Do You Need a More Powerful eBike?

---

Before we get too far, what do I mean when I say ebike Power? What I am referring to is acceleration and top speed. These days, Ebikes range all over the place in both of these categories. Top Speeds from 15 MPH all the way to 50 or more! And acceleration can be as slow as barely telling it is doing anything up to feeling like it wants to throw you off the bike. Here, we are going to compare entry level low power options to picking something with a little more. We are not talking about extreme options, but should you get a bike with more than the minimum?

Almost every time I see someone reference how more Powerful eBike is, the only spec they reference is the motors advertised power or wattage. This is one of many factors that determine an Ebikes power.

Items to Consider:

• Motor - Continuous vs Peak power, torque, and overall quality (not all our equal).
• Weight - E-bikes can get heavy and this impacts acceleration and top speed.
• Rolling Resistance - Knobby tires? Fat Tires? How hard it is to keep rolling is a factor.
• Controller - This unit plays a huge role in power delivery.
• Battery - How well can it deliver the power needed to go fast?

Obviously, you want to pick a bike that has the right amount of power for you. Diving in to motor, controller, battery, and other specs is probably not going to be the route most people want to take. So, what do you do?

Watch YouTube reviews. As many as you need to so that you feel comfortable with your decision. These reviews allow you to see exactly how the bike performs, accelerates, and what top speed it can reach. It also allows you to get many opinions from different people who have different riding styles.

Acceleration and power are the main items, but I would also pay attention to:

• Acceleration through steep inclines - not all Ebikes handle this well.
• Range - Power is great, but if it is dead after 20 miles, was it worth it?
• Maintain Speed Through Inclines - Some may hit a steep incline at 30 MPH, but slow way down as they cannot maintain their speed.
• Stopped Power - Power responsiveness. Does the thing go right away, or does it have a delay?

A lot of people new to e-bikes hear about more power and instantly associate that with more danger. Depending on how much power it has, you may need to get comfortable with it. But... even most "more powerful" e-bikes don't do anything extreme. You still feel in control, but with a little more zip. 

Now, I mentioned more power being associated with more danger. I actually believe in the opposite, depending on where you are riding your bike. Because, traffic is dangerous. People in cars are often distracted. Many get extremely annoyed if a bike is slowing them down and lose all patience. They swerve around you, cut you off, of fly by almost knocking you off the road. 

This is why I feel so much safer with enough power to accelerate with traffic. Maintain a speed that does not annoy traffic. Or simply be able to move with traffic fast enough that I can get myself out of the way. I feel so much safer riding like this, compared to being stuck, slow, and trapped in the middle of traffic. 

Again, watch videos to get a better understanding of the actual experience and power of each model e-bike. When I talk about more power, it really does not feel like that much more and most people would feel just fine.

That being said, some e-bikes are getting fast. I am testing the Motor Goat V3 and I will say that thing will scare some people. It has some real acceleration and goes about 45 MPH.

But most of the bikes I am suggesting have more, but still modest acceleration and you are in complete control of the top speed even though they are only capable of 32 to 35 MPH most of the time. This includes e-bikes like the Aniioki A8 Pro Max, Ride1Up Revv 1, and Philodo H8. These e-bikes have a little more power, a quicker response time when you hit the throttle, but after a few minutes... you have the hang of it and feel completely comfortable.