Elecson Alpha Electric Bicycle

The electric bike batteries will fully charge from empty in 3 to 6 hours depending on the battery size.

It depends on your riding preference. Some people like throttle because it allows them to cruise along with or without pedaling. Pedal assist adds assist as soon as you start pedaling and people who are used to riding conventional bikes tend to prefer this system.

Absolutely! You decide how much exercise you want to get by adjusting the power assist level on the bike.One strategy is to commute to work with higher assist so you arrive with minimal to no sweat and then use a lower assist when riding home to get more of a workout and unwind from a long day.

Definitely! We have our electric cycle kit range. This can be an economical way to test the “eBike” before you dive in and buy a whole new eBike.

As best as we can determine, e-bikes don’t get stolen with any more frequency than non-electric bikes. That’s most likely because people tend to lock them up better and because a bike thief needs to get a charger and a battery key to make the bike truly saleable.The best ways to protect your bike from theft are:

• Get a high-quality bike lock. Cable locks are way too easy to cut. High-quality u-bolts and folding locks are better.
• If you are parking your bike in your garage, lock your garage. It’s probably the #1 location we’ve seen bikes get stolen from.
• When in public, lock your bike in a visible location.

As one of our customers told us, “E-bikes might be heavy to lift, but they are heavenly to ride.”Electric bikes are typically heavier than regular bikes. But the weight of any bicycle (electrical or non-electrical) is felt the most when climbing hills. The electric-assist on an e-bike makes up for the additional weight many times over. Where weight does matter is if you need to lift the bike. That’s one of the many reasons why e-bikes are favored over electric scooters, which often weigh 150 pounds or more.If you have to climb several flights of stairs to store your bike, we strongly suggest finding a more accessible storage location.

It’s rare and the concept doesn’t work very well. A few models of electric bikes include a feature to recharge the battery, usually while you are braking. In those cases the range of the battery can be extended 5-10%, while adding several hundred dollars to the cost. However, due to the design of the motors that provide regeneration, you’ll often find that the bike is harder to pedal if you are using the bike with the power off.

A lithium-ion e-bike battery that is fully depleted will take 3.5 to 6 hours to recharge. Batteries that still have a partial charge when you start charging will take less. In addition, the last hour or so of a charge is used to “top-off” the cells, and you don’t have to wait for that process to be completed. So some batteries can be 90% charged in 2.5 hours or less.

Yes. And it is easy to switch back and forth. For example, you might want to use the power only when you are going up hills.

It depends on the bike. Some electric bikes sold in North America allow you to operate by simply turning the throttle without pedaling. Europeans have stricter rules, requiring that you pedal – which we support. If you think you’ll get by without pedaling, think again. Even for e-bikes that have a throttle, you’ll need to pedal when going up long, steep hills, although you won’t have to pedal hard. Pedaling is more fun, extends the range of your battery, extends the life of your motor, and extends your own life too.

It’s rare and the concept doesn’t work very well. A few models of electric bikes include a feature to recharge the battery, usually while you are braking. In those cases the range of the battery can be extended 5-10%, while adding several hundred dollars to the cost. However, due to the design of the motors that provide regeneration, you’ll often find that the bike is harder to pedal if you are using the bike with the power off.

A lithium ion ebike battery that is fully depleted will take 3.5 to 6 hours to recharge. Batteries that still have a partial charge when you start charging will take less. In addition, the last hour or so of a charge is used to “top-off” the cells, and you don’t have to wait for that process to be completed. So some batteries can be 90% charged in 2.5 hours or less.

Yes. And it is easy to switch back and forth. For example, you might want to use the power only when you are going up hills..

Look at an e-bike as being composed of two groups of parts – mechanical and electric.

• Mechanical parts are the same parts that you’ll see on non-electric bikes. Servicing mechanical parts can be performed at any bike shop.
• You might find that your bike parts might wear a little faster than on a non-electric bike – especially brake pads, chains, cogs and tires. But that’s because most people put many more miles on their e-bike.
• There is some basic maintenance that you can do on your own, like keeping your tires properly inflated and lubricating your chain. For some basic bike maintenance tips, check out our recommended maintenance videos.
• The electrical parts don’t require any maintenance. If you do run into a problem with an electrical part, you’ll want to go to a shop that has some expertise in servicing e-bikes.
• While not really a maintenance task, you do want to make sure that the battery keeps some charge in it. If you don’t, it might discharge to a point so low that you can’t charge it anymore, thus killing your battery – an expensive mistake to make.

The motor and battery are sufficiently sealed to be protected from the rain. However, we do suggest that if you are carrying your bike on the back of a car and rain is in the forecast, that you place the battery inside the car. Driving 70mph in a downpour with the battery exposed is like pressure-washing your battery. That’s a lot different than riding your bike in the rain.