Choosing an electric bike can be difficult if you don’t know what to look for when buying one. Electric bikes have continued to grow in popularity over the last few years. More and more people who consider themselves cycling fanatics are beginning to appreciate the different riding experiences an eBike delivers. There are electric bikes in a range of different budgets and for those with different preferences. Checkout Magicycle.

When shopping for one, there are a lot of things that you need to consider. That’s why having a buyer’s guide that you can follow is key. Having a buyer’s guide that you can follow will give you the confidence you need to ensure you can make sense of the technical options. While a lot of e bikes available share similarities, there are still some important things you need to keep in mind when choosing if you wish to buy an e-Bike such as a 750w fat tire ebike.

1. Your Riding Style

One of the most important things you need to consider when buying an e-bike is your riding style. Not everyone is going to be riding a bike for the same reason. Because of this, you’re preferences and riding style are likely to be very different. Are you planning on getting an e-bike for transportation to and from work? Are you looking for one that’s for fun? Are you looking to get an e-bike to ride up and down mountains? These things will dictate the type of bike you should be looking to get. Also, what you should be prioritizing when shopping for one. You’ll find there are a lot of options available that may not suit your needs depending on what you are looking for. You’ll find folding e-bikes, e-road bikes, and more.

 2. What Size Battery?

Another major consideration is the size of the battery included in the bike. You’ll find that the size of your battery will be a very important factor in your buying decision because it can dictate whether or not the bike is suitable for your use case. Typically, the size will be measured in Watt-hours (Wh) or amp-hours (Ah). A lot of brands will advertise the battery by displaying these metrics along with their estimation of the range. However, you cannot necessarily take it at face value because there are plenty of conditions that could impact the accuracy including road conditions, weight, and more.

One of the most standard sizes for e-bike batteries is 400 to 500 Wh. While you can find some bikes in the marketplace that have tiny batteries as small as 180 Wh, the majority of them are going to be in that range. You will also find some with huge batteries up to 1000 Wh. To fully comprehend the kind of mileage you can expect to get from your bike battery, you can take the total wattage and divide it by 15 or 20. This will give you a good idea of how many miles you would get on full assist mode.

3. Mid-Drive vs Hub Drive

eBikes that use a hub drive have a motor that will be positioned right in the center of a wheel. This can either be on the very bake of the bike or the front of the bike. This will mean that the power assist gets delivered right to the shell which can keep it from affecting anything else including the pedals or wheels. An e-bike that has a wheel with a hub drive attached will be connected to the battery. This means that you’ll need to continually disconnect everything for safety if you need to fix something wrong with the bike.

When you get an e-bike with a crank or a mid-drive, the unit will sit directly between the pedals which allows for more even pedal distribution. From there, the motor will deliver the requisite power to both the gears and the chain. This makes the bike operate much more efficiently when you are on steeper hills. Using this type of motor will allow you to utilize standard-sized wheels with less hassle overall.

Any hub drive motor is likely going to be better for those looking for road bikes. Also, they happen to deliver a more affordable solution. The crank drive units are typically more expensive and they are found on premium bikes because of it. You’ll generally find them on eMTBs and higher-end bikes.

4. Assistance Levels

When you are buying an e-bike, you can figure out the type of assistance you want. You’ll find the bikes with the most levels will deliver the most help to your pedaling. A lot of the bikes out there will offer anywhere from 3 to 8 levels of assistance. This can help you if you want to rely more on the motor of the bike for pedaling. They can typically add anywhere from 40 to 300% to your power.

Modes:

• Eco
• Tour
• Sport
• Turbo

You’ll typically find anywhere from 5 or more assistance levels on the premium bikes. These bikes will usually be better for those who are heavier. Also, those that want bikes with more durability and heavier frames. While it will depend on the model of bike you are using, assistance levels can be accessed from a basic switch on the bike. This switch is usually positioned on the handlebars or accessible via a digital screen.

5. Rotation Sensor Versus Torque Sensor

The sensor that your bike has is another major thing that is going to impact its performance. The sensor is likely to impact the price of the bike as its one of the more expensive components. You’ll find that premium bikes will use much more expensive torque sensors. The cadence sensor on your bike will act very much like a switch. Whenever you start to manually pedal, your chosen assistance level will activate and the battery will kick in to try to help.

When an e-bike has a torque sensor, the motor will be compensating for various factors including the speed and pressure that you are pedaling at. If you are pedaling with greater force, the level of power assistance provided will be increased. This makes these sensors much smarter, more practical, and more useful.

6. Insurance

Another thing that you have to factor into your decision would be whether or not you are going to buy insurance. Getting insurance is recommended for anything that is of high value. This is especially true if you are going to be riding it. Insurance will give you plenty of protection between getting it damaged and from theft.

At PedalCover, we offer the kind of insurance you need to give you peace of mind. Our insurance will cover your bikes whether you’re on the road riding or if you are taking your bike on a trip to another country. We have unique and comprehensive e-bike insurance in a very affordable policy.