What is an Electric Bike Throttle & Do You Need an E Bike with a Throttle? Thumb & Twist Throttles

What is a throttle on an electric bike? Stick around to find out. Hey, everyone. I'm Dustin. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry. And today we're going to answer the question, what is a throttle on an electric bike? All right. So let's say you're jumping into getting an electric bike and you hear a lot of people mentioning the word throttle and you think, what is a throttle? What is a throttle? Well, electric bikes come with a motor and the most common feature is they give assistance when you pedal.

So as you start to pedal, if the motor is turned on, it will assist you while you pedal. Now, in the U.S., we also have options for throttles like you would find on a motorcycle, or you could say a throttle is essentially like a gas pedal on a car. They're usually located up here on the handlebars, and there are two types. One is called a thumb throttle, which is located by your thumb, which you push in or out to accelerate. Or another one's called a twist throttle, which is like motorcycles. You twist your wrist back, and that's to go, and you pull it forward to slow down now E-bikes come equipped with throttles because they expand the possibility and they also add some nice simple elements to an electric bike.

The throttle makes it kind of easy to get going from a dead stop because you can use the throttle to propel the bike and then start pedaling when you start moving. Also, if you want to give your legs a break on long rides, you can let the throttle take over so you don't have to pedal at all. You can just coast, put your feet there and enjoy the throttle. a throttle on an e-bike, just to simplify it, it's a gas pedal, usually located on your handlebars though and we're not using gas, we're using electricity. And that's, you know, one of the things also that's sort of unique to the American market because in a lot of other countries like Australia and Europe, they've actually banned throttles and they only allow the pedal assist.

You also have the option of shopping for e-bikes in America that don't have throttles as well. That's completely Up to you. You also don't have to use the throttle at all, even if it comes equipped with a throttle. Again, totally up to you and how you want to ride. That choice is always yours. So just to reiterate, the throttle is something you would engage usually on the handlebars.

There's this one that is pushed with your thumb. In and out, as hard or soft as you push it is as much or as little of the motor that you use. And the other one is a twist throttle right here located usually on your right hand and you twist your wrist to engage that throttle. 

So, that sums up what a throttle is on an e-bike. If you have any other questions at all, please email us at theteam@sixthreezero.com, or call us at 310-982-2877. If you're searching for an electric bike and you don't know which one's right for you, take our proprietary body fit quiz. Our algorithm will recommend the perfect e-bike for you after you answer a few questions about your body and your riding habits. Now, we also have a 30-day test ride on your e-bike policy. If you don't love your e-bike in the first 30 days, send it back, no questions asked, no money out of your pocket.

And we're gonna warranty everything for the first year. If anything goes wrong in that first year, we'll take care of parts and labor to ensure you can keep riding. And lastly, join our Facebook group called sixthreezero Pedalers. There are thousands of members there. Before you purchase, you can ask questions, talk to other riders, and see how they like their e-bike. Then once you have yours, post in the group, make friends, download the app, our sixthreezero app, track your rides, and compete on the leaderboard. That's a lot of fun as well. So thanks for sticking around and don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.