What style of e-bike is right for you?

Folding e-bikes are popping up more and more on city streets and are becoming much more affordable as technology advances. The bike above is an example of a modern folding e-bike. It's the Fiido X Folding E-Bike with Torque Sensor and is on sale until the end of January 2023 for $1,599. This is what it looks like folded.

The convenience of being able to origami your bike down to store under your desk at work, in a corner in your apartment or grab the seat and carry it onto a bus or a train for part of a commute is undeniable.

They're also popular with RV'ers and weekend trippers as they can be tucked into cargo holds and car trunks for travel.

Folding e-bikes have smaller wheels that "normal" bikes. Most have 20" wheels but some are as small as 14". The smaller the wheels, the smaller the folded package can be. There are some models with full size wheels however they're obviously not going to be as compact when folded. One thing to note - the larger the wheels, the smoother the ride as larger wheels roll over bumps and holes more easily.

The majority of folding e-bikes use hub-drive motors instead of the mid-drive motor setups found on most other e-bikes. There are a couple of reasons for this. The main one is that they are smaller and lighter than mid-drive motors and provide some design flexibility as they can be put on either the front or rear wheel. Bear in mind that hub motors do make the ride feel a bit different, particularly if they are on the front wheel due to the weight.

Most folding e-bikes are Class 1 or Class 2 so they are limited to a maximum speed of 20 miles per hour with the motor engaged. To facilitate the 28mph Class 3 requirement, larger motors and batteries are required which works against the key size and weight benefits of folding bikes.

Road e-bikes are designed for, well, road use. This style is very popular with those who use them as transportation in and around cities to commute to and from work or school or just to get around as well as serious road riders who like to cover long distances with occasional help from a pedal assist motor.

Generally built for speed, road e-bikes are available in all classes depending on your needs and budget. Tyres are generally thinner than other styles of e-bikes as they are designed exclusively for road use so if you think that you may want to get off the pavement, a road e-bike might not be the best choice for you.

Road e-bikes are available in a wide range of specifications varying by top speed, motor size and type, battery size and capacity and number of gears available. Some have numerous gears like you find on most modern "regular" bicycles and others just a single gear.

The Propella 9S Pro pictured above for example has 9 gears and 5 pedal assist levels and a top speed of 20mph / 32kph making it Class 1 electric bike (current you can get $50 off all bikes on the Propella website just by subscribing to their newsletter. This 9S Pro is already $100 off, with the extra $50 discount you can get this $1700 e-bike for $1,549)

Mountain e-bikes offer the most flexibility as most are designed for use on all terrains. With wider tires than dedicated road e-bikes, they are good for use on paved road surfaces but are also capable of getting off road and onto gravel and trails.

With options available from all e-bike classes, there is a model to suit most everyone.

This category is broad and close attention should be paid to the specifications of different models when making comparisons. Some mountain e-bikes provide a good compromise between on and off road, capable on both but not ideal for either. Others are designed predominantly for specialized off road use like the Vtuvia SN100 shown above (currently $1,599, a $200 discount) which has been designed with hunters in mind.

There are a number of factors that vary from one model to the next in addition to which class they fit into. The number of gears, motor type and power, tyre size, suspension for the front wheel, both wheels or no suspension....

Overall, a mountail style of e-bike (or e-MTN) does provide the most flexibility in terms of how you can use or where you can ride your e-bike. If you want the ability to ride around town but also to get out into the forest or the trail, a version of mountain e-bike might be the best option for you.

Cruiser e-bikes might not be considered as a seperate style by some people but to me they are in a class of their own. Not a good or a bad class, more of a distinct style that they have all of their own.

I describe them as cruisers. They tend to be more comfortable than some other styles with the rider often sitting upright with a straight back and lower than on other e-bikes. There are a few "styles" that fit this description from the Vanpowers Manidae Fat Tire E-bike (currently $400 off at $1,999) shown above that looks like a business casual mountain bike to others that look more like mopeds and everything in between.

Generally these bikes are designed for roads and bike paths - paved or smooth gravel surfaces but not really off road trails. They usually have wider tyres but they are not "knobby" like most mountain bike tyres are.

These e-bikes come with a full range of power options, available from all e-bike classes, some that don't fit into any class offering far more power and higher speeds than any of the e-bike classes would allow for.

Cruiser e-bikes can be used for just about anything making them more of a style choice than one based on use-case.

As the name suggests, cargo e-bikes have characteristics that allow for the transportation of more cargo than other styles.

This may be in the form of a large box or basket on the front like the model pictured above or as extended racks on the front or back of the bike that items can be attached to.

As you may imagine, these e-bikes usually require more powerful motors and larger batteries so can be substantially heavier than other e-bikes.

These bikes are a popular choice for specific uses like grocery shopping, completing deliveries, getting stuff to and from destinations like the beach or for transporting small children or pets.

Many will disagree that there are only 5 style of e-bikes or that there are 5 at all. There is an argument for additional styles including mini, city, commuter, fat tire, utility...... This is just how I break them up for comparison purposes.

Naturally there are overlaps as well. A mountain e-bike or a road e-bike could also be considered to be a cruiser or vice versa. What one person might call a mountain-ebike another might consider to be a road e-bike.

The Fiido M21 Fat Tire Electric Bike with Torque Sensor ($1,299 until the end of January 2023) shown below could be accurately categorized as a folding bike, a fat tire bike and a mountain bike. You can see how it can get confusing.

It's all a bit subjective and different people will have different opinions on style but at the end of the day the e-bike that works for you - that lets you ride where you want to ride, carry what you need to carry, cover the distance you need to travel, is comfortable for and looks good to you - is all that matters.