Electric Bikes can be Dangerous - The Dangers of E-Bikes & What to Know

Hey guys, Dustin here. CEO of Sixthreezero and today we're going to be talking about e-bikes, they're dangerous. And what you must know before you purchase and ride an e-bike. Stick around.

Okay. So today we're going to talk about e-bikes and how they are dangerous and what you must know before purchasing or riding an e-bike. But before we jump into it, please hit that subscribe button below. Stay in touch with us here at Sixthreezero and be the first to know about all the new content we're putting out and new products. So hit subscribe.

Okay. So why you ask, I am the CEO of an electric bike company, am I saying e-bikes are dangerous because I'm hearing too often right now about e-bike accidents. And unfortunately, people are being killed and experiencing serious injuries when riding e-bikes. So I wanted to make a video to just talk a little bit about why are e-bikes dangerous and what you need to know before purchasing and riding an e-bike. Now, if you want to look for some other videos, we go into in-depth about e-bikes and other topics and riding e-bikes. So check out our channel. You can see lots of other videos.

One thing I want to start off by saying, these are two of our electric bikes behind us, and you can see the batteries on the back. I think a lot of people jump into riding an e-bike and there are two real things I think people don't pay attention to. One, these are powerful forms of transportation. E-bikes have motors. And in the case of e-bikes, you can opt for two different types. Either one where you actually have a throttle, which is what our e-bikes have. On the thumb here you can push this throttle and the bike will go without peddling. So essentially if you choose this can be like a miniature motorcycle in a sense. It's got two wheels, you can use the throttle and you don't even have to pedal and you can go.

Secondly, I think what a lot of people don't do is they don't respect the rules of the road and the necessary safety precautions you should take when riding a bike. Now, in some states, if you're over the age of 18 you don't even have to wear a helmet on a bicycle. Now motorcycles are regulated. It's possible in the near future there are going to be more regulations around e-bikes wearing helmets, and things of that nature. But number one, if you're going to ride an e-bike, please wear a helmet. I think no matter how much you've been cycling, no matter how much you think you understand how to ride a bike, don't take the approach of not wearing a helmet. A helmet can truly save your life, especially if you fall off a bike, or hit your head on the ground. I've just heard about some instances of younger children under the age of 15 on e-bikes falling off and hitting their heads and some, unfortunately, passing away. So if you also have younger children, that is another exploding segment of people, riding e-bikes is really under the age of 18. Absolutely, without a doubt, they have to wear a helmet, or don't let them ride that e-bike at all.

Now, in addition to that, if you've never ridden a motorcycle or you've never been on something two wheels that has a motor assist, please respect, respect the bike, respect the motor, respect the power. I think no matter how confident you are there are always certain things like when you're a pilot of an airplane, you might have the utmost confidence in flying that plane. You still have a checklist. You still have protocols. You still have the necessary procedures you follow. I think unfortunately we have a lot of recreational riders who are getting into e-biking, they don't find it necessary to go through the checklist. To make sure they're following the rules of the road. To check their e-bike prior to riding to ensure that they will be riding safely.

So, number one, please have a checklist. I'll run through a few things for you right now. On an e-bike super important, just check your tire pressure, and make sure your tire pressure is good. Again, you're going to be traveling at faster speeds on an e-bike than you would on a regular bike. So the likelihood of an accident or if your tire were to go flat at a higher speed, the possibility of causing injury is far greater. Now again, if you've been a road cyclist and you've been riding at 30, 40, 50 miles an hour, that rider set I think understands the necessary safety precautions because they've been riding at high speeds already. I think what's happening now is more in the recreational segment, there are a lot of new riders. People that didn't even do bike riding, getting into e-biking, or people that haven't ridden for a long time, getting back into e-biking.

So check your tire pressure, make sure everything is tight, handlebars, seat. If you're riding your bike frequently, these are not things you need to check every ride. Although I would check your tire pressure, just at least feel the wheel and make sure it feels good. Maybe once a week, just give it a little added fill or hook up a tire gauge to it. If you don't have an at-home tire gauge, I strongly recommend it to check the tire pressure. Same with tightening of bolts. I wouldn't necessarily say you have to do it daily, but weekly. I would just put a tool in here. Make sure your handlebars are tight. Make sure your seat's tight. Just make sure everything's in order. Pedals are tight. Make sure your wheel is on, things of that nature.

The other thing then I will say is the rules of the road. Now, a big cause of concern right now is how people ride e-bikes on the street. Personally, I think if you are going to get on an e-bike you really need to understand the rules of the road. What sort of signals you need to use? When can a bike take over the lane? When does a bike have to stay in the bike lane? Things like that. Those are really important understandings. Because if you are going to take an e-bike out into a bike lane and start riding aggressively, you really want to understand what are your rights. What can and can't I do? So you're not fighting traffic or battling cars and getting into circumstances that you shouldn't be in. Unfortunately, I am seeing that a lot with inexperienced e-bike riders riding the wrong direction in a bike lane, not signaling properly, going through red lights, and going through stop signs. Things that I think some riders took for granted on a regular bike, on an e-bike you really can't do those things because you're traveling a lot faster. People can't see you. You may think they see you, but they probably don't.

It's just like with motorcyclists, motorcyclists actually have to be the most aware riders on the road. I personally have my motorcycle license. I've taken a training course before I got my license on how to ride a motorcycle and I still feel scared taking a motorcycle on freeways in California, not because of me, but because I can't possibly see everything that's going on. An e-bike is going to put a lot of people into similar situations of motorcycles. So you just have to know, you have to be the most aware person on the road.

One thing I would recommend is some mirrors on your e-bike. So you can see behind you. The other thing I'm seeing now is cameras that you can mount in the rear so you can see what's going on behind you. Also, reflective wear is a great thing to wear. If you're riding at night on the street, obviously lights are a great idea. Anything you can do to make yourself as visible as possible, possibly even a flag coming off the back. Although aesthetically that's not going to look that great, it's going to create visibility for you so people can see you.

Also, very important, obey the traffic laws. If there's a stop sign, stop. If you're turning left, check for traffic forward and behind. Stop at stoplights. You can't just go through a red light because you're on an e-bike, you have to stop. There's going to be a car coming that they don't see you and just because you're on a bike, doesn't mean that you can break the law. If you're traveling in a car lane or a bike lane, you have to follow the rules of the road just like a car would.

So, the other thing I will say, what creates danger in this is not respecting the power. These motors can take you up to 20 miles an hour. For some riders, again, 20 miles an hour may not be fast, they go faster on a road bike. However, going at 20 miles an hour if you fall off that can kill you. I'm telling you at 20 miles an hour, for me, that feels fast in certain circumstances. Work your way up to those speeds and be responsible about when you go that fast. In a crowded space or through neighborhoods, remember cars may have speed limits of 5, 10, or 15 miles an hour. So you have to get used to using this power and using it responsibly. So practice in a parking lot, just like this, and get the feel for how the pedal assists kick in. What's that thrust going to feel like? Also, maybe don't use the pedal assist or the throttle in certain circumstances if that's safer, that's just a great way to get accustomed to the bike. You don't always have to use the motor, you can ride this as a regular bike.

But I think it's very, very, very important to just remember that e-bikes are dangerous, are dangerous. They can kill people, you can get injured. And I just hope that I can spread the message about how we can prevent that and keep people safe. So my number one ultimate message is just to respect e-bikes, the power they have and how to ride them, and respect the streets. And if you have a son or daughter who's got an e-bike or a teenager, take the time to teach them about the rules of the road. How you can't go through red lights. A lot of people getting on e-bikes right now have never driven a car in their entire life, they haven't even taken a driving course. They don't even understand that you have to go in the left turn lane to make a left-hand turn. Or they don't understand on a stoplight you can't cross diagonally, you have to go with the flow of traffic. Little things can make all the difference. If a car doesn't see you and somebody gets hit.

So, it's just important to understand where you're going, how you're going, what you're doing. And then you also understand the bike lanes. Like in California you have to go with traffic in the bike lane, there are times when bikes can take over the road if you can't share the lanes safely. But again, all the things that you should learn about and know about, and just make sure you practice on your e-bike before getting out there on the streets.

So I hope that helps. These are all things I think you should know before purchasing or riding an e-bike. If you have any questions or suggestions about what else people should do to stay safe on e-bikes please comment below. Also, any other questions, email us the team@sixthreezero.com. Call us at 310-982-2877. And if you're interested in e-bikes, please do navigate over to our website Sixthreezero.com. Safety first with a lot of our designs, we are thinking about how to make our e-bikes as safe as possible from the riding position to the step, through the ease of the on and off. Also, motor sizes, things like that. We want to make sure we're making e-bikes that are safe for all types of riders. You can also take our proprietary body fit quiz on our website, and we'll recommend the perfect e-bike for your body and your life. We also have a test ride e-bike policy for 30 days, no questions asked. Within 30 days if you don't love the e-bike send it back, no questions asked no money out of your pocket.

In addition, be a part of our community. We have a Facebook pedalers group and an app. You can be a part of those, and join in advance of purchasing. You can talk to other riders, ask about their experience, see how they ride, and what they do to be safe when riding. You can also see on the app, how many miles people are logging with what type of bikes and be a part of the community. Once you have your bike, track your rides on the app and compete for the leaderboard prizes we give away.

All right. So thank you for sticking around. Don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.