What is an Electric Bicycle?

 

A common misconception is that electric bikes are like mopeds. This is certainly not the case.

An electric bike utilises an electric motor to offer a selected amount of assist. This can be anything from a gentle to strong amount of aid while peddling. Basically, it's like a normal bicycle with the addition of a battery pack and an electric motor - you can recharge the battery pack at any time by plugging it into the mains.

 

The assist starts only when the pedals start turning, so It’s very much like riding a conventional bike but the motor's there to ease the burden of pedalling, making it easier to go uphill or cycle into headwind, and it will help you cycle further, with less effort, than you could on a regular bicycle.

 

Some electric bikes let you use them in set modes: pedal only (like a regular bike), pedal-assisted (you're pedalling but the motor's helping you) and motor only (you're letting the bike do all the work). Other bikes are limited by design to providing powered assistance only when you're pedalling. Torque sensors are included on some models, this measures the input from the rider and delivers an appropriate amount of power in return. This gives a much more natural riding feel like that of a non electric bike, but much easier! 

 

The benefit to people who due to health problem or perhaps just being less than you once was is the ability to ride many miles and get gentle exercise at the same time. For MS suffers there is even a grant for up to £2000 if you can get the backing of a doctor or Physiotherapist.

 

It only costs around 12p for a full battery charge giving up to a 110 miles range!

 

The law in the UK requires electric bicycles to reduce the power supplied by the motor as the bike's speed approaches 25km/hour (15mph). This doesn't prevent you to going faster than that, but you're going to have to do it under your own steam as the motor will stop helping you (switch off) once you hit the top legal speed it's allowed to operate at.

 

Main benefits:

 

• Health

• Fittness

• Pleasure

• Cost per mile

• Freedom for non drivers