How to Choose the Best Electric Bike for Commuting

Electric bikes have completely transformed the way people move around. For commuters who wish to save their car expenses, these are just the perfect option. If you are interested in finding the best electric bike for commuting, you are going to find this article quite useful.

The electric bikes have a battery powered motor and are designed to look quite like a bike. The motor doesn’t replace the pedalling, but it adds power each time the pedal is turned. With every pedal stroke, there is more speed and power than on any normal bike.

Using an Electric Bike For Commuting:

These bikes are perfect for commuting, as they increase the speed, without additional effort. It means that if it is a short urban commute, you can have your work clothes on as you ride, without having to worry about being sweaty.

These bikes are also perfect for commuting in the hills. There is an electric assist motor which works well to push the pedals or to pedal on low gear. Thus, it is easy to work on the steep hills. This is quite an advantage for the commuters who are looking forward to try electric bikes, which have the same kind of design as the traditional bikes.  Users do not have to re-learn riding, when they are using a e-bike. Since, majority of the parts are same, you do not have to learn anything new about maintaining an ebike.

Commuter E-Bike:

Along with the standard consideration, which are involved in selecting a commuter bike, you need to select a bike after having a thorough understanding of the differences between the electric assist features and the batteries which are available.

  •         Location of the Motor – This is one of the main differences. There are many e-bikes which have the electric assist mechanism right in front of the chainring. This gives a natural boost. There are other e-bikes which have the motor on hub or right in front of the rear or front wheel, which gives power to the spinning of the wheel.
  •         Wattage – The electric bikes usually operate in a power range between 200 watts to 1000 watts. Bikes which are available with 200-400 watt motors usually offer a lot of power. In case you need to take your bike to the steep hills, you need a more powerful motor.
  •         Battery Life and Its Charging – Commuters are quite satisfied using the modern electric bikes, because the battery life is never a problem. If you consider even the lowest capacity battery, it usually lasts 20 miles per charge. If there are high capacity batteries, it can offer 60 miles per charge.

When you are considering the batteries of bikes, you need to consider the time it takes to charge fully. If the battery is less expensive, it charges at a slower rate. It can take around 8 hours to charge. If you use high end batteries, they can easily charge in just a couple of hours.

You also need to check the lifespan of the battery. Most bikes which are available in Europe and US are lithium-ion batteries. These usually last 500-1000 charges. Most of the e-bikes which are sold in Asia are available with acid lead battery and they usually last between 200-400 charges.

You need to keep in mind that most of the electric bikes offer pedal assistance at multiple levels. These can be adjusted as per requirement as one rides uphill or through a headwind. It saves in conserving battery as well. In case you commute a lot in the hilly terrains, some extra gears might help you with plenty of options.