufacturer to make clear what is the maximum suitable weight and many manufacturers go above and beyond the minimum legal limit that might be specified in national law, or that specified in international standards. On some e-bike spec descriptions you won’t find any recommended maximum weight at all whilst others, like Rad Power, advertise weight ratings prominently.

Rad Power Bikes give clear, prominent descriptions of the weight limits of all their e-bikes

What is a Heavy Rider and What Rating Should be Looking For

The average US male weighs around 200lbs / 90kg and the average female around 170lbs / 77kg so you can figure out if you class yourself as a heavy rider based on these benchmarks!
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