How to choose the best eBike for you may feel more difficult than it seems when you first start to explore. Don’t let that deter you! E-Biking is one of the most fun and liberating experiences that basically anyone can do and it’ll make you feel like a kid again! It’s worth the time and effort.
Table of Contents
Hub motors vs Mid motors
a Hub motor eBike
A hub motor is a motor that resides inside of a enlarged hub, typically a closed design that is neatly packed into the rear or front wheel.
Advantages with a hub motor is instant throttle response and it is independent of your bikes’ rear cassette / shifter. If your chain breaks or cassette freezes your bike is unaffected for throttle performance.
You can have a geared hub motor where there is an 8-speed or similar gear system inside or just a Direct drive motor which has no gears. The direct drive is typically more instant throttle response and can incorporate some regenerative braking to help recoop some of your battery on your ride.
a Mid motor eBike
A mid motor resides on your bottom bracket. This is the portion of your bike where the cranks/pedals and chainring/front sprocket attach to located at the bottom of your seat tube.
The mid motor will use your existing drive train to propel it. So you’ll need to pay attn to and continue to maintain your mechanical system. Typically you will detach the front derailleur and just have the 7-12 speed on the rear cassette working. This can be advantageous for hill climbing and single track MTB trail riding where you need more precise control of your speed vs just riding top speed.
eBike Sub-Categories
Step through or low step eBike
Traditional top tube eBike
Fat tire eBike
Road eBike
MTB / Mountain eBike
Cargo ebike
Folding eBike
A Hub motor or Mid motor typically have both throttle as well as pedal assist functionality.
Whichever Drivetrain You Choose
Whether you want to go hub motor or mid motor, with a little research you can absolutely retro fit an older road or mtb bike. You’ll be faced with lots of research and logistics. But we’re not always reinventing the wheel here. Chances are someone else has already worked retro-fitting the bike you have or are thinking of using.
Hub and Mid motor retrofit brands BYOB bring your own bike:
Bafang, CYC Photon, Tongsheng, Bosch eBike etc.
If you aren’t looking to DIY Retrofit a bike then there are plenty of pre-fabricated eBikes out there to choose from.
Pre-fab complete eBike brands (both mid/hub motor configs):
Aventon, Cannondale, Lectric, Trek, Ridstar, Heybike, Hiboy, etc
Inexpensive eBikes Online
Cheap Chinese eBikes can seem attractive due to the price and paper specs. But take heed when purchasing eBikes like this from popular online shopping sites. In this case the whole is not necessarily the sum of the parts for better or worse. To clarify, these Chinese bikes use very cheap parts and this is how they can provide you with such an attractive price. When you see a $300 / $400 price tag and lofty claims it may spell out disappointment for many of these eBikes claim unreasonable performance levels. If you try to return it, the shipping costs will often exceed what’s worth it.
Does it mean that all inexpensive Chinese eBikes are crap and dangerous? No not necessarily, some of the cheap parts are ok. Others are not. This is where the grey area comes in. There are no shops that let you test drive an internet order bike so you’re largely relying on specs and customer reviews. So pay attention to all the reviews if you’re going this route.
Misleading eBike Claims
One of the most common methods is to advertise the peak power vs constant power which is often quite a bit more. This peak power is just a burst and does not reflect the performance of the bike the majority of the time.
Remember the cardinal rule, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. The world of cheap Chinese ebikes is no different.
Battery Power Voltages vs Amp Hours
While your initial thought may be to search for the bike that advertises the fastest speeds, this isn’t the best way. As we mentioned these companies always post their ideal and sometimes fictitious specs. To be fair the world of gadgets is no different.
While they don’t technically lie, the specs posted on any given piece of technology or eBike can frequently be under lab environment and tightly controlled conditions so they are not completely accurate in the real world. For example, if you lift the back wheel off the ground and pin it you will see significantly higher speeds without a load vs with a load on the motor.
Rather than search through countless products with misleading claims. First decide what type of bike you want for the terrain you’ll be on and the speed you are looking travel. Then find the proper battery and motor that will push that potential speed.
If your desired top speed is say 40mph, you’re not getting there with a 36v battery and 250w – 500w motor.
Torque & Top Speed
In order to achieve the desired results you must pair the motor wattage with the proper battery voltage for speed and torque. A motor and controller are rated to use a certain voltage battery. A 36v battery paired with a 250w motor may only get you to speeds of say 15-17mph vs a 48v battery with a 250w motor gets you to somewhere around 28mph. Many 48v controllers support a 52v battery but you must check to ensure they support it or you’ll damage the controller and possibly cause a fire. So a 52v battery paired with a 500w or 750w motor may get you to around 30mph – 35mph give or take depending.
Battery Voltages:
36v, 48v, 52v, 60v, 72v +
Amp Hours (typical):
8Ah, 10Ah, 14Ah, 20Ah, 25Ah, 30Ah +
Motor Wattage:
250w, 500w, 750w, 1000w, 2000w, 5000w +
eBike Riding Range Ah and Wh
For range you need to pay attention to Ah or Amp Hours. For example a 60v 25Ah battery. The amp hours directly translate to Watt hours and this is the measurement for your range. Now this does not account for voltage sag which happens more with cheaper battery cells but that is another story.
So the guts matter, meaning the quality of the cells that make up your eBike battery can vastly change the performance and range of your ride. A battery that uses a no name brand cell vs a name brand like a Samsung 50s cell can be vastly different in their performance and lifespan.
How to Choose the best eBike for YOU
Step 1 – What type of eBike do I want? Road eBike, Mountain eBike, Cargo eBike, Folding eBike, Step through eBike
What type of terrain do I want to ride? single track dirt trails? paved paths? gravel paths? Do I want a space saving bike? Do I need more of a utilitarian/commuter bike?
Step 2 – Determine the speeds you’d like to achieve. Do I want to travel uphill at 25mph? Am I going to be speeding down single dirt tracks? Do I need straight line paved street performance for my commuter ebike? etc.
Step 3 – Find the bike that fits your budget but aligns with your desired specs on top speed, torque and riding style.
If you’re the lead foot type and want straight line top speed, then go for the largest Voltage you can with the largest wattage motor. If you just want a casual speed ebike then you can get away with a 48v battery and a 250w – 500w motor. If you have lots of hills to negotiate go with a mid motor and higher voltage battery, 52v, 60v, 72v.
Step 4 – read read read, and then read some more. Once you decide or even if you’re still not sure, search and read up on people’s experiences with the style or brand of bike or battery you are seeking. Often times the claims can meander a bit from what’s on paper so it is best to see what other people are experiencing.
Make an Informed Decision
Trying to figure out how to choose the best eBike for you can feel quite daunting at first but like anything else, once you are informed, you can make the proper decision. Whether you go with a Hub motor or a Mid motor, want a street, off-road or all road ebike, cargo ebike, folding eBike the key is to ensure that you have explored and researched all of the options so you can make the best choice for your style of riding.
