Electric Bikes – Which is best for you?

Electric Bikes – Which is best for you?

Our MD Matt Flanagan was in another business when he went to China many years ago. He’d only rarely seen e-bikes before here in the UK but in China nearly every other machine was an ebike – there were thousands of them in every city across the country. E-bikes are no luxury item out there (cars are). On his return, noticing that there were only a handful of companies selling electric bikes, he formed the business we now know as E-Bikes Direct, bringing electric bikes to the forefront of the market en-mass over a period spanning now 14 years and counting. Not only did Matt want to sell e-bikes but he wanted to sell electric bikes that appeal to nearly every wallet thickness. That’s why E-Bikes Direct came about – selling affordable e-bikes that everyone can afford.

Today we now sell a much wider range of e-bikes (over 30 brands, and the biggest range on the market) from under £700 to over £10,000. You may well be reading this blog somewhat baffled at where to start so here we will show you some ideas as to what electric bike to choose.

Who are you?

Who you are may dictate which electric bike to choose.

The majority of our customers are older people who want an e-bike to get fitter, get about town, and perhaps go riding with younger members of their family. Many of them use them instead of their cars and choose electric bikes similar in price to a year’s car insurance. Whatever your reasoning for wanting an eBike or what you plan on using it for, we have you covered.

Another group we have are commuters or people planning trekking expeditions. Yes, we sell a lot of his and hers pairs of machines such as the Haibike Trekking series of e-bikes!

A final group is those who like a bit of cross country or Enduro competition riding. These tend to be at the less-bank-friendly end of the price spectrum but are fun, light and agile machines built to thrash the trails.

Tight budget?

When considering which electric bike to choose with us, our best selling machines are nearly always at the lower end of the price range. They don’t have sexy names (though ‘Juicy‘ can trigger such thoughts!) but they do the job. At the end of the day unless you’re into serious competition or leisure riding, it doesn’t matter if you have 0.1 or 1 second from pumping the pedal to the motor responding!

For under £700 we have a wide range of e-bikes that let’s face it are a similar price to a fairly standard traditional bike with the added advantages of having a motor to save you lots of energy in getting about town.

E-Bikes Direct also sell a number of refurbished electric bikes that should please the overstretched wallet even more! We have a number going for under £400.

Folding

You may not be limited on price so much but you may want a folding electric bike due to space constraints on the train or at home. Yes, there are some very expensive electric folding bikes on the market but when choosing an electric bike you don’t have to spend silly money. We stock new folders starting from around the £650 mark, for example, the Byocycle City Speed. (Some sale lines even cheaper at the minute!).

Hub or crank?

Previously, we have published a blog discussing the advantages of a hub or crank motor. In the blog we said, “Many of the electric bikes we sell at E-Bikes Direct have hub motors. Unless you are a serious rider with plans to go further afield or on regular longer commutes you really don’t need a crank motor system… Crank motors put the power exactly where you would when you pedal. This gives a really natural riding experience.”

Road, hybrid, or MTB?

In deciding which electric bike to choose, it may be as basic as the type of riding you do. Some of our cheapest electric bikes are hybrids while some of the most expensive are electric mountain bikes. You will be a road cyclist who wants a decent road bike like the Cube Acid AllRoad series. You may be after one of the hundred or so variants of hybrid electric bike we sell, from sub £700 or £5000+!

Electric mountain bikes have a wide price range too. This could be the Basis Beacon E-MTB (exclusive to E-Bikes Direct) with a hub motor that will handle a bit of a ride in the woods.

The Haibike SDURO HardSeven 8.0 2019 is the most popular eMTB at just under £3000, while the Cube Stereo Hybrid 120 HPC SLT 500 FS Electric MTB 2019 comes in at just under £6000.

Any questions, just ask us!

At E-Bikes Direct we are always happy to answer your questions about electric bikes when you are thinking which electric bike to choose. Don’t feel stupid if you have a question for us that you think may sound silly! We know electric bikes are a mystery to many and are happy to clarify your queries. Just give us a call on 01580 830959 or email us at sales@e-bikesdirect.co.uk to let us help you make your decision as to what electric bike to choose.