E-BIKE BUYER’S GUIDE PART 1: WHICH E-BIKE IS RIGHT FOR ME?

City e-bike or trekking pedelec? E-racing bike or mountain e-bike? Or perhaps you would prefer an electric cargo bike? If you’re buying an e-bike for the first time, you may be spoiled for choice.

In this blog post, we want to help you make the right decision when buying an e-bike. All we need are ten questions to help you find the e-bike of your dreams – the first five of them can be found here.

1. WHAT DO I WANT TO USE MY E-BIKE FOR?

The first thing you have to ask yourself before buying an e-bike is what the pedelec will be used for. Specifically, you should think about what you want to do with your e-bike. For example, are you more likely to be traveling short distances around town and would like to use your e-bike to go shopping? Would you like to ride your e-bike to work in all weathers? Should it also be possible to take luggage with you on tours? Or maybe you’d like a sports model with motor assistance for fun in the Alps? The answers to these questions will let you make an initial choice of which type of e-bike is most suitable for you.

Here are two examples: A city e-bike, which not only looks good but also has a luggage rack and approved lighting, is ideal for occasional short trips in the city, for example. On the other hand, you will need a good all-mountain e-bike with suitable and a very powerful motor for Alpine tours on steep, difficult terrain.

2. WHAT DOES MY E-BIKE NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO?

Once the general purpose of your future electric bicycle has been clarified, you should give some thought to the bike’s other features. If you are planning some longer tours, make sure to pay attention to the range of the integrated battery. A rack is essential if you want to transport your shopping, panniers or similar items with your e-bike. And if you want to cover long distances as quickly as possible, S-pedelecs with higher speeds (45 km/h vs. 25 km/h) are an exciting alternative. Cargo e-bikes are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to cars in towns and cities. However, if you want to fly up mountain passes like the pros on the Tour de France, an electric racing bike is a good choice. Another important aspect is where you can park your e-bike: weight becomes very important if you first have to carry your e-bike up and down stairs to park it.

3. WHICH DRIVE IS BEST FOR MY E-BIKE?

Once you have identified the requirements your e-bike has to satisfy, you will need to consider which kind of drive your e-bike needs. The drive unit comprises the motor, battery and e-bike system, which in the case of FIT e-bikes is the FIT e-bike system. Our rule of thumb: If you spend a lot of time off-road, have a lot to transport, or are more stoutly built, it makes sense to choose a more powerful e-bike motor combined with a long-range battery. But if most of your riding is done in towns or cities and comfort is a top priority, the motor should provide a more harmonious ride experience. Incidentally, when you choose a motor, you also have to decide between the two most common types: a hub motor is ideal for city bikes because it is low-wear and very quiet. In contrast, an e-bike with a mid-drive motor scores highly with its sporty character, very elegant integration and low center of gravity.

Find out more about the different motors in the article «E-bike motors: spoiled for choice».

4. WHAT RANGE SHOULD MY E-BIKE HAVE?

Once you have decided on a motor, you than have to think about the e-bike’s battery range. In the past, manufacturers often concentrated on offering the longest possible range, though this does not really make sense for every type of e-bike. A large battery is often unnecessary in the city, for example, as the distances traveled rarely exceed 20 kilometers. When it comes to city e-bikes, it thus makes more sense to build lighter e-bikes that have a shorter range but are easier to transport than touring e-bikes. If you’re planning a longer adventure on your e-bike, you should make sure that the range is above 100 kilometers. The same applies if you spend a lot of time in the mountains: inclines eat up a lot of output, so a powerful battery is very important here.

5. SHOULD I BUY AN E-BIKE WITH AN EXTERNAL OR INTEGRATED BATTERY?

The battery problem is also a question of battery design. One can generally differentiate between integrated e-bikes, where the battery is elegantly integrated into the frame, and e-bikes with an external battery. The former results in a very neat, integrated design and is therefore the choice of manufacturers of higher-priced models. External batteries are usually found on cheaper models. Depending on the manufacturer, handling of the two versions may differ – for example, how easy it is to remove the battery for charging or to change the battery.

As you can see, there are a few things you need to bear in mind before buying an e-bike and it is worth making up your mind about what you want and why. More on this will follow in part 2 of the Buyer’s Guide.

28.02.2023