Start Here

If you’re new here, this is the orientation I’d want on day one — the shortest honest path from “I want an e-bike” to a bike that fits your rides, your law, and your garage.

Start with the law, not the catalog

Before any spec sheet: know what’s legal where you live. In the EU — where I ride — a pedelec means pedal assist to 25 km/h and 250W nominal, full stop. The US runs the Class 1/2/3 system with different speed caps and throttle rules, and trail access varies by state. Plenty of bikes and kits sold online can be configured beyond your local limits, and that configuration is your problem, not the seller’s. Get this right first; it filters the catalog for you.

The three decisions that actually matter

First: motor placement. A hub motor is simple, cheap, and low-maintenance; a mid-drive climbs better, centers the weight, and — with a torque sensor — feels like your own legs on a good day. After years on both, my standing line: the motor matters less than where the weight sits, and a torque-sensor mid-drive ruins you for everything else. Second: battery size in watt-hours — not amp-hours, not marketing range. Wh is the fuel tank. Budget roughly 10-15 Wh per kilometer for real-world commuting with decent assist, more in winter, and you can do your own range math better than any product page. Third: the sensor — cadence sensors detect that you pedal, torque sensors measure how hard. It’s the difference between an on/off switch and an amplifier.

About those range claims

Manufacturer range numbers are weather-dependent fiction measured in eco mode by an optimist. On my logged test loop — same route, recorded temperature and assist level, charge energy measured at the wall — real consumption runs far above brochure numbers, and cold weather cuts usable capacity hard. The guides here publish range with the method attached, so you can translate to your own conditions.

What to read next

Take it in this order: the guides for the hub-vs-mid-drive and battery-care fundamentals, the comparison table for specs that actually matter, the range tools to budget your watt-hours honestly, and the builds page if the conversion path tempts you. The glossary covers Wh, Nm, BMS, and friends as you hit them.

One promise

Everything here is written from the garage, not the press kit. The bikes are owned, the conversion is mine, the range log is real, and the mistakes are documented — because that’s where your money gets saved.