Electric Bike Breakthrough of Innovative Technology

Choosing a Bike

February 12, 2019

Electric Bike Tech Matters to Us

Electric bike designs are important here at sixthreezero. We definitely do offer electric bikes, and there are a lot of reasons that went into that decision.

Number one biggest reason is the change in transportation in the United States. More people are moving to cities, more people are moving closer to work. There's been a big demand for short-range transportation. Everybody has seen rideshare bikes popping up across the country. You can rent electric scooters and electric bikes in major cities. Of all the modes of transportation in the world, a bicycle or scooters are still the best for five miles or less. There are a lot of reasons for that.

It's simplicity. It's the agility of a bike, the ease of getting around in crowded spaces. The U.S. has been making a big movement to put more bike lanes in cities. It is also building new bike trails and converting old railroad lines to bike paths. There's a big movement in the U.S. to eliminate cars, period. Electric bikes are a great way to do that. Also, from a pollution standpoint, e-bikes are a clean air vehicle. They're not going to emit emissions. They are still going to take someone 20, 30, 40 miles an hour. Getting into the higher speeds would classify it out of a bike, instead as an electric vehicle.

Set Your Speed Limit

When you talk especially about short-range transportation, you don't need to go 50 mph. you might go 20 or 25. The speed limits may only be 20 or 25 for cars. So, an electric bike is a great option. That was a big reason for us: the change in the U.S. Also, the change globally, since things are moving towards these types of transportation. And that is the reason we got into it.

If you've never ridden an electric bike, it's pretty cool. And being in the lifestyle recreational space of bicycles, I rode an e-bike. The first time I rode it I said, "I've gotta make these bikes." These are something awesome, and they're super fun. It's a great mixture of human-powered movement and electric-powered movement.

Kick On the Motor

If you're out, you wanna go for a ride and you're feeling kind of tired, you can kick on the motor. So, it's kind of a "why not" thing. If you're gonna have a bike, why not have a motor? You don't have to use it. You can still power it under your own power, but it gives your bike a little bit more flexibility. If you want to use it for three to five miles and then ride it yourself under your power, go ahead and do that. If you want to take it for 20 miles and not work as hard or sweat on your way to work, let the motor do the work.

So that is a big reason that I believe in the product. I think it's the wave of the future, and I think everyone that gets on one will agree. Over time as they get into the culture more here, prices will start to come down. That will make them more affordable for everyone.

Electric bikes differ from the other bikes on our site for one obvious reason, which is they have motors. With that said, though, electric bikes don't otherwise differ from the other bikes we have on our site. Our philosophy around e-bikes has been to take your typical bikes and to put motors on them.

So, you're still going to get the same features and benefits of the particular bike category you may like. But, you're going to have a motor on it. That is going to give you the ability to go faster, pedal with more ease. You can go longer distances without having to work as hard.

Electric Bike vs Non-Electric Bike Versions of the Same Model

As an example. Two of our electric bikes are available in electric versions: the EVRYjourney and Around the Block. Now, we also have those in non-electric versions. So, there's nothing different about those two bikes except for the motor. I take that back. There is one difference between those two bikes besides the motor. That is the braking system.

Any bike type can have a motor on it. There might be some minor refinements or adjustments that need to happen to the frame. Then some more with how you place the motor, and then the wiring. There is quite a bit of wiring that goes through the tubing, into the battery, to the motor. Also, to your display and your throttles on the handlebars. But other than that, you can compare our EVRYjourney non-electric to electric. It is almost an identical bike, identical frame. Same thing on the Around the Block. It's the identical bike, identical frame. So, we've got one kind of comfort hybrid, non-electric and electric. We've got another cruiser bike, non-electric and electric. Almost identical bike.

Heavy Duty Braking System

There is another distinguishing characteristic between recreational and electric bikes. That is the braking system. We are using disc brakes on our electric bikes. That compares to using caliper brakes with brake pads on our normal bikes. And there's an important reason for that, which is safety. You're talking about hitting speeds of 20, 25, 30 miles an hour on an electric bike. You want to have the best braking system on that bike to ensure that you can stop as quick as possible. And so, the disc brake is the best option for that. That's a big difference. The Around the Block non-electric and electric differs with the disc brakes. And the same with the EVRYjourney.

The other thing too is to focus on the motor, the motor is the big difference. Looking at the motors, we currently offer two different sizes: 250-watt, and a 500-watt. A 500-watt motor is gonna be able to take you, without pedaling at all, at speeds around 20 miles an hour. The 250-watt would take you around 15 or 16 miles an hour. Now, that's without providing any pedal assistance to the motor. If you pedal assist the motor, you'd be able to get up to 25 miles an hour, if not more, on the 500-watt. Also, about 20 miles an hour or so on the 250-watt by pedal assist.

On or Off: The Choice is Yours

That's a big difference on the non-electric. When you pedal, there's no motor that's going to kick in. On the electric, when you pedal that motor can kick in if you decide to let it kick in. Or you can not pedal at all. What a big difference between our other bikes, where you have to pedal. You can also click the thumb throttle, and the bike will take off.

When you look at other companies, you see that they have designed specific frames for an electric bike. But, an electric bike doesn't have to look like anything specific. There's no frame, there are no distinguishing characteristics. There's nothing that makes it an electric bike. It's only the motor.

So, some other brands are creating models that are specific. We're trying to do more of an integrative approach. That is where we're saying, "hey, we're a transportation mobility company. We love bikes and we think our bike frames are great already. Let's put motors on them, add an extra feature, and make it more fun for the rider."

We Love to Help with Electric Bikes

sixthreezero can definitely help someone looking for an electric bike. We can best help any rider in the lifestyle recreational space looking for an electric bike. There are a lot of electric bike options popping up now, and the price ranges vary. You see some as low as $500, you see some getting up to as much as $12,000.

Here at sixthreezero, we are good at identifying the recreational lifestyle riders. Not the riders that are riding 100-plus miles a day. Somebody that's looking more for exercise or having fun. We understand those needs. We're good at identifying and balancing price with those other needs. Needs like comfort, riding terrains, riding types, and riding environments.

We would want to know how you want to use the bike. We could recommend different motor sizes or different types of bikes. When you look at other electric bike companies, it's going to be harder to distinguish what all the different motor sizes mean. What all the different bike sizes mean.

Do You Need an Electric Bike?

So we can be a great resource to help sift that through. We help you identify, number one: do you need an electric bike? Because not everyone needs it. And for the cost, you wanna be certain that it's going to be something you're going to maximize. If every ride you're going to do is under a mile or two, I wouldn't recommend spending the money on an electric bike. That is, unless you want to do it for fun and you're okay only riding a mile or two. Now, if you're riding a mile or two and it's straight uphill, an electric bike is right.

What we can do here at sixthreezero is get into those needs and those uses. We help people understand why one motor type would be better than another. Or how many watt-hours you need in your battery for your ride cases.

Otherwise, you may end up spending too much money. Let's say, a 750-watt motor that goes 30 miles an hour, and you don't feel comfortable going that fast. So, especially in the electric bike market right now, it's very unknown.

There are a lot of different things coming into it right now, as it's a growing industry. We can help someone decipher all the technologies products to funnel it down to what's right for them.

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