Electric Bike Sales - FAQs

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the range of an electric bike?
The range of a fully charged battery varies. It is usually between 12 to 20 miles with gentle pedalling.
Most of the power is drained when moving off and on hills so pedalling at these points will preserve the power.
Distance varies with the weight and size of the rider and the terrain encountered:
Smooth, Clean, and Dry Pavement – Excellent Range
Rough Pavement, Gravel, and Packed Dirt – Reduced Range
Grass and Loose Dirt – Greatly Reduced Range.
Mud – Might as well walk.
Snow – Get off the bike, and go home.
If you have specific requirements it is best to talk to us and get some advice before spending your hard earned cash.

2. How fast will it go?
To gain exemption from road tax, road insurance, MOT tests, vehicle registration, the requirement of a driving licence and wearing a motorcycle helmet the speed under power is restricted to 15 miles per hour. They can of course be cycled beyond this speed.
To go faster requires more power, so a more powerful motor is required to go faster. And motors are “wound” or designed to operate at a specific speed. For example, a motor that is intended for a 20” wheel must turn much faster than a motor intended for a 26” wheel to achieve the 15 mph UK limit.
Because of this, just being powerful is not enough to gain higher speed. It is possible to have a powerful motor that will not turn any faster - limiting speed.
A 160 watt motor intended for a 50 kg office lady in Shanghai who cannot go faster (by law) than 12 mph is not going to help a 90 kg European go 15 MPH. Most electric bike motors are, in fact, designed for places where people are smaller and bikes are limited in speed.
Like people – as batteries age, their performance decreases. (Actually, in the first 25 or so charge / discharge cycles, many batteries get better, and then start a gradual decline).
If the battery has been poorly treated – such as heavy use, the wrong charger, stored in a hot damp place, exposed to excessive cold, then the performance will suffer.

3. Do I need to pedal?
Strictly speaking when on the road the law requires you to pedal with the power assisting your pedalling (PAS), however on most models you have a throttle which can be used without pedalling or in conjunction with the pedals.
Hills slow you down so you need to pedal to maintain speed, although bikes designed for hill climbing are improving all the time.

4. What are the running costs?
Other than charging the batteries at a cost of approximately 5 pence per full charge there are no other significant running costs. You should carry out basic maintenance as you would with a normal pedal cycle, however the electronic parts of the bikes are designed to be trouble and maintenance free.

5. How can I tell a good electric bike from a bad electric Bike?
Clicking here will take you to our buying guide!

6. Does the battery recharge when I pedal?
We are asked this question by almost every customer. The answer that applies to most electric bicycles is no but you do preserve the battery by pedalling! There are a few exceptions but this technology adds weight, more expensive components, and the benefit is pretty negligable.
Regen is slang for “Regenerative”. Some motors (direct drive) can generate electricity when the rider propels the bike by pedaling, or while when going down hill or braking.
A motor and a generator are actually the same thing. If you turn a motor shaft, you will generate electricity. If you energized a generator you would get a motor.
So on an electric bike that does not have a planetary transmission, or a freewheel between the motor and the hub, and has a controller that will allow the motor to become a generator – you can have regen.
Regen, however, is not as useful as it sounds. To recharge the bike while riding requires you to ride a long way against the resistance of the motor. You must create more work (due to efficiency losses) to recharge the battery than the work that the energy in the battery can do through the motor. (Awkward to explain.) Basically, you have to work harder to charge the battery enough to propel the bike 10 miles than it would have taken you to ride 10 miles by yourself.
So for most purposes, Regen captures a small, very small, amount of extra range. Maybe 50 meters in a 20 mile ride.

7. Are there any UK laws I need to be aware of?
The UK law differs slightly from the EU law and hence there is some confusion but if you adhere to the following you should be acting within our current regulatory guidelines.
· average continuous motor power output no more than 250 watts
· maximum speed under power 15 mph.
· must have functioning pedals.
· the use of a throttle is now allowed.
· weight must not be more than 40 kg unless a tandem or tricycle.
· riders age must be at least 14 years of age. (sorry kids, your time will come)
*NB* Laws can and do change without prior warning. These are accurate at the time of writing and we shall endeavour to keep them uptodate.

For those of you with a real thirst for information and a bit of time on your hands follow the link below to the draft European Standard likely to pass into law shortly.

http://cyclurba.free.fr/image/Projet%20de%20Norme%20VAE.pdf

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Electric Bike Sales, Unit 10, Hope Street Yard, Cambridge, CB1 3NA, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)1223 247410, Web: www.electricbikesales.co.uk