Buying
How to choose your first ebike
The short version
Decide terrain first, then range, then weight. Motor watts come last, because a 750W motor on the wrong geometry is still the wrong bike.
Start with terrain, not motor watts
The spec sheet leads with motor output because it is the easiest number to make bigger. It is also the number that matters least. A 750W hub motor on a bike whose geometry fights you is a worse purchase than a 500W bike that fits, and riders work that out about three weeks after delivery.
Decide in this order. Each step removes options and makes the next one easier:
- Terrain – what the majority of your miles look like. Pavement, gravel, singletrack, or a mix you are honest about.
- Range – your longest realistic round trip, plus a 30% buffer for cold weather and a headwind.
- Weight and carry – stairs, apartment lifts, transit, and whether you need to lift it onto a rack.
- Motor and battery – which now follows from the three above rather than leading them.
- Serviceability – whether parts exist, and whether a local shop will touch it.
The honest version
If 90% of your riding is a flat commute under eight miles each way, you do not need a dual-battery fat tire bike. You need a light commuter with good lights and a rack. That configuration is cheaper, faster and easier to live with.
Range: what the number really means
Published range is a laboratory figure – flat ground, moderate assist, a 165lb rider, mild weather. It is useful for comparison and useless as a promise. Four variables move it, and they compound:
| Variable | Typical effect |
|---|---|
| Rider weight, each 30lb over test weight | -6 to -10% |
| Sustained climbing | -15 to -25% |
| Below 40F (pack capacity drops) | -10 to -20% |
| Full-throttle, no pedalling | -25 to -35% |
| Tire pressure 15psi below spec | -5 to -8% |
| Eco assist instead of sport | +20 to +30% |
So a bike advertised at 45 miles is a genuine 45 in ideal conditions, roughly 32 with a heavy rider climbing, and about 24 in January with the throttle pinned. None of that is deception – it is physics. Buy for your worst realistic day, not your best one.
Geometry is what you will notice daily
You notice geometry every single ride and motor output almost never. Three measurements do most of the work:
- Standover height – clearance to the top tube. Aim for roughly an inch on a commuter, two on a trail bike. This is the number that decides whether a bike feels safe at a stoplight.
- Reach – saddle to bars. Too long and your hands go numb on a 20 minute ride; too short and you climb inefficiently.
- Wheelbase – long is stable at speed and awkward in a hallway. Short is nimble in traffic and twitchy downhill.
If you are between sizes: size down for a commuter you will thread through traffic, size up for a trail bike where stability at speed matters more than flicking it around.
Hub versus mid-drive, and why 750W is not always faster
A hub motor sits in the wheel and pushes the whole bike. It is cheaper, needs less maintenance, and works well on flat and rolling terrain. A mid-drive drives through your gears, so it can multiply torque at the crank – which is why a 500W mid-drive outclimbs a 750W hub on a steep pitch.
| Hub motor | Mid-drive | |
|---|---|---|
| Best terrain | Flat, rolling, city | Steep climbs, technical trail |
| Climbing | Adequate, struggles above 15% grade | Strong, uses the cassette |
| Maintenance | Simpler, no drivetrain wear | Wears chain and cassette faster |
| Weight balance | Rear-biased | Central, feels more natural |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
Torque, measured in newton-metres, predicts climbing better than watts does. Ask for it, and be suspicious of a listing that quotes only peak watts.
What we would pick
Three starting points: commuter-one-500 · ridgeline-750-trail · metro-compact-fold
Still unsure?
Tell us your commute distance, your terrain, your weight and whether you have stairs at either end. We will narrow it to two options and explain the trade-off.