Electric Bikes -N- Scooters Blog

Archive for November, 2009

Got an electric bike?  Got a joke for ya.

This guy says to his neighbor, ” I’m going to have to get rid of my dog, he chases anyone on an electric bike.”

“That’s a pretty strange problem,” says the neighbor.  “What do you propose to do about it?”

“I guess I’ll take away his batteries.”

I hope that I can impart some good advice about electric bicycles rather than stun you with my brilliant wit and humor about the subject.  However, these days with many people pinching pennies while trying to purchase an electric bike  ( or e-bike for those of us in the know) it makes pretty good sense to educate yourself before you make a purchase.  As you have already heard, “knowledge is power” in this case e-bike power in the form of consumer power.

Usually, the first problem a new e-bike enthusiast or e-biker (e-biker- wow that has pizazz! I wonder if it will catch on!) is confusion and disorientation that occurs when a consumer is confronted by the prospect of so many brands and styles of electric bicycles.  This is also discounting the fact that you can also buy e-bike conversion kits which I talked about in my last several posts.

I think that buying an ebike should be very similar with the way you would purchase a car.  You can consult consumer guides and look for brands that are very popular and mainstream for starters.  However, you have to think about what process you go through when buying a car.  For one thing, is comfort important to you?  What type of performance are you expecting in terms of terrain, weather and distances?

It would be wise to suggest to novice e-bikers that in the same manner that you would consider these performance features on a car, you should likewise consider the same with an electric bike.

One of the challenges that a consumer may have to consider when buying an electric bike is that because the technology is relatively new, most of the brands are new also.  Also, there are companies in the U.S. and abroad that sometimes make substandard models.  The best way for you, as a new e-biker, to learn about the best e-bikes for the money is to read, research, test and ask other people that are knowledgeable.  At this point however, it should be noted that if you ask deal;ers of electric bikes on the Internet what they think, they will almost always tell you that their electric bike or ebike conversion kit is the best one since sliced bread.

Even though these challenges face most consumers of ebikes, you can still make an educated decision on how to buy one of them.  So, in short order I am going to drop a couple of words of wisdom and advice to you can follow in order to insure that you get exactly what you are looking for.  (Consider this an early Christmas present!)

One of the first factors to consider on an electric bicycle is the weight.  Essentially, the weight of an electric bike is influenced by the heaviest components which are the batteries, hub motor and the frame.  Whenever I look back at the start of this electric bike -n- scooter website, I  am amazed at all of the changes and improvements that have been made since the inception of this site.  The main advance has been lightening of the load.  In particular, the weight of the frame, batteries and motor have all three been lightened, thus making distances and endurance much greater and less taxing.

When you consider these factors there are elements of the electric bike that need to be thought about.  If you are going to be riding on rugged terrain, then a heavier frame will be needed, conversely,  if you are going to be riding just on the street, then you will not need to worry about the frame being too heavy.

Motors are also becoming lighter and more powerful as a result of better technology. Awhile back, you had to be careful in inclement weather because the motors would go haywire due to getting wet.  However, many of the motors today are waterproof and you don’t need to worry about what type of weather to ride them in.  Motors usually come in two flavors, AC and DC.  i could literally get into all of the nuances of electric bike motors but most of the advice I have boils down to this: the goals you have for your ebike ( like terrain, grade, distance and weather) and power that will be available.  Don’t forget about cost either.  After all the higher quality and better performing ebikes will run you more than cheaper or even foreign made models.

Most of the electric bicycles on the market today utilize brushless hub motors.  These are motors that exist on the back wheel at the center and extremely beneficial for many reasons.  First of all they are self contained and sealed, which makes them excellent for repelling water.  You really don’t need to worry about what type of weather you are riding in.  Another benefit of the brushless hub motor is that because they are located on the rear wheel, they do not place extra unwanted weight on the electric bike.  The potor is actually a moving part of the bike which takes some of the strain off the entire system.  Another great thing about this type of motor is the fact that it makes it real easy to replace a motor.  All you have to basically do is pop off the rear wheel and pop on the new motor.  It’s easy as 1 – 2 – 3!  Not only is the weight on the center of the back wheel, thus making the bike easier to balance, but it overall makes the ebikke look really nice.

So,lets make a list of what I have covered so far.

1. Don’t get confused. Get educated and learn about e-bikes before you purchase one
2.  Remember, many of the brands are new, so they may or may not have a good track record yet
3.  Consider frame weight when you buy your ebike. What will you be using the electric bike for?
4.  What type of weather will you be riding in?
5.  How far will you be riding?
6.  How often will you be riding?
7. Remember hub motors are the best buy for the money
8.  If you want a higher quality bike then you will probably pay more

In my next post, I am going to cover batteries extensively as well as the controller aparatus on the ebike so, make sure you are here for the second part of my guide to purchasing electric bicycles.

ELMO