electric bikes for sale will give you a hand up hills, help enable longer commutes, and let you cruise effortlessly past other cyclists on your Sunday ride. What’s more, they’re opening up cycling to wider age groups and demographics – increasing the amount of bikes on our streets. And they’re fun.

There are a multitude of different e-bikes out there. From folding options to full-on enduro mountain bikes. Just like regular bicycles, there are options for just about every style of riding. Manufacturers are constantly developing lighter, longer lasting batteries with increased range. Price-tags have been falling, too.

Right then, where to start? We’ve drawn out five main areas for consideration when buying an e-bike.

1. Purpose

Firstly, you need to think to yourself where and when you’ll be using the e-bike. For example, do you live in a city that will require regular lifting up and down stairs, and other general commuting demands? Or maybe you live somewhere more remote, and will be looking to take it off-road?

E-bikes are great for carrying extra loads for commuting or shopping, thanks to the motor’s help in carrying you up testing hills. Many have standard rack mounts for pannier bags. But if you want to carry more – even your children, for example, you even have the option of a dedicated cargo e-bike.

On the other hand, if it’s leisure rides that pique your interest, then range of the battery and weight may come into play when deciding on which model to choose..

Once you’ve established your needs, there are five overarching categories of e-bikes to choose from:

• Electric road bikes
• Electric mountain bikes
• Electric hybrid bikes
• Folding electric bikes
• E-cargo bikes

E-road bikes and e-mountain bikes both lean towards the performance side of things. Both are dedicated to going out for long rides and are designed for speed. Therefore, they’re limited for rack options and in general might not be as comfortable for commuting.

Hybrids are a solid option for city riding. They’ve got suitable upright geometry to suit casual riding, and plenty of commuting features. They’re also the cheapest entry into e-bikes, with mainstream bike shops like Halfords and Evans offering them on cycle-to-work schemes.

However, they are often quite heavy, which could be a problem if you’re forced to carry the bike upstairs or onto public transport.

Folding e-bikes provide the best option for shorter city commutes, and those with limited storage options. They store easily into folding bike lockers, or in your hallway at home. Batteries in folding e-bikes are often smaller, and therefore have a reduced range.

They’ll come in heavier than standard folding bikes and would perhaps be unsuitable if you had to carry them over longer distances.

2. Battery size and power

All e-bikes use different versions of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. It’s the same technology as used in electric vehicles. They’re quick to charge with a relatively low overall weight.

There are a few different positions where the battery commonly sits on the bike. Most commonly the battery is attached to the down tube, where it can be easily accessed and removed. Sometimes it’s attached on top of a rear rack – as seen in early models of the Lime rental bike.

In more expensive models the battery is integrated into the downtube near the bottom bracket, or sometimes within the seatpost. This makes for a cleaner finish, but does come at a cost.

For battery size, a general rule is to simply look out for the best size and quality your budget allows for. The capacity will be measured in Watt hours (wh), which is important when considering the range of your e-bike.

3. Range

Most of the time you’re unlikely to have your battery run flat – if you start fully charged – on a typical journey. However, the ‘range’ of your e-bike – or total distance you can ride before running out of juice – will be important when it comes to charging.

The longer your range, the less you’ll have to charge your battery. This is where Watt hours (wh) come in to play. If you’ve got a 300w motor being fed by a 300wh battery, it would drain in one hour – at full power (on paper, at least).

In practice, there are many more variables. For one, you won’t ever have the battery operating at full power all the time. It’s more likely you’ll use different modes. Some will have eco modes to give you longer life, for instance.

On top of that, rider weight, the terrain you’re riding, and even weather can affect the range you’ll get from the battery. Here’s a handy calculator from Bosch to help estimate range.

4. Weight – electric bikes for sale

To understand the impact weight may have, it’s worth thinking back to the intended use of your e-bike, plus your riding style.

If you’re a road rider looking to ride in groups, then you’ll likely be after a lighter weight bike. This is an area where despite the extra motor assistance, weight will still alter the performance and handling of the bike. Plus, if you did want to tackle some hills without the motor, you won’t be held back by weight.

More realistically, the weight of the bike will have a larger effect when you aren’t riding the e-bike. If you’ve got to cart your bike up flights of stairs, on and off busy trains, or even on to a rack on your car, the extra weight will be hard to manage day-to-day.

E-bike technology has come a long way in the past few years, and they aren’t as heavy as they used to be. With all things, it’s worth trying to visit your bike shop to have a feel of the bike and workout how light you want the bike to be.

5. Price – electric bikes for sale

No longer a luxury product, e-bikes have been coming down in price. If you want an entry level commuter bike, you can now get hybrid electric bikes for around £1,000. While this may still sound steep, it’s made more palatable by e-bikes availability on cycle to work schemes.

Ultimately, the price will be dictated by how much you think you’ll use the bike, and of course, your budget. Top-end road and mountain bike models are likely to be made from carbon fibre, and other high-end materials. These may weigh less and perform better, but they’ll cost a lot more.

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Evaluate Safety Features

One of the first areas to inspect are brakes and other safety features. For example, can you bring the e-scooter to a halt with a handbrake, or is it a footbrake near the rear wheel? It would help if you also read through the product information to determine what weather conditions and terrain the electric scooter won’t work in. Some e-scooters may not have a design that’s safe to ride during winter months, while you can ride others in nearly every type of terrain.

Speed Options

Top speed is the next area to consider before purchasing an e-scooter. Some electric scooters only go up to 15 mph, while others can reach 40 mph! However, if you buy a scooter that travels at higher speeds, you’ll need to investigate speed laws in your area; there may be speed limits for your electric scooter.

Maintenance Requirement

Think of your e-scooter as a vehicle. You need to know how to clean your electric scooter and note other maintenance areas. You should also note how often and how long your scooter needs to charge, so the battery doesn’t die while you’re on it. Many experts also recommend:

• Lubricating wheels and bearings
• Safety-checking brakes before rides
• Consistently inspecting cables

By inspecting your e-scooter before riding it, you’re more likely to spot any possible problems, which helps lengthen your electric scooter’s life.

Weight

As far as weight goes, there are two things to consider: weight limits and scooter weight. As you read through the product description of your e-scooter options, note the scooter weight limit. Although this number can vary, it’s usually around 220 lbs., which often depends on how powerful the motor is.

Weight also pertains to the overall weight of the e-scooter. Do you need to lift the scooter, or will you ride it around and park it? Larger motors often add weight to the scooter, but so do bigger batteries and more durable frames.

Personal Use Preferences – electric scooter for sale – electric scooter with sidecar for sale

The final area you need to consider is how you want to use the e-scooter. Decide whether you’ll ride it in your free time or use it to get around town. Some people living in cities ride their electric scooters to work, and these individuals often buy a scooter with stronger motors.

If you’ll use the e-scooter like a car or motorcycle to get around, it’s best to buy one with additional riding options for more versatility so you can always travel to where you need to go.

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Learning Curve

The most important thing you should know about is the steep learning curve that comes with learning how to ride an electric unicycle. For instance, mastering a one-wheeled motorized unicycle is difficult since they require lots of balance and control. However, most people only need a few days of practice until they get it down.

Expensive

Another factor that can play into your decision is the cost of an electric unicycle. Although they’re small in comparison with a scooter or e-bike, they’re still expensive. The cheaper models cost a few hundred dollars and the higher quality ones with extra features can cost thousands. It all depends on the quality you want and what features you need.

Unique

Out of all the personal electric vehicles, e-unicycles are probably the most unique and visually distinct. That means that owning and riding one will make you stick out in the crowd. Knowing that you stand out while going down the street can be quite fun.

Portable

The e-unicycle is compact; it can fold up so it’s even smaller. This makes it perfect for carrying it around when you’re not using it. You can fit it inside most backpacks and it’s lightweight in comparison to most other e-vehicles.

Low Maintenance

Although there’s a large initial investment in E-unicycles, using them for shorter trips can quickly earn its money back. Unlike a car, e-unicycles don’t break down or suffer from wear nearly as often. Refueling them isn’t as expensive as refueling a car, either. These factors save you a lot of money.

There’s a lot you should consider when deciding if you want an E-unicycle, but these five things to know before buying an electric unicycle should help you address many of the bigger issues.

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Fast forward to last year, both Inmotion and KingSong came out with wheels with suspension. Those are of course the KingSong S18 and the Inmotion V11 shortly followed by Gotway EX.

Having ridden all three I went with Inmotion V11 because of my preference towards its looks as well as the noticeably larger battery size, translating to a better range. Despite Gotway EX having a larger battery it’s also more power-hungry and eats through its battery quicker. Inmotion V11 can do over 100km with my weight (74kg) when used conservatively (going easy on acceleration/braking and not going faster than 35km/h when cruising), with an average of around 80km with my style of riding (a slightly more aggressive acceleration and braking).

electric unicycle for sale near me

I love how light KingSong S18 is in comparison (21.7kg vs 27kg and you can feel the difference) and love the power of the Gotway EX (it truly is a technological marvel).

Gotway is not as maneuverable as the V11 however, with the S18 being similar in maneuverability to the V11 in my limited experience with two out of the three wheels. 

The suspension itself is quite different, too. While Gotway EX has an enormous amount of pressure in its tubes (I’m not fully familiar with the technicalities),

Inmotion V11 produced a trampoline-like design while KingSong went with a standard bicycle style shock absorbers in the S18, making it possible to switch those to better fit your needs (by adjust softness thus adjusting ride dynamics).

All three have the same type of suspension which is pneumatic. In short, the S18 to me feels like it was built around its main feature – suspension, while the V11 is the opposite

– suspension was built around the wheel. I like all three suspension systems – I’ll happily take any of the three vs none at all, which brings me to my opinion on it.

I’ve done tens of thousands of km on wheels without suspension and only have around 1,400km to date on the clock with suspension wheels.

I was very reluctant to switch to suspension because I wanted to make sure the new design is time-tested and because I just wasn’t overly excited by it at first,

having gotten used to my pre-suspension wheels and knee suspension. I was thinking that the difference it makes may not necessarily be worth the drawbacks (higher weight, lower top speed, and hindered repairability) and that using my knees as springs worked just the same.

While I still think I have had a point there, I have to admit that for the most part, I was pretty much wrong.

So what does suspension do and how does it affect the ride dynamics? Well, as my friend puts it, it just takes the edge off everything on the road. Every little bump on the ground, not to mention jumping off things,

with suspension you simply do it, without having to brace yourself for impact every time.

Because a non-suspension wheel is designed as a single system that has no provision for a softer ride other than the tyre and inner tube that absorb some of the impact,

you end up feeling every single bump going through your legs, then spine, and all the way to your teeth! With the suspension,

however, all you feel is a little vibration that’s soft around 90% of the time and that rarely travels past your legs if the system is set up correctly (which, admittedly, can be a bit fiddly). In addition, you can jump off curbs (or on to them, depending on your preference and skill level), and not be bothered about that as much (if at all).

Aside from comfort, there is also the aspect of safety. I’ve had a few falls due to potholes in the past,

where I was either on my phone or was just not paying enough attention to the road.

Having ridden over a thousand km on the V11 I’ve encountered a couple of unexpected speed bumps and potholes as well as curbs and all I felt was some vibration instead of coming off the wheel. When jumping off curbs you can do it with straight legs and you won’t come off. I found that suspension makes riding a lot more pleasurable! It elevates the wheel from the status of being an awesome but bumpy (thus tense in places) ride to just being an awesome (and relaxing) one and that’s just… great!

So, to conclude, I would suggest that you try it out for yourself,

and if it’s your first wheel you can indeed purchase one with suspension as long as you don’t plan on moving to one without it later on in your journey.

It’s easier to transition from no suspension to suspension than it is in reverse as a) you get spoilt and b) just don’t develop the same skills.

I just went for a ride on my Kingsong 18XL for the first time in about a month and can certainly attest to the difference suspension makes,

which is what prompted me to write this article.

While I still love riding and would certainly ride with no suspension if I have to,

now that I tried the latter I won’t be going back because that would quite literally be a step backward. Once you learn to fly you won’t be walking again. It’s just evolution.

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