Riding and Safety Tips for New E-Bike Owners

Sena’s R1 and R2 EVO smart communication helmets are popular with cyclists, especially those who like to ride as a couple or in a small group. These helmets allow you to effortlessly talk with nearby riders who are also wearing Sena helmets. You can also listen to music, podcasts, and audiobooks, or even catch a phone call when paired with your cellphone.

Sena helmets are available on Amazon and sold at many local bike shops.

For the ultimate in helmet safety protection, look for helmets that use advanced technology such as MIPS or WaveCel.

Rear-view Mirror: Maybe someday every bicycle will come from the manufacturer with a rear-view mirror, just likes cars do. Until that day, you need to buy and install a rear-view bike mirror on your handlebars. In the U.S. and Canada and other countries where you drive on the right side of the road, you should mount the mirror on the left-hand side of the handlebars. You can also buy mirrors that fit onto your helmet, but handlebar-mounted mirrors are more common.

Two popular brands of mirrors are Hafney and Mirrycle Mirror. Shown here is a Mirrycle mirror, which I use on my personal e-bike. Choose one that fits your bike and your style the best.

Lights: On bikes, lights aren’t just for night driving. It’s your job as a cyclist to make sure motorists can see you no matter the time of day. Flashing lights, front and rear, are one way to draw motorists’ attention, even during the daytime. For night riding, you definitely need good lights on the front and rear of the bike. If you have a newer, mid-to-upper-quality e-bike with lights powered by the bike’s battery, then your existing lights may be fine. Unfortunately, the lights that come standard on many cheaper bikes are not bright enough, especially the lame taillights that come standard on many bikes. If your bike’s lights are only powered by AA or AAA batteries, it’s unlikely they will offer you the bright light you need.

When buying add-on, aftermarket lights, look for bright LED lights powered by rechargeable lithium lights.

New trends in lighting for e-bikes include brake lights (a great feature) and turn signals.

Bell or Horn: It’s important to be able to make your presence known to pedestrians and other cyclists when riding on trails and other congested places. A good bike bell, mounted on the handlebars, will do the job adequately for most situations. If you need to be heard by motorists or by pedestrians listening to music on their headsets, then you might want a louder, electric-powered horn.

Bright clothing: You don’t have to invest in traditional cycling apparel with those skin-tight shirts and lycra shorts. What you do need is a bright top or jacket that motorists can see. A simple solution is to keep an open-weave yellow safety vest with your bike that you can slip over your other clothing, such as this model from Amazon, shown in the photo. For winter riding when you need a heavier coat, consider bright yellow or orange reflective tape that can be added to the back of your jacket while riding. Some riders also wear bright-colored gloves or shoes, or reflective bands on their arms and legs.

Getting Acquainted With Your E-Bike

For the most part, an e-bike still rides like any other bicycle, but you may find the weight and power of an e-bike take some getting used to. Plus, for many senior adults who buy e-bikes, it may be the first time they have been on a bicycle for years or even decades. While the old axiom may be true that you never forget how to ride a bike, decades of inexperience since your last ride can make you feel wobbly and insecure at first. Add to that the fact that you aren’t as young or fit as when you rode bikes decades ago.

It’s OK if you feel a bit uneasy at first. That’s normal for most new riders. You can overcome these feelings rather quickly if you follow the steps below. What you don’t want to do is start too fast and have accidents on your new bike. That may create a fear of the bike and discourage you from riding.

Tips for New E-Bike Riders

The tips below will help make your introduction to e-biking safer and more successful.

Start With Power Off: When you first ride your new e-bike, turn off all the power. That includes pedal assist and the throttle if your bike is equipped with one. Get used to riding the e-bike as a regular bike first. Assuming you are riding on relatively flat surfaces and keep the bike in a lower gear, it should ride fine without power. If you need two or more sessions of riding the bike without power before you feel comfortable turning the power on, that’s fine. There’s no rush. This will give you a chance to get over the wobbles and regain your balance and confidence.

Introduce the Throttle: If your new e-bike comes with a throttle, try getting comfortable using it before turning on pedal assist. If your e-bike defaults to “PAS 1” when you turn on the power, you may have to manually turn it back to “PAS 0” to keep pedal assist off. You can easily control the amount of power you want with a light touch to the throttle. It will allow you to get a taste of what electric power feels like on a bicycle and how it can benefit you.

Start Each Ride with the Throttle: Everyone has a different style of riding, but many e-bike riders find that giving a light touch to the throttle when first starting your ride eliminates the wobbles and helps get you moving more smoothly. This is a good practice whenever you stop and start. When taking off from a stopped position at an intersection, tapping the throttle will give you the momentum you need to get going more quickly and smoothly. Once you get into this habit, it quickly becomes second nature to use the throttle. Using the throttle for a smoother start may help avoid a common problem reported among new e-bike riders: falling off their bikes when trying to first take off. These riders complain that they can’t get enough “thrust” to get the bike into motion and it falls over. Careful use of the throttle can eliminate this problem.

Introduce Pedal Assist: Not all e-bikes have throttles, but all of them have some form of pedal assist. This simply means that when you push the pedals with pedal assist turned on, the bike’s motor gives you some help. It’s like a power boost. Pedal assist is at the heart of what an e-bike is all about. You will love PAS once you get the hang of it, but it can be alarmingly powerful to the novice rider. This is why I suggest starting with no power, then introducing the throttle, and only later turning on the PAS. Most bikes have several levels of power assist, starting with PAS 1. As you go to higher numbers, each PAS level means the motor is doing more of the work and helping you achieve higher speeds. As a new rider, use nothing more than PAS 1 at first. Even then, make sure you are ready to ride before touching the pedals. You need to have a good grip on the handlebars, which should be pointed so the bike will go straight when you engage the PAS system. With PAS 1 turned on, start pedaling. You will almost immediately feel the motor kick in, propelling the bike forward. At first, it may seem too fast and jerky, even in PAS 1, but after a few rides you will come to appreciate it. You’ll especially love the extra power of pedal assist when you approach hills.

If you haven’t purchased your e-bike yet, I encourage you to look for e-bikes with torque sensing rather than cadence sensing. E-bikes with torque sensing offer a smoother, more natural pedaling experience, more like a traditional bicycle. With a torque-sensing e-bike, you won’t have jerky starts. You will, however, pay more for an e-bike with torque sensing. I’m not aware of any e-bikes in the $1,000 to $1,500 range that include torque sensing. Torque-sensing e-bikes also require a bit more effort to pedal, so some senior adults without good leg strength prefer cadence-sensing e-bikes.

Respect the E-bike’s Weight and Speed: This tip isn’t just for new e-bike riders but really for everyone. E-bikes are amazing, but you must maintain a healthy respect for their extra weight, power, and speed. Used improperly, e-bikes can do great harm, both to you and to others. The best advice is to respect the speed, meaning don’t go too fast. For most senior adults who ride for recreation and fitness, riding at a 10-12 mph average pace is plenty fast. Even as an experienced rider, I rarely exceed 15 mph on my e-bike. I realize that how fast you feel comfortable riding is highly subjective, but the fact remains that higher speed increases both your chances of a crash and your odds for more serious injuries from a crash.

On bike trails, where pedestrians and other cyclists may share the trail with you, be especially careful. No matter what the posted speed limit may be (if there is one), use courtesy and slow down around others. In congested spots along trails, I often turn off pedal assist and, when necessary, dismount from my bike and simply walk it. On narrow bridges where walkers are present, it’s almost always better to dismount and walk your bike. These simple steps build goodwill for e-bike cyclists and, even more importantly, will avoid accidents and injuries.

Keep in mind that if you crash into pedestrians or other cyclists and they receive injuries, you are likely to be sued. If witnesses say you were speeding or being reckless, you are going to be in big trouble. Slow down and always exercise good trail etiquette and all will be well. 

Get the Right Design and Fit

Proper fit is one of the most important factors for success and comfort for new bike riders. It’s important to get the handlebars and seat in the right positions based on your size and riding preferences. This is one of the many reasons I recommend buying your e-bike through a local bike shop, not online or from a big-box retail store. The store’s staff will ensure the bike is properly fitted for you before leaving the shop. If you buy a bike online, you might ask your local bike store if they are willing to do final assembly, an initial tune-up, and fitting for you, for a fee of course. While there, they can help you with some of the safety features and accessories mentioned in this article. You’ll need a local bike shop eventually for tune-ups and repairs, so this is a good way to establish a relationship upfront.

E-bikes come in a variety of sizes and designs, so it’s important to buy the right frame and tire size for your height and riding needs. For instance, many senior adults prefer the “step thru” frame design that is easier (and safer) to mount and dismount. Bikes sold today are not gender specific; men ride e-bikes with step-thru frame designs as do women. Smaller e-bikes, often with 20-inch wheels and fatter tires, are also popular with many seniors because of their more manageable size, extra comfort, and stability.

If you haven’t already purchased your e-bike, it’s a good idea to test ride different brands, models, sizes, and frame designs before purchasing. The bike you initially thought you wanted may not be your preferred choice after test-riding several models and talking with bike shop personnel.

Welcome to the E-Bike Revolution!

Buying an e-bike is one of the best purchases you can make for health and fitness, fun and recreation, and even for practical everyday transportation. It’s a game-changer. No matter your initial apprehensions or concerns, you will gain confidence and skill riding your e-bike faster than you think.

Thanks to your new e-bike, you will be riding more often and farther than ever before. You will look forward to your next ride and maybe start planning trips to regional bike trails or other cycling destinations. You’ll have a smile on your face when you excitedly tell your friends about your new e-bike.

Congratulations! You are about to join the growing ranks of true e-bike enthusiasts!

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