Electric bikes are very fun to ride. They are useful for your wellness, eco-friendly, and give an enjoyable experience to the rider. With sleek designs, lightweight frames, and modern technology, a variety of these bikes are available in the market.
However, not everyone is an expert rider, and people might get confused about buying a suitable bike for them. The blog below discusses some useful tips that can help you buy a book for you:
The Right Usage
The very aspect you should consider before buying your bike is its purpose. Whether you want to use it for hiking purposes alone or you want to use it for daily exercise. Do you plan to ride it along the road or the countryside?
If you want to hike along the mountainside, an electric bike would be the best option as it bears the power, strength, and suspension to support your ride.
Likewise, you should preferably consider an electric road bike if you have to travel along the road, as buying a mountain bike will simply provide unnecessary features at an added cost.
Hybrid-style e-bikes with upright seating positions and wider tires are a good option if you will ride on the pavement with occasional trips on the road.
Size and Weight
Electric bikes come with variable weights and sizes, from 50 pounds to upward. Generally, lightweight vehicles have small motors, lighter frames, and less capacity, so they are suitable for easy tracks.
Contrarily, heavy e-bikes have big motors and strong frames to support the motor. These bikes are preferable for larger usage. So, if you live on the ground floor and have to travel on rough terrain, you should consider a heavy e-bike. In another case, if you have to carry your bike on the upper floor, mind it to buy a bike with light weight to enjoy your rides.
Mid-Drive or Hub Motor
It’s the position of the motor that affects the e-bike’s power significantly. Based on motor position, there are two types of bikes: mid-drive and hub drive.
Hub-drive bikes have power motors in the wheel, back, front, or both, whereas mid-drive bikes have their power motor fixed in the middle between the pedals.
This location of the motor affects its ultimate efficiency. Hub-drive bikes are almost 30 percent efficient, whereas the efficiency level of mid-drive bikes is almost 70-80 percent. With this, mid-drive has more power and more range and is better suited for long ranges and challenging tracks.
Battery Life & Riding Range
The battery is one of the most expensive components of an electric bike. The battery’s power and durability give you enjoyable and long rides with minimum charging for years. Usually, a battery covers 100 to 120 km on a single charge. This distance range varies in different bikes, with a maximum value of 350-400 km. Its lifetime is around 2-5 years. Consider all these points before making a purchase.
Pedal Assist or Throttle
When it comes to pedal-assist or throttle power, there are three classes of bikes:
Class 1 e-bikes come with no throttle and move at a speed of 20 mph. These bikes have only a pedal-assistance feature.
Class 2 e-bikes are equipped with pedal assistance and throttle features. They also have a speed of 20 mph.
Class 3 e-bikes also have only a pedal assist feature and move at a speed of 28 mph.
So, looking at these, you can find a suitable bike per your needs. If you need more speed, then Class 3 e-bikes are preferable. Likewise, if you need a recreational bike with throttle, Class 2 e-bikes are the best.
Service and Maintenance
All e-bikes need service and maintenance at a certain time, and if you do not find any suitable shop for maintenance or replacement of damaged parts, then it will be a mess, and your bike will find no destination but a landfill. Therefore, consider these factors and buy bikes from reputed platforms that offer repair and maintenance at customer service centres.
Online or Dealer Purchase
When you buy from a physical shop, you get a chance to meet the shopkeeper, know about the preventive measures for riding the bike, get details about the warranty and how to protect it, get a test ride, and clear your misconceptions about the quality and handling of the bike.
Online shopping has its privileges. It saves you from the hassle of driving to the market as you can get all these details by visiting the website or on a call. This also saves you quality time. Moreover, you can get all the bike documents along with their delivery and immediately ask about any issue on the call if it arises. Now it’s your choice, how you find it easy.
Price
Price is also a very important factor you must consider before buying your bike; you cannot break the bank. Different bikes have variable prices based on features like power, battery timing, weight, strength, and the type of metal or alloy frame used in their manufacturing. Therefore, try to find a bike with your preferred features at a reasonable cost.
Warranty
Last but not least, make sure to find a bike with a warranty. Generally, bikes come with a 1-2 years warranty with some conditions. Make sure to know all the details about the warranty and get all the documents so that you can claim the warranty later in case of any damage.