Taking Your EBike to the Limit

So you’ve finally made the leap and purchased an electric bike, but instead of seeing the world, you keep seeing the “Empty” indicator on the battery meter. What's the deal?

The Battery Power

The battery uses its power from electricity, yet how much is used depends on many different things. There is the resistance that any bicycle will feel when cruising on the street, and the friction is a force. Your rubber tires grip the street fairly well, and this is what brings about the resistance to moving faster. Fully inflated tires encounter less rolling resistance than tires which are only partially inflated and soft. Never leave your home without checking the tire pressure. Putting more air than the tire can handle is dangerous.

Don't Overinflate!!

Over-inflation can cause blowouts or other tire damage. The tire should read "only inflate to 50-60psi" and that is what you should pay attention to when filling up your tires. Pounds per square inch means that you are putting a certain amount of pounds of pressure on every square inch of the tire wall.

It may not be possible to generate enough pressure with a hand-operated bicycle pump to fully inflate your tires, especially if it is a bargain basement brand. The alternatives for self-inflation are a foot-operated pump, which uses leg power to develop higher pressure, or an electric inflation pump, which plugs into either an ac outlet or a car’s 12-volt accessory outlet. Bring your quarters if you are going to a filling station for some air, as they will charge your two to four quarters for the pressure that you need. Always ask an attendant first since you may be able to get it for free. You always have to be careful when utilizing a pump at a gas station. They do not have properly functioning pressure gauges so you may end up blowing a tire without thinking that anything is wrong. They were not made for folding bike tires at all, so beware.

In addition to the rolling friction discussed above, ebikes and their riders are subject to air resistance, which is caused by friction with the molecules of the air in the atmosphere, which, hopefully, is present wherever you are. Unlike rolling resistance, which tends to increase in proportion with your speed, air resistance increases faster as your speed increases, so that there can be four times as much air resistance at 30 mph as there is at 15 mph. You have to take all of this, plus more when looking at extending the range of your electric cycle. Make sure that you find the finest middle-ground with regards to your speed, and that you keep your tires inflated to the recommended pressure setting, and you should make a large discount on how much electric energy that you use.

If you have read everything listed in this article, you will have the best performing electric bike available, right under you! You don't have to worry about the range that you are getting with the bike if you paid attention. Have fun with your alternative transportation!