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Best Value Electric Bike

Francis Baldwin
  Sep 27, 2023 8:40 PM

The best affordable electric bikes provide many of the benefits of premium electric bikes without breaking the bank. These bikes have power-assisted pedals that allow you to travel further and climb steeper terrain with less effort. They're perfect for anyone who need a cheap mode of transportation but still want a bit more exercise and range than even the best electric scooters offer.
 


OVERVIEW

However, many low-priced electric bikes are not well-made or feature inferior components. Because of this, we researched and rode a wide range of affordable electric bikes to narrow it down to the top picks.
Our only complaint is that many inexpensive electric bikes don't come with built-in lights, so you'll need to invest in a high-quality pair of bike lights if you plan on riding at night. Before hitting the road on your bike, you need also make sure to purchase a high-quality helmet.

Here are the greatest electric bikes you can buy without breaking the bank.
 


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Last update on 2023-09-27 / Affiliate links / Images, Product Titles, and Product Highlights from Amazon Product Advertising API


BUYING GUIDE

How to choose the best budget electric bike

 

When compared to some of the best electric bikes that cost upwards of $1,500, you're going to have to make some compromises when buying a budget electric bike.

Motor

Pedal-assist Both cadence and torque sensors can be found in the motors of electric bikes. Unlike a torque sensor, which measures an increase in force on the crankshaft, a cadence sensor simply detects when the crankshaft is moving. Cadence sensors are less expensive — and hence are utilized on the majority of inexpensive electric bikes — but they're also less responsive than torque sensors. As a result, it may take a revolution or two of the crankshaft before the motor comes in — which can be an issue if you're trying to start a heavy electric bike on a hill.

Lights

Another place where businesses try to save money is in the design of their products. Some electric bicycles may not have built-in lights, making it more difficult for riders to see and be seen in low-light environments. Fortunately, this problem may be solved by purchasing a high-quality set of bike lights. However, this will result in additional costs.

Gears

There is a possibility that there is only one gear on cheaper electric motorcycles. If you live in a region with a lot of hills, this might not be a big deal for anything that already has a motor built in, but it might be if you don't.

Having said that, even a basic model of an electric bike shouldn't be too inexpensive. Look for vehicles that have been constructed nicely, and if you can get a test drive on one of them, that would be ideal.

You should also seek for characteristics that best meet your requirements and preferences. You should give preference to purchasing a smaller and lighter electric bike if you live in a city or have limited room. This will allow you to either fit the bike inside your flat or carry it up a flight of stairs, depending on your situation.

If you reside in the suburbs, you have fewer space limitations to contend with, so you should seek for an electric bike that is able to carry you over greater distances. If you intend to use it to go grocery shopping, you should look for one that has ample space for a rack or basket of some kind.

 

How we test electric bikes

 

We put both the most expensive and the most affordable electric bikes through our battery of tests. It makes no difference to us if an electric bike costs $500 or $5,000; we put each one through the same battery of testing, which of course involves giving it a good amount of use.

During the procedure, we evaluate the overall comfort of the bicycle, including the posture we maintain while riding, the bike's seat, handlebars, and grips, as well as how easy it is to modify everything, particularly the seat.

Although electric bikes typically arrive fully completed out of the box, cheaper models may require further assembly, such as the attachment of a wheel, handlebar, or another component. When this occurs, we evaluate the ease with which the bicycle may be assembled by considering the following questions: how long does it take, how easy are the instructions to follow, what kinds of tools are needed, and are all of the necessary tools included?

We also put it through its paces as an electric bike to see how well it functions. Even while we don't anticipate that entry-level electric bikes will have the same level of performance as more expensive models, we still anticipate that riding one will be pleasurable. To this aim, we ride the bicycles up hills to determine how much assistance their electric motors offer and how quickly they respond when we begin pedaling; lower-quality models will take longer to engage, which results in more challenging beginnings while going uphill.

The electric bike's battery is yet another essential component of the device. Batteries that are larger provide you the ability to ride further on a single charge and require you to charge your bike for a shorter amount of time. During the process of putting an electric bike through its paces, we observe how soon the battery dies under a variety of riding situations. In order to determine the extent of the influence on the battery, we put this to the test utilizing the pedal assist and, when it's available, the throttle.

Last but not least, in order to evaluate the bike's grade, we take into account its price as well as any additional amenities that come standard with it, such as a huge display, built-in lights, or disc brakes, for example.

 

HOW TO OPt FOR AN ELECTRIC BIKE WITHIN YOUR PRICE RANGE

 

The manufacturer of the electric bike may have been forced to make concessions in terms of the bike's specifications or the electrical components in order to build and sell an affordable electric bike. There are going to be some concessions that you might be willing to make, but there are also going to be some concessions that might restrict how beneficial the e-bike will be for you. Because of this, it's important to evaluate what's absolutely necessary for you and what you can do without.

Here are some things to think about while selecting the most suitable low-cost electric bike for your requirements:

 

How are budget electric bikes made less expensive?

 

Motors and batteries are typically the most expensive components of an electric bicycle. While the motor on a cheap electric bike might be the cheapest part, the battery is typically where you can cut costs.

In other words, you can't compare the range of a cheap electric bike to that of a more expensive one. Plenty for brief rides, however you can run into range issues if you want to go further. The typical range of an electric bike is 20-60 miles, depending on the battery capacity, which is between 300Wh and 700Wh.

Range will be proportional to your level of fitness. You'll get a lot further if you're able to exert enough effort to keep moving yourself rather than relying on the motor to propel you. This is especially true if you live in the United Kingdom, Europe, or Australia, where the legislation mandates that the motor shut off at speeds beyond 15 miles per hour (25 kilometers per hour), so preventing the battery from being depleted.

Depending on the class of e-bike, the corresponding speed in the United States can reach up to 28 miles per hour, which is more challenging to achieve by pedal force alone.

 

What is torque and how much do I need?

 

Since the power output of most electric bikes is capped at roughly 250 watts, the torque number is the most important indicator of how much assistance you may expect. How much maximum torque the electric bike motor can produce.

Low-powered hybrid bikes and some electric road bikes, where it is expected that the rider will be providing most of the impetus, typically have torque outputs of around 40 Newton-meters (Nm).

Torque outputs in the middle range, between 50Nm and 70Nm, are typical with straight bar hybrid electric motorcycles.

Assisting the rider up steep inclines is a key function of many electric mountain bikes, thus their motors often have a higher torque of 80Nm to 100Nm.

 

How many assistance levels do I need?

 

Most electric bikes will offer at least three assistance levels. That's enough for the majority of riding; switch between the levels and you can get more assistance for hills but conserve battery life when you're riding on the flat.

Some electric bikes offer more levels than this, sometimes up to five, but in our experience they don't offer any useful additional capability over three options.

All electric bikes can be ridden unassisted too. Often, there's minimal extra resistance from the motor when it's not working, so you'll save battery life and, at least on the flat, the e-bike won't be any harder to ride than a pedal-only bike.

 

What else might I sacrifice in a budget electric bike?

 

Standard bicycle components found on a low-cost electric bike may have a lower spec than those found on a higher-end model, in addition to the battery.

This is most obviously seen in the range of gears available; while a high-end electric bike might have 11 or 12 cogs, a more modestly priced one might make do with a lower-quality groupset that only has 7 or 8 cogs. That isn't necessarily a problem, as a 7- or 8-speed groupset may provide the same range as a higher-spec choice, albeit with slightly bigger jumps between gears.

High-end electric bicycles typically feature hydraulic disc brakes, demonstrating the importance placed on braking. It's possible that a cheaper electric bike will just have mechanical disc brakes, which are less effective than hydraulics. Due to the heavier frame and faster acceleration of an electric bike, stopping distances may increase.

Depending on your needs, a higher-end electric bike may come with extras like lights, mudguards, and a rear rack that a cheaper model lacks.


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