Guides
E-Bike Guides: Range, Buying Advice and Battery Care
Range, batteries, motors and what the law says about e-bikes.
An e-bike changes how you get around: you climb hills without arriving drenched in sweat, ride 6 to 9 miles (10 to 15 km) to work and take on rides you'd never have tried before. But it also brings new questions: how many miles the battery will give you, which motor to choose and how to look after it so it doesn't lose capacity too soon.
These guides answer with numbers. Range isn't a fixed figure: with the same 500 Wh battery you can ride more than twice as far in eco mode on flat ground as in turbo mode in the mountains. We explain what changes it (assist level, weight, grade, wind, cold, tire pressure) and how much each factor counts.
To choose an e-bike, we go through the types (city, trekking, mountain, gravel, folding and cargo), the difference between mid-drive and hub motors, what newton-meters and watt-hours mean, and what to check in the battery. And to make it last, we explain how to charge and store it, especially in summer and winter.
Run your own numbers with the e-bike range calculator and see how much you save compared with driving using the bike vs. car savings calculator. What the law says about e-bike classes, power and speed is in Bike Laws.
Guides on this topic
What Drains an E-Bike Battery: Assist Mode, Hills, Cold and Wind
Assist mode drains the battery more than anything: with 500 Wh on rolling terrain you go from 86 miles in eco to 38 miles in turbo. Wind, climbing and cold come next; weight and tires matter much less.
How to Choose an Electric Bike: Motor, Battery and Type
Pick the type of bike for your rides first, then the motor (a mid-drive with a torque sensor if there are hills; 40-60 Nm for the city, 85 Nm or more for mountain) and last the battery: 400-500 Wh for the city, 625-750 Wh for long rides.
E-Bike Battery Care: How to Charge and Store It So It Lasts Longer
Charge between 32 and 104 °F (0-40 °C), don't fill it to 100% unless you need to (80% is enough), store it at 30-60% between 50 and 68 °F (10-20 °C) when you're not riding, and keep it out of the sun, the heat and full drain-downs.
Mid-Drive vs Hub Motor: Real Differences and Who Each One Is For
Choose a mid-drive motor for long climbs, mountain biking or hauling cargo: the gears multiply its torque and the weight sits in the middle. A hub motor works for flat city riding, weighs less in its lightest versions and barely wears the drivetrain.
Class 3 e-bikes: what they are, where you can ride and when they stop being bikes
A class 3 e-bike is a pedal-assist e-bike whose motor helps up to 28 mph (45 km/h), the US equivalent of a European speed pedelec. In most states it is still a bicycle (no license, plate or insurance), but the model law most states follow sets a minimum age of 16, requires a helmet and a speedometer, and lets local agencies ban class 3 bikes from bike paths.
Save your bike once, use it everywhere
In My Bike you enter your measurements, wheels and drivetrain. From there we give you your tire pressure, saddle height, gearing and chain length, plus a shop sheet you can print.