11 Things I Wish I Had Know Before Buying an E Bike | Essential Electric Bicycle Info

Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the e-bike and bicycle industry and today I'm going to tell you 11 things I wish I had known before buying an e-bike stick around.

All right, so today I'm going to tell you 11 things I wish I had known before buying an e-bike. But before I do, hit that subscribe button below. Stay in touch with us here at Sixthreezero. Be the first to know about all the new content we're doing, giveaways, and of course new products we're putting out. So hit subscribe. All right, so I've owned a couple of e-bikes. I've had an e-bike for several years now. I'm going to tell you 11 things I wish I had known before getting an e-bike. Let's jump right in.

Number one, not all e-bikes... Well, all e-bikes come with a pedal assist option. What this means is when you pedal, the bike is going to assist you. The motor's going to kick in and it's going to assist while you pedal. So if you don't pedal, the motor's not going to kick in.

What I didn't know is that some bikes come with a throttle. A lot of times it can be a twist throttle or a thumb throttle. So not only will the motor go when you're pedaling, but you can push those throttles or twist that throttle and the bike will go with no pedaling. So that's important to know because when you choose your e-bike, you want to make sure if you think you want a throttle, get a throttle. Now the other thing to know though about that is some cities, states, local places, and national parks may not allow e-bikes that have throttles. Now, it's not to say you can't just use the throttle, but in Europe as an example, it's petal assist only. I can't speak to every state here. I know in California you can have a throttle, but it's capped at going up to 20 miles an hour in throttle only. So it's just important that you know the local laws, know what your needs are and if you want that. So the throttle and pedal assist are two ways that e-bikes can function.

Okay, the number two thing I wish I'd known is batteries. Battery sizes, there are lots of different battery sizes and the number one factor that dictates the cost of an e-bike is the battery size. Now there are also lots of other factors like the material of the bike, steel, aluminum, carbon, and all those things. Motor size dictates it, but the battery is one of the largest contributors. E-bike battery sizes I've seen range anywhere from like five amp hour up to 21 amp hour. And so that depends on how far you're going to ride or how far you can ride. And you want to consider the battery depending on what type of riding you're going to do.

So if you're going to do a lot of hills, you may want a bigger battery. If you're going to do a lot of flat ground, short trips, and a smaller battery. So it's important to look at battery sizes and get a sense of the type of riding you're going to do. Also, the weight of the rider is an important factor to consider when choosing a battery. Heavier riders may want to consider bigger batteries, because the heavier you are, the more it will drain the battery when you're riding, especially uphills. So five amp hours up to 21 amp hours, there are probably bigger batteries. Some bikes have dual batteries as well, but just know the price of the bike is going to be linked to those amp hours of a battery. So you need to pay attention and think about how long you need your battery to last so you're not overspending for a battery size that you don't need.

Okay, the number three thing I wish I had known is motor size. Motor sizes can range from about 250 watts up to 1000 or 2000 watts. And again, the price is going to fluctuate based on motor size. What I didn't know is I just didn't know what motor size I needed. 500 watts is a great kind of mid-range starting point for a motor. 250, you're going to save some money. 250 watts are really for smaller e-bikes, great for short trips under two, three miles, or four miles, and then 100, watts plus e-bikes are more for mountain biking. Serious uphills. The other thing to think about on the motor size is like California's example, you legally cannot have a larger than the 750-watt motor on the street. Now you can take those bigger motors onto private property, on private land out in the forest. National parks also have limitations on motor sizes, but in certain, again, parks and other places you might be able to take 1000-watt plus motors to certain mountain bike trails, and things of that nature.

So just something to think about where you're going to ride, what kind of hills you're going to do, and how much you weigh is also a factor when thinking about motors. If you're over 300 pounds and you're going to be riding on a lot of hills, you probably want to look at a 750-watt motor. But if you're going to do flat ground, 500 watts is good for most riders. So just what I wish I'd known, I wish I'd known a little bit more about motor sizes. So pay attention to that spec when you're going to buy an e-bike.

All right. I also wish I'd known a little bit more about frames. So there are tons of frames for e-bikes and what I mean by frames is there's like little frames, there are taller, full-size bike frames and the frame that you buy is going to dictate how you're going to use that e-bike. Some of these 20-inch frames now have pedals, but they're not practical for pedaling in the sense of you're not going to want to ride long distances. You can get frames like Sixthreezero has e-bikes that are regular bike frames and they're great for riding and doing the pedal assist because they're set up and look like a normal bike.

So they're comfortable. You can get good pedal strokes out of it. And so the other thing with the frame is comfort. Are you looking for comfort? Are you looking for an aesthetic? So it's just important to think about what's important to you. Again, at Sixthreezero we design our e-bikes for practicality, for riding, for pedaling, and also the comfort element of it. So there are just so many different frame sizes out there. Do you want it to be like a normal bike? Do you want it to look like a dirt bike? Do you not care how it feels on your body? Is it more about the look? Just know that there's a huge assortment of frame sizes out there and you have to think about what's going to be best for your riding needs and your body as you choose a frame size for an e-bike.

All right, charging time. The next thing on the things I wish I had known, it does take some time to charge an e-bike battery. I'm going to say anywhere from four to six hours. So make sure you just plan for that as you go on long rides and you drain your battery. If you either have a backup battery that's fully charged, that's a great idea, but if you're going to turn around and do your next ride, you're going to want to make sure you allow that four to six hours to get that battery fully charged up and ready to go for your next ride. So that's just important to remember, especially if you're riding to work or somewhere and you drain the entire battery and you maybe only have two hours or maybe not even work, let's say you're running into a store or doing something, it's only going to take you two hours, but you've drained the entire battery to get there. You're not going to have enough time to charge that battery up. So bringing an extra battery may be your best bet.

Okay, one thing I want to address too, in my things I wish I'd known is the fire risk. Now, I know a lot of people are scared about charging e-bikes and the idea of chargers exploding and batteries blowing up. I've had a lot of e-bikes, and knock on wood, I've never had an issue with any kind of explosion or fire risk. I think the one thing with that is to make sure you're charging your e-bike in normal room temperature conditions.

Don't leave it plugged in for an extended period. If the battery's charged, unplug the charger. Don't just unplug it from the bike, uncharge it from the wall so the charger doesn't overheat and don't leave your battery in extreme temperatures, right? Don't leave your e-bike in extreme cold or extreme heat. If you do leave your e-bike in a garage and it gets extremely hot or extremely cold, maybe just bring your battery inside so it can't expand or contract too much. I think that's a risk is if you put it in a location, it gets really warm and it expands. There's always that risk it could explode, but I've never seen it. So it's just about really being diligent and smart with your charging and storage of your e-bike batteries.

Okay, next I want to touch on what, wish I'd known is laws. There are laws for e-bikes, there are regulations and they can go down to the city level. So it could be federal, it could be stated, it could be the city, it could be the local area for that matter, not even on the city level, just a particular path, certain property, private property. So it's important to just be aware of those things and respect them also. And these new laws are popping up every day. Speed limits, motor size limits, and where you can and can't ride e-bikes. So make sure you do your research. You don't want to get somewhere and realize, I can't even take my e-bike here, or I can't go off-road, whatever it may be. Do your research, pay attention, talk to city hall if you don't know what the regulations are, and just look out for signs wherever you're riding to make sure you're obeying the laws put in place.

This goes back to what I was saying about the frame, but another thing I wish I had known is the riding position. The big thing with all these frames and these e-bikes is the different riding positions they put you in. So you need to think about what your body needs or wants when you're riding on an e-bike. In particular, e-bike rides on average are going to be longer than regular bike rides just because of the motor and the assistance you get, you're going to be able to go farther than you could on a regular bike. So think about do you want to be in an ergonomic position. Do you want to be upright? Are you okay with being hunched over? Again, all these different e-bikes out there, sizes, and configurations are going to put you into a different riding position. So watch videos, see how the riders are positioned and think about what's best for your body before you choose an e-bike.

Number 10 on the list here is cost. And I've mentioned a little bit about the battery dictating the cost, but the cost is all across the map for e-bikes right now, from $500 to $15,000, I would say the average price is going to be somewhere in that $1,000 to $2,000 range. That's where the bulk of e-bikes are going to be priced at that are in the marketplace right now. But you could get away with spending less than that. You also may need to spend more than that depending on how you're going to ride your e-bike. If you're doing serious mountain biking up serious hills and you want that motor to power you up that hill, you may need to spend north of 2, 3, 4, $5,000. If you're doing very short, quick trips, mile, half a mile, things like that, spending 300, 400, $500 is probably not impractical. So the range of an e-bike is very vast and it's important to think about your riding habits, how much you think you need to spend to get the battery size, and the motor size that is right for you.

The other thing I'll touch on is we've got a lot of other videos on YouTube that touch on the right motor size, the right battery size, and all sorts of things like that. You can check those out on our YouTube channel, but the cost is a big factor. Just trying to match up the cost that you should pay for the specs and the features that are right for you. So give it some time, and research and I think you can figure out what's best for you.

All right, last thing I wish I had known, number 11 on my list of the 11 things I wish I had known before buying an e-bike. E-bikes are dangerous. I'm an avid bike rider and I've had some scares on the e-bike myself. I accidentally hit the throttle and the bike shot off on me. Luckily I didn't fall off. The point though is when you get an e-bike, you need to be careful, you need to pay attention, and you need to get familiar with everything about how to use it, and how to ride it. Also always wear a helmet, but I see countless people in forums and groups that get an e-bike and they get into an accident and it's just like anything else, riding an e-bike is very similar to riding a bike, but in the same sense, very different.

So you need to be prepared, you need to be aware, and just make sure you understand how everything properly works. And also don't get overconfident. I see that a lot as well. Overconfidence leads to accidents. So just on every e-bike ride you take, be diligent, check air pressure, and make sure your brakes work in advance. Be smart if riding in bike lanes, and if using the street, and just remember, you have to expect that other people won't see you.

But I just want to always touch on the fact that e-bikes are dangerous, but they're very fun, and they're very practical. You just have to make sure you're a responsible rider and owner if you jump into getting an e-bike. So that's the 11 things I wish I had known before buying an e-bike. If you have any other questions, comment below or shoot us an email at Theteam@Sixthreezero.com or call us at (310) 982-2877. And if you're in the market for an e-bike, check out our website, Sixthreezero.com. Can browse our selection. Or if you don't know what e-bike is right for you, take our proprietary body fit quiz on our website, answer a few questions about your body and your life, and we'll recommend the perfect e-bike for you. We also have a 30-day test ride on your e-bike policy. If you don't love your e-bike within 30 days, send it back, no questions asked, no money out of your pocket.

And lastly, join our Facebook Pedalers group and download our app in advance of purchasing. You can talk to existing Sixthreezero e-bike riders. Ask them questions, see how they like their e-bike, and see how many miles they're logging on to their e-bike on the app. It's a cool thing to see people riding our e-bikes on the app. Then once you have your e-bike, track your rides on the app, compete on the leaderboard for giveaways of bikes, e-bikes, and accessories, and of course, be a part of our Pedalers group and make new friends. It's a lot of fun. All right, so thanks for sticking around, and don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.