What Electric Bike Size Motor Do You Need? - Ebike Motor Sizes Explained

Hey guys. Today we're going to talk about what electric bike size motor do you need. Stick around.

All right. Today we're going to talk about what electric bike size motor do you need for your type of riding. But before I do, hit subscribe there below. Be a part of the SixThreeZero channel and the first to know about all the new content and products we're putting out here at SixThreeZero, so hit subscribe. All right. Right now there are tons of different electric bike motors out there, different sizes, 250 watts, 350 watts, 500 watts, and 750 watts. It's hard to decipher what size I need. Let me give you some tips today on what size motor is right for you and what to look for when you're purchasing.

Now, there are many factors to consider when thinking about the motor size you need. One is price, two is the type of terrain you're going to be riding, three is your weight and the size of the rider, and I think four is also the distance to some extent, and then five is what kind of speeds are you looking to go. How fast do you want to go? Behind me, I have two SixThreeZero bikes. These are actually 500-watt motors, and you can see the batteries in the back. We also make a few, 250 watts and soon to be 750 watts. Now, with a 250-watt, 350-watt motor, these are ideally going to be best for flat ground riding. The distance is, across the motor sizes, it can really be any distance, but I would say a 250-watt motor is really going to be best for flat ground riding, light hills, but no major hills.

If you're a rider, 250 pounds or over, I really wouldn't consider a 250-watt for you. I'm 215. Now, I can do a 250-watt on flat ground and it propels me just fine. But if I were to encounter some larger hills at 215, I would really want at least a 500-watt motor to help get me up there. The bigger motor's going to give you the possibility of larger hills, and different terrain that you wouldn't have to worry about it. Whereas on a 250 wat, again, you're really going to want to stay on flat ground for the most part. If you're a lighter rider, I would say 160 and below, then 250 watts really will be great for you in most scenarios. Even bigger hills, the 250-watt should be able to handle your weight up most hills, and flat ground would be fine. A 250-watt motor at top speed at full throttle, you're going to be looking at about 18 to 20 miles an hour. Pedal assist, you're going to be probably 22, 20. You're probably going to cruise at about 15.

The speed is actually pretty good. Now, that top speed is going to diminish the heavier you get, so obviously again, if you're 250 on a 250-watt it may not be able to get you as fast as someone who's 160. You're really going to want to be 250 pounds and below for a 250-watt motor, mostly flat ground riding. Ideally, you're not towing anything. You're not carrying a lot of capacity with you, just a great recreational leisure e-bike to get around, drive by the beach, and have fun. The other thing to consider with all of these motors, generally speaking, the larger the motor, the more expensive. If you are 250 pounds and over, but it's only affordable for you to get a 250-watt motor, then you just maybe want to consider your terrain. If you can stick to flat ground, it should be fine for you. If that saves you 2, 3, 4, $500, that can be an option, but it's going to be better to spend a little more money to get the motor that's going to take you the places that you plan to go, versus spending a bunch of money and it can't even take you on the rides that you're looking to do.

All right, moving up to 500 watts. Now, this is going to be great, obviously, for anyone under 250. I would say it's also going to be fine for anyone up to 300 pounds. This is going to get you up hills. It's going to get you around town. It's going to take you top speeds of 20 miles an hour at the throttle, and about 25 to 28 with pedal assist, depending on how fast you're pedaling. Now, the 500-watt is great because it's going to be less expensive than a 750-watt, typically speaking, but it's going to give you enough power for most of the things that you want to do. If you are a lighter rider and you just want to go faster, then you can opt for a 500-watt. It's going to have more spunk to it. It's going to get you going faster. It's going to take you up hills even easier. On a 250-watt, you might not be able to use just the throttle up a hill. With a 500-watt, you could probably just do throttle to get up hills. You don't even have to use the pedal assist if you so choose.

The other thing I'll say between the 250 and the 500 watts is if you're scared of the power, and I will say that with the pedal assist, the bigger you go, there is a little jolt from the pedal. Right? The larger the motor, when you start pedaling it does kick in a little stronger. Now you do have different levels on here, one through five, but pedal assist level one on a 250 versus a 500 is obviously going to be stronger. Something to consider is that if you're a more cautious rider, and you're really scared of the power, and you don't want to crash, stick to a lower speed. I'm making general recommendations, but again, if you don't necessarily need more power, let's say you are 250 pounds, but you don't want something that's going to be crazy powerful, opt for the smaller motor by all means.

500 watt, it's going to be very versatile. It's going to take you everywhere you go. You're going to be able to cruise at nice speeds on flat ground. You're going to be able to do most hills. Again, this is up to 300 pounds. Now, if you're 300 pounds or above or even 250 to 300, 750 watts is going to be a great consideration. I personally don't believe most riders need 750 watts. Now, if you can get something at a good price for 750 watts by all means do it. It's going to be able to take you faster, but there are laws and regulations, sometimes speed limitations. In California, you can have up to a 750-watt motor, but again, that's going to be very powerful. You're going to be able to easily go 28 miles an hour with pedal assist. You probably can go 22, or 23 with full throttle, depending on the motor, which type of 750-watt motor, although some are regulated to go only 20 because that's the law.

That's another thing is that in California you're actually regulated by throttle only to go 20 miles an hour. A 500-watt is going to get you to 20 miles an hour with a throttle. You could ask yourself, well, why do I need the 750-watt? You can also take them off-roading. If you are looking to do off-roading or terrain or paths, I would opt for a larger motor, 550, 750 watts because there's going to be more drag on the wheels if you're driving on hard-packed dirt or sand or gravel, something of that nature. If you're looking for a fat tire bike, the larger motors are a good option because, with a lower motor with the fat tires, there's more drag. That's going to pull the bike back.

You're not going to be able to go as fast, so that's another thing I didn't mention, but it also depends on which type of e-bike are you looking at. Are you looking at a mountain bike? Are you looking at something for around town? That really will also dictate, also does it have fat tires or thin tires. Again, for a thin-tire e-bike, 500 watts might be better or be okay because there's no drag on the wheel. If you have fat tires, 500 to 750 watts is going to be best. If you're just doing off-road riding, you might want to go 750 watts only depending on the terrain. Again, if it's very hard-packed like dirt, gravel, or sand, 500 watts will be enough, but if it's uphill climbing with fat tires in those types of terrain, then yes, you're going to want 750 watts. Then factor in the weight of the rider, you'll want a big motor.

Now I just spewed out a lot of things there. All of these are just general principles. I think at the end of the day, you have to think about how much power do you want. How fast do you want to go? What type of terrain you're going to be riding on? When you're on that terrain, how fast you want? How much assistance are you looking for the bike to give you is another thing. If you're not looking for a lot of assistance, save yourself a few bucks and get a 250-watt. If you're looking to maybe have the bike do all the work in some situations, opt for a 750 or 500-watt depending on the type of terrain that you're doing.

If you're comparing apples to apples and you can find a 750 watt for a similar price as a 250 watt, and you think to yourself, why not just get the bigger motor? The one thing I would say to you is not necessarily, because having that extra power is going to add a little bit of danger. It's going to add a little bit more performance. It's going to tempt you to go faster. Think to yourself, do I really need that? Honestly, do I really need that? The other thing that comes with a bigger motor a lot of times is going to be a bigger battery. When you have a bigger battery price is going to go up. Also a bigger motor a lot of times is going to drain the battery quickly if you're working it harder. I think like everything, like buying an SUV or buying a sedan, these might be great. They have more space, but you're going to burn more gas.

In thinking about everything I say today, you have to find the right combination that is right to you, which is why when I always talk to people about what kind of e-bike, it's really about their riding needs. Unfortunately, you may not be able to discover what you actually will do with the e-bike until you get one and you get out riding, which is totally fine. Maybe you go with more of an entry-level model, to begin with. It's something you ride for a year or two, and then you move into your next one later on where you figure out, oh, I really want to do this, or I do like doing this, or I wish I had this capability. If you can rent an e-bike, I think with e-bikes, what I see with a lot of people is they don't realize the possibilities, so after they get one they start to discover, oh my gosh, I could go this far, do this far, do this far. The possibilities become endless.

It may take you until your second e-bike for you to really settle into the one that is going to be best for you. As your riding habits evolve, you may evolve the motor size. Again, you have to think about what's number one to you, whether it's price, whether it's speed, and then work your way through your decision-making process that way. Yeah, over time and riding, you'll be able to figure out what's best for you.

I hope that helps in deciding what electric bike motor size is right for you. If you have any questions, please comment below or call us at (310) 982-2877, or email us, at theteam@sixthreezero.com. We manufacture a whole slew of 500-watt, 250 watts, and to come, 750-watt e-bikes. You can check out two back here on our website. Also, take our proprietary body fit quiz on our website. Answer a few questions about your body and your life, and we'll recommend the perfect e-bike for you. We also have a test-ride your e-bike policy for 30 days. If you don't love your e-bike within the first 30 days, send it back. No questions asked, no money out of your pocket.

In addition to that, be a part of our community, Facebook Pedalers Group, and also our app. Before you purchase, join them both. It's a great place to see how other people are riding their SixThreeZero e-bikes. You can ask questions, and see photos of bikes. Also on the app, you can see the miles people are logging on to their e-bikes. Then once you join our community, download the app and be a part of that. Track your rides, compete on the leaderboard, also share photos in the Facebook Pedalers Group and be a part of the community. It is a ton of fun. Thank you for sticking around, and don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.