How to ride an Ebike?

If you're new to e-bikes, you might be wondering what you need to know and how to get started. Wonder no more—we’re here to help guide you through the essentials for getting e-biking.
So here's a quick rundown on how to get started! 

First, before you get on the road or track it’s essential you check the following items:

•  That your battery is fully charged, so you can get the most out of your ride. Even if you don’t think you’ll need all your battery’s capacity, it’s always good to have a reserve.
• That your helmet is on and correctly adjusted, making sure that it fits snugly and comfortably
• That you have your essentials – a puncture repair kit and, if it’s going to be a long ride, a water bottle. Make sure everything you need is packed securely into your bag or bike carrier.

Get familiar with your E-Bike!

Our range of Adventuri e-bikes are easy to ride and intuitive to use, but it’s a good idea to get familiar with how to operate e-bikes before going for a ride. We provide detailed manuals for all of our bikes, but here’s a quick rundown on how e-bikes work.
 
1. Look for on/off switch.

To use an e-bike with electrical power, you’ll need to turn it on. The on/off switch is usually located on the handlebar, but sometimes it can be located elsewhere - for example, on or near to the battery.

2. Press the power button to turn it on.

Turn on your bike by holding down the button. The screen above your handlebars should then light up with information about your current battery level, as well as other information you’ll need, such as your speed and distance traveled. Holding this button down again will turn off your e-bike.
 

 3. Find the throttle and brake levers.

Knowing how to get going and bring your bike to a stop is next. E-bikes use conventional bike brakes, so they should be familiar to you. Grab the brake levers and pull them closed to make sure both brakes are operating normally - there should be some resistance and they should not feel loose. Adventuri e-bikes with throttles allow you to operate the motor without pedaling. This makes throttles useful for getting up to speed from stationary. Getting up to speed will help you to feel balanced on the bike. Make sure to work out where your throttle is located and how it operates. The throttle will either be a ‘twist’ type similar to a motorbike or a thumb throttle similar to an electric scooter.
 

 4. Select your pedal-assist level.

Selecting an assistance level is done via the control buttons, either ‘▲’ and ‘▼’ or ‘+’ and ‘-’ symbols are commonly used to indicate increasing and decreasing the assistance level. It’s best when starting out to use a low assistance level so that the bike feels more similar to a regular bike. With an assistance level set, as you pedal you will feel the motor kick in and help you get up to speed. While pedaling you can change assistance levels as desired or use the throttle to override the assistance level. Be aware that the higher the assistance level the quicker you will use up your battery, shortening your assisted riding range.

 5. Learn to synchronize your selected gear and assistance level.

Here’s something that takes a little time to learn. If you’ve previously ridden a regular ‘push’ bike, you’ll know that the higher the gear you’re in, the harder it is to pedal at slow speeds. The same is true for e-bikes, except you now have an electric motor to help you pedal. So a key skill to learn is synchronizing your gear and assistance level. The goal is to set your assistance level and gear so that you have a comfortable pedaling rotation speed and level of exertion. With a regular bike, if you find it hard to pedal, you can change down gears and come to a slower speed. But with an e-bike, rather than change down gears and slow down, you can choose to increase your assistance level to keep your speed while lowering your effort. On the other hand, if you’re finding it too easy to pedal, with your feet rotating too quickly around the crank, you can either select a higher gear, or decrease the assistance level to match your desired effort and speed. It’s a fun skill to learn and once you’ve mastered it you’ll be doing it as you ride without even thinking.

6. Press the power button to turn it off.

Finally, you're done riding, remember to hold the power button down again to turn your e-bike off. E-bikes have an auto-shut off feature that will automatically turn your bike off after several minutes of inactivity. However, we recommend you turn your bike off immediately when not in use - not to save battery, but to prevent you from accidentally moving a pedal or touching the throttle and having your bike motor activate without you on it!

Safety precautions when riding an e-bike 

E-bikes are a fun and easy way to get around town, but they can be tricky to ride if you're used to a regular bike. Here are some tips to ensure you're safe and having fun while riding an e-bike.

1. Start slow.
If it's your first time on an e-bike, it can take time to get used to the extra weight of the bike and the power of the motor. It’s easy to become unbalanced while learning, so be careful when you start riding. We recommend you find a large flat area without any obstacles to give you space to learn. Gradually build up your speed and practice turning and using different power assistance levels. Once you feel comfortable with using the motor and have good control of the bike, you can increase the speed and try out some different environments.

2. Understand your brakes.
Hold on! Before you get going too fast, you’d better work out how to use your brakes. When using electric bikes, you should know how to brake correctly so you can bring your bike to a stop in a controlled manner. Good braking technique for e-biking is essentially the same as for regular bikes, but the extra weight of an e-bike means it’s all the more important to brake correctly.
Each wheel of your e-bike has a brake unit, which corresponds to the two brake levers on your handlebars – one for the front, one for the rear. In most situations, for efficient braking you should grab both brake levers firmly and equally. When you need to stop quickly on roads and other stable surfaces, you can apply more front brake, as the front wheel provides the most stopping force. When you need to brake on unstable surfaces, like dirt or gravel, or if there is a risk of ice, there is a risk of skidding. In these situations, it’s recommended to apply more rear brake to prevent the front wheel from locking up and skidding. It’s also always a good idea to do your braking in a straight line before you get to the corner to prevent skidding on any surface.

3. Always stay alert and be extra cautious around cars.
When riding an electric bike, you should always stay alert to what’s going on around you. For example, it’s all too easy to get caught up in changing a setting on your display and forget to look where you’re going. Equally, you must always be wary of other road users you might hit, and those that might hit you. The extra speed of an e-bike can be great fun, but it must be treated with respect – things can happen very quickly on an e-bike, so stay focused and enjoy the ride safely.

When riding on the road, always be mindful of the danger of cars. Drivers in cars have limited visibility compared to those in bikes and are often distracted or not looking where they’re going – always assume a car might do something unexpected and consider your options to avoid a collision. Car drivers without experience of e-bikes don’t always know the difference in speed you might be traveling at compared to a regular bike and have a habit of pulling out in front of you. Also, remember even a stationary car needs to be treated with caution, car doors can fly open without notice, so it’s always a good idea to leave at least a one metre gap to any parked car.

All Adventuri E-bikes come with integrated lighting that runs from your bike’s battery. These super-efficient and bright LED lights have only a tiny drain on your battery (compared to the motor) – so stay visible, we recommend you ride with your lights on at all times.
We hope you enjoyed this guide to starting your e-biking adventure. Of course, there’s plenty more to learn and you’ll find a lot more detail in our Adventuri E-Bike Guide, which comes with every e-bike purchased through Old Blue.