Zen and the Art of E-bike Touring

Frame: What kind of bicycle frame are you comfortable with? The two basically different designs are a triangular-shaped frame that has a horizontal top tube, versus a step-through frame with a big "U" between the front and rear wheels. Getting on a step-through frame is as easy as stepping across the low point with one foot, whereas mounting a triangular-framed bicycle involves swinging a leg over the saddle, an movement that is very natural for some people but very awkward for others. However, the triangular frame bicycles are often somewhat lighter and can be held upright when stopped more easily than the U frame models. If you have had a bicycle in the past, you may have a strong preference for one type of frame, but try out each type anyway as your flexibility or sense of balance may have changed since you last rode a bicycle, and that may affect how comfortable you are with either type of frame.

Based on your past riding you may have other "must haves", such as a bicycle with a coaster brake. People who have grown up using coaster brakes rely on them and may not safely ride without them, but on the other hand those of us who always rode with caliper brakes often have diffuculties starting and stopping on a bike with coaster brakes. The newer disk brakes on touring bicycles offer yet another option and may be preferable IF you can get used to modulating the increased braking power effectively so that you don't get pitched over the handlebars! So the first step is to make a list of "must haves", while recognizing that the more things are added to that list, the fewer possible ebikes you will be able to choose among. Such things as the type of lights or bells you are used to can probably be retrofitted fairly easily onto a new bike and would thus be "must adds" instead of "must haves".

To ride comfortably and pedal efficiently, any bicycle must be adjusted to fit the person. With ebikes, that is even more true as you must also be comfortable with the extra weight for the battery and motor, and the additional electric controls and displays.

Motor: The electric motor weighs 8-12 pounds and a typical Lithium battery pack 8-14 pounds, so there is noticeable extra weight on an ebike compared to a normal bicycle. The motor will be in the front wheel hub, the rear wheel hub, or just in front of the pedals if it is a mid-drive system. The motor weight is low in any of these three positions, which is good, but the weight will still affect acceleration, braking, and climbing hills. However, these three basic positions for the electric motor lead to some very specific differences in how the ebike will operate.

A front hub motor is the simplest kind of system as all other controls work in the normal fashion. Having the motor in the front hub does, however, make the steering feel slightly "heavier" than a normal bike, as you are twisting the extra weight of the motor when you turn the handlebars. If you have reasonable upper body strength that should pose no problem, but you must be prepared for it. Also, when the motor assist comes on, a front hub motor will jerk the bike slightly in the direction the handlebars are pointing, which can be disconcerting, especially at low speeds. Front hub ebikes are among the cheapest systems, but you might want to try out this type of system first to make sure you can get used to it before buying one.

Rear hub motors are almost as simple as front hub motors, but they shift the weight to the rear of the bicycle, where it is less noticeable. When the motor comes on, the bike is pushed in the direction of the frame, which is more predictable, especially at low speeds. The space taken by the rear hub motor, though, usually requires a derailleur chain shift for the gears and precludes having either a coaster brake or an inside-the-hub gear shift. So particularly if you are used to having the latter features on a bike, you should test out a read hub system before buying one.

Mid drive motors are more complex as the motor drives the pedal crank with a separate tiny chain. This system is noticeably more expensive, but the advantage is that the motor effort is directed through the bike's gearing, allowing you to have effectively more push if you have selected a lower gear. That can be particularly useful on steep uphills, where the fixed gear ratio of the front or rear hub motors can just not be enough assistance to make it to the top.

Battery: Lead-acid batteries such as car batteries are extremely heavy for the amount of energy they contain and therefore really not suitable for ebikes. Nickel-Metal-Hydride batteries have lower weight but would still be somewhat bulky as their inherent voltage per cell is only 1.2 volts. Lithium batteries have a far higher energy content for a given weight and also have a fairly high inherent voltage of 3.6-3.7 volts per cell. Thus lithium batteries are currently the most popular choice for ebikes despite being more expensive to make and more difficult to ship due to airplane safety regulations.

The assembled packs of Lithium batteries for an ebike can be 24, 36, 48, or even more volts, but right now most ebikes use a 36 volt system. The energy capacity of a battery pack is expressed in watt-hours, and that value is found by multiplying the voltage of the battery pack by the current the pack can produce over time, which is measured in ampere-hours. A typical 36-volt battery pack that can output 10 ampere-hours will have a total amount of energy of 36 x 10 = 360 watt-hours. A moderate capacity 360 watt-hour battery should provide 4-5 hours of moderate pedaling support, which is about as long as most of us can spend on a bicycle!

A moderate capacity lithium battery currently weighs about 8-14 pounds, so the position of the battery in the bicycle frame makes a difference as to how "tippy" the bike feels when you are stopped. Having the battery mounted lower and near the center of gravity of the bicycle is preferable to having it mounted above the rear wheel inside the luggage rack. Thus, look for a battery that is mounted in front or in back of the seat's down tube, or on the front down tube. For taking trips, I would suggest you choose at a minimum a 10-ampere-hour, 36 volt Lithium battery, which should be enough for several hours of riding on level terrain. That level of support should allow you to take relatively short 20-40 kilometer trips each day without getting too exhausted. But for extended, "all-day" riding or coping with hillier terrain, a lithium battery more watt-hours capacity may well be necessary.

Pedalec versus Throttle systems: In Europe you have no choice: government regulations allow only the "Pedalec" systems in which you must be pedaling before the electric motor will kick in and assist you. A pedalec system has the advantage of automatically starting and stopping with your pedaling, but the exact level of support is governed by the motor's electronic controller and how it is set. The momentary delay in the motor going on when you start pedaling, and going off after you stop pedaling, is a major part of getting used to a Pedalec ebike. Government regulations also typically limit the electric motor support to speeds below 25 kilometers per hour (about 15 miles per hour), and you must get used to how the motor assist either fades gradually away or abruptly turns off when you reach that top limit speed.

In the USA you can choose either a pedalec or a throttle system. A throttle system is usually operated by a twist grip like a motorcycle's throttle or a tiny thumb lever on the handlebar that you rotate with your thumb. When you adjust the throttle, the motor then gives you that exact amount of support regardless of whether you are pedaling or not. In this case, YOU must take on the added manual task of twisting the throttle to increase or decrease the amount of motor support for each bicycling situation you encounter. If you are an ex-motorcyclist or just like being totally in control, the throttle system may be better for you. Conversely, if you would just like to "set it and forget it" and have the motor automatically provide you with support, the pedalec system may be best for you. So if you are allowed to have a choice of control systems, you should try out both types of systems IN A SAFE PRACTICE ENVIRONMENT to better make your final choice of ebike.

Price: In Europe, there is a wide variety of nice ebikes available if you are willing to spend $2000 or more on the bike. If you have that much money to spend, I would recommend reading several of the ebike magazines for tests on the various models-->several German magazines are available for around 6 Euro that have tests of many of the 2000-3500 Euro ebikes. (The German magazines seem to do a more thorough job of evaluating the ebikes both technically and practically than the English language bicycle magazines I have found.)

But if you are price conscious, then you must look at the ebikes offered by discount, high-volume vendors such as Aldi, Lidl, and Kaufhof in Germany. Such outlets only sell ebikes once in the Spring of each year, and they offer absolutely no after-sales support aside from simply returning the bike for a refund if it fails in the warrantee period, so you are on your own! That said, the price of a simple front hub motor, U-frame city bike hovered at 600-800 Euro from 2011-2013, and the price of mid-drive, U-frame city bikes sold from 2014-2015 seemed to hover at 900-1000 Euro.

A final source of cheap, under-1000 Euro ebikes is eBay and other web-based dealers. This approach offers essentially no guarantee aside from what the vendor may choose to offer, so checking the background and customer ratings of the vendor is vital. Caveat emptor!

You can look at even the lowest possible price for an ebike in two very different ways: The first way is, "My god, I'm spending $1,000 or more on a BICYCLE? Are you crazy? That's ridiculous! No way!"

The second way is, "I would easily spend $1,000 renting a car for two weeks for a trip, so buying an ebike for that much and still owning it afterwards is really a sweet deal! And using it for my next bicycle trip is going to be pure gravy!" If you have the former view, an ebike is probably not for you. If you have the latter view, however, you should consider making the effort to find an ebike that will give you a wonderful bike treking experience.