Step Thru Ebikes - Everything You Need to Know | Step Through Ebikes

I'm Dustin, and today I'm going to show you everything you need to know about Step-Thru eBikes. Stick around. All right, so today I'm going to show you everything you need to know about Step-Thru eBikes. Right here I have the Simple Step-Thru electric bike by Sixthreezero, I'm going to use this as an example to just walk you through everything you need to know about Step-Thru electric bikes. Now the Step-Thru frame, it's a very traditional, classic old school frame. Step-Thru frames have been around for a long time. They're very practical and easy to get on and off. Obviously, you can slip your foot through and mount and dismount the bike very easily. It makes them safe, and safer than a traditional higher top tube frame because you can get on and off very easily and when you're stopping, and you need to get off, it's very easy to get on and off. So there's a lot to know about Step-Thru eBikes in particular because not every Step-Thru eBike is the same.

And this is kind of a keyword when you go out there and you're searching for a Step-Thru electric bike, what are you looking for? What does it mean? What are the differences? So let me start with a couple of the factors, a couple of things that are different amongst all Step-Thru eBikes. Number one, not all the Step-Thru heights are going to be the same, now seems like a silly thing to point out, but I just want anyone who's researching or out there looking for a Step-Thru electric bike, it's important to know that the heights are not the same. Now let me show you the Simple Step-Thru eBike. The step-over height is 10 and a half inches, but when you're searching for a Step-Thru electric bike, how someone classifies a bike as Step-Thru is really up to them. I mean, there's no measurement or anything to determine. 

So you're going to see a lot of people labeling Step-Thru eBikes up to 20, 21, 22 inches, really. Generally, if there's kind of a sloping downward top tube, you could label it a Step-Thru frame. So it's important to know that this is one of the lowest Step-Thru heights you can find on the market at 10 and a half inches. And I'll explain to you why. When you have, regardless of the tire size, if it's 16, 20 inch, 24 inch, or 26 inch, the pedals in the crank have to be a certain distance off the ground to allow clearance between the pedal at its down position and the ground. If it's too low, when you're turning that pedal will hit the ground. So this is about the lowest you can get a Step-Thru height to allow for the pedals to still have clearance when you turn.

And if you look at this design, typically these pedals are going to match the lowest point on the frame. In this case, we've actually raised it to bring the frame down lower. Now again, you could go with a 16-inch wheel size or a 20-inch wheel size, but that isn't necessarily going to lower this Step-Thru. Maybe you could bring that down a little bit. However, I would argue now it's becoming unsafe because when you turn, those pedals are going to get very close to the ground. They may actually scrape the ground. I've seen it happen on other bikes with other people in different circumstances. So it's important to know how low do you need the Step-Thru on your eBike. And you could literally just test by how comfortable are you getting your foot off the ground, what's easy or difficult for you. You can see how easy this is, this is truly just a Step-Thru.

Now you have to raise your foot a little bit, but it's very easy to get on and off. Now segueing back to what I just mentioned about tire sizes, on Step-Thru eBikes, not all tire size is created equal. There are 16-inch, 20-inch, 24-inch, and 26-inch, and it really depends on the tire size that's best for you and the type of riding you're going to do. Something with a 16-inch, 20-inch wheel, it's going to be more difficult to pedal. You're going to have to do a lot of pedal strokes to get that eBike moving. In this case, with a 26-inch wheel, it's going to be less pedaling, and the bike's going to get rolling a lot easier, a lot faster. It's going to be much simpler to ride a 26-inch wheel as a normal bicycle or in pedal assist mode versus a 16 or 20-inch.

Now it's just important to consider how are you going to use it. Are you going to actually want to ride it like a bike? Are you going to use the pedal assist more than you're going to use a throttle if it comes with a throttle? Then I'd recommend a bigger tire. Smaller tires will be great if you're going to use more of the throttle, maybe you're not going to pedal as much because in that case, you're not concerned about how much work your legs are getting or how hard or difficult it would be for you to climb hills with those with little tires. So it's just really important to consider what's best for you as a rider. Either option can be great. Again, just one of these things you need to know if you're looking for a Step-Thru electric bike. 

Now segueing into the electronics of it all is the throttle and pedal assist. It's important that you realize not all Step-Thru eBikes have a throttle. Some will just be pedal assist only. In addition to that, even the ones that do have throttles, these displays can vary greatly. And so it's important to point that out because some of the less expensive Step-Thru electric bikes, may not have a display, an actual digital display. It may just tell you, oh, okay, you're in level one but you don't know how fast you're going or how far you've gone. So number one, important to consider, do you want a throttle or you just need pedal assist? I personally like the throttle because it's a lot of fun. Sometimes you don't want to pedal, you want to take a break and you always have that throttle there as an option to cruise around to give yourself a break, like I said, maybe on the home stretch.

And then you have the pedal assist, which has five levels of pedal assist. One through five, level five's going to give you the most assistance, and level one's going to give you the least assistance. It's just important for you to try to figure out how you're going to use your electric bike. Is it going to be more pedal assist? Are you going to ride it like a regular bike ever or are you going to use the throttle at all? Totally up to you. Also important to consider the display. Do you want to know how fast you're going? Do you want to know how much battery life you have left? Do you want to see it in a digital readout, the odometer? Different Step-Thru electric bikes won't have that feature. Even if they have a throttle, they may just have a very simple light indicator. And so on this one we have the fully digital display, that tells you the odometer, how fast you're going, all of those important things. But again, try to just... important things you need to know about and to consider when you're looking for a Step-Thru eBike. 

Now moving back to the battery, another element is the size of the battery. The size of the battery is going to dictate the price of an eBike more than the size of a motor. This is a 500-watt Step-Thru electric bike and it has a 10.8 amp hour, 48-volt battery. Now as the battery size goes bigger, again, the price of the bike goes up. The smaller, usually down. Motor size, jumping from 500 watts to 750 watts, it's not going to affect the price or shouldn't in the marketplace as much as the battery size because lithium-ion cells and things like that, that's where the real cost is right now in the eBike. So it's important for you to find and to know or get a sense.

Now you may not obviously know because if you're new to electric bikes, you don't know how far you're going to ride. You don't know what you're going to be capable of now that you have a battery and assist. And I see that with a lot of people. They get on eBikes and all of a sudden they're covering more ground than they've ever covered. So it's hard to realize on your first eBike how you may or may not use it, but there's a balance between cost and the battery size. So the larger the battery, the more expensive the eBike will be. Typically with this size battery, you're going to get a range in pedal assist mode, anywhere from 20 to 50 miles, and in full throttle, you're going to go anywhere from, sorry, pedal assist is going to be, yeah, 20 to 50, throttle's going to be anywhere from 10 to 30. 

Now, this is another thing you need to know about Step-Thru electric bikes, the range and the top speeds are just ranges because it's very hard to indicate how far you can actually go on a singular charge. A lot of eBike companies out there, Step-Thru eBike companies, you know they're going to tell you the ranges just like I did, and those are my best estimation of how I think your eBike with this size battery will perform. But there are many factors that actually contribute to the distance that you'll be able to go and the juice you'll be able to get out of your battery on an eBike ride. For some of those factors, the number one most important factor is really the weight of the rider. If you have a hundred-pound rider versus a 200-pound rider, the hundred-pound rider is going to get way more distance out of their battery than the 200-pound rider.

Also, this number two biggest factor is how you're using the eBike. Are you primarily riding with the throttle or are you doing pedal assist level five? Those two are going to drain your battery faster. Now, if you're only in pedal assist level two, not using the throttle at all, you're going to get more distance. In addition to that, the terrain, and the topography is the most... important factor. Is it bumpy terrain, rocky, grass, or pavement? And are you riding uphill or on flat ground? If you're riding uphill, you're going to drain the battery a lot faster, on flat ground, you're going to get way more distance. I personally have gotten over 50 miles of range on this, on flat ground. Actually pedal assist, I've gotten over 60 miles and I've done videos where I've actually gone in full throttle for 20 miles on this eBike with this size battery. It just depends on how you use it, how efficient you are, and again, the terrain, topography, and weight of the rider.

In addition to that last thing, I'll point out everything you need to know about Step-Thru electric bikes. Not all riding positions are created equal. As you can see on our simple Step-Thru, we have an ergonomic riding position. My back is totally upright, my arms are relaxed, and I'm not leaning forward at all. It's going to alleviate pain after a ride. It's going to leave your body a lot happier than if you're leaning forward or you have to put your hand... or put your hands here. So just another important factor, when you're out searching for a Step-Thru eBike, what kind of riding position are you looking for? But number one, really out of all these factors, what is most important to you? Is its motor size, battery size, the riding position, and the type of riding you're going to do, whether it be pedal-assist or throttle. All factors to consider.

Just I wanted to point out today all these different elements that exist in Step-Thru eBikes so you can make the best decision for you. So I covered a lot of ground. If you have any additional questions, please comment below or email us, at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at (310) 982-2877, and you can find this simple Step-Thru electric bike on our website, sixthreezero.com. Now, if you don't know what eBike is right for you, take our proprietary body fit quiz on our website, and answer a few questions about your body and your life, only takes a few minutes and we'll recommend the perfect eBike for you. 

In addition to that, we have a test drive of your eBike policy for 30 days. If you don't love your eBike in the first 30 days, send it back, no questions asked, no money out of your pocket. Also, before you purchase, download our app and join our Facebook pedalers group. Great places to connect with existing Sixthreezero riders in advance of purchase. You can ask questions, see how they ride their bike, and see how many miles they're logging on their eBike. And after you have your Sixthreezero eBike, join the groups, track your miles on the app, compete on the leaderboard, and also make tons of friends. It is a lot of fun. So thank you for sticking around. And don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.

DISCLAIMER: The 365-day return policy mentioned in the video above is no longer valid. Please refer to www.sixthreezero.com/pages/30-day-test-ride for the updated policy.