What is an eBIKE?
eBikes are the combination of a bicycle and an ‘assist’ powered by a battery. This means there’ll be a motor assisting you with paddling, so you can reach higher speeds (typically up to 25 km/h) without putting stress on your legs. These bikes typically have a Pedelec system because the assisting power is only generated when you push the pedals.
Contrary to this, some ebikes come with throttling as well, moving you forward without the need to paddle. However, due to strict cycling laws in Australia, pedelec ebikes with up to 25 km/h speed are mostly allowed on the roads. Here are some key points to understand eBikes better:
- Most electric drive systems in Australia are pedal-assist only; there are almost no throttle variants
- You can get pedal assistance from the speed range of 0 to 25km/h; after that, the power to the motor will be cut off. So if you wish to ride even faster, you’ll have to paddle harder as you do with a regular bicycle – there will be no electrical assistance, though.
- A typical ebike with a standard battery can give you pedal assistance for about 60km before needing to be recharged, which takes around 2 to 3 hours.
- The leader in Europe’s ebike space is Bosch, as it’s been consistently rolling out innovative, durable, powerful, and comfortable pedelec electric bikes since 2010.
- You need to service the ebike just like a regular bicycle, including its gears, chain, breaks, etc. You only need a trained mechanic for its electric component(s).
- Australia now has support centers for Bosch’s ebikes with a full service, warranty claim, and parts replacement hotline.
- eBike adoption is seeing explosive growth throughout Europe. As per a study by Monash University with 529 participants, 88% of people who never cycled previously are now riding ebikes weekly, with half of them (44%) daily.
