We sell and service Human Power Augmented a.k.a. Electric bikes and ride them enthusiastically ourselves. See also our folding bikes at Folding Bikes West.
We invite you to visit our store, phone or email us. We are one of the last Internet shopping cart-free sanctuaries.
Electric Bikes Northwest
4810 17th Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107 - Map
ph: 206/547-4621
Email form
Summer Hours:
Monday thru Friday: 11–6
Saturday: 11–4
'Range' is the distance an electric bike can travel on fully charged batteries. Claims abound. While some may be accurate (stating the exact real world conditions under which a certain range is achieved), some estimates are accomplished under such rarefied test conditions as to render them irrelevant, others are too vague, overly enthusiastic or perhaps even false.
Range can of course be measured with fair accuracy basis e.g. by how far a 100 lb rider on a perfectly tuned electric bike can travel on a full charge (with new but exercised batteries) at a reduced speed of 12 mph, with no stop-and-go, at 70 degrees, on level smooth ground, no winds and without pedaling (were the model throttle operated)—but would one need a bike that is electric for that type of riding?
"But what would", asks on occasion a prospective customer, "be the range on average terrain by an average rider?" A statistical average may of course not relate to the particular customer: How steep is a steep hill? How fast is fast? What constitutes agreeable pedaling? When do beads of perspiration start to appear on our individual brows?
Obviously range is the direct and inevitable function of the A (Amp) power draw from the finite AH (Amp Hour) capacity battery pack. The more power you use the shorter the range. Who we are matters: Our weight and our pedal input. How we ride matters: Speed, stop-and-go pattern, and acceleration. Where we ride matters: Hills, headwind, traffic, temperature and road surface. The condition of the bike matters.
We welcome exploring the important matter of how far each and every prospective customer may expect to ride. But we can only arrive at a realistic estimate if we know something about the individual rider and intended routes.
The 'Reigning Range Queen' is the Giant Twist Freedom DX: Our customers do report real world, real traffic range of around 50 miles due to this model's highly efficient power use, torque sensing pedal activation and the dual Li-Ion Polymer battery packs, each of 9 AH. What about the 75 mile range mentioned in "Popular Mechanics"? Sure, under the specified test conditions.
Otherwise our customers and staff report that they typically ride well within the range provided by our several single 5-10 AH Li-Ion battery brands/models.
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