Read These Safety Tips Before Riding Your New E-bike

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It is estimated that one million e-bikes were sold in the United States in 2023, and the holidays have no doubt brought an army of excited new riders to the fold. If you are, congratulations on your new ride and hobby! But please read this before riding off into the sunset. E-bikes are faster and heavier than normal bikes, making them more dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. The following tips will decrease your chances of breaking your silly neck on your new ride.

If you didn’t get an e-bike this year for Christmas, show Santa you can take care of yourself by buying one of these awesome e-bikes.

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Before you go on your first run

Read the manual

Don’t take your first cruise around the neighborhood until you’ve read the manual. Most e-bike controls are easy to understand, but some have unusual quirks, and it’s best to learn about them. at first you are on the way.

Wear a helmet

The benefit of wearing a helmet in preventing serious head injuries during bicycle accidents is obvious, but it is even more important to protect your brain if you are riding in an unfamiliar motorized vehicle. All helmets are not the same, so make sure yours is solid, comfortable and fits well. While any helmet is better than no helmet, the best solution is a helmet designed for faster e-bike speeds.

Wear the right shoes

When it comes to safety, your shoes aren’t as important as your helmet, but they still matter. You can get a pair of stiff-soled shoes specifically made for cycling, but for casual riding, you can get away with a pair of tennis shoes, as long as they fit well enough to stay on your feet and don’t have anything. that goes around the pedals or chain – look at the laces. Never ride barefoot, in flip-flops, or in sandals. If you’re more serious, a decent pair of mountain bike shoes and some good pedals will keep your feet in place while you ride.

Wear brightly colored clothes

Wear brightly colored clothing to be as visible as possible to drivers and other cyclists. Make sure nothing you have on can get tangled in the pedals or the chain. Bike shorts aren’t mandatory, but they do a lot to keep your bum from getting hurt.

Install a mirror

I confess, I hate bike mirrors, but I recognize the wisdom of not having to take my eyes off the road to look behind me.

Check your trip

Before you go out, check the following on your bike:

1. Tire pressure: Read the manual for proper PSI and pump ’em up. A decent pump with a pressure gauge is mandatory.

2. Battery stability: Many e-bikes have removable batteries. Make sure they are seated correctly and stuck in place.

3. Nuts and bolts: Before riding a new bike, check that everything is secured together. This is especially important if you bought it in a chain store, where it was probably assembled by someone without special knowledge about bicycles, but also check if your new bicycle came from a bicycle shop or came pre – built You never know. Make sure the handlebars are firmly in place, the brake rotors are seated correctly, the pedals are screwed in all the way, and the saddle is secured at the correct height.

4. Check the brakes: Roll your bike forward and squeeze each brake lever to make sure they are on point.

5. Check the front wheel: Most bikes have easily removable front wheels, useful, but they can look good at a casual glance, even if they are not properly seated. So get in there and give it a close inspection, and make sure the release skewer is tight enough while you’re at it.

6. Drop test: If all seems well with your new ride, give it one more try: lift it six inches or more off the ground and drop it. There should be no rattles or alarming bangs, and nothing should shake.

Visit your local bike shop for an inspection

If you have any doubt about the assembly of your new bike (or your own ability to know if your bike is assembled correctly) take it to your local bike shop and ask them to look at it.

Find and use the speed limiter

It is usually not advertised, but most e-bikes allow users to override the maximum speed to set their own speed limit. Until you know what you are doing, it makes sense to mark a notch. Changing the speed limit on some e-bikes can be done in 30 seconds with an iPhone app, but for some bikes, it’s quite a complex operation, so check the manufacturer’s manual or website for instructions.

Plan your route

Before you go on your first trip, plan where you’re going. Stick to bike paths or roads with very few cars until you know what you’re doing. Don’t be like me on my first e-bike ride and end up having to make a left onto a busy five-way LA intersection on a bike I could barely control. Also: Take a longer route than you think you need: Riding an electric bike is stupid fun, and you’ll probably end up going further than you planned.

Tips for staying safe on your first electric bike ride

Now that you’ve done your pre-ride inspection and planned a route, here are some things along the way to keep in mind.

Practice in a parking lot

Before you hit the road or bike path on your first electric bike ride, practice in an empty parking lot or other open, soft place. It takes a while to get used to riding a motorized bike, so start with no obstacles around, do some laps, test the brakes and play around until you feel ready to hit a bike lane.

I pushed him without power

Whenever I ride a new bike, I pedal it a bit without assistance to get a feel for the weight and handling without the added torque. Then, I step through the assistance levels and gears to get an idea of ​​how it will perform on the road.

Respect the throttle

If your new e-bike comes with an accelerator, don’t use it until you feel a little comfortable with the pedal assist. And when you do, take it gradually. Accelerators can provide a “discount” of power that can be alarming and result in a crash.

Start slowly

Once you are out on the bike path, start slowly; increase your speed only when you are confident and comfortable. Part of what makes e-bikes uniquely dangerous is that riders don’t need to “earn” their speed. If you are moving at 28 mph on a normal bicycle, it is because you have driven one your, and successfully controlled yourself at lower speeds before (or made a bad decision at the top of a hill). E-bikes don’t have that learning curve. A class 3 e-bike can reach 28 mph without much effort, and an untrained rider going nearly 30 mph without proper respect for their speed is a recipe for disaster.

Watch your weight

E-bikes are a lot heavier than analog bikes. Not only do they make mounting and dismounting more difficult, but they also add momentum and change the way you handle them. Be aware of this and don’t take risks or try to ride your new heavy bike like an Italian road bike.

Watch out for the brakes

Because e-bikes are heavier and faster than analog bikes, almost all of them require disc brakes. These are far superior to the caliper or coaster brakes of older bikes, but take some getting used to. Remember to brake earlier than you would on a non-electric bike to account for the longer stopping time.

Stay off the sidewalks

Most new riders are loathe to ride on the road – that’s where the cars are, after all – but riding on the pavement is almost always the most dangerous option, even if it can. feel safer. The sidewalks are narrow and full of obstacles. They are more likely to be irregular, there is no set traffic pattern, and no one expects you to be there. Roads, on the other hand, have rules. There are cars here, of course, but if cyclists and drivers follow the rules, no one needs to get hurt.

Know your local bicycle laws

If you are going to ride on roads with traffic, check your local laws and rules regarding cycling. In most places, e-bikes follow the same rules as pedal bikes, but not in all places.