How to Ride an Electric Bike

Riding a bike is a fun activity that can also act as a mode of transportation that accommodates your lifestyle. But not all bikes are the same. Some cycles are speed machines, while others are better for recreational use on unpaved terrain. Electric bikes, like our innovative Juiced Bikes, are versatile enough to handle most of your on- and off-road needs.

Riding an electric bike is easier than you'd believe. With a little practice and a few helpful tips, you'll be ready to ride! We've gathered all the information you need to know when learning how to ride an electric bike.

How Is Riding an Electric Bike Different Than a Regular Bike?

When new riders first discover Juiced Bikes, they've got a lot of crucial questions to ask. Often, the majority of these questions are very similar, as most men and women are interested in how the differences between e-bikes provide more benefits than traditional bikes.

Why Do People Ride E-Bikes?

People across the world choose to ride bicycles every day for recreation, commuting to work or transporting themselves from place to place. Some may enjoy the feeling of riding a bike, while others prefer to use their bikes as transportation. Many cities and towns have taken steps to become more bike-friendly. Bikes also give you a good workout and get you out of traffic congestion. All these reasons make electric bikes ideal solutions for everyday life.

However, e-bikes have several advantages over traditional bicycles, high-performance cycles and even mountain bikes. Whereas ordinary bikes may have limited uses, Juiced Bikes offer the freedom to ride wherever and whenever you need to get to your destination.

How Is a Juiced Bike Different From a Regular Bike?

The first difference between a traditional bike and an e-bike is the presence of a motor. Juiced Bikes can cruise from 20 miles per hour, like our class 2 bikes, to top speeds of up to 40 miles per hour on Race Track Mode. Electric bikes also have a battery pack. Juiced Bikes use 52V systems to deliver more performance. Some of our Juiced Bikes also have an Advanced Matrix LCD display and electric-assist functions. Juiced Bikes aren't just different from regular bikes — they're better for riders.

Is it Hard to Ride an Electric Bike?

If you've ever ridden a bicycle, motorcycle or even a scooter, it may have taken you a little bit to get the hang of it at first. Though we do believe riding an electric bike for the first time does include a slight learning curve, it's not a difficult challenge. Similar to other wheeled activities, it takes time and patience to learn and improve your skills. Compared with some other modes of transportation, we believe you can get comfortable more quickly on a Juiced Bike.

E-bikes make pedaling easier due to their battery-powered assist features, which also means you can go faster without exerting all your energy. Juiced Bikes are versatile and can replace any other type of bicycle for the same uses. Many have predicted e-bikes are the future of transportation, and that many riders will opt to use their e-bike for commuting more often than their vehicle due to the e-bike's ease of use and freedom to ride on multiple surfaces.

All-Terrain Fat Tire Electric Bikes Are Easier to Ride

Regardless of whether you're new to e-bikes, haven't ridden a bicycle in a while or never learned to ride any type of cycle before, we recommend many of our new users try out our all-terrain fat tire e-bikes. Our fatter tires are perfect for beginners because they have better shock absorption and better contact with any surface, including pavement, snow and wet dirt. They allow you to set a pace on your terms and build your confidence naturally, while minimizing chances of injury.

Because these e-bikes are all-terrain, they give beginners the freedom to tackle new roads, trails and pathways in any weather or road condition. They can overcome sand, ice and mud with ease, and their increased weight will provide you with better balance during heavy winds. Though all our Juiced Bikes are easier to ride than other types of bicycles, models like our RipCurrent Fat Tire E-Bike and RipCurrent S Fat Tire E-Bike are great for those who are learning to ride and improving their skills.

Where Can I Practice Riding an E-Bike?

You can read helpful tips and articles to increase your knowledge, but we believe learning how to ride an electric bike requires practice and patience. The beauty of owning a versatile Juiced Bike means no terrain or weather will spoil your ride. As tempting as it is to immediately tackle the roadways and trails around your home, we suggest beginners first practice riding their Juiced Bikes in specific areas. We recommend trying to find these four locations that provide safe and suitable spaces for learning.

 

1. Empty paved areas: First, get a feel for the e-bike by riding around empty paved areas. Wide-open parking lots with little to no traffic are ideal, as are long stretches of paved road such as a cul-de-sac, wide sidewalk, long driveway or similar location. If your local outdoor skate park or driver's education course allows e-bikes, try practicing there. The goal is to get comfortable with your balance, speed, maneuvering and awareness.
2. Flat unpaved areas: Next, you'll want to learn how to handle your e-bike while on uneven terrain. Stay at slower speeds as you learn how to pedal through more difficult pathways. Large outdoor spaces like yards or public fields that allow e-bikes are great to practice on, as are trails dedicated solely to biking.
3. Residential streets: When you're comfortable enough to ride among others, start on quiet residential streets. Follow all street signals, signs and laws. Try to ride within areas where you can easily loop back home without venturing too far off course. As you get more comfortable obeying traffic laws and riding while other vehicles or bikes are present, you can then consider riding in these safe streets during the night or during light rain.
4. E-bike-friendly trailways: Regardless of whether you're riding for fun or for function, you should learn how to ride on paths that are not paved roadways. Not only are Juiced Bikes a thrill to take along a bike trail, but one of the reasons to own an e-bike is that it opens up alternate routes for you to explore. Should you ever need to transverse an area you're unfamiliar with, knowing how to ride safely up and down hills and through gravel, snow, dirt and other terrain is useful.

As always, no matter where you ride, ensure you do so safely and responsibly, and that you follow all laws dictating the use of e-bikes in traffic and in specific areas.

E-Bike Riding Tips

If you're excited to hop on a Juiced Bike and learn how to ride an electric bike with ease, we encourage you to saddle up and get rolling. Make sure you've dressed appropriately for riding the e-bike and for whatever weather conditions are in the forecast. Here are a few other electric bike riding tips our new customers have used to get started safely and securely.

• Wear a helmet at all times.
• Avoid busy roads, particularly those which feature multiple lanes and intersections.
• Don't ride at night until you're comfortable riding during the day.
• Begin practicing in ideal weather conditions, like days with moderate temperature levels, no precipitation and adequate daylight for visibility.
• Don't rush your training, and take your time developing your confidence.
• You may want someone to observe your ride, but don't allow them to ride with you on the bike.
• Stay away from secluded wilderness areas until you're a more experienced rider.
• If at any time you feel uncomfortable riding, pull over to a safe location and allow yourself to calm down.

Given these examples alone, you can surely think of plenty of places near you where you can ride your electric bike. However, these are only general suggestions, some of which are not ideal places to ride in some states, cities or outdoor environments. One of the first and most important electric bike riding tips we can give you is to first discover where you can legally ride your e-bike in your area and understand the unique road rules for e-bikes these areas have established.

Rules of the Road

As you learn more about how to ride an e-bike, it's also essential to learn about the different laws each state has regarding the usage of e-bikes. Electronic bikes are not the same as electric scooters in design or in legal contexts. By federal definition, low-speed electric bicycles need to have the following characteristics:

• Two or three wheels
• Fully operable pedals
• Electric motor no higher than 749 watts, which is equivalent to one horsepower
• Maximum speeds of less than 20 miles per hour
• Powered solely by motor or with motor and pedaling combinations

Generally speaking, the federal definition covers the safety standards of the e-bike more so than the laws regarding its use. It is up to each state to decide how to create and enforce laws on e-bikes. Only 33 states and Washington, D.C., have specific definitions of e-bikes. Other states group e-bikes into the same category as mopeds or other motorized bicycles. Out of the 33 states, 13 of them follow a three-tiered e-bike classification system:

• Class 1 e-bike: A bicycle with a motor for pedal assistance that stops assisting at speeds over 20 mph.
• Class 2 e-bike: A bicycle with a motor that can move the bike forward without the use of pedaling, but will not provide assistance at speeds over 20 mph.
• Class 3 e-bike: A bicycle with a motor that will only provide power when a rider is pedaling and will not provide assistance when the bike exceeds 28 mph.

Helmets

Depending on the state where you live, the classification of your e-bike will require you to follow specific laws while operating or riding it. One essential law concerns your safety. Although not all states will require the use of helmets, many states do have specific conditions regarding helmet use for certain ages operating a certain class of e-bike. Which states require people to wear helmets while riding an e-bike?

• Currently, all e-bike operators and any passengers must wear a helmet in Connecticut.
• All e-bike operators and any passengers must wear helmets on class 3 e-bikes in Tennessee, Ohio and California.
• E-bike riders under 21 must wear a helmet in Arkansas and Utah.
• In Colorado and Michigan, all operators and passengers under 18 must wear a helmet on all class 3 e-bikes.
• There are five states in which there are no helmet requirements for any e-bike class, which are Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Illinois and Arizona.
• Any state not mentioned above, including United States territories such as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and similar areas, do not require helmets for e-bikes.

We believe your safety should be a priority. Though many of our states do not require adults or even younger individuals to wear a helmet while riding, we always encourage all drivers and passengers to protect themselves in every way possible. Accidents happen, even if you are cautious. By wearing a helmet every time you're on an e-bike, you can ensure you're practicing the best safety methods possible. We're ready to protect your head with our selection of stylish, yet safe, helmets.

Common Laws for E-Bikes

Just as laws regarding the use of helmets vary from state to state, other legislation regarding the use of e-bikes will differ as well. One way you can stay as safe as possible is to follow any established road rules for e-bikes. Look to these rules for riding a bicycle in various contexts, including on roads with motorized traffic, on multi-purpose trails and on bicycle-only pathways. Bicycle laws may vary between states, but many have similar rules of the road.

For instance, many states require a pedaled or motorized bike that goes below the normal speed limit to ride as close as possible to the right edge of the roadway unless they are overtaking another bike, making a left turn, moving out of a right-turn-only lane or avoiding a road hazard. Some states may not allow riding an e-bike on specific sidewalks or multi-use trails. Other shared principles within many U.S. traffic laws include:

• Following all traffic signs, signals and markings.
• Bikes can share the same lane as drivers.
• Bikers must yield to intersection traffic and when changing lanes.
• E-bikes cannot go against the flow of traffic or ride on the left-hand side of the roadway.

Of course, the laws in your town, city or county may be unique compared to the e-bike legislation in another state. While some states may not currently have any specific laws directing the use of e-bikes, new laws could always come into effect at any given time. We recommend calling your area's civic officials for more clarification on how and where you can ride an electric bike safely and legally.

Learn to Ride on Juiced Bikes

Riding an e-bike is one of the coolest experiences you can have on two wheels. We understand some new riders may be apprehensive about this new activity, which is why we recommend all individuals take it slow and steady when learning to ride an e-bike. Juiced Bikes give you better balance, control and stability, enabling you to learn confidently on your terms.

Ready to ride like you've never ridden before? Excited to explore your city in a bold new way? Contact us today to learn more about how versatile Juiced Bikes provide you with an easy and convenient way to tackle any terrain in town.