How to Size an Ebike

Sizing an electric bike is a bit difficult! Making sure you are having the perfect bike for your body proportions can seem like one of the most tricky things to do when you are supposed to purchase a bike online.
 
Inappropriately sized bikes can bring about discomfort, injury, and inconvenience too. The appalling part about riding an E-bike that’s the wrong size is that it’s not just fun anymore, as it is your big investment.
 
Perceiving the correct Electric Bike size before buying is the prominent way to make sure of the performance, longer use, and overall satisfaction. However, throughout the article below, you’ll be up to know how to correctly size an E-bike.
 
So, without any further ado, let’s move into the main discussion.

What Are You Using The Bike For

Before sizing your electric bike, you have to ask yourself several questions like, are you a regular mountain biker or just a commute biker? Do you want a straight-up or aggressive ride? Why should you ask these questions to yourself? Well, road bikes, mountain bikes, and hybrid bikes are all sized in different ways. That’s why, before kick-off trying to size the bike, make sure you know what your main use will be.

How to Size an Ebike (Step-By-Step Guideline)

You already know what is the main purpose of using the electric bike, you can now easily size your bike by following the below instructions.

1. Frame Size

It is one of the most crucial parts of bike sizing. This is because, once you set the frame size, you can’t turn it back from there. How to find the right frame size? This question may come to your mind, right?
 
There are several ways that you can apply to find the correct size frame. The initial way is to determine your inseam, which can be done in a couple of ways. But, the simplest way is to take a notebook first. Once you have your notebook, stand against a wall. After that, keep the notebook in between your upper thighs that the book is a bike seat & you are sitting on it. Now ask someone to calculate the length from the floor to the notebook in inches.
 
As you already know the inseam size, go for the frame size that will be perfect for you. You can check out the sizing chart below to have better ideas.

Road Bike Sizing:

Mountain Bike Sizing:

2. Handlebar

The size of the handlebar is not fixed. It is because, in a different situation, you may need different flexibility. You may desire to have a little angle at the elbow during the rugged road cross, and you may not want the same thing on unwrinkled roads. Because of that, it is a better idea to add 2 inches (5.08 centimeters) of spacers under the steerer tube so that you’ll be up to move and use that depending on your need.

3. Seat Height

Before adjusting the seat height, keep in mind that it should be in a way that you can slightly bend your knee at the pedal’s lowest base stroke. To calculate it, wear shoes (that you’ll use during a bicycle ride) and pedal with your feet.  Fix attention on your belly if it is shaking while you are pedaling. Measure the intervals of the seat’s top and bottle bracket. That will be your perfect seat height. Bear in mind that the result should be the closest measurement of your inseam that will be multiplied by 0.883.

4. Gear Placement

The gear should be placed in a way that the maximum power transfers from your feet while peddling. It is a good idea to focus while changing gear after the first couple of rides. Then you can find out if the gear placement is right or wrong.

Are Short People Better At Bike Riding than Tall People? 

There is no definite size of good bikers. Your height doesn’t play any role in how well you’ll ride your electric bike. But, it is true that comparatively taller people get some benefits in handling the bike on rough terrains, everything else will be the same for both short person and tall person. To get a better advantage in handling, a person with less height can use electric bikes made for short person.

Tips for Buying the Best Electric Bike

Here, we have demonstrated what things you should take into account while choosing the best electric bike. Hopefully, these will help you figure out the right bike for you.

1. Consider You Need

E-bikes are designed for different purposes for different people. It completely relies on you to decide what features are essential. If you consider comfort first, then go for the step-through frame that may be the best. For hill climbing, you can pick one with a middle motor system or high torque hub motor. On the other hand, if you would like to purchase a bike for long-distance riding, a battery of 400W is the best choice. Comprehending your personal requirements will help you select what features matter most on your e-bike.

2. Choose Your Retailer Wisely

From where you should actually purchase your electric bike? When you go to a shop to purchase your bike, judge the place on three different points: quality, commitment, and vibe. The vibe is the feeling that you get when you walk into the shop. The salesperson of the store is the staff, helpful and knowledgeable. Commitment indicates the shop’s visible enthusiasm for e-bikes. Do they have a huge number of bikes or just a few stuck in the shop? Quality means the bike types that they sell. If those bikes are products of renewed brand or not.

3. Test Ride Several Bikes

The most important part of purchasing an e-bike is test riding. After trying testing the electric bike, ask yourself a couple of questions like, Do I love it? Does the bike fit me properly? Does it have the quality that I have been looking for? If the answer to all the questions is Yes, then go for it.  

4. The Warranty Matters

As we said earlier, buying an e-bike is a massive investment regardless of whether it is $1000 to $15000. If the bike you are going to purchase has a warranty, you can be assured that your investment is obviously worth it.  Getting a minimum of 2 years warranty on parts, motor, and battery is reasonable to expect from the maximum e-bike manufacturers.

What type of bike do I need?

If you primarily do off-road riding, you'll want a step-over bike with a larger frame, bigger tires, and more standover clearance. This will give you more stability and control when riding over rough terrain. If you primarily do road riding, you might consider a smaller frame size to keep weight down. However, you still need to make sure you have enough standing clearance so you can get on and off the bike safely.

Final Thought

So it was all about how to size an electric bike. Sizing an electric bike is inevitable to get a comfortable ride; otherwise, it will bring back pain, injury, and discomfort as well. In the above,  we have shown what things you should consider while sizing a bike and how to measure frame, seat height, and handlebar as well. Hopefully, you will be benefited after reading the context. It has also been mentioned how to choose a perfect electric bike from the retailer.