Motorized Bicycle Breakthrough and the Edge of Technology

Choosing a Bike

February 12, 2019

Motorized Bicycles: Why We Started Offering Them

Motorized bicycle offerings have improved at sixthreezero over the last year. We now offer two models: the Around the Block and the EVRYJourney in 250 watts and 500-watt sizes. There are other motorized bicycles that have gas tanks. However, that's not something we offer because bicycles should keep our environment clean. We want to be a part of the clean energy efficient vehicles movement. Unfortunately, gas and gas-powered bikes release harmful emissions. Instead, our motorized bikes feature electric-based plugin charging ports.

The society in the U.S. is changing, causing bikes to become a primary mode of transportation. Cities across the country are on a mission to make riding safer in cities, towns and suburban areas. As a result, they have been adding bike lanes and improving bike laws nationally. With this shift happening, it's made sense for sixthreezero to manufacture motorized bicycles. This trend is being adopted at an alarming rate, growing a staggering 50% year after year. People are realizing for commutes under 10 miles, motorized bicycles are great options. And we wanted to be able to supply a need that our customers are demanding.

How Does a Motorized Bicycle Work?

Just like our hybrid bikes offer an easy-to-ride combination of road and mountain bikes, our motorized bikes are like a bicycle mixed with a motorcycle. A battery-powered electronic motor is attached to your back wheel, allowing it to power your bicycle during rides. As motorized versions of our popular beach cruisers and hybrid bikes, these bicycles are accessible and fun to ride even if you don't have much experience.

Our EVRYJourney and Around the Block let you choose the riding mode that's right for you. When you want to get a workout in, you can pedal like any other bike. For uphill aid or a long-distance break, you can turn on the pedal assist to receive motorized help with every pedal. You can also use the throttle to go fully motorized with a top speed of 15 mph for the 250-watt motor and 20 mph for the 500-watt motor.

How Far Can a Motorized Bicycle Go?

Your battery's range depends on many factors. Larger riders and cargo will deplete your charge faster than lighter loads. The more you rely on the engine and the faster you ride, the more battery power you use. Riding conditions also affect your motor, with uphill biking and off-road terrain requiring more power than flat streets.

In general, expect the 500-watt models to have a range of about 20 miles using the motor exclusively, and between 20-40 miles when using the pedal assist. For the 250-watt versions, it's closer to 15 miles when running fully electric and 15-30 miles with the pedal assist.

Are Motorized Bicycles Safe?

These bikes are as safe as a regular bicycle or scooter. Most of the concerns you have should be about the terrain and other vehicles rather than your ebike itself. Keep your speed lower when traveling on uneven ground because you aren't riding trail bikes. You should also watch for car and truck drivers who may not see you.

The pedal assist mode has a top speed of about 25-28 mph depending on whether you have a 250-watt or 500-watt motor. These are speeds you're unlikely to hit on a pedal-only bicycle without a significant downhill slope. You should be aware that obstacles will come at you faster and collisions will have more force at these speeds. We kept these factors in mind when designing our motorized bicycles, so they also feature disc brakes with more stopping power than typical bikes.

What Kind of Gas Does a Motorized Bicycle Take?

Our bikes run on electricity and muscle power, so they don't contribute to environmental pollution by burning gas. When not in use, you can plug the bike in to charge the 250-watt or 500-watt battery. While regular use is healthy for it, avoid running the battery until it goes dead. Not only does this make your bike motor temporarily unusable, it also reduces the effectiveness of the battery once its recharged.

Whenever possible, you should also fully charge the battery between uses. Partially recharging the bike can cause the battery to decrease its capacity during future use.

Choosing A Motorized Bicycle Versus A Normal Bike

Take a look at the non-motorized Around the Block and the motorized version in our line up. The biggest differentiation is the motor and the battery. The other notable difference is the braking system. We're using higher-powered brakes on the motorized bicycle for more suitable safety concerns. And that's because you'll be traveling at higher speeds on the motorized version. Hence, we want to ensure that you're able to stop with all of that extra power.

At sixthreezero we can help people looking for motorized bicycles. The way we do this is by understanding each individual's needs. This includes being on the same page with how far you plan on riding. As well as where you plan on riding and the terrain you plan on tackling. If we can answer those questions, we can steer people in the right direction. This is across all motorized bicycles, we're not only talking about sixthreezero. Based on what you tell us. If we determine that our motorized bicycles are not right for you. Then we can direct you to better-suited options out in the marketplace. I'm happy to recommend someone to a product that would fit their needs if we don't have something right for them. My goal is to get riders on our motorized bikes that are best for them.

You've Got to Walk Before You Can Ride

Going along with this, we also need to understand your comfort level for riding on a bicycle. If the answer is low, then jumping into a motorized bicycle is not a good idea. Instead, I would recommend you get your feet wet riding a regular bike again. We have a lot of customers that get back into bicycling after having not been on a bike for many years. This is part of why I love our brand and what we offer. We provide a bike that makes getting back into bicycling easy, simple and fun.

Now say you haven't ridden a bicycle for 20 years. Then jumping back in and getting on a motorized bicycle is not my first recommendation. I would say get comfortable balancing on two wheels again. And then in a few months to a year, you can jump onto a motorized bicycle. Buying a motorized bicycle often will cause you to spend a lot of money. You may end up spending a lot of money to buy a motorized bicycle. If you're not comfortable using it, it would be a waste.

How To Choose A Motorized Bicycle For Your Needs

So albeit fun, they are more dangerous. Obviously, they are much faster. Which is why we would need to understand: how comfortable is the rider with having a throttle? How comfortable is the rider going faster than they would under their own power? Riding a bicycle with a motor is a different experience versus a non-motor because you can end up in a bad accident. You can crash on a normal bike but crashing on a motorized bicycle is going to be quite worse. Especially if you're hitting speeds of 15, 20, or 25 miles an hour.

My advice to help anyone find that is, are you ready for this type of bike? Feel free to reach out to sixthreezero. We can talk to you more about motorized bicycles: what goes into them, what it's like riding them, how to be safe with them. And also if you're getting back into riding after a long time or if you're a first-time rider, I'd love to understand your athleticism and ability to balance. Then I can set you loose on a high-powered motorized bicycle.

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