Electric Bikes – How exactly do they work?

e-Bikes – How Exactly Do They Work?

Electric bikes in the EU and UK are pedal bikes with power assist motors that give you assistance as you pedal. They differ from electric motorbikes as you are the primary source of power. Reading this article on how an electric bike works, you should get an idea of how to use it.

‘Traditional bike with power bolted on’

Though electric bike technology is evolving with different manufacturers like Haibike and Lapierre developing their own drive tech, electric bikes are very much traditional bikes that have been adapted to fit a motor, controller and battery to the system.

A traditional bike has:

• A set of pedals that are connected to the rear wheel by a chain / belt
• A gearing system on the rear wheel to allow you to get up and down hills more efficiently
• Gear and brake controls on the handlebars
• Brakes to control your speed with

Riding one you will pull away in a low gear and go up the gears as you go faster, using the gear mechanism to adjust your speed. This is very much the same way as you should ride an electric bike.

Things bolted on to make a bike electric

The components that make an electric bike different to the traditional bike are:

• The motor in the crank or front / rear wheel
• A speed control system on the handlebar
• A battery in the frame or above the rear wheel
• A sensor in the crank to detect your cadence and pressure on the pedal
• Better brakes, which are linked to the speed controller to cut the motor out when you brake.

With these components you get the pedal assist function that the electronics give to push you along and making riding easier.

How an electric bike works

Sat on the saddle you will use the higher leg to push off from a standing start:

1. The sensor in the crank will send a message to the control system
2. The control system will have been told how much power to add due to the setting you have inputted on the speed control switch
3. The motor will respond, and add the power you told it to to the crank or rear motor. You will pull away
4. Off you pop, enjoy the ride!

If you like what you read or are intrigued as to what all the fuss is about, check out our E-Bike Range here at E-Bikes Direct. Or, if you can’t justify spending, lets be frank, a fair bit of money on an Electric Bike, why not dust off the old steed and give it a new lease of life with one of our conversion kits? (At a very reasonable price!)