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Electric Bike Basics

What is an Electric Bike?

An electric bike is really just a regular bicycle with the addition of an electric motor, battery and controller to provide assistance to the rider.  You can pedal a little, a lot or in some cases, not at all! Just like regular bicycles, there are a variety of electric bike styles available from cruisers and trikes to fitness, mountain, tandem and more. 

A big misconception is that electric bikes are for lazy people, but that is far from the truth. All of us at Evolve Bicycles & E-Bikes love riding our "regular" bikes, but are big fans of electric bikes too. They are just plain fun to ride.  Stop by the shop and take one for a demo ride!

Who Rides Electric Bikes?  

  • People with short commutes to school or work can save money on gas, avoid traffic, always find a parking space and remain sweat-free
  • People recovering from injuries can slowly transition back into regular riding or exercise with assistance from an electric bike
  • People with health or fitness challenges can stay active by using the electric motor if the hills or headwinds are too much to handle, their knees start to hurt, they get too tired, or just to keep up with their spouse or kids. They can ride longer & farther than they would on a regular bike. 
  • People who don't have a driver's license due to legal or medical reasons can still ride an electric bike.    
  • Anyone who wants a fun ride!  People who enjoy riding bikes will enjoy riding an electric bike too.  And people who aren't such big fans of exercise can enjoy them as well since you have the choice of pedaling a lot, a little or not at all!

If you haven't tried riding an electric bike yet, stop by the shop and take one for a demo ride.  We promise you'll be smiling when you're done!

The Benefits of an Electric Bike

There are definite benefits of using an electric bike over a car or other gas-powered vehicle:

  • Don't require a driver's license, registration or insurance to ride
  • Less expensive to operate - electricity vs. gas
  • Environmentally friendly with zero emissions 
  • Easy to find parking places and no fees to park
  • Avoid or skip past congested traffic areas, sometimes getting to your destination faster than by car
  • Provides a little bit (or a lot) of exercise, depending on how you ride
  • Get in touch with the great outdoors, your community and your neighbors

Electric Bike Technology

In addition to the mechanics of a regular bicycle, an electric bike has the additional components of an electric motor, battery, controller, etc. 

  • Electric Motors - Most electric bikes have either a hub-drive motor that delivers power directly to the wheel or mid-drive motor that delivers power to the drivetrain.
  • Batteries - Most electric bikes use lithium ion batteries. 
  • Controllers - The two main types of controllers are throttle and pedal assist. Throttle (or power-on-demand) e-bikes use a throttle on the handlebars to engage the electric motor when twisted or pressed. You don't even have to pedal, although the less you pedal the sooner your battery bill run out of juice.  Pedal assist e-bikes (also called pedelecs) engage the motor only when you pedal, and provide different levels of assistance.  Some e-bikes have both throttle and pedal-assist so you can use both!

Because there are pros & cons to each type of component depending on how you plan to ride your electric bike, it's best to either call us or come in to talk about what electric bike is right for you, test ride some different models, etc. 

Why You Should Buy an Electric Bike from Us

  • We've done the work of researching different electric bike brands and carry ones that represent quality, value and service over the long-term.  
  • We understand that buying an electric bike is a big purchase, so we take the time needed to talk about electric bike technology, brands, features, etc. We don't rush you!  We want to make sure you are getting the right bike and are happy with your purchase.  
  • We 100% service the electric bikes we sell. We will handle any warranty work (which doesn't happen very often) for you and also provide on-site repair and maintenance services if you should ever need them.  Beware of buying an electric bike online... the internet is not going to help you if something goes wrong with your bike and we don't service the electronic components of brands we don't sell.
  • We were Central Florida's very first electric bike dealer and have been selling them since 2010!

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