nominal or peak output?

DragNLady

DragNLady

Member
Am doing a lot of research, trying to find the best bike for me. Am returning the first e-bike I bought, because I did not like it. One of the guys that I rode with today told me to check on the nominal or peak output on a bike. I did a search on this site for "nominal or peak output" and also googled it, but can't find any info. Can anyone explain this to me? Thank you so much, greatly appreciated.
 
Every e bike has a nominal input of 0w as when it is turned off or not in use due to the fact that the speed you are traveling overrides the amount of assist the controller is set to provide.

Peak output is based on the battery voltage times the Amps the controller is set to. As an example most of the manufactured eBikes of EU origin use a 36v battery. Their controllers are known to run at 15A on average which equals 540w peak.

The whole "250w" thing is a total crap shoot because just about any eBike will provide 250w of continuous power but the EU legislation this is based on is not at all clear about whether that is peak or what they refer to as nominal....
 
DragNLady said:
Am returning the first e-bike I bought, because I did not like it.
Click to expand...
  • What kind of riding you plan on doing?
  • age, weight, riding preference (sporty,relaxed?)
  • budget limit
  • What kind of range or speed are you looking....
  • is throttle important or you plan on pedaling all the time?
If you mention these, people can help you find the right bike.
 
DragNLady said:
Am doing a lot of research, trying to find the best bike for me. Am returning the first e-bike I bought, because I did not like it. One of the guys that I rode with today told me to check on the nominal or peak output on a bike. I did a search on this site for "nominal or peak output" and also googled it, but can't find any info. Can anyone explain this to me? Thank you so much, greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Nominal is like a standard 2x4 piece of lumber - nominally 2"x4". After finishing/sanding edges, can be 1.5"x3.5".

Manufacturers list nominal wattage - European Union limits motors to 250w nominal. US/Canada limit to 750w. However, peak wattage can be multiples higher. Luna Cycles tested a 250w Euro-spec Bosch motor and if I recall correctly, they tested 650-700w peak. A Bafang Ultra motor is nominally 750w, but gives ~1500w peak. Most all motors will generate significantly higher peak wattage than they are nominally rated.
 
Ravi Kempaiah said:
  • What kind of riding you plan on doing?
  • age, weight, riding preference (sporty,relaxed?)
  • budget limit
  • What kind of range or speed are you looking....
  • is throttle important or you plan on pedaling all the time?
If you mention these, people can help you find the right bike.
Click to expand...

Ravi, thank you! I plan on riding about 100 miles per week in winter, 25 in summer. Mostly flat riding with light trails. Light gravel. I am fit, 5'4" - 128lbs, and can ride a regular bike 30 miles, no problem. Don't need high speed. (Can only insure a bike in B.C. that goes max 20mph.) I have spent MANY hours researching, and this is what I have come up with so far. I think I want: a cruiser or commuter bike, Throttle, Step-thru. Torq sensor, 48 volt, 14amp, hydraulic brakes. Don't understand whether I need a mid-drive or geared hub motor. Budget? Hmmm.... about $3,000. CDN ( $2,200. US) I live in B.C., but will be going to Arizona in 2 weeks for the winter, so can purchase one there.
 
At that weight and speed, anything over 250 W should do what you want. I have 1000 W geared hub, it accelerates much too fast for me in PAS. Draws 450 w up 15% hills slowly, but 250 w up 15% at 11 mph (PAS1). I weight 155 lb and carry 50 lb of supplies in a 40 lb basket.
Mid drives are pretty reliable but chew up chains especially if not shifted down on hills. I've maintained chains in factories but none of the chain tools I've bought work on this 6-8 speed chain, (narrow) so I'm very negative on chain maintenance. Hub drives ride a little rougher, that's not bothering me any and I have no suspension. Rear hub drives are more difficult to change the tire, you have to un-secure the cable from the frame and tie-wrap it back, so carry cutters and wraps. Use thick tires like I do, don't have flats. Or pay $$ extra for the schalbes which have the extra rubber inside instead of outside.
Top speed matters, you should be able to get away with no suspension under 15 mph, 20 is slightly uncomfortable with no suspension and I would never ride 25 in US or canada without a suspension. Suspension costs, so look at that in your selections.
who is going to do the maintenance matters. In Toronto or Phoenix you should be able to find a shop with a decent service dept. Here in Louisville the only shop has a bad reputation for service already three months after it opened.
 
Thank you Indianajo! The reason I did not like my bike, a DJ City Bike, is because it accelerated too fast in level one, and it kept kicking in and out. If I was riding with others that did not have an e-bike, I could only pedal one rotation, then the bike would shoot forward, then I stop pedaling, let the others catch up, peddle one more rotation, stop pedaling, let the others catch up and so on. I was not getting any exercise at all. It went too fast in level one. When I used the throttle, the motor would go for about 4 seconds, then stop for 4 seconds, then go for 4 seconds, etc. My friends bike is constant when he puts his throttle on.
 
DragNLady said:
Ravi, thank you! I plan on riding about 100 miles per week in winter, 25 in summer. Mostly flat riding with light trails. Light gravel. I am fit, 5'4" - 128lbs, and can ride a regular bike 30 miles, no problem. Don't need high speed. (Can only insure a bike in B.C. that goes max 20mph.) I have spent MANY hours researching, and this is what I have come up with so far. I think I want: a cruiser or commuter bike, Throttle, Step-thru. Torq sensor, 48 volt, 14amp, hydraulic brakes. Don't understand whether I need a mid-drive or geared hub motor. Budget? Hmmm.... about $3,000. CDN ( $2,200. US) I live in B.C., but will be going to Arizona in 2 weeks for the winter, so can purchase one there.
Click to expand...

Based on what you described:

This will be an excellent option for you: https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/fathom-eplus-3-power
Yamaha drives are very reliable and Giant has very wide dealer network. You gotta try this. (small or medium frame).
A fit person such as yourself who can pedal 30 miles on a regular bike simply don't need the throttle.
This Giant bike will be SO MUCH better than the DJ bike. You will spend more, but your enjoyment will be exponentially better.
 
Thank you Ravi, I will go and check it out. The reason I want a throttle, is because I do go up a few big hills in B.C. Sometimes I need to stop half way up because the person in front of me has to stop, or we have to stop at a stop sign, etc. Then it is impossible to get my heavy bike going again on a hill, if I can't use the throttle to give it a jump start. (That bike is $3600. CDN, more than my budget.)
 
DragNLady said:
Thank you Ravi, I will go and check it out. The reason I want a throttle, is because I do go up a few big hills in B.C. Sometimes I need to stop half way up because the person in front of me has to stop, or we have to stop at a stop sign, etc. Then it is VERY difficult to get my heavy bike going again if I can't use the throtlle to give it a jump start.
Click to expand...

You just need to gear it down properly. It will handle slow uphill starts nonchalantly.
I suggest you test ride some Giant models for at least 15 mins. Don't come to any conclusion until you try few bikes for at least 30 mins each. You will learn so much more about E-bikes than just reading online.
 
That is another thing, where can I read about how to gear down properly??? I will do as you say, try a bunch of bikes out before I decide what to buy.
 
Get a bike with a Bafang Ultra. Shifting is optional on all but the steepest hills. And you don't need a suspension with good fat tires even at 30 mph.
 
I use the throttle to slow down the acceleration from 0 to something comfortable, or to ride slowly (3-6 mph) on narrow berms with a deep crack running along the main pavement. I don't turn my PAS on until I want to go 11 mph steadily on smooth pavement. the throttle on my $315 ebikeling geared hub will run very slowly smoothly, no cogging. I can go 1 mph under throttle in my unpaved unmowed driveway with 4" deep car tire ruts.
 
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