Basics of Electric Pedal Assist Bikes (E-Bikes)

What are pedal assist bikes?

  Stop by and take one for a test ride,  it's the fastest way to understand them, one ride up the hill out back can change your life!

 they are bicycles with an electric motor system , that when using  one of the  assist modes  adds to the power that the rider is putting in to the bicycle ,  they can be ridden just  like a regular bike with no assistance or have multiple levels of help to enable the rider to be in control of riding experience,  you do have to pedal,  however this means you have total control of how  hard the  hills are to climb ,  how much the wind affects you ,  how far you can ride , how much exercise you want , these bicycles are incredibly enabling and so much fun to ride . 

At B&L we have been stocking and servicing pedal assist Electric bikes since 2008 ,  that was the first year we felt the hub motor designs,  in specific the ones by Bionx where strong enough to handle the hills of the Palouse without burning up the motors or killing the battery's. The Electric pedal assist systems and batteries have progressed a long way since then , especially with  the Mid Drive Motor  systems on the market now , designed by engineering powerhouse companies like Bosch and Shimano who are really focused on  E-bike systems .

We like product that puts the rider first, in that the Electric pedal assist system is so well integrated to the bicycle that when it is being ridden it feels seamless and natural and allows the rider to ride with no assistance or they can choose to make the Palouse feel flat and the wind is always their back.

Pedal Assist systems only work when the rider is pedaling, there is no throttle, most stop assisting above 20mph this enables them to be classified as a regular bike and legal on bicycle paths.

We stock only mid drive systems this puts the motor and battery in the center of the bike giving it a low center of gravity weight which enables the bicycle to feel much more stable and handle naturally.

The motor units are 8lbs and battery's are 6 lbs  so you add 14 lbs to the bike weight with the Mid drive assist systems .

We carry E-bikes that are designed as a complete systems with the bicycle company engineers working together with engineers and designers at Bosch or Shimano so that the frame and motor system create a  seamless package , we like that the bicycle components are standard equipment of high quality,  so that E-bikes  are durable , easily serviced, well designed , from strong engineering  companies that are committed to making the best product possible  and supporting that  product after  they make it ,  ( this is a big deal as there have been lots of e-bike  companies fail and leave the product unsupported ) . 

  We  have  our Electric bike service certifications from both Bosch and Shimano and our basic L.E.V.A (light electric vehicle association) service certificates