Can electric bikes get wet?
There are so many types of electric bike from purpose-built e-bikes to home-made conversion kits people buy and fit themselves. As with many things in life, all bikes aren’t created equally! To answer this question, we will speak on behalf our own range of bikes and of the vast majority you will find in reputable bike shops across the world. The short answer to the question is Yes!
Electric Avenue Bikes are made using water resistant connecters throughout the bike, even in hidden places where the controller is housed. We have done this to ensure bikes are equipped to cope with the damp/rainy climate we have here in Ireland. However, we advise not to use a power hose on your bike as the high pressure can get into places it shouldn’t and cause electrical gremlins! When washing your bike, we recommend getting a good bike cleaning product from the likes of Muc-Off. Rinse the bike with a moderate garden hose setting making sure not to soak the battery and electrical compartments, gently agitate the cleaner in with a brush and then rinse off. Once you stick to these measures you can be safe in the knowledge that our bike is more than capable of dealing with anything the Irish weather can throw at it.
Can electric bikes go up steep hills?
One of the main reasons for an eBike purchase is to help with climbing hills, facing headwinds and tackling longer commutes. Before we look at this question, we need to define a steep hill. Most cycling groups will define a gradient of 6% as being steep with up to 10% being deemed very steep and only something to be undertaken for shorter bursts.
The good news is that electric bikes are well equipped to help you climb a steep hill base on these figures. For example, the electric avenue C3 has a Bafang Max M400 motor which provides an impressive 80Nm of torque which will enable you climb hills on your commute with relative ease.
Tips:
When climbing a hill on an eBike it’s important to use your gears as you would on a normal bike. So, when going up a hill you change down a gear like you would in a car – you don’t start off on a hill in 3rd gear in your car so don’t do it on a bike 😊 as you increase speed and are cruising nicely then a higher gear is more appropriate for a more comfortable riding experience.
Can electric bikes be used manually?
You might be noticing a trend at this stage? Thankfully the answer is again Yes!
All our range of electric bikes have an LED display on the handlebars. The display and switches allow you to set the assistance to levels between 1 to 5. Level 5 will give you loads of assistance and enables you reach top speed of 25Kph with relative ease and in a short space of time. The down side to level 5 is range, naturally the higher the power used the less range the battery will achieve. Level one provides very little assistance but will allow you get the max range from the battery.
There is then level 0 which is switching the power off altogether. This means you can cycle the bike with no battery power and no assistance. Switching the power to 0 still allows you power the lights and shows the speed you are doing without providing any assistance. If a cyclist is returning to cycling after a period away, we find that they look to switch the power off when not needed as fitness levels gradually increase. You can always pop it back on then to give you that extra little push when facing windy conditions or hilly terrain.
For more help, information or tips drop us a line on the below link and stop by and test out our bikes for yourself.