Welcome to the Ebike Portal. This website is composed of four sections:

1. A series of introductory articles about ebikes in general
2. A series of “specials” about some specific themes within the world of ebikes
3. In-depth reviews of ebikes
4. News from the ebike world

You can always reach the four sections of the website through the menu above. If you have any questions, contact us.

What is an ebike?

That’s easy to say. By ebike on this website we mean what basically looks like a regular bicycle, but has a motor and a battery (and some other circuitry) mounted on it, to make pedalling much easier, or even completely unnecessary.

Ebikes are more and more widespread in the world. There are millions of ebikes in China; and the number is growing fast in Europe. Other parts of the world, such as the USA and Australia, are slowly catching up.

An ebike can be quite different in different parts of the world. On this website, we will mostly concentrate on European-style ebikes: these can be divided into two categories.

1. Standard ebikes have a 250W motor, and an assisted speed of up to 25 km/h
2. Speed-ebikes (also known as speed pedelecs) have a 350 or 500W motor, and an assisted speed of up to 45 km/h

In Europe, the motor of an electric bike can be activated only if and when the pedals are turning. If and when the pedals stop turning, the motor must be turned off.

A sensor takes care of that. It can pick up whether the pedals are turning or not, and (in some models) also how hard you are pedalling. There is more about pedalling sensors (they are very important) in the linked page.

Batteries are also a very important component of an ebike. Nowadays most electric bikes have lithium-based batteries: they are light, small, and last for a quite a few years if well treated. You’ll learn more about batteries in this page.

The various kinds of ebikes

Just like with normal bicycles, there are many different kinds of ebikes. City, trekking, or even electric mountain bikes.  Each has some slightly different specs; for instance, most electric city bikes have a hub motor, while most e-mtbs use a central motor, which is better for steep climbs.

There are even electric cargo bikes to transport goods and people around.

Main ebike producers

The sector of the ebike is growing very fast, and all the main producers want a piece of the pie. When talking about ebike producers, we have to introduce a main difference:

1. First of all there are the producers of the actual electric components: the motor, the battery, etcetera. The most widespread systems are:
   1. Bosch, with its Active Line, Performance Line, and Performance CX Line
   2. Shimano, with its STEPS range
   3. Brose
   4. Yamaha, with its new PW-X motor
   5. Impulse, with its EVO system
   6. Bafang, with its Max Drive and a whole lot of other central and hub motors
   7. Sunstar
2. Then there are the traditional bicycle producers. These buy the electrical components from the above-mentioned firms, and then mount it on their specially-made bicycles.

In conclusion

There is a whole lot to learn about ebikes, and something new almost every day. Buying an ebike might feel a daunting enterprise, and you may be worried about not choosing the best one for you. Ebikes are not cheap, and it’s important to know what you’re buying. So let’s get started, explore this website and start learning about ebikes for free now! A good starting point would be this page with some general info.