"Best advice for new ebike riders" from us

keithj69

keithj69

Well-Known Member
Region
USA
City
Central Florida
I have only been riding an ebike for about 3 years now, and have kinda planned small group rides for the last 2. Here is my top advice that is a massive overview. Learn your battery. Do a battery range test. It does not need to be a one day adventure. Figure out how you ride and how far that battery will help you. Read it in voltage and not in percentage according to the bike.
Where this can payoff...
When riding to your end points before the turnaround. Ride conservatively. Milk that battery. Once you know your voltage cutoff, the ride back can be fun and fast (trail rules!)
Any other first time advice is welcome.
 
Yes. There is a guy in Denmark. His needs are for a practical commuter on the flats for all weather. In contrast, I have a friend who buys bikes by the data sheets. They are way too complex, heavy, and have a lot of expensive downtime with repairs. Now, he has pre-ordered one that requires Bluetooth at all times, has an automatic transmission built into the motor, and weighs a ton. What could go wrong? He might win the data sheet pissing contest but still have a junky bike. Oh, watch out for the word 'integrated' with bikes. What that means is that you are forced to buy from only one supplier for replacement parts. And may not even be allowed to work on it yourself.
 
Rome said:
I too have 3 years riding ebikes. I primarily use them to commute and light errands.
For battery management. I have a charger at my shop and charger at home. 15-20 miles 5 days a week. Simply saying I no need milk that battery. I ride mine on highest level in sport mode.
No range anxiety.
My advice is to treat your ebikes as an important tool, it's gotta be clean sharp ready to ride at any given moment.
Post ride inspection is a must for my ebikes.
I ride mostly on rough terrain away from speeding cars and busses. Clean bike is a happy bike gives me peace of mind.
Click to expand...
I do something similar, I keep a charger at desk and at home and completely got rid of range anxiety. At two years I have noticed my battery start to lose some range but don’t mind charging a little more often.
 
Go for modular/interoperable and opensource. That means that in five-years you can replace the battery with any same voltage battery. External batteries are best. In ten-years you can replace the motor with any universal mount motor. The display can also be swapped as things evolve. The same with gears. Don't get some wiz-bang wireless shifter that can only use a derailleur and cassette from one supplier. There is one bike that has wheels that only fit one suppliers tires. Don't do that!
 
Stefan Mikes said:
Ride your e-bike and do not think how to "improve", that is, spoil it.
Click to expand...
Improve your ebike. Manufacturers have to make compromises as their reason to exist is to make a profit. By contrast, you want the best riding experience. Find the compromises and undo them with better choices. The low hanging fruit will be saddle, seatpost, stem, handlebars, grips and pedals: The user interface that your body uses. Expect to change these things on any bicycle purchase and if you don't, congratulations... but don't expect personalized fitment with the best parts if you are buying a manufactured bike or ebike.

Secondarily, most manufactured bikes/ebikes have mediocre drivetrains. Chains, chainrings, cassette cluster, derailleur. Changing these parts can deliver a miraculous improvement but there is a knowledge level necessary to be able to make good choices when you graduate to this level.
 
m@Robertson said:
Improve your ebike. Manufacturers have to make compromises as their reason to exist is to make a profit. By contrast, you want the best riding experience. Find the compromises and undo them with better choices. The low hanging fruit will be saddle, seatpost, stem, handlebars, grips and pedals: The user interface that your body uses. Expect to change these things on any bicycle purchase and if you don't, congratulations... but don't expect personalized fitment with the best parts if you are buying a manufactured bike or ebike.

Secondarily, most manufactured bikes/ebikes have mediocre drivetrains. Chains, chainrings, cassette cluster, derailleur. Changing these parts can deliver a miraculous improvement but there is a knowledge level necessary to be able to make good choices when you graduate to this level.
Click to expand...
"Don't buy cheap".
 
6zfshdb said:
If you can arrange it, ride uphill on the way out and downhill on the way back. If you run out of battery or have a failure, the pedaling is easier getting home.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I live mostly uphill from anywhere I might want to go, and my prevailing winds follow the 50 mph highway w/o a shoulder out from my house, so I really need my battery to get home, not away from home.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
"Don't buy cheap".
Click to expand...
You won't have a choice. Even expensive bikes make compromises. The trick is recognizing the ones that matter. I have yet to see a factory-made set of wheels that I thought were worth a damn. And that goes all the way up to the DT Swiss factory-built wheels that Guerilla Gravity put on my Smash enduro (too much emphasis on light weight and not enough on durability. Replaced with a DT FR560 with more spokes and a stronger 350 Classic hub). On that same bike the seat was way too narrow for my sit bones. There's another $150 fixing that problem.

These compromises are why I build my own bikes. Take the list I gave earlier and add wheels. And brakes often as not. When I was buying factory bikes for awhile, I grew sick and tired of spending $3000+ for a bike (not ebike, just bike) that needed overhauls that took the final price thru the roof, and left me with a shelf full of barely used take-offs. The only benefit was I had a bike I could ride in the interim as I replaced everything piece by piece. My $3800 Surly I lucked out on as all of the parts I took off (basically, everything but the frame, including the front fork) I was able to sell to someone who wanted to do their own build.

Learn about what makes good components. Invest the time to build your own. If you lack the skills, take your time and learn them. It only seems overwhelming if you've never done it. Build one bike and the mystery goes away. You don't save any money but you end up with MUCH better parts that are top quality, and not someone else's idea of a bike you can be talked into buying.
 
Last edited:
I keep seeing 'You are ignoring content by this member'. What is up with that? Oh well. I will never know. Yes, by taking the reigns into your own hands you can get a better bike than anything factory. This modular, interoperable, opensource bike has an 10-52 twelve speed with a torque sensing 90Nm cargo motor. Batteries can be swapped for various sizes based on the ride that day. It has zero zip ties and no connectors. It lives in the Hollywood Hills and will kick the butt of any factory bike.
1696953343660.jpeg
 
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