How does e-bikes operate?? Do you have to pedal all the time?? Or,, can it go on it's own??

There are 2 kinds, pedal assist and throttle. With pedal assist you have to pedal to get power. With throttle bikes you can pedal and get power or you can coast and get power just like a motorcycle.

Throttle ebikes usually aren't allowed on bike trails or paths. Should say aren't supposed to be on bike paths.
 
Our bike paths say, "no motorized vehicles". Any kind of e-bike has an electric "_____" (fill in the blank).
 
Looking at getting an e-bike,, just don't understand them... Do I have to pedal them all the time ,,, or what?
Two basic kinds:

Hub motor
Frame motor

Hub motor simpler, just drives front or rear wheel (or both!) with a motor in place of normal bike hub. You can have pedal assist or thumb/twist throttle. But no gearing, very specialized, limited watt motor - some of the drawbacks. But easier in someways.

In frame motor is the other option, from factory built to home built with or without a kit. If motor drives front chainring, then there will be a front freewheel that allows you to pedal as you wish, or not, and still drive with motor. Much more powerful motors, gearing etc lots of options. ou can have pedal assist or thumb/twist throttle.

Throttle-controller-battery-motor are your basic design blocks. All ebikes will have these.

USA and most states/municipalities regulate by wattage. Usually under 500w or 750W is OK as motorized bike on the street. Trails are another matter. Sometimes not allowed at all.

The thing about e-bikes. Batteries. The proper battery going to start in the $500 range. Sure, there are smaller less expensive batteries, but you are trading mainly for Ah (range).
 
I've put 9,000 miles on my Pedego. I use the pedals or the throttle. I don't use pedal-assist, but my wife uses it on her e-bike. The bikes are a lot of fun.
 
There are 3 classes of E-Bikes, 1, 2 and 3. Many public trail systems and or states and local governments have addressed E-Bike rules in recent times. You cant ride a level 3 E-Bike that goes 28 MPH on my local park trail system but a level 2 bike that does 20 MPH is allowed.



 
I always wanted to build an e-bike with a conventional metal frame that looks exactly like a regular bike. I suppose the battery capacity would be too limited though.
 
I always wanted to build an e-bike with a conventional metal frame that looks exactly like a regular bike. I suppose the battery capacity would be too limited though.
Some regular bikes have fat frame tubes (typically carbon or aluminum) with enough volume to store a battery. I am starting to see e-bikes on some of our rugged mountain bike trails and some of them are not obviously electric, as non-electric bikes can also have fat frame tubes and large bottom bracket areas for strength.
 
I've put 9,000 miles on my Pedego. I use the pedals or the throttle. I don't use pedal-assist, but my wife uses it on her e-bike. The bikes are a lot of fun.

We have two "Specialized" brands of e-bike. I have a "Vado" my wife has a "Como". Neither has a throttle-but "e-assist". It is the throttle e-bikes that are causing issues and keeping the line between motorcycles and e-bikes blurred. If you do any "googling" of ebikes-some look like motor cycles and will go 30 mph. Those are the issue with cities-and who can blame them-because bike paths are usually shared paths in cities (i.e. pedestrians).

IMHO-it's pretty worthless to buy a bike for exercise and then just use the throttle.

Utah passed a law that ebikes can go any where than regular bikes can. HOWEVER-they left it to local cities to override this. In Park City and Moab, Utah ebikes are outlawed except on regular roads and BLM lands. Both Cities are world Renowned for mountain biking. Funny how that works.......
 
I always wanted to build an e-bike with a conventional metal frame that looks exactly like a regular bike. I suppose the battery capacity would be too limited though.

There have been high-level racers who rode with such devices - or at least were suspected of doing so. They call it "mechanical doping". But it would generally be supplemental, where a tiny motor assist might especially be useful going uphill. It might not necessarily even be used to go that much faster, but to allow a racer to expend less energy (like drafting behind someone else) and then having less fatigue for later in the race.



For some reason, only the first few seconds of this are at regular speed, and then the motion and audio slow way, way down.



electric-bicycle-kit-vivax-assist.jpg


The company that makes the device claims that it isn't made for racing. They also don't have a control device that's all that surreptitious, so they probably have to be modified to escape detection. However, they're small and can be installed on almost any bicycle. Still - it weighs about 4 lbs and probably has a certain amount of resistance when it's not providing an assist. Full-sized e-bikes are pretty lousy for riding without the electric assist, especially since that adds a ton of weight.
 
I always wanted to build an e-bike with a conventional metal frame that looks exactly like a regular bike. I suppose the battery capacity would be too limited though.
Some of the road bike e-bikes are hard to tell.
As said above, the thicker carbon tubes hide the batteries well and they have smaller motors that fit in the seat tube and drive the bottom bracket spindle through a bevel gear (the same type that pros were accused of using to cheat a few years ago).
I think the added efficiency of a road bike allows for a smaller battery and motor than on an MTB.
 
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