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What to look for when buying an electric bike (ebike)

  • For all you thinking about buying an electric bicycle. They are getting very popular lately. Affordability is still an issue, you are going to pay about $1500- $2000 for a decent one.

     

    I have two different Electric bicycles. Both are from Prodego Tech (Company down in Ft Lauderdale, they assemble the bikes right here in Florida). They are the kinds that goes when you twist the throttle rather than the ones that assist as you pedal.

     

    Here is what experience has taught me.

     

    Don't buy an ebike where the battery is installed over the rear tire. You want this thing to behave like a bike, and if you put a heavy battery over the rear tire you are messing up the center of gravity of the bike. The Ride feels aweful. If you are stopped and lean your bike to the side a little it can be an effort to keep your balance. The other thing that sucks about having the battery over the rear tire is the bumps. When you have a heavy back each little bump you hit will send your rear tire up in to the air. If you are riding on dirt road (And I don't mean rocky roads) it really can start to make the back shake more than what a regular bike would shake. And in time the latch you attach the battery on to will break or loosen from all the shocks. Remember this particular bike does not have rear shocks.

    Get a thumb throttle. I'm not into wrist throttles. I was able to switch out the throttle on my first bike with a thumb throttle. The wrist throttle tends to make my wrist hurt especially if you are riding on dirt or grass when you constantly have to hold a tight grip to keep the throttle in position.

     

    Get a bike where the battery is installed on the frame. This is the 2nd bike I got and it feels so much like riding a regular bike. The battery doesn't perform as well, but the motor has 2 gears which is a totally new experience compared to motors without gears. Bike picks up faster and feels a lot more natural.

    And never ever just buy a regular bike and an aftermarket motor kit. The regular bike you buy is designed to be powered by pedaling. Installing an electric or gas engine is a fun project, but one that would constantly have you doing repairs on. Had a cruiser, installed a 4 stroke gas engine, was the most fun thing to ride till it got stolen. 

    Don't buy a bike for looks. Made that mistake on the first one, had a nice profile, but damn you are sitting on the bike bent way down to hold the handle bars. There are bikes designed for comfort then there are bikes designed for looks or performance. I recommend getting something where you don't have to lean so forward to grab the handle bars.

     

    That's my two cents. Electric bikes are fun if they are built right. And the worse mistake you can make when choosing one is to get one where the battery sits over the rear tire.

     

    What to look for when buying an electric bike (ebike)