How Do Electric Bikes Work

Electric Bikes vary in the same way that standard bikes do. There are Electric bikes for riding around town, miles in the countryside, round trails, and up mountains. For this reason, motors and batteries vary. You have three motor/battery options.

Hub-motor, fitted on the wheel with a small battery. Hub Motors are on and assisting you, or they're off. They are most commonly found on Town or Road bikes due to their lighter weight.

Mid-Step motor, fitted on the bottom bracket with a battery on a downtube and/or the seat tube. Mid-step batteries have a long-range battery, but this makes the bike heavy.

Mid-Step SL motor, Fitted in the same place as a Mid-step motor with elements slimmed down (most commonly a smaller battery), making it lighter. Mid-Step SL batteries last as long as a Mid-Step but with less assistance, which on a more lightweight bike may equal the heavier Mid-step.

Batteries and charging

Electric bikes tend to have long battery life, certainly enough for the average ride. They charge just like your phone; just plug the cable into a standard plug socket. The big brands' Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, and Orbea offer range extenders. These are smaller than a battery but give you the option of a bit more juice. Should you worry that you may run out of battery, want to charge your bike less or find that you want a couple more loops of the trail. A range extender is a great option. You can also buy extra batteries but be prepared as they are expensive.

How Do Electric Bikes Assist You?

It's straightforward in principle when it comes to what an Electric bike does. An Electric bike constantly assists you in pedalling, reducing the amount of energy you use. This means you can ride; easier, for longer or faster!

As we said, a hub motor is on, or it's off. So, let's hypothetically say a Hub motor gives you 65% assistance for 6 hours. So everything is 65% easier, and don't forget you have gears too. Speed-wise; Electric bikes are limited by law. This limit applies to the motor assisting you, not how fast you can go. This means if you ride faster than 15.5mph, the motor stops assisting you, but it doesn't mean you cannot go faster than 15.5mph on an electric bike.

Mid-step motors have more variables; they have levels of assistance for you to choose from. Anything from 3 or more levels of assist. This means you could set the assist level and keep that level of aid for the duration of your ride, much like a Hub motor. Alternatively, you can adjust the assist level to the maximum as you're riding to get up that mountain and downhill with minimum or no assistance. Use the minimum assist when riding to the trail and then ramp it up as you thrash round. This idea is you get more joy riding for your money.

Specialized has taken some of its mid-step Electric bikes further. Pre-programming your ride into their app will automatically adjust the level of assistance your bike gives you during your ride, taking the level of aid an electric bike gives you that little bit further.

How to know if my Electric Bikes Legal

Are you wondering if an electric bike is legal? Cycles UK only stocks Electric bikes that meet government legislation. All Electric bikes on our website are available to buy, Click and Collect through our stores, and most are also available for home delivery. All the Electric bikes we sell are available through Cycle to Work schemes, and we also have a range of finance options for you to choose from, including 0% finance and buy now pay later deals.

Further reading