Buying Your First eBike? 6 Things To Consider
Cyclists all over the country have joined the electric cycling hobby. This includes commuters on fold-up electric bikes, off-road leisure cyclists on electric mountain bikes, and gig economy workers using electric road bikes.
If you’re interested in joining the community of cyclists who have made the switch from acoustic to electric bike, the team of eBike specialists at Electric Bike World are on hand to help.
6 Things To Consider When Buying An Electric Bike
Want to join the eBike hobby? Here’s a quick list of 6 things to consider when purchasing your first electric bike.
Range When searching for an eBike, it’s important to consider what you’re going to use the bike for. For example, if you would like to commute to work via eBike, you need to make sure that the bike has a long enough range to be able to comfortably complete the commute to and from your place of work.
Charging Speed When comparing bikes, it can be very helpful to look at the average charge time of the bicycle. At first, if you charge your bicycle overnight it may not seem much of an issue; however you’ll be thankful you choose a bike with a faster charging speed if you are in a situation where you find yourself out on your bike for longer than planned and need to top up the battery.
Safety With any method of transportation, safety is a priority. Firstly you need to make sure that you only purchase an electric bike from a reputable business that has a lot of experience in the eBike industry. Additionally, you also need to make sure that the bike you purchase meets the appropriate legal standards. For example, in the United Kingdom, the regulations regarding eBikes are different in Northern Ireland to Great Britain. In Northern Ireland a moped licence, registration, and proof of insurance is required in order to ride an electric bike. Also eBikes are not permitted to ride on off-road bike routes in Northern Ireland which share the routes with pedal bikes (also known as push-bikes
Comfort There’s no point purchasing an eBike that’s uncomfortable, if you don’t enjoy riding it; you’re not likely to ride it for very long. However, it’s not as simple as choosing ‘a comfortable bicycle’. Everyone has a different body shape and as such different people will find different shapes comfortable. For example, if you’re shorter than average or a woman of petite build, you might be better suited to a step through bicycle which has a shorter top tube and reduced stem length. Whilst these are often marketed as “ladies bicycles”, they are not exclusive for women; across The Channel in Europe, as many men ride step through bikes as women.
Portability Another key factor you must consider when purchasing an electric bike is portability. This factors in weight, shape, and size, as all these areas will affect how easily you can carry the bike from one place to another. The portability of the bicycle will be very important for storage, transportation on trains or busses, and when taking the bicycle for repair.
Power/Speed Finally, when purchasing your eBike, you need to make sure that it is powerful enough to facilitate your needs, but if you want to ride your eBike on roads and cycle paths, you need to make sure that it is not overpowered to the point it no longer complies with road-legal regulations and restrictions. At the maximum, a road-legal eBike bike cannot provide pedal assistance above 25km/h (15.5 mph) and the power of the bicycle cannot exceed 250 watts. If the bicycle is non-compliant the bicycle needs to be registered as a motor vehicle, needs to be insured, taxed, and you’ll need a licence and motorcycle helmet.
Want To Learn More About eBikes? Visit Our Blog
If you would like to learn more information about the electric biking hobby, please visit our blog; it’s filled with lots of information about the hobby and advice about purchasing eBikes. For example, you could read a list of pros and cons of eBikes Vs eScooters, or you could read information about eBikes and the law.
eBikes For Men & Women From Electric Bike World,
Electric Bike World is one of the oldest established solely eBike shops in the UK. By choosing to purchase your electric cycling products from us, you can enjoy peace of mind in the knowledge that you will receive both high quality service and products. Remember, our electric bikes will outperform all other road legal electric bikes in terms of speed, power, range, ease of use, backup and warranty.
If you would like to visit our store in person, and view the range for yourself; our Hampshire electric bike shop is located at 54 Bedford place, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 2DT.
Any Questions? Get In Touch With Our Team
If you have any questions and you would like to speak to our team of electric bike specialists, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and give us a call; a member of staff will be happy to assist you with your enquiry.
So if you have any questions, please call 02380 236 540; our lines are open 9.00 – 5.00 Monday to Saturday.