Don't buy a new e-bike before reading this!

Motor and Power. The motors are either located on the hub on the front or rear wheel, which provides more direct power assistance, or mid-drive near the pedals which provides more even weight distribution. More important than motor location, though, is the power and torque. Motors are rated in watts (W) and Newton meters (Nm). Higher power motors are better for riding in hilly terrain or heavier cargos, while motors with higher torque offer stronger acceleration and performance.

Battery. The range and capacity of your battery is really important if your trips are going to be long or you plan to use assistance most of the ride. Longer range and higher capacity batteries are heavier, but we don't notice the extra weight and believe they are well worth it. The battery's capacity is measured in watt-hours. The higher the watt-hours, the longer a ride before requiring recharge. One subtle but important thing to look for is how and where the battery locks. Ours lock at the top making removal much easier.

Frame Design and Comfort. As noted, some e-bikes fold which will allow you to take them on trips and trails that are not close to home. More important, we believe, is the comfort aspect. In particular when you think about bikes there are traditional diamond frames with a bar from the seat to the front hub, and there are step-through frames. I have always ridden bicycles that were diamond frames, so I thought that is what I would want. But in testing these at the local shop, I definitely preferred the step-through design. One more thing to check out is the weight. Whether you use a bike stand or fold it, there is a big difference between 40 pounds and 70 pounds.

Braking system. Its pretty cool that you can go 20+ mph on an e-bike. It is even cooler when you can come to stop before running into something! Most e-bikes utilize disc brakes, either hydraulic or mechanical. You will find hydraulic brakes on most upper-end e-bikes due to their smooth and efficient braking. Our bikes utilize hydraulic brakes and make a big difference.

Gears and throttle design. Like traditional bicycles, e-bike gears usually have 8-10 speeds. The shift design is similar to traditional bicycles with thumb and finger levers to shift between the gears. The throttles are either thumb lever or wrist throttle, like many motorcycles utilize. Our preference is the thumb lever.

Display and accessories. Most e-bikes have a display which will show you battery consumption and speed. Others will include miles and remaining battery charge. Remember, if your battery fully discharges you aren't stranded…you just have to pedal without any assistance. If you know you have a hill to go up before ending your ride, it might be nice to conserve your battery for that final push! All e-bikes will offer different accessories and features. Choose the ones important to you. We chose ours with cargo frames on the front and back. Julie uses hers to carry our morkie in the front.

Miscellaneous. Tires typically are 2-4″. The larger “fat tires” are great for all-terrain and offer a smooth ride, but the thinner tires are just fine for smoother surfaces. We got 4″ fat tires on ours. Some e-bikes have shock absorbers on both the front and rear, which we highly recommend. Ultimately, the decision on an e-bike may be the price. We like bargains, but we look for the best quality at the best price when we make our decisions on bigger ticket items.

Now that you know the features to look for in your new e-bike, it is time to go test drive them. Like I mentioned, we shopped our local store so we could test-ride them. But, we bought on-line because the price was so much less than at the bike shop.

Let us know what brand and model you buy and how much fun you are having riding them!