Knowing electric bike batteries have a limited charge can give you range anxiety. This can reduce the fun and sense of freedom you get from riding electric bikes. You may even avoid making certain longer cycle trips due to range anxiety. Furthermore, you may not take your electric bike with you on weekends away like camping trips, if you feel you’ll have nowhere to recharge it. However, what if there were ways that you could charge your electric bike away from your home? Would this mean you’ll go on longer cycle rides and take your electric bike with you away on cycling trips?

When it comes to electric bikes, there are certain ways you can in fact charge your battery on the go. These include taking a charger with you, say in a backpack or pannier for example. You can then use it to charge your battery at stop offs, like in a cafe or a pub. Increasingly, dedicated electric bike charging points are appearing at various places. There are even ways that are particularly suitable for charging your electric bike battery on trips away. These include through your car battery, solar panels, or by using a portable power station.

Here, in this article, I talk in detail about these methods of charging your electric bike battery whilst you’re out and about.

Charging Your Electric Bike at Stop Offs

As mentioned above, it is possible to charge your electric bike at stop offs such as cafes and pubs. This requires an element of planning though, if you’re intending on charging at a stop off mid cycle. Below are some pointers to help you do just that.

• Check the cycle route in advance to see if there are any suitable stop offs.
• Make sure potential stop offs appear at a point within the route, before your battery’s likely to run out of charge. Therefore, it’s ideal to have a good idea of your battery range. Bear in mind though that different factors such as riding speed and incline affect range. Therefore, anticipating your electric bike battery range may not always be straightforward. However, this range calculator from Bosch will help you to do just that though.
• You should consider the distance between the stop off and the end of the cycle. If you’re charging at more than one stop off, then consider the distance between each stop off and the distance between the last stop off and the end of the journey. Ultimately, after charging, you need enough range to get you to the next stop off and to the end of the ride. 

• It’s ideal to know how long it takes for your battery to charge. You may not necessarily stay at a stop off long enough for your battery to charge fully. However, you want to at least charge your battery enough to get you to the next stop off, or to the end of the journey. So for example, you may arrive at a stop off with 30% battery charge left, needing another 40% charge to get home. If you know it takes 1½ hours to charge 40% of your battery, then you can plan to stay at the stop off for at least 1½ hours.
• It’s no guarantee that a stop off will let you use their electricity to charge your electric bike battery. So never assume a stop off will let you use their electricity. If they don’t let you, then you could end up without electric assistance before the end of your ride. So it’s a good idea to contact planned stop offs in advance, to ask if they’ll let you charge your electric bike battery. Therefore, check your planned route for possible stops offs in advance and get their telephone numbers online.
• This follows from above. A stop off is more likely to let you charge your electric bike battery, if you’re using their service. So if you’re charging at a cafe, have a coffee or 2 and maybe even a slice of cake. Likewise, if you’re charging at a pub, you could have a pub lunch and possibly a pint or 2. In itself, it’s common courtesy to spend money at the stop off if they’re letting you charge your battery. Besides, you’ll enjoy the stop off more if you’re stopping for a pint or a coffee. You can even plan your cycle journey so that you arrive at a pub at lunchtime.
• You can even take advantage of overnight stop offs to charge your electric bike. These can include hotels, hostels and campsites.
• Most importantly, don’t forget to take your electric bike charger with you. You can use a backpack or pannier to carry it.

Charging Your Electric Bike From Solar Panels

You can use a solar panel as a way of charging your electric bike battery. This lends itself more for if you’re away on a trip for the weekend, or a few days. The reason being because solar panels aren’t portable enough to take on your electric bike. So you would typically use a solar panel to recharge your battery when you’re back at base. You could take a foldable solar panel with you in the bucket of a cargo bike though. These types of solar panels are very light, usually under 10 pounds.

The great thing about using a solar panel to charge your battery is that it gives you total freedom. It removes the need of you having to be near any electric power outlets.

A Charge Controller is Needed

When using a solar panel, your electric bike battery is not charged directly from the panel itself. You will need a charge controller connected between the solar panel and your battery. These charge controllers regulate the voltage and amperage coming from the solar panel to your battery. This is what allows the battery to charge up from the power coming from the solar panel.

Solar charge controller

Charge controllers are needed to regulate solar panel’s power output because not all electric bike batteries are equal. This is due to the fact that these batteries have varying voltages and amperages. So, when using a charge controller, you’ll need to manually adjust the voltage and amperage output to match your electric bike battery. Your battery will be damaged if the voltage and amperage coming from the solar panel/charge controller is more than your batteries. Victron makes a very good range of charge controllers. With these, you adjust the settings through an app on your smartphone. Your smartphone interacts with this Victron charge controller through Bluetooth.

Connections

To connect the solar panels to the charge controller you need a pair of solar connector cables. Solar panels will have a pair of cables coming from them. One of these cables is the positive connection and the other cable is the negative. These cables coming for the solar panel will typically have MC4 connectors on the end. You then have the solar connector cables connected between these cables coming from the solar panel and the charge controller.

The solar connector cables are a solar PV wire, with an MC4 connector on one end and stripped on the other. The end with the MC4 connector, connects to the MC4 connector at the end of the cable coming from the solar panel. The stripped end connects to a PV terminal on the charge controller. There are 2 PV terminals on the charge controller. Again one’s a positive connection and the other’s a negative.

Solar panel and the attached cables with MC4 connectors

The idea is that the positive cable coming from the solar panel is connected to the positive PV connection on the charge controller, via a solar connector cable. This is likewise with the negative solar cable and the negative PV connection. These PV connectors are often labeled as solar, or with a picture of a solar panel.

You may need to make a custom lead, that takes the power from the charge controller, to your electric bike battery. A demonstration of how you can do this is included within this video. This lead would need to come from the battery output of the charge controller, by the way. Also the below articles both have helpful information with regard to creating one of these leads.

“3 Ways to Solar Charge and Electric Bike”

“How to connect a Solar Panel to a Battery”

Get as Much Sun on the Solar Panel as Possible

The more sun that hits the solar panel, the more power (in watts) it will put out. The more power (again in watts) the panel puts out, the faster your battery will charge. So the most effective time of day to use a solar panel is midday, when the sun is at its strongest. Therefore, the closer to midday you’re using the solar panel, the faster your battery will charge. You should also position a solar panel so it’s pointing directly at the sun as much as possible. This may even require you to prompt the solar panel up against something, so it’s in a tilted position.

As you may also gather, the sunnier the day is, the more it will maximize the power output of solar panels. So charging from a solar panel will be quicker in the summer months. Furthermore, solar panels have a peak power (in wattage) stated. For example 150 watts, 200 watts etc. However, they will only output this peak power in peak sunlight conditions.

There’s a calculation to determine how long (in hours) it will take your electric bike battery to charge when using a solar panel. You simply divide your battery capacity in watt hours, by the watts coming from the solar panel. The example below shows this calculation for an 800 watt hour battery, if 150 watts is coming from the solar panel.

800wh ÷ 150 watts = 5.33 hours (a little over 5 hours)

Bear in mind that electric bike batteries can take longer to charge from solar panels than from the mains. Again, this depends on how much sun the solar panel is getting.

Using 2 Solar Panels

You can halve the charge time by using 2 solar panels. Using 2 panels increases the wattage passing through to the battery. This in turn reduces the charge time. This article talks about how to use more than 1 solar panel as part of your charging set up.

Charging Your Electric Bike with a Jackery

A Jackery is a portable power station that you can use to charge your electric bike from. You typically charge the Jackery from a mains power supply. It then stores this electric charge, so that you can then plug an electrical appliance into it like a mobile phone or laptop. The Jackery then charges the appliance that you have plugged into it. This is by transferring electricity from itself to the appliance.

Jackery

The Jackery is ideal for taking away with you on cycling trips to recharge your electric bike battery. Like using solar panels, a Jackery lends itself more to taking with you on cycling trips away for a few days, rather than for single bike rides. The reason being that their weight makes them implausible to take with you on a bike. This is unless you have a cargo electric bike though.

If you’re going away for a cycling weekend, you can put a fully charged Jackery in the van or the boot of your car. You can then use the Jackery to recharge your electric bike battery whilst you’re away. You simply plug your charger into the AC output on the Jackery.

Different Capacity Jackery’s Available

There is a range of different Jackery’s available. Each one of these has different power storage capacities in watt hours. So the amount you can recharge your electric bike battery by, will depend on which Jackery you’re using. The capacity of your electric bike battery will determine this as well.

Charging Time

This video can help give you some idea of how long it takes for a Jackery to charge your electric bike battery. The video shows that for a 500wh battery, it takes the Jackery 1 hour to charge 30% of it. That’s about 1% for every 2 minutes. This is though, when charging from a US mains power socket. So you can use this as a guide to get an idea of how long it would take for a Jackery to charge other capacity electric bike batteries. 

Using a Jackery to Charge a Cargo Electric Bike

As mentioned above, you could use a Jackery to charge an electric cargo bike mid ride. This will mean that you won’t need to find a stop off with a charge point.

Even though Jackery’s are quite heavy, they’re still not too heavy to be carried in the bucket of an electric cargo bike. Below shows the weight ranges and capacity in watt hours, of the Jackery’s currently available on the market. 

Jackery Explorer 240 – 240wh – 6.6 pounds

Jackery Explorer 300 – 293wh – 7 pounds

Jackery Explorer 500 – 518wh – 13.3 pounds

Jackery Explorer 1000 – 1002wh – 20.04 pounds

As you can see, the heavier the Jackery, the more capacity in watt hours (electric charge) it holds. Even if you have an electric cargo bike with a bucket that can handle carrying the 20.04 pound Jackery, you may not need the capacity it provides. The 13.3 pound Jackery may give you enough capacity for what you need. In which case you can save on weight by not opting for the 20.04 pound one. Not to mention saving on cost as well. If you’re already using the cargo bike to carry other cargo, then you’ll want to save all the weight you can.

Taking a 500wh electric bike battery as an example, the 240wh Jackery can only charge under half of the battery. However, if you need to top up your battery mid cycle to get you home, this may still be enough. The 500wh Jackery can fully charge a 500wh battery though. It can also charge over half of a 700wh or 800wh electric bike battery. Again, this can still be enough to get you to your destination. You probably won’t fully discharge a Jackery anyway if you’re using it to recharge your battery mid ride. However, it’s reassuring if you know it has enough charge to cover you.

A 1002wh Jackery has enough capacity to fully charge a 500wh electric bike battery twice. Therefore you may deem it excessive to take one of these with you on a single electric bike ride. On the other hand though, you won’t need to charge up the Jackery itself so often between rides.

Depending on the battery management system (BMS) of your battery, a Jackery can literally charge your electric cargo bike battery on the go. You may not necessarily have time to recharge your electric bike battery enough during a mid cycle brake. So when your battery is running low, you can then stop to connect your Jackery to your battery. Then you can set off cycling again, so that the Jackery is powering your battery whilst you’re cycling. Remember this depends on if your BMS allows for this though. This can ensure you have enough range to get you home. If you’re doing this though, make sure the charger and lead between the Jackery and the battery is secure. You may find this very tricky to pull off though, especially as chargers are cumbersome.

You may possibly work in deliveries and use an electric bike for this. In which case, taking a Jackery with you can give you the range to see you through the day. You may need to strike a balance between the Jackery not adding too much weight and it giving you enough extra range. Taking a Jackery with you on an electric cargo bike, can even allow you to go on cycle trips with overnight stops.

Using a Jackery with Solar Panels

If you’re away on a cycling trip, then you can use a solar panel to charge a Jackery. You can then charge your electric bike battery from the Jackery afterwards. Here, you don’t use a charge controller (as talked about further above), because Jackery’s have one built-in. Some solar panels, though, do have a charge controller built in. If you do have one of these solar panels, this video shows you how to disconnect the solar charger. This would then make your solar panel compatible with the Jackery.  

You may be wondering though why would you use a solar panel to charge the Jackery, rather than use a solar panel to directly charge the battery. Well the reason being is that solar panels obviously need the sun to provide power. However, sun is only available during the day, which is when you’ll be cycling. So you may not have enough time during the day to fit in a ride and charge the battery from a solar panel.

So you can charge the Jackery from the solar panel, whilst you’re riding your electric bike. Once you’ve finished your ride, you can then use the Jackery to charge your electric bike battery. This could even be in the evening or overnight, when there’s little or no sunlight. Then you can have a full battery charge the next day. By the way, it’s OK to leave your battery on charge through the Jackery overnight. Once the electric bike battery is full, it will stop charging. So there’s no danger of it overheating, or the Jackery discharging more than necessary.

Jackery’s even have their own solar panels which you can buy separately. To connect a third party solar panel to a Jackery though, you’ll need a solar panel to 8 mm adapter cable. These have MC4 connectors on one end and an 8 mm connection on the other. This cable would then plug into the 8 mm input on the Jackery. You can even connect a pair of solar panels to a Jackery, for it to charge up twice as fast.

Electric Bike Charging Points

Increasingly, more and more dedicated electric bike charging points are appearing. This is as a result of electric bikes becoming more popular. These charging points allow you to charge your electric bike mid ride whilst you take a break.

Plugshare.com allows you to find various electric bike charging points around the world. It’s not dedicated to electric bike charging points only by the way. It covers plug-in points for all sorts, such as caravans and electric cars etc. So you need to filter down to electric bike charging points, by only having wall sockets selected under the filters.

Every time you find an electric bike charging point you can share it yourself on Plugshare.com.

Furthermore, Bosch has now started making electric bike charge points on biking trails. Below is a link to help you find where these Bosch electric bike charge points are located.

Bosch Electric Bike Charge Point Finder 

Bike Energy also has a network of electric bike charging stations. To use these charging stations you’ll need a special adapter cable though. You can find out more about these charging stations by going to Bike Energy’s website. You’ll find these charging stations at various public and tourist locations. They can even charge your electric bike battery up to twice as fast. Below, is a link to a map showing the locations of these Bike Energy charge points.

Bike Energy Charging Station Map

Charging Your Electric Bike From a Car Battery

You can charge your electric bike from your car battery. You’ll need a gadget called an inverter to do this though. There’s a couple of other gadgets that you could do with here as well, but aren’t entirely essential. I list these gadgets (as well as the inverter) below.

Inverter – around £70

Battery and alternator tester – can be picked up for around £5

Electricity Usage Monitor – around £15 to £25

Car Battery

Inverter

The inverter converts the DC current from the car battery, to an AC current, required to charge the electric bike battery. Therefore, you charge your electric bike battery from the car battery, via the inverter. You connect the inverter to the car battery using crocodile clip/car battery cables. Although you should use battery cables with a 10 amp fuse on the positive cable. This protects your car battery from possible damage. Damage is more likely if you have a high amp charger and a high voltage battery. Make sure you connect the negative and positive battery cables the correct way around. You then plug your electric bike battery charger into the inverter. Your electric bike battery will then start charging from there.

Inverter

The voltage coming from the inverter should match the required AC voltage for the country that your electric bike charger is from. For example, European/UK electric bike chargers are 230 volts. US electric bike chargers are 120 volts.

Battery and Alternator Tester

There’s the risk of running your car battery flat if you’re charging your electric bike battery from it. This is though, if you’re not running your motor at the same time. If you run your car battery flat, then you can’t start your car. This is where the battery and alternator tester comes in. The idea is that you also have this connected to your car battery whilst you’re charging your electric bike battery. This is typically by crocodile clips as well. Car batteries need at least 12.6 volts to start the car. So this battery and alternator tester tells you how much voltage you have left in your car battery. You can therefore keep an eye on this battery and alternator tester to make sure the car battery does not drop below 12.6 volts.

Battery and Alternator Tester

Some inverters have a built-in low battery voltage shutoff feature though. This causes them to cut off before the car battery gets too low a voltage to start the car. If you’re charging your electric bike battery from your car battery whilst the motor is running, then the car battery will not run down. You’ll be able to fully charge your electric bike battery this way. It’s likely you’ll only be able to partially charge your electric bike battery from the car battery without the motor running.

You could, by the way, use your car battery down to 12.6 volts to charge your electric bike battery without the motor running. If your electric bike battery is not fully charged yet, then you could run the motor to charge the rest of the battery. Here, you can have a fully charged electric bike battery, and minimized car fuel used to do so. This is due to the fact that you haven’t had the car motor running for the whole battery charge.

Electricity Usage Monitor

This is not an essential part of the setup by the way. However, this gadget shows how much voltage is coming from the alternator into the electric bike battery. Remember, this voltage should match the required voltage for the country that your electric bike charger is from. This  electricity usage monitor plugs directly straight into the inverter. You then plug your electric bike charger into the electricity usage monitor. This gives you the assurance that the voltage is what it should be to charge your electric bike battery. These devices also show you how much wattage is passing into your electric bike battery. The more wattage that’s passing though, the faster your battery is charging.

Electric Usage Monitor

Charger

To charge your electric bike battery from a car battery, your charger needs to have power factor correction (PFC). Cheap quality chargers may not have this, or at least may not have a very high power factor correction.

The lower the power factor correction of a charger, the longer it will take for your electric bike battery to charge from a car battery. Ideally, you want a power factor correction of at least 80% for a decent charge time. You certainly don’t want a power factor correction below 50%, as your battery will take far too long to charge. An electric usage monitor will also tell you the power factor correction percentage whilst you’re charging.

Charging Your Electric Bike From a Van

If you’re planning on going away on a cycling trip using a camper van, you can charge your electric bike battery from the van itself. Camper vans will tend to have a leisure battery, which is a separate battery to the main battery. These leisure batteries are for powering 12 volt appliances that you may have on the van. These can include appliances like kettles, TVs and lights. So you can use this leisure battery to charge your electric bike battery. This is ideal for when you’re away on these cycling trips. Again, you will still need an inverter, as discussed above, with regard to charging from a car battery.

When a leisure battery is powering appliances, it is not flattening the main battery at all. So you can use it to charge your electric bike battery, knowing you’ll still be able to start your van afterwards. Like the main battery, these leisure batteries charge whilst you’re driving.

You can even charge these leisure batteries through the mains, if you run a lead from your house to the van. This means you can make sure the leisure battery is fully charged before setting off on a cycling trip. It’s worth doing this, due to the fact that these leisure batteries can take 5 to 6 hours to fully charge. Bear in mind that you won’t always be driving for this sort of time. So you may not always be driving long enough to fully charge the leisure battery, through the van’s alternator.

On average, a leisure battery will use up around half its own charge to fully charge an electric bike battery. Ideally though, you don’t want to discharge your leisure battery to below 50%. Running down a leisure battery too low can cause performance issues. These can include reduced capacity and less ability to hold a full charge. Depending on the capacity of your electric bike battery, you should expect to get one full charge from a leisure battery. You may have flattened your electric bike battery since charging it from your van’s leisure battery. In which case, you can then drive to a new location to recharge the leisure battery. You can then use the leisure battery to charge your electric bike battery again. 

You can even attach solar panels to the top of your camper van to use to charge your leisure battery. This can allow you to go away on a cycling trip with an electric bike for a good few days. You’ll get ultimate freedom here and be truly off grid. You’ll not be reliant on having to stop at campsites to use their charging points.

Regenerative Braking on Electric Bikes

Some electric bikes on the market have what’s known as regenerative braking. This is a feature where some of the kinetic energy that’s lost through braking is retained in the battery. So less battery charge is lost through braking. Therefore, this gives you more battery range.  Depending on how you view it, this isn’t necessarily recharging your battery as such. It’s more retaining more of the charge that was already there in the first place. My article “Is Regenerative Braking on Electric Bikes any Good?” talks at length about regenerative braking. 

Electric Bike Range Extenders and Carrying a Spare Battery

You can buy a range extender to attach to your electric bike. This is a power bank that charges your battery when your electric assistance is not in use. So for example, this could be when you’re freewheeling or stopped for a break. These can violate your warranty though. Also they may not be compatible with your particular electric bike.

You can even just take a spare battery with you on rides. Like the charger, you can carry this with you in a pannier or backpack. When the battery you’re using runs out, you simply stop and replace it with the spare one. Ideally, make sure both batteries are fully charged before you set off, for maximum range.

My article “How to Choose the Right Electric Bike Battery” talks further about range extenders and having a spare battery.

Conclusion

As you can see from this article, it’s certainly possible to charge your electric bike on the go. So with a little planning and initiative you can go on longer ride

The post Can You Charge Your Electric Bike on the Go? appeared first on Electric Bike Planet.

Driving is the go-to method of transport for many people. This is due to the amount of convenience it provides. It’s well known though that driving is not without its problems. These include the harmful environmental impact it gives, parking difficulties and congestion. So what if there was an alternative method of transport that still had a lot of the conveniences of driving, but without the problems it gives? One such method could be getting about on an electric cargo bike. 

An electric cargo bike can be a suitable replacement for either a car or a van. You can use one to go shopping, do school runs and to make deliveries. The electric assistance they provide makes it easier to carry big loads and to cycle up hills. Often, electric cargo bikes help you make deliveries and other journey types quicker than vans and cars in city centres. All this whilst reducing congestion, eliminating parking issues and not emitting harmful emissions

Here, in this article, I discuss further about how electric cargo bikes can be a viable car or van replacement. You may not necessarily replace a car or van altogether with an electric cargo bike though. This is due to the fact that an electric cargo bike won’t be suitable for all journey types. These can include especially long journeys for example. However, you may at least be able to replace many car or van journeys with an electric cargo bike. 

Riding Electric Cargo Bikes for Deliveries

Electric cargo bikes are becoming more and more popular for haulage use. In city centres, electric cargo bikes often allow for goods to be delivered quicker than vans. This is as well as saving on the cost of purchasing and maintaining a van for delivery companies. 

According to Forbes, a university study found that electric cargo bikes can complete urban deliveries up to 50% faster than small vans. Also, The Guardian, has referred to a study that has found that bikes drop off 10 parcels an hour on average. This is compared to 6 parcels an hour on average for vans. The reasons for this are as below.

• Bikes are far less affected by congestion.
• An increasing amount of dedicated cycle lanes in towns and cities.
• Cycling allows you to take short cuts and more direct routes, not available to motor vehicles. This can include through parks, or alongside canals, for example.
• You don’ t need to spend any time trying to find a parking space. You can usually just park the bike outside the destination. Be sure to sufficiently lock the bike for security though. 
• If you have found somewhere to park a van, there may still be a long distance to walk to the delivery destination. This will use up more time compared to if you have parked an electric cargo bike outside the destination. 

The below statistic further backs up that electric cargo bikes can help businesses make deliveries quicker than vans in urban situations. 

Average speed of driving a car/van in UK city centers – 5mph to 11mph

Average speed of cycling in UK city centers – 10mph to 15mph

Furthermore, a study by INRIX who are a data company specialising in roads, has found that the average UK driver can lose between 90 and 227 hours a year due to congestion in UK cities. This depends on which city though. For example, it’s 90 hours for Coventry and Newcastle and 227 hours in London. Also, again depending on which city, the amount spent each year on petrol stuck in congestion varies between about £700 and £1700 in UK cities. Congestion is not usually an issue for electric cargo bikes. This is due to the fact that you can typically cycle past congested traffic. However, this is providing there’s enough space on the road though, for you to do this.

As a result of the above, delivery companies are increasingly turning to electric cargo bikes. According to the Bicycle Association, 2000 electric cargo bikes were sold for commercial use in 2020. Even larger logistic companies like Amazon and DHL have started using electric cargo bikes. These companies may use an electric cargo bike to pick up goods from an inner city hub, to then deliver to a customer. This article talks about how Amazon has been doing this. Also, this video shows footage of DHL utilising electric cargo bikes.  

Obviously, electric cargo bikes are not going to be able to carry all forms of cargo. Particularly extremely heavy and large loads. Nevertheless, for suitable loads, electric cargo bikes are often the way to go. This is particularly in urban environments. Again, they can allow delivery companies to do their deliveries quicker and cheaper. This is also in a more environmentally friendly way. In fact, a recent study in Europe estimates that up to 51% of all freighted goods could be delivered by an electric cargo bike in the future. 

Riding Electric Cargo Bikes for School Runs

Many people are now using electric cargo bikes to carry out their school runs. This is great for both the rider and their kids. The rider gets exercise whilst the kids have fun being ridden on a bike. From observing Youtube videos and reading forums, I’ve seen that children really do enjoy being ridden in an electric cargo bike. 

There are a lot of electric cargo bikes that readily come with seating for children in the cargo bucket. You’ll find that these cargo bikes will mostly have seating for 2 children. However, some can have seating for up to 4 children. These ones have seating for 2 children at each opposing end of the bucket. With these particular electric cargo bikes, you can usually put the seats down, or take them out. This is to allow for more space, for if you’re using the bucket to store other loads. 

These types of electric bikes with child seating in the bucket will usually be a front loader (the cargo bucket being at the front of the bike). However, you may even be able to attach a rear rack on some of these bikes. So, you may even be able to get up to 5 kids on some electric cargo bikes.

There are also electric cargo bikes that readily have the facility to carry kids at the back of the bike. Usually for 1 or 2 kids. They may already have child seats at the back, or there may be a rear rack that children can sit on. You can always attach a separate child seat to a rear rack if the bike does not already come with a proper seat. Always make sure that any child being transported at the back of the bike is secured safely though. 

Generally speaking though, front loaders more often give the option to transport more kids, for if you need to. Using an electric cargo bike for the school run can allow you to drop your children off right at the school gate. You can then cycle off to work, or somewhere else like the gym or to the shops.  

School Run Safety and Comfort

You may be concerned about safety with regard to using an electric cargo bike for school runs. In which case, you can make sure the cargo bucket has been crash tested. That’s if your bike has a cargo bucket instead of a rear rack. Some of these cargo buckets have an expanded polypropylene (EPP) shell, for extra protection. This is a shock absorbing plastic widely used in the automotive industry for the crumple zones. Also, many of these cargo buckets will have a sturdy metal outer layer. This acts like a roll cage and so provides some impact protection. Additionally, these child seats in the cargo bucket come with seatbelts, usually with 4 or 5 point harnesses for extra safety. You should also make sure your children are wearing helmets when they are being transported on the bike. 

For extra comfort, you could consider having full suspension on an electric cargo bike. This will give extra comfort for both you and the children. This will add a lot of extra cost to the bike though. However, without full suspension, it could be uncomfortable for the children if they’re sitting in a cargo bucket, whilst you’re riding on bumpy terrain. This is due to the cargo bucket they’re sitting in, being so close to the ground. Suspension may not be an issue for you though, if the school run route is on smooth surfaces.  

School Run Weather Protection

Doing a school run on an electric cargo bike during rainy weather can be unpleasant for children. However, you can often attach a waterproof canopy over the cargo bucket to house the children. This acts like a tent to keep the rain off the children and also keep them warm. These are usually an accessory which you may have to buy separately. Also, they will have zippers for the children to access and will have windows. 

Riding Electric Cargo Bikes for Shopping Trips

Electric cargo bikes come into their own when used for shopping. You can go to the shops and not have the stress of having to look for a parking space. Provided you can find somewhere safe to lock it, you can leave your bike outside, or at least nearby the shop. This saves you time, as well as reducing stress. 

Generally speaking, the carrying capacity of cargo electric bikes can vary anywhere from around 100kg to 250kg. You can easily find a lot of electric cargo bikes with a lot of carrying space. Some can have as much as 200 litres of space in the cargo bucket. So, you shouldn’t have any difficulty finding an option that will easily allow you to get your weekly grocery shop. Maybe even your monthly shop depending on how many people are living in your household. Furthermore, if you have a front loader electric cargo bike, you may also be able to attach a pannier rack at the back. This will allow you to carry even more cargo/shopping. 

Riding Electric Cargo Bikes for Commuting

Commuting may not necessarily spring to mind as the first journey type that you’d use an electric cargo bike for. This is due to the fact that generally any electric bike would suit this purpose. However, you may already have an electric cargo bike which you use for other journey types. In which case, you can extend its use to the commute as well. This would give you a healthier, more environmentally friendly and more enjoyable commute compared to driving. 

As a bonus, you can even use the electric cargo bike to get any shopping done on the way home. This is provided if the shops are on the way home, or if you’re at least able to make a little detour. Here, you’d be able to kill a few stones in one throw. This is by getting to and from work and getting your shopping done, whilst getting regular exercise.  

Using an electric bike for commuting allows you to arrive at work without a sweat. This is whilst you’ve still got in some exercise. Again, certainly more exercise than if you’ve been driving. You can even commute back home without the electric assist for more of a workout later. My article “Why Electric Bikes are Ideal for Commuting”, talks further about the use of electric bikes for commuting. 

Riding Electric Cargo Bikes for General Trips 

Using an electric cargo bike for many trips you may normally use a car for, can make these trips more fun. Cycling relieves stress and anxiety and releases endorphins, known as the happy chemical. This is as well as that you won’t get the frustration of getting held up in congested traffic. You’ll also be getting fresh air as well. All these factors contribute towards electric cargo bikes making day to day chores enjoyable. These chores could be taking the kids swimming or picking something up from the garden centre. 

According to license check firm License Bureau, 56% of all car journeys in the UK are less than 5 miles. This figure is a little higher in the US. So this backs up that electric cargo bikes are a viable option to replace cars for many journeys. If your electric cargo bike has seating, you can even use it to give a mate or two a lift. 

Riding Electric Cargo Bikes Environmental Impact 

A major reason to consider replacing the car or van for an electric cargo bike, is to reduce your carbon footprint. Remember, even if you don’t get rid of your car, you’ll still be reducing your carbon footprint if you at least replace some of your car journeys for the bike. A study by Westminster University showed that current electric cargo bike commercial use in London saves 14,500kg of CO2 a year.

The more you can replace car and van journeys by cycling instead, the more you’re doing your bit to help save the planet from climate change. You can also help reduce congestion and toxic air pollution in your local area. You can reduce your carbon footprint even further by using an energy supplier who uses renewable energy resources (such as hydro and wind) to charge your electric bike. 

Even if fossil fuels generate the electricity you’re using to charge your electric bike, your carbon footprint will still be far lower compared to driving your journeys. You would only be generating 2.6 to 5 grams of CO2 per mile, as found in a study by the European Cyclists Federation. This is far less than the 1.04kg of CO2 per mile on average for cars. Electric bikes do still have some negative impact on the environment though. This is due to the mining of the lithium used in electric bike batteries. However, this has a much lower impact compared to the CO2 emissions from cars and vans. 

Below, shows some further statistics with regard to how much of a positive effect electric bikes have on the environment, compared to cars and vans.   

• Using an electric bike instead of a car saves up to 4 tons of CO2 over a 100 day period.
• Electric cargo bikes reduce CO2 emissions by 90% compared to diesel vans and by a third compared to electric vans. 
• If electric bikes covered as little as 10% of all kilometers driven in London each year, then that could save up to 130,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year in this city alone. 

Riding Electric Cargo Bikes Health Impact 

What is arguably the best reason for replacing your car for an electric cargo bike is the health aspect. It’s a great opportunity for you to get fit making journeys that you’d make anyway. This is especially helpful if you do not have a lot of time in your schedule for exercise. After all, lack of time is the number one reason why people avoid exercise. Additionally, it’s a great way to get you exercising if you don’t normally have the discipline to do a lot of exercise. 

A lot of people think that you don’t get much exercise from electric bikes. This is a misconception though. If you’re using the pedal assist (not using a throttle), then you’re still pedalling. This means you’re still putting in an effort. The electric pedal assist is just amplifying whatever effort you put in. So you can still pedal as much as you like. Below shows a comparison of how much calories you expend on an electric bike compared to a regular bike. This backs up that you’re still burning a decent amount of calories on an electric bike.

The electric pedal assist is especially helpful with electric cargo bikes though. This is due to the help it gives you when you’re transporting heavy cargo loads. The pedal assist can also help alleviate any fatigue that may set in throughout the journey. This is even if the load you’re transporting isn’t especially heavy. Then there’s also the extra help it gives when you’re carrying cargo loads up hills. All in all, this can give you the confidence and ability to use a cargo bike at all, for trips that you would normally use a car, or van for. Again, such as school runs, shopping trips, or general trips where you’re picking something up. This in itself will get you cycling more and therefore get you fitter.

All the time you’re cycling instead of driving, you’re being more active than what you otherwise would be. It’s worth considering that even with an electric bike, if you’re carrying cargo loads, particularly up hills, you’re still going to be expending an effort.

Below shows some of the main health benefits you get from cycling. This is to give you more motivation to use an electric cargo bike instead of a car or a van. By the way, my article “Can You Get Fit on an Electric Bike” talks further about electric bike fitness.

Riding Electric Cargo Bikes Cost Considerations 

Electric bikes are cheaper to run than cars by a huge margin. Below shows some of the main running costs involved with a car, which certainly do mount up. 

According to insurance company NImbleFins, the average annual cost of running a car in the UK is £3081. This includes £961 a year on fueling the car (for either petrol or diesel) and £484 a year on insurance, on average. With an electric cargo bike, you don’t get most of the car running costs, like having an MOT and road tax. Insurance is optional with electric bikes, but not required by law, like with cars. Even so, bike insurance is cheaper than car insurance. You may have to sometimes pay for maintenance and repairs with an electric cargo bike. But again, this will mostly be far cheaper than the maintenance and repair costs for cars and vans. If not, always cheaper.

Cars and vans will also tend to have a lot more costs that you may not initially think about, compared to cargo electric bikes. These can include costs for valeting, replacement windscreen wipes, engine oil and de-icer, amongst others.   

Below shows on average, how the cost of travelling with an electric bike compares to a car in the UK. This is in terms of the cost of both the electricity to charge an electric bike and the fuel to run a car. 

Electric cargo bikes are not cheap, typically costing around £5000/$7000. For the most part though, they are cheaper than cars and vans. However, you may sometimes get some overlap in price, if you get a high end electric cargo bike and a cheap car. For example, if you come by a second hand car. You may possibly have both a car and an electric cargo bike though. Therefore, you’ll still incur car running costs. However, you’ll at least save on fuel and parking costs on the journeys that you use an electric cargo bike instead of a car for. 

Some households have an electric cargo bike instead of a 2nd car. These households would have likely saved money by buying an electric cargo bike instead of a 2nd car. Again, this is as well as the lower running cost of an electric cargo bike instead of a 2nd car.   

Cycle Routes Can be Quicker than Driving Routes 

As mentioned further above, electric bikes can allow you to often get to your destination quicker than cars and vans in urban environments. Again, this is due to the fact that they allow access to shortcuts and cut -throughs. This is as well as that they allow you to dodge congestion. 

Following from this though, many towns and cities are increasingly becoming more cycle friendly. More and more dedicated cycle lanes and routes are appearing. You can sometimes find out where the best cycle routes are by joining local cycle groups on Facebook and enquiring about these. Members are usually more than happy to help. Furthermore, there’s also a lot of apps and online tools these days that help show you suitable cycling routes. This article from Treadbikely lists some of the best of these route planning apps. Also, some commonly used ones are below. 

Bike Route Planning Apps

• Komoot
• Ride with GPS
• Google Maps 
• Strava

Riding Electric Cargo Bikes in the Rain

A common reason why some people don’t like to cycle is due to the weather. Normally, when you’re cycling you’re not protected from the elements. However, there are always ways to reduce the impact of this. I’ve already mentioned further above that you can protect children in the cargo bucket from rain, with a canopy. However, with regard to yourself, you can make sure that you wear appropriate waterproof clothing. You can even get dedicated waterproof cycling footwear. There’s also dedicated cycling ponchos which you can buy. 

Some electric cargo bikes come with a cover to protect your cargo from rain. For any electric cargo bikes that do not come with a cover for the cargo bucket, you can always buy a cover separately. You can even get covers that cover the whole bike to protect it from rain, for when it’s unattended. This also helps with security as it’s advertising the bike less to potential thieves. 

If you’re flexible with your leaving time, you can plan to cycle at times when it’s not raining. There are various weather radar apps that help you to do this. This article from The Weather Station Advisor shows some of the best of these weather radar apps. However, you may sometimes have no choice but to make your cycle journey in the rain. In which case, you could take a change of clothes with you in the cargo bucket (with a cover over). This is as well as wearing waterproof clothing. For further advice on riding electric bikes in the rain, you can read my article “Can I Ride my Electric Bike in the Rain”. 

Electric Cargo Bike Security

You may be wondering that it’s all very well using a cargo electric bike to replace your van or car, but there’s always the risk of theft. With the use of a decent bike lock though, or maybe even 2 locks, you can certainly minimise the risk of theft. 

U-Locks

A popular bike lock is the U-lock. If you opt for one of these types of locks, you could get one as heavy duty as possible, for maximum security. Therefore, with the U part of the lock being as thick and solid as you can get. This will minimise the chance of thieves being able to break it. However, the heavier duty the U-lock, the heavier it is to carry when you’re cycling. Some manufacturers of U-locks have a security rating throughout their range. For example, Abus rate their U-locks out of 15 for the amount of security they give. Also, with some U-locks made by Abus, the key can double up as the key used to lock and release the electric bike battery.

U-locks may not always be suitable for cargo bikes though. This is due to the nature of the shape and design of cargo bikes. You may not be able to get the bikes’ frame close enough to the object you are trying to lock the bike to, with a U-lock. U-locks come in different lengths though. Therefore, you may need a long one for an electric cargo bike. 

Bike locks including U-lock, folding lock and chain lock

Chain Locks

Chain locks are a particularly suitable way of locking an electric cargo bike. This is due to the fact that they can come in very long lengths. So, you can use a chain lock to lock your bike, if you can’t quite get the bike frame close to the object that you intend to lock it to. Chain locks are also very flexible. This means you can easily get them around difficult angles when locking your bike. Again here, it’s advisable to get as heavy duty chain lock as you can get, to maximise security. 

Folding Locks

These have similarities with both a U-lock and a chain lock. They can have the same length as chain locks, but the parts are rigid like with a U-lock. These locks fold up nice and compactly, so they don’t take up much space. This means they are easy to transport whilst you’re cycling. When these locks are in a folded state you turn a key so you can then open them out. Due to the nature of their design, these locks are more flexible than U-locks. This means they’re much easier to manoeuvre round difficult angles, like with chain locks. Some of these locks even have an alarm, to make it more difficult for thieves. 

Girl with opened out folding lock

Insurance 

As well as locking your bike whenever it’s unattended, you can also have bike insurance. Both using locks and having insurance can give you real peace of mind. Some insurance plans are better than others though. For example, some bike insurance policies do not protect against power tools. Power tools by the way, are a common way for thieves to break bike locks. So if you’re looking for bike insurance, shop around for a decent plan. You may be thinking insurance is an extra cost though. However, bike insurance is still cheaper than car insurance. This is as part of running an electric cargo bike being cheaper than running a car overall.

Extra Security 

For extra security, you can always use 2 locks. This makes it more hassle for potential thieves. They’ll be less likely to bother with your bike if they have 2 locks to contend with. If you’re using 2 locks, it’s best if they are a different type to each other. Often, bike thieves may only have a tool to break one type of lock.   

A lot of the latest generation of electric bikes have extra security measures built in. For example, some have a lock function where you can remove a head unit from the bike. You can take this head unit with you when your bike’s left unattended. This disables the electric motor. The motor can only be enabled again when you replace the exact same head unit. The value of the bike will be significantly reduced if the motor is useless. This will make your bike far less appealing for potential thieves. 

Electric Cargo Bike Storage 

A concern with having an electric cargo bike can be where you store it. With cars, you can leave them parked outside in the driveway, or out in the street. With electric cargo bikes though, doing this is riskier, due to the risk of theft. I have spoken about the use of bike locks above, but you may still prefer to store your bike inside for more peace of mind. However, an electric cargo bike may be too big to be kept indoors. Particularly if you live in a small flat. Therefore, generally speaking, the best option to store an electric cargo bike is in a garage, if you have one.

Some apartment blocks have underground/indoor car parks. These are where you only have access if you live in one of the apartments/flats in the building. You could therefore keep your electric cargo inside one of these and you can still lock it. Some of these underground/indoor car parks for apartment blocks even have dedicated bike stands to lock your bike to. 

Some electric cargo bikes are designed to stand up right to save space. One of these bikes is the Tern GSD. This can give you an option to store your electric cargo bike indoors. Furthermore, there are all sorts of innovative products on the market to help with cargo electric bike storage. These can include bicyc

The post Can an Electric Cargo Bike Replace Your Car or Van? appeared first on Electric Bike Planet.

Most electric bikes will have pedal assist. This is where the electric motor is engaged when you pedal, for the bike to provide you with extra assistance. However, some electric bikes have a throttle, as well as pedal assist to propel the bike forward. Other electric bikes may even have a throttle only and no pedal assist. 

So if you’re thinking of buying an electric bike, you may be unsure whether you want it to have a throttle. You may even be thinking of adding a throttle to your existing pedal assist only electric bike, if you own one. 

Throttles are very straightforward. You’ll find a throttle situated on the handlebars of the electric bike. You twist it to engage the electric motor to propel the electric bike forward. When the throttle is engaging the electric motor, there is no need for you to pedal. So throttles on electric bikes work the same way as throttles on motorbikes and scooters. 

Whether you need a throttle on your electric bike, will depend on if it will benefit you. There may be various situations where you could do with propelling your electric bike, without you pedaling. These can include if you’re short of fitness or have arthritis and you come by a steep hill. You may even find that using a throttle sometimes is a lot of fun.

Here in this article, I will talk at length about throttles on electric bikes. This is to help you determine if having one would be right for you.  

Electric Bike Throttle Laws 

A crucial factor in determining whether to have a throttle on your electric bike, is local electric bike laws. Throttles aren’t permitted on electric bikes everywhere in the world, unless you register the bike as a motor vehicle. For example, not all American states allow electric bikes to have throttles, without registration and licensing etc. My article “What are the Electric Bike Laws in the United States” talks further about this. So you may deem it not worth having a throttle on your electric bike, if it means you have to get a moped license, for example. 

Below shows whether throttles are permitted (without registration and licensing etc) in certain countries, where electric bikes are popular.

United States –  Throttles are permitted in most states. In certain states, you can only have a throttle if the electric bike is registered as a motor vehicle. 

UK and EU – Throttles are only permitted up to 3.7 mph (6 km/h), without the rider pedaling. Throttles are permitted to provide some assistance up to 15.5 mph, as long as the rider is pedaling. I talk further about UK bike laws in my article “What are the UK Electric Bike Laws”.  

Canada – Throttles are permitted on electric bikes in most states without a license. However, some states do require you to have a license to have a throttle.

Australia – Throttle only electric bikes are only permitted if the motor power does not exceed 200 watts. For electric bikes that have both pedal assist and a throttle, the bike cannot exceed 6 km/h when only the throttle is in use. 

Japan – An electric bike with a throttle is only permitted if you have a driver’s license and a registration plate. Furthermore, it has to be registered with an engine size of no more than 50 cc. 

China – Electric bikes are permitted to have throttles. Although some cities do ban electric bikes. 

How Fast Can Throttles Make Electric Bikes Go? 

Throttles can only propel electric bikes forward up to the legal limit of the country or state, which the bike is sold in. Electric bikes with throttles have speed limiters, which enforces this. So in most US states, throttles can only propel electric bikes up to no further than 20mph. This is due to this being the throttle speed limit in these states.

Throttles can only propel you up to no more than 32 km/h (19.88 mph) in Canada. In Australia, throttles can only propel an electric bike up to 25 km/h (15.5mph), if the bike has no pedal assist. As mentioned before, if an electric bike in Australia also has pedal assist, then the throttle can only propel the bike up to 6 km/h.

In China, throttles can propel the electric bike up to 25 km/h (15.5 mph). This, by the way, is the overall electric bike speed limit in China for both pedal assist and throttle. In Japan, a throttle can only propel an electric bike up to more than 24 km/h (14.9 mph).

Acceleration (General Speed Boost)   

You may want a lot of acceleration and as much boost as possible from your electric bike whilst using a throttle. In which case there’s a couple of things to look for when it comes to the battery and the motor. 

Battery Consideration with Regard to Speed

You can make sure the battery has a high voltage. The higher the battery voltage, the more speed and acceleration you get from the electric bike motor. Remember though, your electric bike will have a speed limiter, as mentioned above. Even so, there may be times when you’re going up a hill, or experiencing wind resistance, which restrict speed. So having a higher voltage battery will help to maintain more speed whilst using a throttle in these scenarios. Also, the higher your battery voltage, the more acceleration it’ll give you when using a throttle. This will be for riding in any conditions. 

Electric bike battery voltages are usually either 24V, 36V, 48V, or 52V, and some are even 60V.

Motor Consideration with Regard to Speed

This works with the same principle as talked about above, with regard to batteries. The more powerful the motor, the more acceleration and speed you’ll maintain in adverse conditions, when engaging the throttle. Do be aware though, that there’s likely to be a legal limit for the power an electric bike motor can be, for the country or state you’re based. Below shows the maximum permitted motor power (in watts), for electric bikes with throttles for certain countries. 

Controlling the Amount of Boost 

When using a throttle on an electric bike, you can control the amount of boost you’re getting. You do this with how much you twist the throttle. So for example, a heavy twist will give you a lot of power. Conversely, a light twist will give you a little power. Additionally, if you’re twisting the throttle gradually, then this will gradually increase or decrease the boost, depending on which direction you’re twisting the throttle. When you let go of the throttle/stop twisting it, it will spring back into the off position. Here, the bike will coast, unless you start pedaling.  

Can You Pedal Whilst Using the Throttle? 

You can still pedal if you like whilst using a throttle. This is even though throttles propel electric bikes without you having to pedal. So you can still get a workout if you want whilst the throttle is in use. 

Here you can pedal as hard, or as lightly as you like, without the terrain dictating your effort. This is useful if you have physical limitations, but still want a bit of a workout. You can even pedal whilst using a throttle up hills, to give you a bit more help up the hill. You still won’t have to pedal hard in this instance though. Furthermore, pedaling whilst using the throttle can help the bike to go a little faster. 

Benefits of Throttles

Throttles are Fun

Let’s face it, using throttles is fun. This can be as good a reason as any, to opt for having a throttle on your electric bike. Twisting a throttle and getting that instant propulsion without you putting in any effort can be quite a thrill. Using a throttle can be fun if speeding along at full power, or cruising along, taking in the sights. 

The Boost is Always there when You Need it  

Having a throttle doesn’t mean that you’ll use it all the time, or even most of the time. Yet having a throttle can give you peace of mind, knowing that it’s always there to provide a boost, whenever needed. 

There may be times when you’re going up a steeper hill, or cycling against strong winds. In these instances, you may sometimes want a break from pedaling. Here, throttles are a more fun way of getting up a steep hill than getting off your bike and walking.  

You may even want to use a throttle for a nice rest on the way home, after being out for a long ride. A good example here is if you’re an electric mountain biker who likes riding on off-road trails. A leisurely ride home using a throttle may just be what you want here. Similarly, a lot of mountain bikers who like riding down mountain trails hate having to ride up mountains to get to the top of the trail. These riders are likely to appreciate the use of a throttle to get them to the top of these mountains.

Helps People With Physical Limitations  

You may be thinking of buying an electric bike, because you have physical limitations. These can include arthritis, a back injury, being overweight, or being of advancing years. All of which can make cycling difficult for you. The pedal assist on electric bikes can make cycling accessible though if you come under any of these. However, a throttle can be a reassuring alternative option to have here as well. If a back injury or arthritis plays up mid cycle, you may possibly struggle to pedal at all. Again, here, a throttle can get you home.  

Helps You if the Chain Breaks  

If your chain breaks during a cycle, then you’re not going to be able to pedal home. This is even with the pedal assist. As long as you have a hub motor though, having a throttle on your electric bike will resolve this issue. You can just twist the throttle for it to propel you all the way home. This is though, as long as you have enough battery to get you home.  

Throttles propel your electric bike without the chain, as long as you have a hub motor, because hub motors are independent of the drivetrain. This allows hub motors to not rely on the chain for them to operate. Conversely, mid drive motors are integrated within the electric bike’s drivetrain. This means that if you have one of these motors and the chain breaks, then the throttle won’t engage it. By the way, the drivetrain is the mechanism that normally gets bikes moving. It includes the pedals, gear mechanism and chain etc. 

Throttles Help Get You out of Dangerous Situations  

The boost throttles provide can improve your safety, due to that it can get you out of danger quickly. For example, throttles can help you quickly pass through busy intersections. A good pedal assist system, particularly at a high setting, can still give you as much a boost as a throttle though. However, throttles react sooner than pedal assist when activated. This can give you the extra second you need to get out of harm’s way in certain situations. 

Pedal assist needs a full rotation of the crank before it kicks in, which gives a bit of delay. This is why throttles react quicker than pedal assist when activated. So throttles allow you to take off from a stop position quicker than pedal assist. This is very useful for when you’re at a stop light and need to get going as soon as possible when the light goes green. This is another example of how throttles can help you out of dangerous situations. Many electric bike cyclists use a throttle to propel them from a stop position and then use pedal assist once the bike is at cruising speed, for this reason.    

Give Instant Boost Up Hills

This follows on from above, where I talked about how throttles give a more instant boost compared to pedal assist. You may be cycling up a hill and it turns out to be steeper than you expected mid climb. Here, you may be in too low a pedal assist setting to help you continue up the hill. If you increase the pedal assist setting, you may struggle to pedal enough for the crank to turn a full rotation, for the new higher setting to kick in. Whereas the instant boost of a throttle will help you out straight away. You can always take over with pedal assist in a higher setting, once you’re up and running up the hill.  

The throttle can also help in the same way, if you weren’t using pedal assist already up the hill. This is another example of how a throttle can always be there for whenever needed. This is even if you don’t use it often. 

You May Not Need a Throttle if Pedal Assist Can Give You Enough Boost

If you desire a throttle on an electric bike, you may not need it as much as you think you do. The pedal assist may already give you all the assistance you need. Depending on what setting you’re using and how hard you’re pedaling, pedal assist can give you the same boost as a throttle. 

Using the highest settings of pedal assist, most electric bikes can provide over 300% of your own pedal effort. This means pedal assist can provide a very high level of assistance. This is even when you’re pedaling very lightly. So with this amount of assistance from pedal assist, you may deem a throttle not necessary.

You may still like to have a throttle though, for any instances where you may not want to pedal at all. Again, as mentioned above, throttles give you an instant boost. Whereas pedal assist there’s a delay before the boost kicks in. So you may like to have a throttle for this reason. 

Depending on where you’re based, pedal assist can give you more of a boost than a throttle. This is due to local laws. Local laws may restrict the throttle assisted speed limit to a lower speed limit than if you’re using pedal assist. 

For example, most American states use the 3 class system for electric bikes. Here, electric bikes that have a throttle are class 2. These electric bikes can only go up to 20mph, whilst powered by the throttle. There are also class 3 electric bikes within this system. These bikes have pedal assist only with no throttle and the pedal assist can power these bikes up to 28mph. My article “What are the Electric Bike Laws in the United States?” talks further about this 3 class system.    

Throttle Drawbacks

Listed below are some drawbacks that can apply to having a throttle on your electric bike. You may decide a throttle isn’t for you, if you feel these drawbacks would apply to you. This is particularly if pedal assist is going to give you enough boost.

• Using pedal assist for exercise may be your main purpose for having an electric bike. However, you may still want a throttle for whenever it can come in handy. The issue here though is that using the throttle too often may be too much of a temptation for you. This can result in you getting less exercise than you initially intended. For many electric bike riders, this is commonly the case.  
• A lot of the time, throttles tend to be on cheaper quality electric bikes. So you may find it difficult to find a good quality electric bike, with high end parts and a throttle.  

• Throttles are an extra component on the electric bike. This means it’s an extra part that could go wrong or break, or may require maintenance. For this reason alone, you may consider a throttle not worth having, if you feel you don’t really need one. 
• Remember your electric bike will be a class 2, if it has a throttle and you’re in an American state that uses the 3 class system. This may limit where you’re permitted to ride your electric bike. Local laws sometimes ban class 2 electric bikes on certain trails. This is due to the fact that there’s often concern that throttle use can damage these trails. 
• On some throttle electric bikes, the throttle and brake lever can be too close together. This could cause you to accidentally engage the throttle, when you attempt to use the brake. Obviously, this could cause accidents. So this is something you should look out for, if buying an electric bike with a throttle. 

Full Twist Throttle Vs Half Twist Throttle Vs Thumb Throttle

You will find there’s 3 different types of throttles for electric bikes. These are full twist throttle, half twist throttle and thumb throttle. They all do the same thing, which is to engage the motor to propel the bike forward. However, they all require you to interact with them differently to each other, to engage the motor. Neither throttle type is better than the other, but you may have a preference on which type suits you best. Below, I have stated definitions of these 3 throttle types.

Thumb Throttle – As you may expect, you operate these with your thumb. These throttles are a small lever that sticks out from the handlebar. 

Full Twist Throttle – These throttles run the full length of the handlebar. You hold these throttles with your wrist, the same way you would hold the handlebar normally. You operate the throttle here by twisting it back towards yourself with your wrist.

Half Twist Throttle – This type of throttle is like the full twist throttle. The difference though is that it only covers half of the length of the handlebar.    

Below, I talk about the differences between these throttle types. This is to help you determine which one you may prefer. 

Full Twist and Half Twist Throttle Advantages

Both full and half twist throttles are easier to operate than thumb throttles, whilst cycling on rough terrain. This is due to all the bumps, making it trickier to steady your thumb. So full and half twist throttles can be a preferred choice for mountain biking. This is as well as any other general off-road cycling.  

You may have arthritis in your hands, or generally lack mobility in your fingers. Here a full or half twist throttle may be more suitable than a thumb throttle. Using your thumb to operate a throttle could get painful if you have arthritis. A thumb throttle may also be tricky to operate if your fingers don’t have much mobility. Your thumb may still ache though, if using a thumb throttle for a long period, even if you don’t have arthritis. 

Thumb Throttle Advantages 

Thumb throttles are easy and intuitive to use, you press the lever and you instantly have power on demand. 

Many people prefer thumb throttles to full and half twist throttles, due to that they cause no wrist fatigue. Using full or half twist throttles can cause your wrist to ache after a while, if used for long periods. 

Thumb throttles don’t take up the whole handlebar. This allows you to use accessory and custom handlebars, if you choose. Accessory and custom handlebars can offer you better and more comfy grip than regular handlebars.  

You’re less likely to accidentally trigger a thumb throttle than a full twist throttle whilst moving an electric bike about. For example, accidentally hitting the handlebar against a wall or rail could trigger a full twist throttle. This could cause the electric bike to suddenly propel forward. You can avoid this though, by always having the electric bike switched off whilst you’re not riding it. However, there may be times when you forget to do this.   

Battery Considerations for Throttles  

Using a throttle uses up more battery than using pedal assist. This means that if you ride an electric bike using throttle only, your battery range will be shorter compared to if you were riding using pedal assist only. The reason for this being that the motor is doing all the work when you’re using a throttle. Whereas, when using pedal assist, your pedaling is sharing the effort with the motor. 

You may not always (if ever) ride an electric bike using a throttle for the whole journey though. However, the more sparingly you operate a throttle throughout a cycle journey, the more battery range you’ll have. 

With regard to how sparingly you operate a throttle, there may only be select parts of a cycle journey that you do operate it. Operating your throttle at select points within a cycle journey, will limit the throttle’s impact on the battery range. Below shows examples of certain select points you may engage a throttle during a cycle journey.

• To get up to speed, before using pedal assist once you’re at cruising speed.
• When you come by a steep hill.
• When you’re cycling against the wind. 
• For the rest of the ride home, if you’re tired during a long ride.  

You may be planning on using a throttle often though. In which case, it may be a good idea to have as big a capacity battery as your budget can stretch to. The bigger the capacity of the battery though, the more it’ll cost and the more weight it’ll be. Although, you may not be too concerned about your electric bike’s weight. This is due to the boost you’re getting anyway. My article “How to Choose the Right Electric Bike Battery” talks further about battery capacity.

How to Calculate Electric Bike Battery Range For Throttle Use 

Battery range is a concern for many electric bike riders. This can especially be the case if you use a throttle. Remembering that throttles drain the battery quicker than pedal assist, as mentioned above. If you’re able to have a good idea of how much range you’re likely to get from your battery, then this can help you to plan cycle journeys better. This can give you peace of mind. 

Below I talk about how you can calculate roughly what battery range you’re likely to get using a throttle. This can be for any capacity battery. By the way, electric bike battery capacities are measured in watt hours (wh). For example, electric bike batteries can be 450wh, 500wh and 600wh. This is among other watt hour capacities.

Also consider that an electric bike’s battery range is never an exact science though. This is due to the fact that there’s so many events during cycles and other factors that affect battery range. I discuss this further in my article “How Can I Increase My Electric BIke Battery Range”. So this is why when calculating your electric bike’s battery range, to take it as a rough guide.

Throttles typically operate at 25 watt hours per mile, for average riding conditions. Below shows what’s considered as average riding conditions.

• The rider is of average weight (approximately 70 kilos/150lbs).
• Street riding (with maybe some light gravel/dirt here and there).
• Averaging at 20mph.
• Whilst riding on relatively flat ground, with some light hills here and there.

You can calculate the expected electric bike battery range with the below calculation.

Battery range = watt hours of battery ÷ watt hours per mile 

So below is an example of this calculation for if you’re using a throttle in the above sort of riding conditions, with a 500wh battery. The example shows the expected range as 20 miles. 

500wh battery ÷ (divided by) 25 watt hours per mile = 20 miles 

So taking 25 watt hours per mile as for using a throttle in average riding conditions as a starting block, you can modify this to better match your circumstances. For example, the heavier you are, or the more hills you’re riding up, the more watt hours per mile you’ll be operating at. My article “How to Choose the Right Electric Bike Battery” talks about this in further detail. 

Battery and Motor Wear Considerations if Using a Throttle

Using a throttle puts more strain on both your battery and motor compared to using pedal assist. This is down to the same principle as to why throttles reduce battery range quicker than pedal assist. The principle being that the motor is working harder whilst the throttle is in use, due to that it is doing all the work. So the more you use the throttle instead of pedal assist, the sooner the motor and battery will wear. If you do have a throttle on your electric bike though, you can make sure you have a high quality/well-built motor. This will likely minimize any increased motor wear through throttle use. 

Throttle Safety Considerations  

Having a throttle on your electric bike does require you to be careful. Make sure you don’t accidentally engage it when you’re not ready, or when it’s not appropriate. This can be when you’re stopped at a light, for example. Another example could be when you’re at a stop position and there’s people in front of you. You may even be pedaling along in a situation where a sudden boost in speed would be unsafe. This could be when you’re cycling through a busy urban environment, where there’s lots of hazards. 

To avoid accidentally engaging the motor from a stop position, engage the brakes until when you take off again. This will disengage the electronics on the bike. 

Conclusion 

A throttle can be a lot of fun and can come in very handy in certain situations. So it can be a viable optional extra to have, even if you don’t intend to use it all the time. However, as mentioned before, there are possible drawbacks with throttles. Again, these include having something extra on your bike that may need fixing sometimes. This is as well as possible limitations on where you can ride your electric bike. So if you’re considering an electric bike with a throttle, you may have to weigh up the pros and cons.    

You may feel a certain drawback to having a throttle does not offset the benefit you feel you’ll gain from it. For example, you may feel a throttle will help you if you have arthritis and don’t mind any possible extra maintenance that a throttle may cause. On the other hand, you may think a throttle would be fun. However, the temptation to use it too often, reducing the amount of exercise you’ll get may concern you. In which case you may decide against a throttle. 

As long as your local laws allow, throttle electric bikes are out there, if you want one. For a lot of people, they’re not always needed, but they can be useful and serve a purpose.

The post Do I Need a Throttle on an Electric Bike? appeared first on Electric Bike Planet.

A common question with regard to electric bikes, is whether it’s OK to ride them in the rain. After all, traditionally water and electrics don’t mix. If you’ve spent a lot of your hard-earned money on an electric bike, you don’t want a sudden downpour to damage it.

You should expect any electric bike to be fine for riding in the rain, at least when it’s not during a heavy downpour. Electric bike manufacturers aren’t daft. They are well aware you’re exposed to rain sometimes, since cycling is an outdoor activity. So, electric bikes are generally built to withstand riding in wet conditions. 

You should still be careful when riding (and even storing) your electric bike in wet conditions though. You want to reduce any chance of damage and wear and tear, as much as possible. 

There are particular situations where your electric bike can come into contact with water, which you should be cautious of. For example, submerging your electric bike in water could cause damage. This can happen, if you are cycling through a deep stream, or through a flooded trail. Likewise, riding through a heavy downpour, could also cause some damage. These events could also speed up any wear and tear. 

In this article, I will talk about the actions you can take, to minimize your electric bike’s contact with water. This will help you to prolong the life of your bike. Before I go any further, though, below is a table, outlining some tips to help prevent water damage on your electric bike.

Waterproof Versus Water Resistant 

It’s worth mentioning that electric bike components are water resistant, not waterproof. This is pretty much the same for any electrical equipment, like mobile phones. The difference between waterproof and water resistant is as below.

Waterproof – Completely impervious to water.

Water resistant – Able to resist the penetration of water to an extent, but not 100% completely.

This backs up the fact, you should still be careful with riding electric bikes in wet situations. This applies to storing your electric bike as well. You shouldn’t be careless and take unnecessary risks. 

The Importance of Electric Bikes Being Water Resistant

When considering how water resistant an electric bike is, the electrical components are most important. Although other components, like the frame, can be prone to increased rusting if exposed to water. If water was to get into any of the electrical components, it can stop them from working. This will stop the whole electric assistance on the bike, from working as a result. These electrical components are expensive to replace as well. The electrical components on the bike that can be exposed to rain, are as below:

• Motor
• Battery
• Control panel/LCD Display
• Cables 

As referred to earlier, electric bikes can handle rain in general. But there are certain more extreme wet situations, you should be careful of. These situations can cause damage, or premature rusting, and can include the below: 

• Submerging the bike in water
• Subjecting the bike to a pressure washer
• Being caught in a heavy downpour
• Storing the bike outside, potentially exposing it to a lot of rain, over a lengthy period
• Being exposed to heavy splashes
• Leaving the bike on a roof rack, whilst exposed to rain

If you have an electric bike, you want it to be as water resistant as possible, if it incurs any of the above situations. This is to reduce any chance of damage. It’s best, though, to avoid these situations altogether, if possible. Especially since certain electric bikes are more water resistant than others. You can avoid these situations altogether, or at least minimize their impact, by taking certain precautions.  

I will talk about these precautions further, in this article. Also, I will talk about the above mentioned electrical components, with regard to their water resistance. 

But, before I do this, I will talk about something called an IP rating (below). This will help with discussing further about electric bike’s water resistance. 

IP Rating   

IP Rating, is a universal rating of how resistant an electrical item is to dust and water. The higher the IP rating, the more resistant the item concerned is to water and dust.

IP ratings consist of 2 numbers. Below describes what these 2 numbers relate to.

• The 1st number, relates to how resistant an item is to dust.
• The 2nd number, relates to how resistant an item is to water. 

The number relating to an item’s dust resistance, can range between 0 and 6. With 0 being not rated at all for resistance to dust and 6 being fully resistant to dust. The number relating to water resistance, can be anything between 0 and 8, with an extra rating of 9K (that’s above 8). Here, 0 means not rated at all for resistance to water and 9K, is the highest level of water resistance. 

An example of an IP rating could be IP27. This rating would mean the item concerned, does not have much resistance against dust. But it would have a high level of resistance, against water. 

If you want further, more detailed and specific information about IP ratings. Then you can look at this article “The Comprehensive Guide To IP Ratings”.

 Now as promised, I will talk about the below, throughout the rest of this article.

• The precautions you can take, to minimize your electric bike’s contact with water. 
• The individual electrical components, with regard to their water resistance.

Motor and Battery 

Both of these components are expensive, not to mention important. So you don’t want to take any avoidable risks, by exposing them to more water than necessary. For example, if heavy rain has been forecast, it’s best to avoid cycling that day. If you have a necessary journey though, like a commute, you may have to weigh things up.   

You should also avoid riding through deep puddles and streams, where these components can be submerged. This is more likely if they’re positioned low down on your bike. Mid drive motors are always situated low down on electric bikes. So you should be especially careful to avoid riding through deep water, if you have this type of motor.  

If you have a low situated battery and/or a mid drive motor and you expect there’s a good chance of coming across puddles and streams, whilst riding. For example, if you’re planning on riding on off-road trails. You could make sure your battery and motor has an IP rating of at least 7, for the 2nd number. The number that’s related to water resistance. 

This would be a precautionary measure, in case you come across any unavoidable deep water situations. For example, if an off-road trail is flooded. Again, it’s recommended avoiding these components from being submerged altogether though. 

You may also want a battery and a motor with a high IP rating, if you live in a particularly rainy area. Do bear in mind, though, that not all electric bike batteries and motors will have an IP rating. Or at least not have a high IP rating. So there will be an amount of searching involved. 

As an extra caution, you can buy water resistant covering for your electric bike battery. 

Control Panel/LCD Display

Your control panel will likely be less water resistant, than your battery and motor. It will still be water resistant though, but again not waterproof. 

So, if you want to be extra cautious, you could carry a clear plastic bag whilst riding, in say a pannier or a backpack. You can place this bag over your control panel and fasten it on with an elastic band, if a heavy downpour occurs. The clear bag will allow you to still see the LCD display on the control panel, whilst protecting it from heavy rain.

This can give you the confidence to ride your electric bike in the rain, if the control panel does not have a high IP rating. Again, some control panels may not even have an IP rating. Bear in mind, that if your control panel was to get too much water inside it during a heavy downpour, it could cut out. This will stop the electric power to the rest of your bike. 

The Cables 

Your electric bike will have cables that link the electrical components. For example, from the controller to the motor. You should expect these to also be water resistant during rain and in the event of splashes. However, the cables, as part of an electric bike conversion kit, tend not to be very water resistant. These conversion kits are to convert a regular bike to an electric bike, by the way. 

You can take extra caution here as well, to make these cables more water resistant. This is beneficial whether they are as part of a conversion kit, or a pre-built electric bike. 

You can place something called heat-shrink over the cables to cover them. This heat-shrink is not watertight though (can still let water in), unless you fill it with gel. This gel covers all the space between the cable itself and the inner wall of the heat-shrink. Without using this gel, heat-shrink on its own is not always an effective option.

A better option is to use a special type of heat-shrink that you can heat up, so the inner layer melts around the cable. This creates a watertight seal. You may find this an easier task to carry out, compared to filling heat-shrink with gel. 

This type of heat-shrink comes in different ratios, like 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 etc. 

These ratios relate to how much the heat-shrink can be shrunk down to. For example, if the ratio is 2:1, then it can be shrunk to half its size. Likewise, if the ratio is 3:1, then it can be shrunk to a third of its size and so on. With this is mind, the thinner the cable, the bigger you want the ratio to be. This is so that the heat-shrink wraps around the cable, to form a watertight seal. 

Pressure Washing

To help with the general maintenance and longevity of your electric bike, it’s a good idea to clean it regularly. 

If you are going to clean your electric bike though, it’s advisable to avoid using a pressure washer. 

Using a pressure washer can be tempting though. This is because it’s an effective way to blast off dirt and mud, without you having to give your bike a good solid scrub. Nonetheless, cleaning your electric bike this way is risky. You could be subjecting your electrical components to potential damage. 

Even if your electric bike components are OK against rain, a pressure washer is a whole different ball game. This is due to the high pressure of the water.

The highest IP rating (for the water resistance part) of 9K, specifies protection against high pressure washers. But even if the electrical components on your electric bike were to have this IP rating. I would still recommend you avoid using a pressure washer on your bike. It’s best to avoid the unnecessary risk in the first place, regardless of any IP ratings the components may have. 

Aside from the electrical components on your electric bike. It will have various sealed bearings throughout. These can start rusting, if water gets into them from a pressure washer. 

Additionally, a pressure washer can move gravel and dirt into the electrical components. This can cause damage, if any electrical components are not impervious to dust and particles. 

To help avoid any temptation to use a pressure washer, you can clean your electric bike as soon as you finish a ride. If you clean your bike straight away after a ride, you can remove any dirt and mud before it dries on.

Using Fenders (Mudguards)

Having Fenders on your electric bike is an effective way to reduce water splashes and mud, from getting onto it. Like with rain, your electric bike should generally withstand splashes. Although, some splashes can hit your bike with bigger force than others. This is depending on how fast you ride through a puddle. So fenders help you to be safe, rather than sorry. 

Reducing the amount of mud and dirt hitting your bike during a ride, will make your bike easier to clean afterwards. This will help further reduce any temptation you may have, to use a pressure washer. The easier your bike is to clean after a ride, the less water you will need in general to clean it. Your electric bike will be less likely to suffer from rust, the more fenders deflect water away from it. 

Having fenders on your electric bike is especially beneficial, if you’re out riding on off-road trails a lot. 

General Maintenance

It stands to reason, the more you look after your electric bike, the longer it will last. As part of doing this (with regard to your electric bike coming into contact with water), you can take advantage of the below tips.

• Use a water resistant spray, to help protect your electric bike against rust. A suitable option is Muc-Off, which has been produced especially for electric bikes.
• Make sure you wipe your electric bike down, straight after you have been out for a ride in the rain. If you leave your bike wet after a ride, then this can cause, or enhance, rust. 
• If you’re cleaning your bike with either a wet sponge or wet cloth, make sure they are not wetter than necessary. Muc-Off also provides a waterless wash, which again, is especially for electric bikes. 
• It is a good idea to remove the battery, whilst cleaning the rest of your bike.

A little bit of investment, in both time and money, can help prevent you from having to spend more money, replacing parts later on.

Storage

Even though you can expect your electric bike to be OK in rain, you should still minimize its contact with rain. With this in mind, you should (if you can) store your electric bike indoors. This will mean not exposing your bike to heavy downpours unnecessarily. It will also mean that your bike is not exposed to more rain, in general, than necessary. Following this step, will again reduce any chance of damage and rust.

You may be unable to store your electric bike indoors though, due to a lack of space. If this is the case, then there are the 2 below possible resolutions, to still protect your bike from rain.

• Buy a waterproof cover for your electric bike.
• Buy a foldable electric bike. You may be able to store a foldable electric bike indoors, if you don’t have the space indoors for a non foldable bike.   

Attaching your electric bike to a roof rack, can also expose it to more rain than usual. This may be unavoidable though, if you go on cycling holidays, or drive out to cycling trails. Again, having a foldable electric bike, can provide a resolution here as well. This could allow you to store your bike in your car boot, instead of on a roof rack. 

Conclusion

The theme here, throughout this article, is to keep your electric bike’s contact with water as minimal as possible. Especially in extreme scenarios. Electric bikes are not usually cheap. So you want to do your best, to make sure your electric bike lasts as long as possible. 

Your electric bike may be able to survive a pressure washer clean, or riding in heavy rain. But it’s not worth taking any unnecessary risks. Even if your electric bike were to survive a pressure washer clean once, it may not do so the next time. This can also be the case, with regard to riding through deep streams. 

In the worst case scenario though, if water was to ever cause damage to your electric bike. It’s likely that only one component in particular would be damaged, rather than the whole bike. In which case, the part would need replacing instead of the bike itself. Having said this though, it’s still always best to avoid the expense. 

The post Can I Ride my Electric Bike in the Rain? appeared first on Electric Bike Planet.

If you’re looking to buy an electric bike, the quality of the brakes may not be the top of your priorities. You may be more concerned with the power of the motor, or the battery capacity for example. However, the quality and type of brakes on your electric bike is worth considering. Especially since they are arguably the most important safety feature of the bike. 

The type of brake you will find on an electric bike will mostly either be a rim brake or a disc brake. This is the same for regular bikes as well, by the way. Also rim brakes and disc brakes are either mechanical or hydraulic actuated. Whichever of these brake types you decide for your electric bike, will determine the bike’s stopping performance. This is as well as the amount of maintenance your brakes will need. These factors will likely determine your choice of brake type for your electric bike.

Here in this article, I discuss how rim and disc brakes compare, with regard to electric bikes. I discuss the advantages and disadvantages, features and considerations for both. So this should help you decide on which type of brakes you want for your electric bike. By the way, I talk about hydraulic vs mechanical actuated brakes in another article.  

Why Brakes are Especially Important on Electric Bikes 

As mentioned above, brakes are arguably the most important safety feature of the bike. This is particularly the case with electric bikes, due to the extra weight they carry (because of the motor and battery). This is also due to the higher speeds they can go as well. Therefore, electric bikes need more stopping power, for them to stop over the same distance as a regular bike. So this means it is especially important to have high quality brakes on electric brakes. 

How Disc Brakes work 

Disc brakes work by there being a disc (known as a rotor) at the center of the wheel which has pads on each side of it. When the brake levers are pressed, these pads are then pressed against this disc. This creates friction which then slows the bike down.

How Rim Brakes Work 

These brakes work by pads (attached to calipers) that clamp down on both sides of the wheel rim. Again, this creates friction, which then causes the bike to slow down. These pads also clamp down by the way, when the rider presses the brake levers. So as you may gather, rim brakes and disc brakes both essentially work the same way. The difference is that disc brakes have pads clamping down on a rotor and rim brakes have pads clamping down on the wheel rims. 

Disc Brake Considerations 

More Stopping Power

Disc brakes provide more stopping power than rim brakes. This in itself is as good a reason as any to opt for this type of brake for your electric bike. Remembering that good stopping power is particularly important on electric bikes. 

Many heavier cyclists opt for electric bikes, due to their weight making it harder for them to ride regular bikes. So the extra weight of both the rider and the bike can again increase the need for more stopping power. Similarly you may want as much stopping power as you can get if you have an electric cargo bike. The more cargo you’re carrying, the longer the bike will take to stop, due to the extra weight. By the way, electric versions of cargo bikes are very popular. This is due to the electric power making it easier to carry the extra weight. 

Better Braking Control 

Disc brakes give you more feedback when you’re pressing the levers than rim brakes. This means that when compared to rim brakes, the stopping force of disc brakes is much more consistent with the amount of pressure you’re applying to the levers. As a result, disc brakes allow you to more precisely determine the amount of force needed when braking. 

You may particularly appreciate this aspect if you’re riding on off-road trails and in urban environments. Both environments where you’re likely to be speeding up and then slowing down, at varying amounts. This is due to constant hazards occurring. Having the better feedback of disc brakes can make you feel safer. This is as well as instilling more confidence whilst riding. The reason being, that you’re more likely to know what response you’re going to get when you engage your brakes.  

Better in Harsher Conditions 

Disc brakes work much better than rim brakes in wet, muddy and snowy conditions. Remember that rim brakes make contact with the wheel. So with rim brakes, if the wheel is wet, or has dirt, mud, or snow attached, then this can compromise the pads contact with the wheel. As a result, this will reduce the stopping power. Depending on the quality of the brake pads though, this may not necessarily reduce the stopping power significantly. However, when comparing the 2 brake types in less than ideal conditions, disc brakes will always have the edge. 

Remember the brake pads on disc brakes are coming into contact with rotors at the center of the wheel. As these rotors are not contacting the ground, they will have less mud, water and debris on them, than the wheels. This is why disc brakes work better than rim brakes in harsh conditions, as the pads have a cleaner contact on the surface they’re connecting to. So if you’re planning on doing a lot of off-road riding or live in a rainy part of the world, disc brakes are the way to go.  

Better for Weak Hands 

Remember that disc brakes provide more stopping power than rim brakes. So this means that with disc brakes, you can apply less pressure (when pressing the brake levers) than if you have rim brakes, to get the same stopping distance. You may have small hands, lack grip strength (maybe due to injury, or being of advancing years), or have arthritis in your hands. In which case, you may find it tricky to apply a lot of pressure on the brake levers. Therefore disc brakes can be a very good option for you here. Having arthritis, or being of advancing years, may be the very reason why you’re looking to have an electric bike. This is due to these factors possibly making riding a regular bike difficult. 

Don’t Wear the Wheels 

As disc brakes do not come into contact with the wheels like rim brakes do, they are not enhancing the wear of your wheels. Even though the rotors will wear, they tend to be easier and cheaper to replace than wheels. Rotors tend to be built to last as well.   

Disc Brakes are Heavier

Disc brakes are heavier than rim brakes and so they add more weight to the bike. Give or take, disc brakes are around 500 grams/1 pound heavier than rim brakes. You may not be that concerned with that amount of extra weight though. This could be due to the extra weight of the battery and motor that electric bikes carry already. Any extra weight may therefore not make too much of a difference. The extra boost you get from electric bikes, will negate any loss in speed from having extra weight anyway.

Handling

Disc brakes can make the handling of the bike feel sluggish. This is due to the extra weight they add to the wheels. They may not necessarily always make the handling feel very sluggish though. Nevertheless, they can create a more sluggish feel, when compared to having rim brakes. 

This can be more of an issue if you have a front hub motor on your electric bike. Front hub motors do have a habit of making turning and the general handling of the electric bike feel sluggish. Again, due to the extra weight they are adding to the front wheel. So with regard to handling, if you do have disc brakes on your electric bike, it’s better to have a rear hub motor. Or even better further still, opt for a mid drive motor. You will have much better weight distribution throughout the electric bike, if you have a mid drive motor and disc brakes.  

Trickier to Adjust Whilst out on a Ride

When compared to rim brakes, disc brakes are trickier to maintain on the go. Sometimes whilst riding, the brake pads may start rubbing, due to that they may have become out of alignment. This will reduce the stopping power. Also disc brake pads can cause a very loud squeaking noise when they are out of alignment. You can always stop the bike and re-align the brake pads, if you know how. However, re-aligning disc brake pads tends to be a bit more of a faff than re-aligning rim brake pads. This is due to the fact that disc brakes need to be more finely tuned. Whereas with rim brakes, it’s easier to just shift the calipers. 

This video shows how to adjust disc brakes, for whenever you need to. 

Rotor Size

You can enhance disc brakes stopping power further by having bigger rotors. Remembering that stopping power is particularly important for electric bikes, due to their weight and speeds they can go. Larger rotors create more friction, which in turn means more stopping power. Disc brake rotors come in the below sizes. By the way, when a rotor’s size is specified, it is the rotor’s diameter in millimeters.  

The extra stopping power you get from having larger rotors, also helps if you have weak grip strength or arthritis. You can apply less pressure when pressing the brake lever with a large rotor, to get the same stopping distance as applying more pressure with a smaller rotor. 

By the way, it’s more relevant to have a large rotor on the front wheel, rather than the rear wheel. This is due to physics determining that your weight shifts forwards when you brake. Therefore most of your braking power is coming from the front. So if you did want to strike a balance between having strong stopping power, whilst saving as much weight as possible, you could have a large rotor on the front wheel and a smaller rotor on the rear wheel. Again, bike weight might not be an issue for you though. So if your budget allows, then it doesn’t hurt to have large rotors on both wheels. 

Having large disc brake rotors on your electric bike can be a cheaper alternative than having hydraulic brakes, to get good stopping power. 

Rim Bake Considerations 

Rim Brakes are Lighter

As mentioned before, rim brakes are usually around 500 grams/1 pound lighter than disc brakes. A lot of cyclists appreciate this aspect, as the lighter the bike, the faster it is. Also less weight makes the bike easier to ride, especially uphills. However, again, the electric boost you get from electric bikes counters any weight constraints whilst riding. Having said that though, the lighter your electric bike, the bigger the range you’ll get from the battery. This is due to the heavier the electric bike, the more of a draw from the battery it’ll be whilst riding. 

Also with regard to weight, the lighter the bike, the easier it is to balance when you’re at a stop. This is say if you’re at a stop light, or you’ve stopped for a water break, for example. So for this reason you may prefer rim brakes to minimize as much weight on the bike as possible. This is especially where I have mentioned before that electric bikes are already heavy due to the battery and motor. Also you may be a light person, who may find a heavy bike difficult to balance at a stop. 

Easier to Maintain 

Rim brakes are much easier to maintain than disc brakes. When it comes to replacing the pads on rim brakes, you just slide the pad out and put a new one in. Simple as that. By the way, pads do wear, so you would expect to replace them after a while. 

Rim brakes are also easier to adjust when they are out of alignment than disc brakes. Below is a simple instruction of how you would generally expect to adjust rim brakes.  

• Just use an allen key to loosen the screw in the back of the fork.
• Adjust the position of the caliper. 
• Tighten the screw back up again. 

The great thing about adjusting rim brakes with the above instruction, is that anyone can do it. All in all, rim brakes offer simplicity when it comes to maintaining them. 

Easier to Transport 

As mentioned before, rim brakes add less weight to the bike than disc brakes. The less weight the bike carries the easier it is to pick it up and carry, as and when needed. The stronger you are though, the less of an issue this will be for you. 

People who like to transport their bikes in the trunk of their car on holidays or to trails, sometimes like to take the wheels off. This makes it easier to fit their bike in the trunk. However, it is harder to take the wheels off the bike if you have disc brakes. It’s certainly more of a faff. This is due to having to contend with the rotor on the wheel. If your electric bike has a hub motor, then taking the wheels off for transportation is a no go anyway. Certainly at least on the wheel that the hub motor is situated on.  

So if you’re someone who likes to transport your electric bike in the car with the wheels off, then having a mid drive motor with rim brakes is the way to go.  

Furthermore, whilst the bike is in transit, rim brakes are less likely to get damaged than disc brakes. The disc brake rotors can get knocked or bent during transit, which can cause damage, or them to be out of alignment. You can remove the rotors during transit to prevent this though. However, this is another thing to do and takes up time. Essentially the fewer parts a braking system has, the fewer parts there is to worry about during transit. So again, rim brakes lend themselves to being easier for transporting. 

Easier to Change Wheel/Tire

If your bike has rim brakes, then it’s much easier to replace a wheel or a tire, than if you have disc brakes. This is because with rim brakes you don’t have that rotor at the center of the wheel, like you do with disc brakes. You may be someone who likes to replace your tires and/or wheels often, for different types of cycling. If so, then rim brakes can be a more convenient option. This is also more convenient if you ever incur a flat tire.

Less Tire Clearance

Because tires have to pass through rim brake calipers, this limits the width of the tires you can have with rim brakes. This is due to the fact that the tire can be no wider than the amount of clearance the caliper allows for. To an extent, this counters where I have said it is easier to change tires with rim brakes. If you like to use different tires for different conditions, then you may not be able to have as wide a tire as you like sometimes, if you have rim brakes. 

If you have a bike with wide tires and rim brakes, then you will need long reach calipers. As the name suggests, these calipers allow for more tire clearance. So if you want rim brakes and you like switching your tires out for different ride types, then long reach calipers are an ideal option. By the way, it’s advisable to have long reach calipers in the first place, rather than upgrade to them later. This is due to the fact that to have long reach calipers, you need a frame that can accommodate them. This article An Ode to Long-Reach Brakes talks further about long reach calipers. 

Remember again, if you like to sometimes change your tires on your electric bike, then it’s a lot easier to do so if you have a mid drive motor. 

More Simplicity

Because rim brakes are lighter and easier to travel with and maintain, they offer more simplicity overall than disc brakes. This in itself is a reason why many people prefer rim brakes to disc brakes. This is even though disc brakes offer better stopping power. After all, rim brakes still provide good stopping power, even though disc brakes have the edge. This is especially if they are well maintained, aligned correctly and you have good quality/condition pads. 

You may have a strong grip to apply a good amount of pressure on the brake levers. Essentially be able to comfortably slam on those brakes. Also you may live in a dry, sunny part of the world where it doesn’t rain often. You may even be someone who doesn’t really ever cycle quickly and prefers to cruise along at a leisurely pace. So if any of these apply to you, then you may feel the stopping power of rim brakes is enough for you. Therefore, you may not want the extra weight and less simplicity of disc brakes, if you feel rim brakes already do a good enough job.  

Conclusion 

Ultimately, when it comes to rim brakes or disc brakes for your electric bike, neither type is better than the other. It’s all down to personal preference. You may prefer the simplicity of rim brakes, or the better stopping power of disc brakes. What you could find is yourself trading off a disadvantage of one of these brake types, against an advantage of it. 

For example, you may like to sometimes change your tires for different riding conditions. However, you may prefer to minimize weight on your wheels, to reduce a sluggish riding feel. Nevertheless, you may opt for disc brakes, so that you have more freedom with the width of tires you can have. This is even though they would add more weight to your wheels. 

Either way, both types of brakes will give you good stopping power. This is as long as they’re made to a good quality and maintained well.

The post Should I have Disc Brakes or Rim Brakes on my Electric Bike? appeared first on Electric Bike Planet.

Electric bikes are increasing in popularity all over the world. This is because they are making cycling more accessible for all sorts of different people. The electric assisted boost, can allow many cyclists to go further than before. Also, electric bikes make cycling more fun. If you’re thinking of buying an electric bike in the UK though, then you should be familiar with the UK electric bike laws. 

Electric bike laws vary around the world and exist to determine the 3 factors below:

• What is an electric bike
• Who can ride an electric bike
• Where you can ride an electric bike

Currently, as it stands, the UK electric bike laws match with the EU. But now the UK has left the EU, this could possibly change in the future.

Being aware of the electric bike laws in the UK, can help you determine the below factors.

• If an electric bike would suit your needs (for example, if it will be fast enough for what you want).
• Allow you to know where you can ride an electric bike.
• Where you would stand legally, if you were to make any modifications. For example, if your bike would still be classed as an electric bike, after making any changes. 

In this article, I will clarify and talk about the UK electric bike laws. Immediately below, though, is a table outlining the UK’s main electric bike laws.

What Defines an Electric Bike in the UK

For a bike to be defined as an electric bike in the UK, it needs to have the below.

• An electric motor that can provide assistance, to help the bike move forward.
• The bike must have pedals, like any regular bike. The motor provides extra assistance, whilst the rider is pedalling. This is referred to as pedal assistance, or PAS as an abbreviation.
• The power of the motor must be no more than 250 watts.
• The bike can go no faster than 15.5mph (25km/h) electrically assisted. If the rider goes above this speed, then the electric assistance will cut out.

An electric bike can have more than 2 wheels, by the way. This means you can even have an electric tricycle if you like.

Who can Ride an Electric Bike in the UK? 

You’re allowed to ride an electric bike in the UK, as long as you’re 14 years old, or over. To own and ride an electric bike, you don’t need a license or insurance, or to tax it. You aren’t required to register the bike either. This is all as long as it meets the requirements mentioned above. You simply buy your electric bike and you’re immediately good to go.

Is it Illegal to Ride an Electric Bike that does not Meet the Requirements?

It is not illegal to own an electric bike in the UK, that does not meet the specified above requirements. If you were to own an electric bike that does not meet these requirements, then the bike would be classed as a motor vehicle. For example, this could be if the motor is 500 watts and can provide electric assistance up to 25mph. In this instance, you would need to get a license and the bike insured, taxed and registered. 

If you have an electric bike that’s classed as a motor vehicle, the specifications of the bike will determine which license you would need. For example, if the motor helps the bike to go up to speeds between 25 km/h and 45 km/h, then it would likely be classed as a moped. Here, you would need a moped license to ride it.

Having an electric bike that’s classed as a motor vehicle, would mean you’d be restricted to where you can ride it. You would only be permitted to ride it on certain public highways. This would likely be anywhere you’re allowed to ride/drive motor vehicles in general. You would not be allowed to ride it everywhere you can ride a regular bike. For example, like riding on dedicated cycling lanes.

You can ride an electric bike that’s classed as a motor vehicle on private land. This is as long as you have permission from the landowner.

Where can I Ride an Electric Bike in the UK?

You can ride an electric bike (as defined by UK law) on any public highway in the UK. This can include riding it on the road, on dedicated bike lanes and on cycling trails, for example. Essentially, you’re allowed to ride an electric bike, anywhere you can ride a regular bike.

Can I Ride an Electric Bike with a Throttle in the UK?

Currently, as it stands, you can buy and ride an electric bike in the UK that has a throttle. This is as long as the throttle only powers the bike up to no faster than 3.7mph (6 km/h), without the rider needing to pedal. 

The throttle, therefore, cannot power the electric bike any faster than this, without the rider pedalling. As long as the rider is also pedalling, the throttle can provide some assistance up the overall limit of 15.5mph. Remember, the bike still must have the electric pedal assistance, for it to be classed an electric bike. 

If there’s a throttle, but no pedal assist. Or the throttle can power a bike forward faster than 3.7mph, without the rider pedalling. The bike will then be classed as a motor vehicle. Again here, the applicable license, insurance, registration and taxation will be required.

Electric Bikes with Throttles Purchased Before UK and EU Harmonisation

As mentioned earlier, even though the UK has now left the EU, the UK electric bike laws currently match the EU’s. This harmonisation the UK has with the EU electric bike laws, has only been since 1st January 2016. Before this, electric bikes in the UK were allowed to have a throttle that could take the bike up to the then, electrically assisted speed limit of 15mph, without pedalling. Meaning, the throttle can power these bikes without pedalling, above the currently required 3.7mph.  

Some people may have bought one of these electric bikes with a throttle (that can take the bike up to speeds above 3.7mph, without pedalling) before 1st January 2016. As the law currently stands in the UK. These bikes are still considered electric bikes and not motor vehicles. So you’re still allowed to ride these bikes on the same public highways as regular bikes. You would also still not need to have a license and insurance etc.

This even applies, if you were to buy one of these electric bikes second-hand. As long though, if it was initially sold to the UK market before 1st January 2016.

Conclusion

These current electric bike laws make buying and riding an electric bike in the UK straightforward. As long as you’re at least 14 years of age, you can simply buy an electric bike and start riding it straight away. All without the hassle of registering the bike and getting a license, etc. 

You can still get insurance if you want to protect your electric bike against theft and damage. This is only optional though and certainly not a requirement. 

You can simply buy your electric bike and start having fun. 

The post What are the UK Electric Bike Laws? appeared first on Electric Bike Planet.

Electric bikes don’t tend to be cheap purchases, so you want to get your choice of electric bike right. So when choosing an electric bike, there will likely be various considerations. One of these considerations may be which type of pedal assist sensor you wish the electric bike to have. Do you want a cadence sensor, or a torque sensor?

Whether you have a cadence sensor, or a torque sensor, determines how your pedaling engages your electric bike motor. This, in turn, determines how you unleash and control the electric power. Neither of these 2 types of sensor are better than the other, it’s down to rider preference.

There are different characteristics and considerations, with both of these sensors. I will talk about these in this article, to help you determine which one you feel would be best for you.

Cadence and Torque Sensor Definitions

Below shows the main basic descriptions for both the cadence and torque sensors.

Cadence sensors – These simply register that the pedals are turning, to then engage the motor. How fast the pedals are turning, does not determine the speed the motor is operating. Here, setting the pedal assist level on the control panel, determines the speed of the motor. This, in turn, determines the speed of the electric bike. By the way, the control panel is typically an LCD display positioned on the handlebars. 

Torque Sensors – These engage the motor when the rider starts pedaling. However, the speed of the motor is relative to the rider’s pedaling effort. The faster the rider is pedaling, the faster the motor speed. Likewise, the slower the rider is pedaling, the slower the motor speed. Remember the faster the motor speed, the faster the electric bike goes. You can still set the pedal assist level with the control panel here. However, this is to determine the amount of boost you get when you pedal. For example, whether the motor matches your effort, or doubles it.

How Cadence and Torque Sensors Work

Cadence Sensors

Cadence sensors work by magnets placed at intervals, around the inner side of the perimeter of a disc. As you pedal it turns this disc, so that these magnets pass by a sensor, which then engages the motor. Cadence sensors are situated between the bottom bracket and the crank.

There are some newer cadence sensors, that are tucked inside a special bottom bracket. Here, the sensor is reading the magnets, without any external part (the disc) showing. This means that the sensor is better protected. 

Torque Sensors

Most electric bikes that have a torque sensor will either have one of the 2 following types. A strain gauge torque sensor, or a hall effect torque sensor. Below describes how these work.

Strain gauge torque sensor – These have a strain gauge, that measures the amount of torque/effort that is being exerted, when the rider is pedaling. This strain gauge samples 1000 torque pulses a second, to measure the torque. Then the sensor sends a very specific amount of power. This power is relative to the amount of torque applied to the pedals. Here, the sensor is situated on a little plate that sits between the axle of the back wheel and the frame.

Hall effect torque sensor – These involve a metal shaft between the cranks. This metal shaft has a magnetic field around it. When the rider stresses the cranks through pedaling, this stress becomes present in the magnet field around this shaft. The sensor then reads this stress in this magnetic field and then converts it to a voltage signal. This voltage signal is sent to the electric bike controller to determine the power of the motor. Again here, the power of the motor (speed of the electric bike), is relative to the pedal effort. 

Riding Feel

As described above, cadence and torque sensors both operate differently. This means they offer a different riding feel to each other. Below describes this in further detail.

Riding Feel of Cadence Sensors

With cadence sensors it feels less like you’re doing it (that you’re less responsible). This is due to the fact that the speed is not determined by your pedal effort.

Cadence sensors allow for a casual, laid back riding feel, even whilst you’re riding at high speed. This is due to the fact that you can ride at an easy pace, even if the pedal assist is set to a high setting. Here, the bike will be doing all the work. You will find this beneficial if you want to get somewhere quickly, but in a relaxed manner. This does not mean to say that you can’t put in more pedal effort if you choose, for more of a workout. The pedal assist level can always be adjusted, to match your preferred pedal effort.  

When cycling with a cadence sensor, you can pedal faster than the pedal assist level. In this instance, you may find the riding feel counterintuitive. This is due to that this extra effort is having no effect on how fast you’re going.

Riding Feel of Torque Sensors

Torque sensors allow for a natural and intuitive riding feel. This is due to the fact that they cause the motor speed to be relative to the pedal effort. Riding an electric bike feels more like riding a regular bike with this type of sensor.

Torque sensors allow the bike to feel like an extension of you. They can make you feel like you have bionic legs, which can be quite fun.

Smooth Riding Feel

Generally, torque sensors offer a smoother feel whilst cycling, compared to cadence sensors. This is due to the nature of how these 2 types of sensors operate. A torque sensor, sampling 1000 torque pulses per second, lends itself to being more responsive than a cadence sensor, having magnets passing by a sensor at intervals.

This does not mean, though, that cadence sensors are unresponsive, or do not allow for a smooth ride feel. A lot of cadence sensors are very responsive and smooth to ride with. It depends on the quality of any individual cadence sensor.

Number of Magnets Affecting the Riding Feel of a Cadence Sensor

Usually how responsive a cadence sensor is, is down to the amount of magnets it has. Some Cadence sensors have more magnets than others. The more magnets a cadence sensor has, the quicker it picks up the signal. This allows the motor to be more responsive which, in turn, allows for a smoother riding feel.

So if you’re buying an electric bike with a cadence sensor, you can look out for the amount of magnets the sensor has. This can help with comparing different electric bikes, to help you make your choice. Not all manufacturers advertise the amount of magnets their cadence sensors have though.

When Cadence Sensors are Ideal

Cadence sensors are great if you wish to cycle for transportation and/or exercise, but you come under any of the below:

• Have arthritis
• Nervous about your athletic ability
• Recovering or rehabilitating, after injury or illness
• Advancing in years

If you come under any of the above, then you can put the pedal assist setting to a level of your choice and pedal casually. Here, you can take it easy and let the bike do all the work. You can still get some exercise in, without over exerting yourself. After all, any exercise is better than no exercise. You can always lower the pedal assist setting later, as you get fitter or recover more. Many older adults like having cadence sensors for this reason.

Cadence sensors lend themselves to being ideal for commuting. A lot of people don’t commute by cycling, as they’re concerned they’ll arrive at the workplace sweaty. So if your electric bike has a cadence sensor, you can pedal casually to work, whilst again, your bike does the work. You can have a high pedal assist setting, that can allow you to get to work quickly, without you sweating. Remember, with cadence sensors, you can still pedal harder/reduce the pedal assist if you choose, for more of a workout. You can do this on the way home from work, where working up a sweat will be less of a concern. 

Cadence sensors are lower in cost than torque sensors. This is due to torque sensors being a more advanced technology. So a cadence sensor is a suitable, cheaper option, if the cycles you make are a fairly consistent speed throughout. This can include long distance road cycling. Here, having to manually adjust the level of pedal assist when required, shouldn’t be a pain. This is due to that it’s likely you won’t need to be constantly doing this. You just select your required pedal assist level and pedal away. This sort of cycling is opposite to precise technical cycling, where a torque sensor can be more ideal. I discuss this further, in the section below.

When Torque Sensors are Ideal

Torque sensors are ideal for low speed technical cycling. This can include single track mountain biking. In fact, they are suitable for any cycling where you need to maneuver around tight conditions. For example, any off-road cycling, where there may be a lot of trees and obstacles close together. Cycling in busy town centers can be another example of this sort of cycling. This is due the amount of obstacles that occur in town centers.

The motor power being relative to the pedal effort, is why torque sensors are ideal for the above mentioned conditions. If you’re riding technical mountain bike trails, you want to apply a little bit of effort, for only a little power. Here, the torque sensor, being responsive to your pedaling effort, comes into its own. This is where you may especially appreciate the torque sensor, allowing the bike to feel like an extension of you.

Having a cadence sensor can feel counterintuitive in these riding conditions. It may be a pain, having to often manually change the pedal assist settings, if the amount of power required is always changing. This includes if you’re having to do a lot of stop and start cycling in busy town centers. In which case, you may find a torque sensor more suitable.

Riding in technical off-road conditions, can also be safer with a torque sensor. This is due to the power output being immediately responsive, to your pedal effort. With a cadence sensor, you may not have enough time to react, to lower the pedal assist level if suddenly needed. Conversely, a torque sensor can give you more control in tight riding conditions and when faced with sudden obstacles.  

Cadence Sensor Considerations

Can Sometimes Feel Like it Takes a Long Time to Kick In

This is due to that the crank has to turn enough to prompt the magnets to pass the sensor. This can take a while, if you’re going up a steep hill in a hard gear. Here, it can take a lot of force, to move the crank even a little, for the pedal assist to function. Referring back to before, though, some cadence sensors have more magnets than others. So the more magnets a cadence sensor has, the quicker it will kick in.  

Allow for Minimal Effort Up Hills

Even though torque sensors amplify your pedal effort to make hills easier to ride up. Many electric bike cyclists find that cadence sensors better allow them to maintain a casual riding pace up hills. This is especially if you’re using a high pedal assist setting and also if you have a high-powered motor. By the way, a high-powered electric bike motor would be 750 or 1000 watts. Although, your local laws may not permit you to have an electric bike of this power. So always check local laws before buying an electric bike. 

Great for Warm-ups and Warm-downs

Cadence sensors are ideal, if you want to either warm-up or down, before or after an intensive exercise session on a bike. You can be putting in next to no pedal effort at all, whilst the motor is still keeping the electric bike moving.

Great for Getting Somewhere Quickly With Less Effort

You can just set the pedal assist to the fastest setting and pedal at a relaxing pace. This is suitable if you’re more concerned with using an electric bike for transportation and not for exercise. General transportation purposes can include commuting, school runs, shopping and visiting friends. Electric bikes can come into their own here, as they make it easier to carry children and shopping. Pedaling at a relaxing pace will still give you some exercise, though, by the way. 

Easier to Control Battery Range 

Having the pedal assist set to a certain level, whilst using a cadence sensor, generally allows you to better control the battery range. A disclaimer, though, is that you can only ever control the range so much. This is due to varying events throughout any given cycle, that affect range. Having a uniform amount of assistance, means that the range is more predictable. This can make it easier for you to plan your cycle journeys, both before and during. 

In contrast to this, having a torque sensor can make the battery range more unpredictable. This is due to the fact that the level of motor power is dependent on your pedal effort. Remember, your pedal effort is likely to not be consistent throughout any given cycle.

Additionally, you can take advantage of a cadence sensor to increase battery range. You can have the pedal assist set at a preferred level, to help you throughout a cycle. For example, to reduce fatigue and alleviate inclines and wind resistance. However, you can always pedal as hard as you like at any point. Even if you’re pedaling at a higher effort than what the motor’s outputting. This can give you more of a workout, without this being more of a draw from the battery.

Torque Sensor Considerations

Torque Sensors Cost More than Cadence Sensors

As torque sensors are more advanced technology, they cost more than cadence sensors. They are not always a lot more though. It depends on the design and build quality of any given sensor. Usually, torque sensors tend to be on higher end electric bikes. So if an electric bike, with a torque sensor, costs more than an electric bike with a cadence sensor, it’s usually due to other features. The pedal assist sensor does not form a large part of the price of an electric bike though. 

Can Encourage You to Pedal More

Due to the nature of torque sensors, they can encourage you to pedal harder. The fact that the harder you pedal, the more boost you get, can be very intuitive and fun. The psychology here is that you want to pedal harder to gain more speed. This can help you to get more of a workout.

Can Help Increase Battery Range (Depending on How You Use Your Electric Bike)

If you’re riding your electric bike fast, your battery should last longer if you have a torque sensor, instead of a cadence sensor. This is due to that to go fast with a torque sensor, you have to be pedaling fast. This means that the motor is not doing as much work to get you to a fast speed, compared to a cadence sensor. Here, the pedaling is sharing more of the effort. This, in turn, saves on battery and therefore increases range. This ties in with the above, with regard to that torque sensors get you pedaling more. As a general rule, the more you pedal on an electric bike, the more battery you save.

This sounds like a contradiction though, to where I mentioned before, that a cadence sensor can help you increase your range. However, it’s all down to how you use your electric bike. Remember, using a cadence sensor, you can pedal harder than the pedal assist level. This is for more exercise, without drawing more from the battery. Generally doing this, though, applies more to using the lower pedal assist levels.

Can Sometimes Seem to Not Provide Enough Torque

Sometimes, people can complain that a torque sensor doesn’t give the amount of torque they were expecting. A torque sensor may be providing a decent amount of torque though, even if it doesn’t seem as though it is. This can be for various factors. These can include the natural feel torque sensors help provide, making the torque seem less noticeable. Also, an electric bike cyclist may have used a throttle, or a more powerful electric bike before.

Bear in mind that other factors determine the torque of an electric bike. These are mainly the power of the motor (in watts) and the motor type. By the way, an electric bike motor type can either be hub, or mid drive. Mid drive motors provide the most torque, between these 2 motor types. 

Torque Sensors are Sensitive

Remember torque sensors are sampling 1000 torque pulses per second. This causes them to be very responsive. Therefore, they are picking up on every tiny movement, which can cause them to be very picky. So if a torque sensor is not tuned, it can be problematic. If it’s tuned a little too low, then it’s going to be stiff and unresponsive. If it’s tuned too high, then it can be too responsive, making the bike unstable. This can be dangerous, if you go over a bump, making the bike suddenly shoot forward. 

So if your torque sensor is ever not tuned, you should get it recalibrated at a bike shop. A torque sensor could become not correctly tuned, if your electric bike has been smashed around. This could be from riding on an off-road trail for example. Some torque sensors are tucked away internally though. These can be contained within the bottom bracket, or inside a motor housing. This allows them to be less likely to get smashed around. 

A torque sensor that’s not tuned, can also cause an electric bike to whoosh forward, when you start pedaling. Essentially, cause your electric bike to speed up disproportionately to the amount of pedal effort. So you should be careful of this, if your electric has a torque sensor. 

You Can Have Both a Cadence Sensor and a Torque Sensor on a Single Electric Bike 

Many electric bikes have both a cadence sensor and a torque sensor. These can work together perfectly well. This helps you to not have to choose between the 2, when buying an electric bike. You can simply toggle between the 2, depending on your preference during a ride. This gives you the flexibility to select whichever one, best suits the current situation. You may select the cadence sensor for a casual cycle. Then during a technical cycle (like riding a trail), you may select the torque sensor. 

Having both a cadence sensor and a torque sensor, will add more cost to your electric bike purchase though. This is especially since electric bikes that have both sensors, tend to have a mid drive motor. As mentioned before, an electric bike motor will either be a hub or a mid drive. Mid drive motors are the higher priced of these 2 motor types. However, having both a cadence and a torque sensor on your electric bike, can give you more peace of mind though.

Conclusion

Hopefully, I’ve given you enough insight, to determine which type of pedal assist sensor you feel is best for you. Whether it’s a cadence sensor, or a torque sensor. If you’re looking to buy an electric bike, this can help towards which one you finally choose. You may buy an electric bike that has both a cadence sensor and a torque sensor though. Even so, the information I’ve given may help you decide which sensor to use in different situations.

This article may make it very clear to you, that only one of these sensor types is suitable for you. In which case, you may decide to buy an electric bike with only that sensor type, to save money.

By the way, you may find some of the information in this article conflicting. For example, I’ve mentioned that cadence sensors are suitable for commuting. This is due to the fact that they are ideal for getting you to the office quickly, without you working up a sweat. However, I’ve also mentioned that torque sensors are ideal for the stop, start, obstacle laden cycles of busy city centers. You may find conflict here, if your commute is in a busy city center. So it’s a question of what you weigh up to be the best for you. Here is an example of why it can be a good idea to buy an electric bike with both types of sensor. You can then use trial and error to determine which sensor works best for you.  

As mentioned before, neither the cadence sensor, or the torque sensor is better than the other. It’s a matter of preference/whatever works best for you. However, If you can’t decide which one’s best for you, then again, you can buy an electric bike that has both.

The post Which Electric Bike Pedal Assist Sensor – Cadence or Torque? appeared first on Electric Bike Planet.

You may have been riding your electric bike around your local area, but you might now wish to explore new cycling routes. It may be that you wish to go on some electric bike cycling adventures, but you don’t have very exciting trails on your doorstep in the first place. Therefore, you may be wondering what is the best way to transport your electric bike to broaden your cycling horizons. 

If you wish to transport your electric bike, there are various methods of doing so. These include transporting your electric bike in a car trunk, on a roof rack, on a trunk rack, in a van, or even on the rear of a pickup truck. There are various advantages and disadvantages to all of these methods. So whichever of these methods you would opt for, it would be down to which one suits you best. 

Here in this article, I discuss the most common methods of transporting electric bikes at length. This is to help you decide which method you feel is best for you. Hopefully, this will help you get out there on more cycling adventures and get the most out of your electric bike.  

Weight Consideration 

Before going any further, it’s worth mentioning a very important consideration for when you’re transporting an electric bike. This is that electric bikes are a lot heavier than regular bikes. So you should take this into account when deciding on a suitable method to transport your electric bike. For example, if you’re using a rear rack, then you must make sure it can support the weight of your electric bike. A tip here though, is that if the battery is detachable, then you can remove it for when you’re transporting your electric bike. This in turn will make your electric bike lighter.   

Transporting an Electric Bike Considerations Infographics

Below are infographics, highlighting some of the main considerations, for some of the most common ways of transporting electric bikes.

Transporting an Electric Bike in a Car Trunk

Providing you’ve got the space, you can simply just put your electric bike in the trunk/boot of your car. This is a lot easier if you have an estate car (UK), or a station wagon (US), as these provide plenty more trunk space. Even if you have a car with less trunk space, you may still be able to fit an electric bike. You may have to adapt to the situation though. For example, you may need to remove either the front wheel, or maybe even both wheels. Additionally, you may need to fold down the rear seats, or the passenger seat. Nevertheless, with a bit of ingenuity, you should be able to fit an electric bike in the trunk of most cars. 

Below are various considerations with regard to using a car trunk to transport your electric bike. 

• Firstly, transporting your electric bike in your car boot is free. This is because you’re not buying a rack.
• Using a car boot to transport your electric bike, is better for fuel economy compared to using racks. As the bikes are inside, they are not ruining the airflow around the car, causing more drag. This comes into its own even more when motorway driving.
• You’re not advertising to the outside world that you’re taking a bike, or bikes with you. This helps reduce the chance of theft. There have been known cases where people carrying bikes outside the car on a rack have been followed home by bike thieves. 
• As mentioned above, you may have to take off either the front wheel, or both wheels, to make the bike fit in the trunk. This will mean that you’ll have to spend a bit of time reattaching the wheel at your destination. Additionally, you’ll then need to detach it again after your ride, before putting your bike back in the car. This can be a bit of a faff and time-consuming, depending on how easy it is to attach and detach the wheel. 

• Following from above, it’s easier to remove a bike wheel if your bike has a quick release mechanism. This will mean you can easily and quickly, detach and reattach the wheel without using any tools. You just open and close the cam lever. Some bikes, hold the wheels on by bolts, in which case you’ll need spanners to remove the wheels. This is more of a faff and time-consuming. Generally speaking though, the newer the bike, the more likely it’ll have a quick release mechanism.    
• If you only need to remove one wheel to make your electric bike fit in the car trunk, then it’s most ideal to remove the front one. This is because it’s easier to remove. Also the rear wheel helps protect the rear mechanism.
• Removing a wheel is easy if you have a disc brake. Here, you would usually have a thru-axle which has a lever. You can just turn this lever to allow you to pull out the thru-axle, to then allow you to remove the wheel. Not all thru-axles have one of these levers though. Instead, here you would usually need an allen key to remove the thru-axle. After you’ve removed the wheel, you can then put the thru-axle back in the bike so that it doesn’t get lost. This also helps maintain structural integrity.
• Don’t place your electric bike upside down whilst removing a wheel. This is because you may damage the controls on the handlebars. 
• Remembering that electric bikes are heavy, you may find it a bit of a struggle to lift your electric bike into your car trunk. For example, you may be of advancing years, which may be why you have an electric bike in the first place. Therefore, when lifting the bike into the trunk, you can grab the forks with one hand and the seat tube with the other. This gives you a good even weight distribution, making the electric bike easier to carry.

• To protect the interior of your car trunk from debris, mud and chain oil, etc., you can buy boot liner. This is a synthetic mat that you can place on the surface of your car trunk. You then place your electric bike on top of it. Alternatively, you could use a blanket, towels, or some form of sheeting instead, to place your electric bike on. Additionally, you can also use a blanket, towels, or some form of sheeting to place on top of your electric bike, to protect it. If you’ve removed a wheel, or both wheels, you can then place it/them on top of whatever you’ve used to cover your bike. Covering your electric bike whilst it’s in your car trunk is also good for security. This is due to the fact that it reduces the visibility of your bike, through your car windows. 
• If you’re taking other luggage in your car trunk, it’s a good idea to put this in first. You can then place your electric bike on top, so that it isn’t crushed. Items placed on top of your electric bike could damage parts. Ideally, you should still have a protective layer between your electric bike and the other luggage. Again, this can be a blanket, towels, bubble wrap, rugs, etc. If you’re taking more than one bike in your trunk, you could stack bikes on top of each other, if you have room. Be careful though and be sure to have suitable protective padding between bikes. 
• When placing your electric bike in the car trunk, you should make sure the drivetrain is facing up. This is so the weight of the bike is not resting on it, which can possibly damage parts. You should be careful in general when placing your electric bike in your car trunk. Place and slide it in gently to reduce the chance of any parts catching, or getting damaged. 
• If you’ve removed a wheel then you should place a spacer in between the brake calipers. This is because the brake can still actuate with the wheel removed, whilst the bike is being transported. If there’s no wheel or rotor between the calipers, then they might close against each other. You can push them out afterwards, but it’s a bit of a faff and may require a tool. You can buy dedicated brake spacers, or you can just use a folded up business card. 

Transporting an Electric Bike by Roof Rack

Roof racks are pretty much self-explanatory. These are racks that allow you to attach bikes to the roof of your vehicle. Below are various considerations with regard to using a roof rack to transport your electric bike. 

• A roof rack can be a suitable option to avoid the disadvantages of other electric bike transportation methods. This can include not having to attach a number plate board and not going without visibility from your rear window and rear-view mirror. Both factors which can occur if you’re using a trunk mounted rack. You also don’t have to remove a wheel, which you may need to do if you’re transporting your bike in your car trunk. Also, you may not have room in your trunk for an electric bike. This may be because you’re unable to fold the rear seats down if you have passengers in the back. 
• You may find it difficult to lift your electric bike up onto the car roof. Remember electric bikes are heavier than regular bikes. You may find it harder to lift your electric bike onto the car roof if you have back problems, have a weaker upper body, or are of advancing years etc. Again, these are all reasons why you may have an electric bike in the first place. As mentioned before, you could remove the battery to make your electric bike lighter. You can then put the battery in a safe place in the car whilst traveling.
• You should make sure that if you’re using a roof rack, then it is certified to withstand the weight of your electric bike. Again, due to the extra weight electric bikes carry, this is particularly important. 
• It’s advisable to have a cover on your electric bike if you have it on a roof rack. This is to protect against rain water from getting into the electrical components that can possibly cause damage. If it’s raining heavily and you’re driving at high speed on a highway/motorway, then this can act like a pressure washer on your electric bike. This is certainly not ideal, as a lot of water could be drawn into the electric components at force. Also, a cover will help prevent contamination from the cars fumes, which can lead to bike parts rusting. 

• Transporting your electric bike on a roof rack can leave your car roof in a bit of a state. This applies more if you’re driving back home after a ride. Any mud and debris that may be on your electric bike can fall onto the roof. This can especially be the case if it’s raining. However, again, having a cover over your bike will help here. 
• Using a roof rack is not great for fuel economy. This is due to that it causes more drag whilst you’re driving.
• You should be aware of height restrictions when transporting a bike on a roof rack. You must avoid bridges and tunnels that will be too low for you to pass through. Therefore, it’s a very good idea to plan your route in advance if you’re using a roof rack. As part of doing this, you should also establish the height of your vehicle with your bike and roof rack on top. 
• For extra security, you should consider using a lock to minimize the chance of theft. A lot of the time roof racks will have their own locking mechanism already included. However, it wouldn’t hurt to have an additional separate lock to enhance the security further. There’s always a chance your electric bike could be stolen, if you’ve stopped off somewhere and you don’t have good security. 

Transporting an Electric Bike by Trunk Rack 

Like with roof racks, trunk racks are relatively self-explanatory. A trunk rack is a rack for transporting a bike, or bikes, that attaches at the back of your vehicle. Below are various considerations with regard to using a trunk rack to transport your electric bike. 

• A trunk rack is a suitable option if you don’t have space in your car trunk for an electric bike. It’s also suitable if you’re unable to lift your electric bike onto the car roof.  
• Like with roof racks, you should make sure you only use a trunk rack that can withstand the weight of your electric bike. Remembering that electric bikes are heavier than regular bikes, it may be a good idea to buy a trunk rack that is electric bike specific. Again, you can take the battery out to make the bike lighter. This will help reduce the stress placed on the rack. If there’s too much weight, causing too much stress, it can cause the rack to snap off. 

• There are lots of different trunk racks available on the market to suit different shape and size cars. Therefore, not all trunk racks are compatible with all cars. So this is another consideration when buying a trunk rack.
• Some trunk racks are designed to be able to hold more than one bike. Again, it’s important to make sure these racks can handle the weight of the electric bikes you place on them. The particular point to consider here though, is that each position on the rack must withstand the weight of the individual bike placed in it. For example, if you have a rack that can handle 2 bikes up to 40lbs each, it would not be able to handle a single 80lbs bike. So only use a trunk rack if the manufacturer states that each position can handle the weight of each individual bike placed on it. 
• Following from above, the heaviest bike should be mounted closest to the vehicle. This will reduce the total amount of forces the rack has to deal with.
• It is a good idea to remove anything from the bike that is easily removable. Like any pannier bags, or bike lights for example. Any removable parts are going to be vulnerable to theft if you’re parked up during a stop off. Like say if you‘ve stopped for a bite to eat somewhere. 
• If you remove the battery from your electric bike, it will make it easier to lift the bike onto and from the rack. Detaching the battery also helps with safety. If your electric bike has a throttle, without the battery, you’ll be unable to engage the throttle when loading the bike onto the rack. This also applies to when you’re removing the bike from the rack. 

• Having a trunk rack will likely cause you to lose visibility through the vehicle’s rear window. So in turn, you won’t have visibility from your rear view mirror. This is an important factor to take into account, when deciding if using a trunk rack will suit you. You would certainly need to be more careful when reversing and carrying out any other driving maneuvers. 
• Trunk racks are better for your fuel economy than roof racks. This is due to the fact that they cause far less drag than roof racks. The reason being is that the bikes are tucked away behind your vehicle. 
• Trunk racks obscure your number plate. You may be able to get away with this though if your number plate is low down enough. However, if your trunk rack is obscuring your number plate, then you’ll need an additional number plate board. This will therefore be an extra cost. Nevertheless, make sure you’re road legal before driving off with a trunk rack. You don’t want to end up getting a fine. 
• Like I mentioned further above with regard to roof racks, it’s a good idea to use a bike lock. Again, this is in addition to any locking mechanism that may already come with the rack. This will improve security, which is important due to your bike being external from the car.   
• Also, just like with roof racks, it’s ideal to use a cover for your electric bike if using a trunk rack. This will protect your bike from heavy rain and contamination whilst you’re driving.

Transporting an Electric Bike by Tow Ball Rack 

A tow ball rack is similar to a trunk rack, in that it’s used to transport bikes externally at the rear of the vehicle. The difference is though, is that tow ball racks attach directly to a tow ball. This is providing your vehicle does have a tow ball. Below are various considerations with regard to using a tow ball rack to transport your electric bike. 

• Tow ball racks are typically more solid and sturdy than trunk racks. Therefore, a tow ball rack is going to be more likely than a trunk rack to be able to withstand an electric bike. However, if using a tow ball rack, you should always still check, though, that the specified maximum weight allowance is high enough to cover the weight of your electric bike.
• You can get tow ball racks that can carry more than 1 electric bike. Some can carry 2, 3 or 4 electric bikes. Like with trunk racks though, each position must withstand the weight of the individual bike placed onto it. 

• Tow ball racks can have special features. These can include storage compartments, a ramp to easily wheel your bike onto and off the rack and some that fold up for easy storage, for when not attached to the vehicle. The ramp is especially handy if you’re transporting an electric bike. This is because the weight of electric bikes can make it difficult for some people to lift them onto and off a rack. Thule makes a very good foldable rack, called the Thule Easyfold. Any tow ball rack that does have special features though, would typically be higher in price.
• Following from above, tow ball racks can be difficult to store if they’re not foldable. This is due to the size and weight of them. Unless you do have a garage, you may possibly not have anywhere to store a tow ball rack. In which case, if you are opting for a tow ball rack, a foldable option may be your only bet. 
• When using a tow ball rack, you’ll likely experience the same aspects as with using a trunk rack. These include that you’ll likely need an additional number plate board, have no visibility from your rear view mirror and have a better fuel economy than if you’re using a roof rack. This is due to them being positioned at the same part of the vehicle as a trunk rack.
• If your vehicle does not have a tow ball already, then you’ll need to buy one to be able to have a tow ball rack. This will be an extra expense. 

• Tow ball racks can be very wide. If you have a compact vehicle, then a tow ball rack may be sticking out quite a lot. Therefore, you should be mindful of this when maneuvering the vehicle. For example, when you’re parking. 
• Tow ball racks (and trunk racks as well for that matter) give you limited access to your trunk. Some tow ball racks and trunk racks can pivot, or slide out of the way though. However, your access will still be limited. 

Transporting an Electric Bike by Pickup Truck

If you have a pickup truck, then this will be ideal for transporting electric bikes. Below are various considerations with regard to using a pickup truck to transport your electric bike. 

• These have no weight limit, so you’ll have no concerns there. They also have plenty of space for not only one electric bike, but a few electric bikes. 
• If you have an electric bike at the back of a pickup truck, be sure to have it locked. Remember the bike will be exposed to the outside world and so will be vulnerable to theft if not locked. 
• Like with using racks, it’s a good idea to use a cover to protect your electric bike from the elements, if using a pickup truck. 
• If you’re transporting an electric bike, or electric bikes on a pickup truck, then it’s a good idea to use a tailgate pad. These secure your electric bike over the tailgate of the pickup truck, to prevent your bike from moving about. Tailgate pads are well padded to protect both your electric bike and your truck from damage. This video talks about how to secure a tailgate pad to your pickup truck. 

Transporting an Electric Bike by Van

As you may gather, vans naturally lend themselves to transporting electric bikes. This is due to the amount of space they provide. Below are various considerations with regard to using a van to transport your electric bike. 

• Ideally, you should protect your electric bike with a dedicated bike cover to protect it from marking. Your bike could be prone to markings and scratches whilst it moves about in the van, if it’s not covered up. By the way, it’s easier to put the cover on the bike before you get it into the van. It’s also easier if you have 2 people doing this as well. One person to hold the bike, whilst the other person is putting the cover on. 
• Vans have plenty of space for transporting multiple bikes.

• Ideally, you want to place the bike upright in the corner of the van, at the opposite end of the rear. This is with the front wheel facing into the corner. You should then secure the bike with a bungee rope, to stop the bike from moving about in the van. The bungee rope should wrap around the bike. Both ends of the bungee rope should be attached to any bungee attachment points that your van may have. If your van does not have any bungee attachment points already, then you could buy some. You can then attach them to your van yourself. To make sure your electric bike is really secure, you can use 2 bungee ropes. 
• Following from above, if you’re carrying more than one bike in your van, then you can put the first bike in the van the way I mentioned above. You can then line another bike next to it and any other bikes alongside each other from there. Be sure to attach them all to each other with bungee rope still to secure them. However, ideally use a covering on each bike to prevent scratching and any possible damage. You may need to twist the handle bars if you’re storing multiple bikes.
• Transporting electric bikes inside a van is more secure than using racks, because they’re not exposed. Again, your electric bike will also be protected from rain and contamination from car fumes. It’s still a good idea to use a bike lock here though, just in case someone was to break into your van. 

Conclusion

Transporting your electric bike will definitely help you get the most out of your electric bike. This is especially if you have limited decent cycling routes on your own doorstep. It’ll enable you to expand your cycling experiences, which can even include having cycling trips away.    

Hopefully, I’ve given you enough advice in this article, to help you decide which method of transporting your electric bike would suit you best. You may even use my advice to decide on a different method, for different occasions. For example, if it’s raining you may opt to transport your electric bike in the car trunk. However, if it’s not raining you may then decide to use a trunk rack, to save you having to take the wheel off if you’re limited on trunk space. All in all, there’s no one best way to transport your electric bike, it’s all down to personal preference. 

link to Why Should I Buy an Electric Bike? link to Should I Buy an Electric Folding Bike?

The post How to Transport Your Electric Bike? appeared first on Electric Bike Planet.

When you’re riding your electric bike, you want the experience to be as comfortable as possible. So to ensure this, it may be worthwhile considering suspension for your electric bike. When buying an electric bike, whether you have suspension can be an integral decision,

Suspension impacts your handling, comfort, fatigue, tire grip and even safety, whilst cycling. Also, having suspension increases the cost of your electric bike. Certain riding conditions benefit more from suspension than others. So whether you opt for suspension for your electric bike (and how much suspension), will depend on what conditions you want to ride in and your budget.

Here in this article, I will talk in length about suspension for electric bikes. This is to help you determine whether you feel suspension will be right for you.

Different Bike Options (With Regard to Suspension)

When deciding if you want suspension on your electric bike, there’s 3 different bike options. These 3 options are a rigid bike, a hardtail bike, or a full suspension bike. Below are definitions for these 3 bike options.

Rigid Bike

This type of bike has no suspension at all. Here, all you have is a rigid frame. 

Hardtail Bike

Here, this type of bike has suspension, but only on the front of the bike and not at the rear. This front suspension is in the form of a suspension fork.  

Full Suspension Bike

This type of bike has the most amount of suspension that you can get on a bike. Full suspension bikes have both front and rear suspension. The front suspension is again in the form of a suspension fork. The rear suspension consists of shock absorption technology within the bike’s frame. 

Rigid Electric Bike Considerations 

Cheaper, Fast and Light Option

Rigid bikes are cheaper and lighter than both hardtail and full suspension bikes. This is because they have no suspension at all, to add to their cost and weight. The lighter weight means that rigid bikes are easier to transport/carry, than the other 2 bike types. It also means rigid bikes are generally able to go faster than bikes with suspension. 

Rigid bikes have no suspension to absorb any power generated from your pedal effort. This is another reason why they are generally able to go faster than bikes with suspension. However, the fact that electric bikes allow you to go faster, can mitigate any loss of speed due to having suspension. A consideration here, though, is that the less pedal effort lost to suspension, the less reliance on the electric motor. This can help your battery to last longer, to increase your range. By the way, your range is the distance your electric bike will travel before the battery runs out of charge.  

Cost saving may be more crucial for you, when buying an electric bike. This is due to the fact that electric bikes are already higher in price than regular bikes. 

Less Maintenance

Because rigid bikes have no suspension, there’s less parts to go wrong and maintain. Less maintenance will mean less cost in the running of your bike. Maintenance costs can include replacing and repairing parts. This is as well as bike shop charges for any tweaking, if needed. Also, you won’t ever need to concern yourself, with making sure the suspension is always set up correctly.  

At the end of the day, rigid bikes allow for simplicity.  

A Suitable Option for Smooth Surfaces

It can make sense to opt for a rigid bike if you don’t need suspension. This is due to the above mentioned advantages and simplicity of rigid bikes. You may consider that you don’t need suspension, if you know you’re only going to ride on smooth surfaces. This can be if you’re only going to be doing city riding. Whilst city riding, the roads and bike lanes/paths that you’ll be riding on, could be flat and smooth. You may consider the extra weight, maintenance and cost of having suspension unnecessary, here.

You May Have to Compensate for the Lack of Suspension Yourself 

As rigid bikes have no suspension, you will feel every bump on the surface that you’re riding on. This can make these bikes uncomfortable, when riding on rough and uneven surfaces. To compensate for this, you may find that you’re lifting yourself off of your saddle whenever you come by any bumps, potholes, or curbs etc. You could also loosen your elbows and wrists to help here as well.

The above could help you still have a comfortable enough ride, without having to fork out for full suspension. This is more likely to work for you though, if most of your ride is on a smooth service, with the odd pothole, steep curb or uneven pavement slab, etc. here and there. If you’re lifting yourself off of your saddle often, whilst riding on rougher terrain, then this may be a nuisance.  

Some Cyclists Prefer the Riding Experience of Rigid Bikes

It’s no surprise that rigid bikes are widely regarded as not ideal for riding on rough terrain. Even so, there’s still people who prefer riding rigid bikes, on rougher terrain. They enjoy the feedback and the feeling that they are more connected to what they’re riding on. Rigid bikes can make you feel that you’re taking on the terrain more, which some people can appreciate. 

Even if you appreciate the feedback of rigid bikes on rougher terrain, this may be only so far though. A rigid bike is likely to be far too uncomfortable to ride on extreme rough terrain. It’s all down to rider preference though. If you do enjoy the feedback of rigid bikes, it’s recommended to buy one for this reason, rather than for cost saving. After all, you still want to enjoy cycling.  

You Can Add Suspension Later 

You may be intending to ride your electric bike in relatively smooth conditions only. However, you may still be unsure whether you’ll ride on unsmooth conditions at some point. This can leave you unsure about whether to pay more, to have suspension on your electric bike. You could pay extra for suspension, so that it’s there for if it’s ever needed, only to never need it. 

An option here is you can buy a rigid electric bike and see how you go. You may determine later, that you could do with having some suspension. In which case, you can then buy and add a suspension fork to your electric bike.

Hardtail Electric Bike Considerations

Can be a Suitable Compromise Between Rigid and Full Suspension Bikes

As mentioned before, hardtail bikes only have suspension at the front. This allows them to act as a halfway house between rigid and full suspension bikes. You may find this a perfect solution if you want some suspension, but you don’t have the budget to buy a full suspension bike. Even if budget isn’t an issue, you may still prefer a hardtail. This can be if a hardtail electric bike will give you enough suspension for the surfaces that you’ll be riding on. In which case, a full suspension bike may be too excessive and you may deem there’s no point in paying the extra for it.  

You may find a hardtail bike suitable, if you’re riding in urban conditions and on light off-road. Even riding in urban conditions, there can be enough uneven/rough road surfaces, potholes, steep curbs etc. to warrant at least front suspension. You’ll be getting that nice absorption at the front of the bike for these occurrences. You can still ride in these conditions without any suspension though. However, the suspension will make the ride comfier. After all, cycling is supposed to be enjoyable.  

Hardtails allow you to avoid the extra weight, cost and maintenance of a full suspension bike. This is whilst still having some suspension. 

Can Improve Your Off-Road Cycling Skills (Compared to Full Suspension)

This particularly applies to mountain bikers. If you’re mountain biking, then you would expect to be riding with either a hardtail, or a full suspension bike. Rigid bikes, typically aren’t suitable here, especially in extreme off-road conditions. Full suspension bikes make off-road trails far more comfier than hardtails. However, many mountain bikers still prefer hardtails. This is due to the fact that they feel that hardtails improve their riding skills. 

The reason for this, is that hardtails allow you to pick your lines more, to avoid obstacles. They get you thinking in advance a lot more of the lines you pick, as you’re approaching obstacles. So the thinking here is that hardtails keep you on your toes more. For this reason, many mountain bikers, who are pro hardtail, feel that hardtails are best to start out on, if you’re new to mountain biking.

Full suspension bikes allow the tires to grip the surface you’re riding on better. This means you won’t get away with as much on a hardtail bike. So sometimes, when riding off-road on a hardtail, you’ll need better skills, to ride in the same places as a full suspension bike.   

You Can Feel More Connected to the Trail

Mountain bikers that prefer hardtails, don’t like that having full suspension, makes you feel like you’re floating over obstacles. This, in their opinion, takes all the essence out of mountain biking. They like that hardtails allow you to feel every rock and bump more, so you feel more connected to the trail. The same as for why some people prefer rigid bikes (but usually in less extreme conditions), as mentioned before. This, along with that hardtails, cause you to pick your lines more, make hardtails more fun for some people.

This is another example, of where hardtails can be a suitable compromise, between rigid and full suspension bikes. Here, a rigid bike can be too uncomfortable and a full suspension bike can be too comfortable for some. 

Speed Depending on Riding Conditions 

Generally speaking, hardtails are slower than rigid bikes, but faster than full suspension bikes. This is as long as you’re not riding on rough, off-road terrain. The reason for this, is that less energy from your pedal effort is lost to the suspension, compared to full suspension bikes. Nonetheless, some energy from your pedal effort is still lost through the front suspension on hardtails. This is why, generally speaking, rigid bikes are faster than hardtail bikes. I say, generally speaking, because other features can affect the speed a bike can do, like its weight and design. This is another example of why hardtails can be a good compromise. 

Hardtails are usually slower than full suspension bikes on rough, off-road terrain though. This is because full suspension bikes allow you to plough through obstacles. With hardtails, you’ll likely find you’re having to navigate your way (again pick a line) around obstacles. This will slow you down more. Also, full suspension bikes allow you to grip the surface you’re riding on better. This is another reason why hardtails are usually slower than full suspension bikes, on rough terrain. The better grip can give you the confidence to ride faster in extreme riding conditions. 

Again, you can make up for any shortcoming in speed with a hardtail electric bike, with the electric boost. After all, providing extra speed is one of the reasons why people have electric bikes. Particularly, in riding situations that compromise speed. 

Less Setup and Maintenance Compared to Full Suspension

Hardtails need less setup than full suspension bikes. This is due to that you only need to make sure that the front suspension fork is set up correctly. You haven’t got any rear suspension to make sure you have set up correctly, as well. 

Having only the front fork, instead of full suspension, means less maintenance. There’s less moving parts to go wrong and repair, or replace, if ever needed. 

All this makes hardtails simpler to deal with, compared to full suspension bikes. This is another reason why hardtails can be a suitable option, if you don’t need full suspension. 

Can Leave You Feeling Battered

Hardtails can cause you to have more aches and pains the day after riding, compared to a full suspension bike. This is likely to not be such an issue on unchallenging terrain, but more of an issue on rough terrain. As much as some mountain bikers like that hardtails make you feel every bump more, you may still be feeling them the next day in a different way. You can be left with more aches in your wrists, knees and ankles, for example. Some cyclists may not mind this though and see this as a sign of a good session. Again, it’s all down to personal preference.

Motor Consideration (With Regard to Hub Motor) 

Electric bikes will either have a hub motor, or a mid drive motor. Hub motors are situated on either the back, or the front wheel, of an electric bike. Mid drive motors are located in the center of the bike. My article, “Hub Motors Vs Mid Drive Motors” talks further about the differences between these 2 motor types. This, by the way, is to help you decide which of these 2 motor types, you’d prefer for your electric bike.

If you’re opting for a hardtail electric bike with a hub motor, then a rear hub motor is most ideal. This will give much better weight distribution on the bike, compared to a front hub motor. A front hub motor, combined with a suspension fork, will mean poor weight distribution. There will be far too much weight at the front of the bike, in relation to the rear. This will reduce the bike’s handling and control. 

Considerations for Full Suspension Electric Bikes

Increased Comfort 

Full suspension bikes isolate you from the bumps you ride over. This allows for a comfortable ride. This is important for many people, because as much as cycling can be for fitness and transportation, it should still be fun. Many people will vouch for the fact that riding a full suspension bike gives you a nice, smooth riding feel. You feel like you’re floating on a cloud, as the suspension absorbs every bump.

This increased comfort can turn out to be more important than you first realize, later on. If you find riding your electric bike uncomfortable, then this will reduce your enjoyment riding it. This can then lead to you riding it less and less, until you stop riding it altogether. Many people have ended up leaving their bikes gathering dust in their garage, for this reason. This, in turn, may mean that you’ll be exercising less.

A further consideration is that you may want an electric bike because it will help you to cycle more and further. In which case, comfort may be even more of a priority, if you’re making longer cycle journeys. Additionally, the faster you cycle, the more you feel the bumps you ride over. So considering that electric bikes help you to cycle faster, you may consider full suspension for an electric bike for this reason. 

As full suspension is isolating you from bumps, it’s kinder to your joints, like your knees and wrists. This will mean fewer aches and pains for you. 

Better for People with Injuries and Arthritis 

Full suspension bikes, lend themselves to being suitable for people with injuries, or arthritis. This is due to the isolation they give you from bumps. So this is an instance where comfort is especially important. If you have a back injury, or arthritis, then feeling big bumps can be particularly unpleasant. It may even be very painful for you. Even feeling lots of little bumps can mount up.

This isolation from bumps you get with full suspension, can also prevent arthritis and injuries from being aggravated. Having arthritis, or an injury, may be the reason why you buy an electric bike in the first place. Riding an electric bike can be a great way to keep you fit, if you have either of, or both of these conditions. Having these conditions may make cycling inaccessible for you with a regular bike.

Provides Better Traction

Full suspension improves your bike’s traction. By the way, this traction is your bike’s tires grip on the surface they’re riding on, if you’re not sure. The suspension, absorbing every bump, means that the bike is not bouncing around. So both wheels will stay better connected to everything they ride over, with full suspension. This, in turn, improves your safety whilst cycling. Plus, you may not find it comfy, if your bike is bouncing over bumps. 

This increased traction from full suspension, gives you better control and handling. This is especially at higher speeds. Bumps are far less likely to knock you off course from the line you’re riding in, with a full suspension bike. Again, this provides better safety. 

More Weight and Reduced Efficiency 

Having full suspension will make your electric bike heavier. This, combined with the fact that some of the energy generated from your pedal effort will be lost to the suspension, will reduce speed. Again, as mentioned before, though, having an electric bike allows your bike to go faster. The electric assisted boost can make up for any loss of speed, due to the extra weight and loss of pedal energy, caused by having full suspension.  

Reduces Fatigue

Having no suspension, means that your legs and arms are absorbing the bumps you’re riding over. This increases fatigue, which mounts up over time, making long cycles more difficult. Due to this, some cross-country racing cyclists prefer to use full suspension bikes. A hardtail, or rigid bike, may be faster due to less/no pedal energy being lost to suspension. However, a full suspension bike can be far less fatiguing to ride over a long distance. This can allow cross-country racing cyclists to be faster on the later stages of the race.

Full suspension bikes, reducing fatigue, means they can benefit you whilst riding long distances, even if the terrain is not very rough.  Remembering that even small bumps can mount up fatigue wise. 

One consideration, though, is that electric bikes reduce fatigue anyway. This is due to the extra assistance they provide. So if you’re riding a hardtail or rigid electric bike, the electric boost will be negating any extra fatigue. The more electric boost you use, the more you drain the battery and reduce range though. This is a particular consideration for longer rides. However, intending to use the electric boost to reduce fatigue, could prompt you to decide on a hardtail, or rigid bike, to save money. At the end of the day, it all comes down to how you weigh things up.   

More Setup and Maintenance

Having full suspension, means that you should ideally have it configured correctly. This is to get the best out of it. Both the rear and front suspension should operate in sync with each other.

Considerations with regard to your suspension setup, include rebound and the pressure and spring rate, in the front fork. Your ideal suspension settings will depend on your weight and the terrain you’re riding on. So your ideal suspension settings can change from ride to ride. This is particularly if you’re carrying cargo sometimes. There may only be a couple of different riding conditions that you ride in. In which case, there may only be a couple of different suspension setups that you’ll go between. So you may become familiar with these very quickly. If you’re always riding on the same terrain, you may rarely need to check your suspension setup.  

Maintaining your ideal suspension setup is not especially hard though. It’s just knowing what to do in the first place. For some cyclists, this can all be part of the fun of cycling. This video talks in depth about managing your suspension set up.

Again, as mentioned before, full suspension means more maintenance. This video gives you advice on how to maintain your bike’s suspension.

Be Careful of Cheap Full Suspension 

Not all suspension is the same standard. A cheap in price full suspension bike, will likely be cheap in quality as well. It can be tempting to buy a cheap full suspension bike, but usually it won’t be worth it. The suspension will generally not work that great and the parts are more likely to break. You can sometimes find a cheap full suspension electric bike, for the same price as a good hardtail electric bike. Here, you’d usually be better off buying the good hardtail electric bike instead. This is because you’d be buying a better quality bike overall. 

Generally speaking, you’re not likely to get a good quality full suspension electric bike for under $2000, or £2500. Around $3000, or £3500, is where you start to have really good quality suspension. I do say generally speaking though, as other features determine the price of an electric bike. These can include the power of the motor and battery capacity etc. 

Improves Confidence and Riding Skills

Again, full suspension bikes provide extra traction and comfort over bumps, obstacles and rough terrain. Because of this, it may give you the confidence to ride on lines over off-road terrain and other places that you normally wouldn’t ride on. You’re not going to be bouncing around, which helps you to keep your feet on the pedals. This, in turn, helps with confidence. 

This can be a counter-argument, against where some mountain bikers say that hardtails improve your riding skills. Many mountain bikers that are pro full suspension, argue that this extra confidence improves your riding skills. This is due to the fact that this extra confidence can allow you to take on tougher lines through terrain. Taking on tougher lines and more risks, can develop your riding skills this way.

Due to the above, mountain bikers that prefer full suspension, will argue that full suspension bikes just improve different skills to hardtails. Additionally, because of the extra traction that full suspension bikes provide, there is more margin for error. This can reduce setbacks, whilst riding on trails. More setbacks can reduce confidence, which, in turn, can hinder developing skills.

Having to pick your lines more on a hardtail, can have you all over the place a bit. So mountain bikers that are pro full suspension, will argue that you may not be riding on what they deem as the best lines on trails. Again, it’s all down to the individual as to which type of bike (suspension wise), best develops riding skills.     

You Can Lock Out the Suspension

Some bikes allow you to lock out the suspension, so it’s disabled from use. Depending on the individual bike, you may either be able to fully, or mostly lock the suspension. This is handy, if you’re riding on a smooth surface and you don’t want any of the energy from your pedaling, to be lost to the suspension. Again, though, this may not be such an issue for you if you have an electric bike. Remembering that the electric boost can make up for any shortcoming in speed, due to having full suspension. 

Improved Braking

Because full suspension bikes provide better traction, they lend themselves to better braking. This, in turn, improves safety. All the time the tires are staying planted to the surface better, the more effective the braking will be. This is more relevant for riding on uneven and rough surfaces. On smooth surfaces, the wheels should be well planted to the surface on any bike.  

Motor Choice Considerations 

As mentioned before, electric bikes will either have a hub motor or a mid drive motor. Remember that mid drive motors are located in the center of the bike. Hub motors are either on the front or back wheel. This means that mid drive motors allow for better weight distribution on electric bikes. So this compliments having full suspension. You’d have suspension at the front and back of the bike, with the mid drive motor in the middle. This will allow for a well-balanced bike. So generally speaking, mid drive motors are the more suitable motor type, for full suspension electric bikes.  

Having a hub motor can give you too much weight on one end of the bike. For example, if you have a hub motor on your rear wheel, then you’ll have the weight of your rear suspension and motor, at the back of your bike. You’ll have more weight pulling you back, which will mean more effort riding up hills. This is in terms of both pedaling and motor effort, which will use up more battery. As mentioned before, better weight distribution on the bike, allows for better handling and control. 

I do say that mid drive motors are more ideal for full suspension electric bikes, generally, though. This is because you may have your own personal reason why a hub motor may be better for you. Again, this article talks further about the differences between hub motors and mid drive motors. Mid drive motors are higher priced than hub motors though, so they’ll add more cost to your electric bike. They do provide you with more torque than hub motors though. 

Additionally, hub motors tend to make the wheel they’re situated on bounce around more. So if you do have a hub motor on a full suspension electric bike, then at least the suspension will mitigate this issue.

Electronic Suspension

There are electric bikes available that have electronic suspension. The idea here is to prevent you from having to manually set up your suspension. This takes out the guesswork and creates simplicity. Ultimately, this can mean less hassle for you. 

The electronic suspension works by having sensors that identify changes in the terrain that you’re riding on. It then adjusts the suspension settings accordingly, when needed. 

Some cyclists do prefer manually setting up their suspension though. This can be because the electronic suspension may not take certain considerations into account. For example, it doesn’t take into account your riding position, bike size, or whether there’s any extra weight, like cargo. You may be riding in a forward riding position, so your weight is at the front. Here, the electronic suspension may think the front fork is too soft. So electronic suspension can be not real world enough for some people. 

You may be perfectly happy enough with manually setting up your suspension anyway. So the extra cost that electronic suspension adds to your bike, may not be justified. Also, you may prefer the predictability of manual suspension setup. The suspension being set up to how you decide and not what an electronic system decides, may suit you better.

Ultimately, electronic suspension is something that is available, if you decide on it.

Suspension Alternatives

There are a couple of alternative options to suspension. These give some of the benefits of suspension, whilst avoiding the disadvantages of it, like extra cost and maintenance. These options could prompt you to buy a hardtail, instead of a full suspension bike. Similarly, they could prompt you to buy a rigid bike, instead of a hardtail. You can even use these options in conjunction with suspension. I discuss these options below.

Thick Tires 

Having thick tires on your electric bike can absorb the impact from the bumps you ride on. How well they do this, depends on the terrain you’re riding on and the thickness of the tires. Full suspension is still generally more effective at absorbing bumps though. So thick tires may only be so effective on extreme off-road conditions. However, on any terrain that is not too extreme, then thick tires can do a good enough job. Thick tires also improve traction as well. 

You can even get fat bikes. These bikes have especially thick tires. They are made with riding in more extreme conditions in mind. However, many cyclists enjoy riding these bikes in urban conditions. The good news is, you can get electric versions of these bikes. 

Suspension Seatposts 

You can always buy and then attach a suspension seatpost to your electric bike. These can do a very good job at isolating you from bumps, whilst cycling. These will not help improve your bike’s traction though, like what suspension does. However, they do improve your comfort whilst cycling. This video talks further about suspension seatposts.

Conclusion 

There’s not necessarily any right, or wrong answer as to whether you should have suspension. It’s all down to personal preference and what riding scenarios you wish to use your electric bike for. Good suspension allows for a comfortable cycle. This, in turn, helps with the enjoyment of cycling. However, buying a full suspension electric bike isn’t cheap. Opting for a hardtail and/or a suspension seatpost and thick tires, can often act as a suitable alternative. 

Remember, full suspension may not be necessary for your cycling needs anyway. This is great if you don’t have the budget for a full suspension electric bike. You may even be someone where budget is not an issue, but still has no need for full suspension. However, you may like the idea of having full suspension, in case you need it sometime in the future. 

Hopefully, I’ve given you enough information in this article, to help you decide which suspension option for your electric bike is best for you.

The post Do I Need Suspension on an Electric Bike? appeared first on Electric Bike Planet.

Chains have always been used on bikes, as part of their drivetrain, to propel them forward. The power generated from pedaling, is transferred to the rear wheel of the bike, by the chain. The rear wheel then drives the bike forward. Belt drives are an alternative to chains though, which you can find on some electric bikes. They are a newer technology than chains, which more and more manufacturers are utilizing. 

Belt drives on electric bikes are increasing in popularity. They consist of the belt itself, made from a polymer, reinforced with carbon fibers for strength. This belt is a direct replacement for the bike chain. It runs between a rear cog and a front cog, to transfer the pedal power to the rear wheel. A belt drive provides various advantages over chains. These include less maintenance, more longevity and quiet operation. 

Here, in this article, I will talk in depth about how belt drives and chain drives compare. This is to help you determine if you would prefer a belt drive to a chain drive, for your electric bike. Before continuing though, below is a table highlighting the main considerations with regard to having a belt drive on your electric bike.  

Longevity

Belt drives last a lot longer than chains. In fact, they can last up to 3 or 4 times longer. Cases can vary, but chains can need replacing after as little as 1000 miles, after often riding in less than ideal conditions. Less than ideal conditions, can include riding in the rain, or on muddy terrain. These conditions can speed up rusting and wear on chains. 

A belt drive can last over 10,000 miles. In some cases they have lasted as long as around 20,000 miles. This is even in less than ideal conditions. Belts are no way near as affected by unideal riding conditions as chains. This is due to that they don’t allow mud and dirt to stay attached to them as much. This helps prevent any premature wear.  

The carbon fibers that run throughout belts, makes them very tough and durable. They also have a nylon wear resistant fabric on the side that comes into contact with the cogs. These factors also help with the longevity of belts. The cogs that belts run between are made from a durable stainless steel, so they’re built to last. Additionally, belts do not stretch over time like chains do. Once a chain is stretched it can reduce the tension, which can lead to it slipping. So if a chain is too stretched, then it will need replacing. 

The extra longevity that a belt drive provides, can be especially appreciated if you have an electric bike. This is due to the fact that electric bikes allow many people to cycle farther and more often, compared to regular bikes. This is especially since many people are turning to electric bikes as car replacements.

Belts are Quiet Operation 

Belt drives operate very quietly. The belt itself doesn’t make any sound whilst it’s traveling, unlike chains, which make a mechanical sound. Also, with belt drives, there’s no derailleur shifting whilst you’re changing gear, to create any further sound. 

If you’re cycling in a noisy city center, or if the motor on your electric bike makes a sound, then this may not make too much difference for you though. However, many people do enjoy the quietness of belt drives. Chains can operate quietly after lubrication though. Yet belt drives are quiet all the time. 

Belts Don’t Rust

This ties in with longevity. Belts do not rust at all. Chains, though, are susceptible to rust, especially if they’re not well maintained. Belts are impervious to salt and water, which can cause rust on chains. This is handy, if you live in a part of the world where it rains often. Also, it means that you can use water to clean a belt, without any fear of causing rust. This, by the way, means you don’t have to buy special chemicals and sprays, to clean belts. 

Maintenance Considerations  

Belts require far less maintenance than chains. This ties in with the longevity and the fact that belts don’t rust, as already talked about above. As chains can be susceptible to rusting, you need to lubricate them every so often. Lubricating your chain will keep it in good condition in general and keep it working better. Belts, by the way, do not ever need lubricating at all. 

Belts also require far less cleaning than chains. Chains are far more susceptible to mud and debris getting caught in them. Again this can promote rusting and allow chains to lock up on you. So regular cleaning of your chain is especially needed, if you’re often riding in muddy off-road conditions. This will help prolong the chain’s life and help it to perform better. You can use special dedicated sprays to clean chains, like WD-40. 

Belts don’t allow anywhere near as much dirt, mud and debris to get attached to them. Gates, who are the leading manufacturer of belt drive systems, have a patented design which has dropouts throughout the belt. These dropouts displace dirt and debris as the belt travels. This helps prevent, or at least minimize, the buildup of dirt and debris on the belt. You can easily wash off any dirt and mud that remains on the belt with water and a brush if needed. Remember, as mentioned above, you don’t need any special chemicals or sprays here, due to that water will not rust belts. However, you should find you’ll rarely need to clean belts, if ever. Only really if you’ve been riding in very muddy conditions. 

Belt drives do not have a derailleur and a cassette, which geared chain drives have. The derailleur and cassette on chain drives can need tuning sometimes. This can be more often if the bike is being bashed around, due to rugged off-road use. Again, this is another reason why belt drives need less maintenance than chain drives. Belts are pretty much a one time setup and you’re good to go. This is very useful if you’re cycling often, say for commuting. 

Belts are Less Likely to Derail

Belts are far less likely to derail from the rest of the mechanism, than chains. The belts are toothed on the inner side. This toothed surface on the belt interlinks with teeth on the cogs, to stop the belt from slipping off. 

Additionally, gates belt drives have a center track, to further help prevent the belt from slipping from the cogs. This center track is a raised track that runs throughout the center of the diameter of the cog. There is also an indentation, running throughout the center of the inner side of the belt. This indentation in the belt aligns with this center track on the cogs. The belt is therefore nicely centered over the cogs, as well as being far less likely to derail. This center track design is currently patented by gates, so is currently exclusive to them. Also, gates use this center track design for many electric bikes.  

Bikes that have chains can have a chain guard to prevent the chain from slipping off on the outer side. This does not prevent chains from possibly slipping off the inner side though. Also, chains are greasy, so if you’re refitting the chain back to the bike, you will likely get a lot of grease on your hands.  

Belts are Cleaner

Belts are just so much cleaner than chains. The reason for this ties in with where I talked about belt drives needing less maintenance than chain drives. As belts don’t need lubricating, they are not oily and greasy as a result. As mentioned above, though, chains do need lubricating. So if you’re riding a bike with a chain, you can possibly get oil and grease on your pants. However, some bikes with a chain have a chain guard. This can help minimize the likelihood of you getting grease and oil on your pants. Also, as talked about above, you’ll likely get grease on your hands if you have to reconnect a derailed chain. Whereas, you can run your hand along a belt and it’ll be perfectly clean. 

Again, as talked about above with regard to maintenance, belts don’t allow mud and dirt to stay attached to them very much. Whereas chains can easily get mud and debris caught up in them. So having a belt can be more ideal if you ever wish to transport your bike in the boot of a vehicle. You can be less concerned about grease and dirt from your bike getting on the boot upholstery.    

Weight Considerations 

Belts are lighter than chains. This is not the full picture though. Depending on whether your bike is single speed, or has gears, determines whether a chain, or a belt drive, is lighter. By the way, if you’re not sure, a single speed bike is a bike with a single gear ratio. 

For belts to work properly, they always have to be aligned perfectly straight, between the front and rear cogs. This means that belt drives aren’t able to have the same regular gear systems that chain drives have, which includes a derailleur and a cassette. Instead, if you wish to have gears on a belt drive bike, you’ll need an internal geared hub. This is a unit that’s positioned at the center of the rear wheel and houses the gear system inside. These internal geared hubs, carry quite a bit of weight though. So if you have a belt drive and an internal geared hub, then it’s likely to be a heavier overall setup than a chain drive. 

Belt Drive with Internal Geared Hub

A belt drive will be lighter than a chain drive for a single speed bike though. Here, the belt drive will only consist of the belt and cogs. By the way, these front and rear cogs are often referred to as sprockets. You may like the idea of your bike being single speed, if you have an electric bike. Having gears may possibly be not as important for you, due to the extra boost you get with electric bikes. This can be especially if your cycling routes aren’t very hilly.  

If you have an electric bike, you may have 2 different schools of thought, with regard to the weight of your drivetrain. You may wish to save as much further weight as possible, due to the extra weight of electric bikes. Alternatively, you may not be too concerned about weight, if you already have the extra weight of the battery and motor anyway. After all, the electric boost can make up for any shortcoming in speed, due to weight.  

Motor Considerations

A disadvantage with having a belt drive on an electric bike, is that you can have a limitation on your choice of motor. Electric bike motors are either mid drive motors, or hub motors. Mid drive motors are positioned at the center of the bike, between the pedals. Hub motors are positioned at the center of either the front, or back wheel. 

If you have an electric bike with a belt drive and an internal geared hub (as talked about above), then you can’t have a rear hub motor. You will therefore need to either have a front hub motor, or a mid drive motor. This will be a disadvantage if a rear hub motor is your preferred motor choice. My article “Hub Motors Vs Mid Drive Motors” talks in depth about the differences between these 2 motor types. This can help you determine which type of motor you’d prefer for your electric bike. 

One consideration, though, is that mid drive motors are a higher cost than hub motors. So having both a mid drive motor and a belt drive on your electric bike, can stack up on the cost. Furthermore, having a chain does not restrict what motor type you have for your electric bike. So having a chain gives you the choice of any motor you like.    

Chain Drives are Lower Cost than Belt Drives 

Belt drives cost more than chain drives. So a belt drive will add more cost to an electric bike, compared to a chain drive. Belt drives are a newer technology than chains, which give a lot of advantages. So you’re getting what you pay for. If you’re also having an internal geared hub, then this will increase the cost even further. 

Internal geared hubs can significantly increase the cost of an electric bike, especially if they are high end. It’s considered that Rohloff makes the highest end internal geared motors. They can cost as much as around $2000 or £1400, for their top end models. This video talks further about internal geared hubs and how they compare to a regular gearing system. 

Belt drive systems can pay for themselves though. As mentioned before, belt drives can last up to 3 to 4 times longer than chain drives. So once you have a belt drive, you shouldn’t expect to need to replace it for a long time. You certainly should expect to replace it a lot later than a chain drive system. Therefore, over time, a belt drive can cost as much as a chain drive. Or at least not a lot more, in some cases. This is when taking into account replacements, as well as the upfront cost. Cost does also depend on the quality of the parts though, which can vary for both drive systems. 

Below, is a table showing the typical price expectations, for the parts for both belt and drive chains.  

You Need a Certain Type of Frame for Belts 

You need the frame designed a certain way to accommodate a belt drive. As a result, not all manufacturers currently have belt drives on their bikes. However, the amount of manufacturers adopting belts is increasing. 

Belts are one continuous piece, so they can’t come apart like chains can. So the frame needs to have a break in the rear triangle, to slip the belt through. Some bike frames may have what’s known as an upper chain stay, that allows for a belt. This is where there’s a horizontal part of the frame, which a belt drive can rest directly under. Chains can be fitted to any bike though. They can come apart to get them around the frame, to attach them to the bike. You can then reconnect the chain back together afterwards. 

Additionally, a frame needs to be stiffness test approved, to accommodate a belt. If a frame is not stiff enough, then a belt drive will not function properly. As mentioned before, belts need to be aligned perfectly straight between the front and rear cogs. Too much flex in the frame will disrupt this, causing the belt to move out of alignment too much. The stiffness/flexibility of the frame is not such an issue for chains though. This is because straight alignment is not so important with chains. 

Because a certain frame is required for belts, it’s not easy to swap a chain for a belt on an existing bike. So usually if you want a belt on your bike, it’s more ideal to buy a bike with the belt already attached. However, Riese and Muller do make a range of electric bikes with a chain drive, where a belt drive can be easily added later. Furthermore, another manufacturer called Veer does make belts that can be split (currently the only manufacturer that does this). This means you can fit these particular belts to any bike that has a stiff enough frame. So a Veer belt can be a good option, if you’re thinking of attaching a belt to an existing bike. 

Full Suspension Considerations

This follows on from above, with regard to that certain frames are required for belts. Most of the time, belts aren’t compatible with full suspension bikes. This is due to the fact that belts need to stay at the same tension. As the suspension travels, the chain stay length changes. This can cause the tension of the belt to fluctuate, which affects its performance. 

This can be another reason why it’s more ideal to buy an electric bike with the belt drive already, rather than add a belt to an existing electric bike. You may come by a newly built bike, that has both full suspension and a belt drive. Here, in theory, the belt drive should be designed to work well with the full suspension. Although you should still do your research, to make sure. Like check reviews and speak to retail assistants etc. 

Efficiency

Which is the most efficient option between a belt, or a chain drive, is a question that’s often asked. The answer, though, is that it depends. The factors that the efficiency of a belt or chain drive train depends on, are as below. By the way, when talking about efficiency here, I’m referring to the effectiveness of the pedaling effort. 

Stage in a drive train’s life –  Belts create more friction than chains, in the short term. This means that belts are less efficient than chains at the early part of both their lifespans. Belts are more efficient than chains, at the later part of both their lifespans though. This is due to the fact that chains wear sooner than belts. This wear enhances friction on chains, causing decreased efficiency over time. Also, as mentioned before, chains stretch over time, whereas belts don’t. A stretched chain reduces tension, which, in turn, also reduces efficiency.

Cycling conditions – Belts can be more efficient than chains in adverse riding conditions. This can be at any stage of both their lifespans. The reason for this, is due to that belts do not retain as much mud and debris as chains. Remembering belt’s ability to remove debris, as mentioned before. If a chain is too clogged up with mud and debris, then it will reduce efficiency. Therefore, it is key to clean chains, when needed, to maintain their efficiency. So a clean, well maintained chain will still be more efficient than a belt, in the short term.  

A consideration, though, is that you may deem pedaling efficiency less relevant with an electric bike. At least compared to a regular, non-electric bike. The electric boost can make up for any shortcoming with pedaling efficiency.

Belts Can Prematurely Wear Bearings

Belts can wear bearings quicker than chains, despite that belts are still far less maintenance overall. However, this is only really if the belt is at the maximum tension and if the frame isn’t stiff enough. So on a bike with a frame that’s the right stiffness for a belt, the tension should be OK to not speed up the wear of any bearings. Again, this backs up that usually it’s more ideal to buy a bike with a belt drive already. Rather than add a belt drive to an existing bike.  

Trickier to Get Parts and Repairs for Belt Drives

It is trickier to get parts for belt drives, compared to chains. This is due to the fact that belts are a newer and more of a specialty technology, compared to chains. Many bike shops will not have belt drive parts and many bike repair shops don’t repair belt drives. That said, though, belt drives are very tough and durable and built to last. So you’re far less likely to need repairs and replacements with a belt drive, compared to a chain drive. There’s also no parts that may need tuning, sometimes on a belt drive, like a derailleur and cassette. So as mentioned before, belts are less maintenance than chains anyway.

Having mentioned above that belt drive parts can be tricky to find in shops, you can still find them online though. Even then, chain parts are easier to find online, as more websites sell them. However, all the time you’re searching on Amazon, or eBay, you shouldn’t have a problem. You can even go to the gates website, who is the market leader when it comes to belt drives. 

Conclusion

Belts are a great option, if you want to get rid of the disadvantages you get from chains. This can include, if you want to remove, the possibility of getting chain grease on your pants. You may even appreciate the one time setup and go aspect of belt drives. For example, once you’ve bought a bike with a belt drive, you don’t ever need to lubricate it. 

On the other hand, you may not feel the benefits of a belt, justify the higher upfront cost compared to a chain. You may even find that a belt drive system doesn’t suit you. This may be because you wish to have gears and a rear hub motor on your electric bike, which you can’t do with a belt drive. You may even want full suspension, but you may not be able to find a suitable full suspension electric bike, with a belt drive. 

Ultimately, your choice between a belt or a chain drive, will be down to what you feel is best for you. Nevertheless, it’s good to know that the option of a belt drive for your electric bike is available.

The post Belt Drive Vs Chain for Electric Bikes appeared first on Electric Bike Planet.