Assist ebike:  an in-depth guide on electric bikes for beginners

Sometimes a little extra help can bring you a long way! By choosing an electric bicycle you’ll notice that your rides will become easier, less straining and more enjoyable. You can even bring along heavy charges such as passengers and groceries without compromising the flow of your ride! Let’s give a better look at the advantages and disadvantages of city electric bikes…  

Overview on the main advantages and drawbacks of an assist ebike

While e-bikes represent a precious asset for daily mobility, there are a few crucial things to keep in mind when using one. Let’s have a look!

✔️ Biking becomes more accessible

Whether you plan on doing it as a sport, as a means of transportation or simply to stroll around- you don’t have to be fit to enjoy it! The powerful boost will help you conserve the energy during the ride. Your mind can be fully focused on driving safely. This feature makes it a terrific option for beginners, parents & even seniors!  

✔️ Say goodbye to your car & public transports

Because biking becomes more accessible to the big public, this also means that it can easily replace the comfort of your car. There’s a vast choice of bikes that can really adapt to your specific needs, lifestyle & budget. Plus the motor assistance will make sure that you won’t sweat even uphill. To improve riding in different weathers, you can also find lots of accessories that will make sure you’ll be as comfy as possible even in extreme weather.  

✖️ Bicycles are often expensive

Ebikes are often expensive but that’s for a reason! The higher cost is well justified by all the materials and work that goes behind the riding assistance. In saying that, there’s a vast range of e-bikes that are more or less affordable depending on your needs. If you’re planning on purchasing an electric bike for daily usage, we strongly advise looking at it rather as an investment. While the cost might be frightening at first, you’ll soon realise that you can save a lot of money. You don’t have to pay for fuel, expensive maintenance and/or monthly subway subscriptions… It’s a long term cost effective solution that is also eco friendly!  

✖️ An assist ebike is heavy!

They can weigh up to 25 kg/55 Ibs (sometimes even more) while a regular bike weighs about 10 kg/22 Ibs. That’s a massive difference to adjust to! It’s important to keep this in mind when thinking about where to store the bike (carrying the bike up the stairs might not be a viable option). Also, when transporting the bike by car it’s important to make sure that the towbar bike rack supports the weight. Luckily, thanks to the pedalling assistance this isn’t really noticeable when cycling. However, it can rarely happen to have to ride without a battery. To resolve this potential issue, we advise purchasing two batteries so that you’ll never have to worry about running out of power.

How does an electric bike work? More on its components & options

An assist ebike amplifies your pedalling power thanks to an electric drive system. There are many different kinds of e-bikes, all of them use an electric motor and battery to power the bike. Most have what’s called a controller or display that lets you choose the amount of power the system provides.

Down below, you’ll find a visual presentation of the main components of an electric cargo bike (while the rear rack is slightly longer than a normal e-bike, it works just the same).

There are two main methods by which power is transferred from the drive system to the bike:

Pedal assist electric bikes, where the rider controls the amount of assistance provided. The boost kicks in only when the pedals are moved, enhancing them. This provides a natural and smooth ride. Electric bikes with throttles, where the rider activates the assistance by twisting the throttle without having to give the first push.

How far can it ride vs. its components

Electric bikes can ride up to a certain distance before losing the assistance. This is defined by the components of the bike you choose as well as the environment (terrain, wind, temperature…) you ride in.

Batteries affect the range of the bike.

The bigger the battery the further or the faster it’ll go. The power is measured in Watt hours (Wh), higher watts = higher capacity. The motor also affects how far the bike can drive, high-quality ones will draw less energy from your battery. The assist mode used also plays a role on the range. For example, eco-mode will give you less power but will bring you further. Boost mode will give you more power but for shorter trips.

If you’d like to read more on motors and which one you should look for in your future bike, we have the article for you: everything you need to know about riding an electric cargo trike! We touch on all the different motor set-ups, tips & tricks for safe rides and everything on electric three-wheels bikes.

Electric assistance plus cargo bikes? That’s the perfect match!

The use of load bikes has increased over the last few years due to their versatility and ability to carry large amounts of weights. An electrically assisted cargo bike is a bicycle with a purpose-built loading capacity. They are used to transport a variety of freight such as passengers, bags, or heavy goods. The bikes come in many different shapes, sizes and can be used for both commercial & recreational purposes. By powering the bike, it’s way easier to carry heavy weights without requiring massive efforts from the rider.

Assist ebike + cargo? The U-Cargo answers to both, this is how!

The U-Cargo is our electric bike made for families that live in the city. This longtail is not much bigger than a regular bike but it can transport plenty more! Thanks to its modular rear cargo space you can carry up to two kids and/or larger freights for a total of 80 kg/ 12st (100 kg/15st total with the front basket)

This assist ebike has:

• a powerful and reliable mid-drive pedal motor. With a torque of 80Nm, it climbs hills effortlessly even when charged. And that’s not all! An Easy-Start manual lever allows you to start the motor without effort. Perfect when doing a hill start!
• comes by default with a 14.5 Ah battery. You can opt for even more power with the 17Ah battery. As we were saying a few sections before, we made sure to allow an extra slot on the bike so that you can carry your second battery directly on the frame! So no worries, you’ll always be good to go.

It comes with three different configurations depending on the needs of the rider. Let’s give it a better look!

U-Cargo Junior

The practical mid range cargo bike, that brings all the basic features of the Lite enhanced by some additional options. 

The rear rack is improved by a protective metal frame to ensure shock-proof rides for your little passengers. Big plus, there are integrated cushions for the kids’ comfort. 

We hope that this in-depth guide has helped you bring some clarity on the vast world of electric assisted bikes and it might have helped you to find the right solution to improve your daily mobility! Happy cycling!