10 Things We Wish We'd Known About E-Bikes

What do you think are the most important things to know about e-bikes?

My top tip: Don't get too obsessed with the stats, if you're just a common commuter.
Just as an example, you'll constantly hear about how Bosch makes the best motors. And they are indeed good. But do you really need THE BEST to bike a few kilometers every day? Do you really need a Rolls-Royce Phantom when a Chevrolet Spark can do perfectly fine for the job you have for it?

Why would you buy a bike and then unplug your heart from it. computer dorks and electric engineers think they're smart and their not. The heart and power meters, and all of those gadgets are good engineering. they help you connect more with your heart and body. it's very dumb to think that more power = smarter or better engineering. I hate it. the art of engineering is in the harmony with human form. It's like computer music vs acoustic. you're unplugging your fingers when you use a computer. why don't they have computer dancing? If I told you that stephen hawkings was going to do a dance for you, you would laugh, but if i told you that he was going to make music you wouldn't. It's the same thing with the stephen hawkings bicycle. it's unplugged from your heart and brain.

Which is a little better, this or the Rundeer Attack10?

If you're in a place that has laws that allow it, always opt for a thumb throttle. They're better for pretty much everything.

"pedalec" based laws that consider pedal controlled throttle "pedal assist", and don't allow hand-controlled throttles are misguided, and based on feelings of people who don't know how things work.

The reality is that thumb throttles are better for all levels of assistance.

Most ebikes I see rolling around have it cranked to the maximum, and they're just idly turning the pedals while the bike does all the work. The fact that their feet are moving doesn't really change anything, vs just holding down the throttle.

With lower assistance levels, it's more important.
Imagine someone wants to ride their ebike with little to no assistance, but wants to make the hills easier. On a pedalec, they'll have to change the settings to "eco" which may still assist more than they actually need on flat ground, or turn it off completely, and then when they want lots of help from the electric on the hills, they'll have to turn it up to maximum.
With a thumb throttle, you can just not press the throttle, and then press it on the hills. No extra boost when you don't need/want it, and no need to mess around switching settings when you want to briefly go from no assist, to max, and back in a short time.

Just pedal when you're on the flats, and then press the throttle when you hit a hill.
Also, while higher end ebikes are torque controlled and feel similar to normal bikes, cheaper ones just use cadence sensors, which give you a lot less control over your speed. They're essentially on or off, which makes it much harder if you're trying to follow someone else who's going very close to your speed.
I think this leads to a lot of e-bikers passing people when they're really not going fast enough to justify it. It's super annoying when I have an ebiker passing me (on my roadbike) on a hill, and taking 30 seconds to get past, and blocking me in, so I can't safely pass slower cyclists ahead. It's actually difficult on that style of bike to slow down slightly. If you stop pedaling, it'll cut off the motor completely. if you keep pedaling, it'll keep trying to accelerate (regardless of how lightly you pedal), so a lot of people just pass instead of matching the speed of traffic.

I've actually been on a full day trip on my thumb-throttled e-bike with some non-ebiker friends, where I used up a couple of Ah during my ride to meet them (riding across town to catch a ferry), then throughout most of the day, I normally ride a little faster than they would, so I dragged the regen braking occasionally and didn't use any assist, and had charged it back up to 100% by the end of the day, for an easy trip across town when we came home after the day of riding.

Thumb throttles aren't the lazier option, they're the versatile one.

Fake-pedaling your bike doesn't make it any more of a real bicycle.

Instead of waterproof jacket shoe etc we can get bicycle umbrella :)

i do hate the ebikes a bit, because they propel unfit and careless people to high speed and into the last corners of nature... but i do see the benefit and finally i got one of them emtb things for myself recently 🤪 its crazy how you can go up mountains, 1000m elevation easy peasy, holy moly.

tahnk you

Nice tour of Bath and a good bit of info on e-bikes. 👍

Great idea, and living in central London I may have even bought one. However, if you think I am going to have one even if it was free anywhere near my home, given that there is even the remotest chance that it is going to spontaneously go up in unquenchable flames then you are out of your mind. Where am I supposed to keep it at night, in the middle of the nearest field? However, apparently, this is not a rare event but is seems to be happening quite often. IMO all EVs should be immediately banned until this problem is 100% solved, indeed simply can't happen under any circumstances.

I'm in my 40's and my 'normal' bikes have been sitting for almost a decade. I bought a cheap E-bike and I am hooked.
I ride for at-least an hour almost every day now.. An hour riding with assists is still healthier than not riding at all..
I'm losing weight, building my core, and I'm climbing mountains and seeing sights that I never would have dreamed of..

+ I'm also a courier and have even parked my car for a good portion of the day to take the smaller/closer orders by bike.
I'm even looking into bike trailers so I can haul more.. your next Instacart might just be delivered on an E-bike considering they think $4 is sufficient for someone to destroy their car with nowadays..

That moment when I realized that Bosch even paid for the sticker on the chainstay. That is enough to know about e-bikes, these days. ^^

"The thief thinks, 'Should I take this bike? Maybe not, might not be worth it.' But, surprise! They take everything. Even when stealing a bike, they often mess up the bike. Oh, you're so innocent." 😄

We need throttle wot ifiot wsnts to peedle u mightaswell get normal bike

Well in England the motor may only work when pedeling but in the USA they can also come with a throttle and I bet you your control box already has the connectors for it build in. You have what we call a type 2 or 20mph pedal assist only. Gazelle is my dream bike and my old 3 speed one was my favorite pre ebike . I got it in 1963 when I was 12 years old. Many bikes later i ride my ebike.Thank you for the video !👌😎👍

This e-bike is a good buy I have had mine for 3 years now and it is a fast and quick great handling a pleasure to ride

Si eats humble e-bike pie 😂

What is the model of the Cannondale bike you're using?

The motor will just last 😅 ok then, love ebikes have two emtb's so I have a spare when the motor goes at about 5000 miles on average, customer sevice on the big brands is good but when your out of warranty they are not cheap to fix or as some are pretty much sealed units bin and replace

What about the different motors ie the small rear wheel motors on say Ribble bikes comparing these would have been more informative also ride quality on different bike types including suspension forks v carbon, steel, aluminium. I live in Bath so interesting to see you cycling round Bath.

22M views!?! Wow. Guess that’s a way to the nice mid Bosch Cannondale, etc. Very interesting. Thanks, and hoppy trails.

Is a Bosch ad

1st the f cken weight, wow the weight.

Great video with good info well delivered ! Moladh na nóg ……

Yeah too right. We all need to realise that even e bikes need to be fed where does that energy come from? Where. Do your research TV Brainwashed people. And I'm not even an oil protester. Silly people. Ha ha.

What make and model helmet is in the video please?

Buying a 2000$ ebike for "workout"? No thank you.

BATH,I live there!!

That's pretty scummy of these companies requiring you to use your phone as the main screen for the bike so cheap they can't even put a freaking $50 LCD panel on that's effing ridiculous

I wish you wouldn't do stories about e-bikes. They're not bicycles, they're not human powered. A bicycle with a motor is called a moped. GCN giving them airtime makes you less relevant, dilutes your brand. Please stop wasting resources on covering motor vehicles. Stick to the actual bicycles.

E bikes are great for my ego; any cyclist flying past me simply MUST be on one…

chEatBikes

I get way WAY more exercise (in terms of calories burned) on my EMTB than I would on a regular MTB, simply because they're just far more fun. Yeah I might do half the effort per mile (I stay in eco) but I do 3 or 4 times the miles. It's all down to the individual, but my friends have similar experiences. Every cynic I've met who's come out on an ebike trek with me has changed their mind. They're incredible machines.

“More and more people are buying e bikes, all the time”. Are you sure?

Just bought a used Gitane e-bike yesterday and took my first ride this morning. Yes it is fun but takes some getting used to because of no toe clips and upright handlebars. The boost is fun and evens out my cadence. Did not have even one GERD atttack (gastro esophageal reflux disorder), which I have had for years. I am 73.

Why can't the battery charge as you peddle it's 2023 that should be a option

There are actually some e-bikes that you do not have to pedal and have a throttle. I stopped watching it because you didn't even address this point.

Never order a bike online. Buy local.

I wish I had known that the derailleurs, chains, and cassettes that were designed for humans, not powerful motors are completely inadequate for the job.
Internal gearing and belt drives are the future.
That and fat tires are shitting and just a marketing tool.

Oh wow, I just came across this video on outdoor cycling and I'm already impressed! The content is so informative and engaging. As an ebike user, I am always on the lookout for new and innovative products, and that's why I am thrilled to have stumbled upon the new crowdfunding project by freebeat called the freebeat Morph 2-in-1 e-Bike. This e-bike seems to have some outstanding features, such as the ability to be charged in indoor mode. That's revolutionary! I can't wait to learn more about its 750W motor, top speed of 20mph, and the Smart Saddle Detection+ feature for achieving fitness goals effortlessly. Kudos to freebeat for pushing the boundaries of cycling!

I find e-bikes are faster and easier on hills or into a headwind but harder and slower on level ground. However, they make long distance commuting over a hilly route much more pleasant and less off putting. I commute 65 miles a day over a pretty hilly route using both hybrid bicycles and e-bikes. The e-bike knocks about an hour off the daily commute! The time is gained on the hills.

Ebikes are a fucking menace
Just an electric scooter

What is the model of the cannondale bike he is riding, does anybody know?

A hi viz jacket and lights would be an improvement any less of a liability....😢

You've really got to learn how to indicate! - Just feebly pointing a finger out like this, is basically invisible on the roads.

When the battery and the motor run out how much does it cost to replace them?

we wanna use throttle wot idiot wants to peddle the point of ebike is having not to peddle