No, it’s not an instructional course to teach you how to ride an electric bike. Ebike classes are a legal classification that the ebike industry has eagerly taken up in its marketing as a shorthand way to inform you of what electric motor-related features an ebike has and its potential top speed.
Here’s the breakdown so that the next time you’re shopping for an ebike and see all these classifications thrown around, you don’t have yourself a breakdown.
the ebike classes
Class 1: These ebikes are limited to motorized assistance only up to 20 MPH, and you have to be pedaling the bike in order for the electrical motor to kick in and help. Then the motor cuts out. You can still pedal faster, but it’s going to be your leg muscles doing all the work to get you past 20 MPH.
Not every class 1 ebike will hit 20 MPH on electrical assistance. Some top out slightly below, but by law in the US, a class 1 ebike can’t exceed the 20 MPH limit under motorized power.
Class 2: Class 2 ebikes are also limited to a maximum speed of 20 MPH, after which their electric motors cut out. The difference is that a class 2 ebike’s motor can provide electrical power while you’re pedaling or by using a hand throttle when you’re not pedaling.
If you’ve ever pulled up next to a delivery ebike at a stoplight and saw it zip away from you when the light turned green, and its feet weren’t pedaling, it was because they’re using a hand throttle.
I like to use hand throttles to accelerate from a stop. It saves your leg muscles for pedaling the bike once it’s underway, rather than having to repeatedly do the hard work of getting the bike moving from a standstill.
Class 3: Different states have their own takes on whether a class 3 ebike is allowed to have a hand throttle or not. If it does have a hand throttle, it can engage the electric motor only up to 20 MPH when you’re not pedaling.
When you are pedaling, though, the motor will power the bike up to 28 MPH. Class 3 ebikes are fast, and I have no trouble keeping up with (and even passing) automotive traffic in New York City. These ebikes are too fast for riding on the sidewalk (also, don’t ride any bike on the sidewalk in New York, for the love of God), and are too fast for bike lanes.
The post What Are Ebike Classes? Let’s Break It Down. appeared first on VICE.
