Life on two wheels is becoming more and more popular, and e-bikes are increasingly seen as a no-brainer, go-to choice for easy daily commuting. You may be wondering if buying an e-bike is a worthwhile investment; how confident can you be that it'll be your reliable personal transport method in the years to come? How long can you realistically expect an e-bike to last? What can you do to make sure it stays in a good riding condition for as long as possible? If these questions sound like the ones that you've been asking yourself, read on for our guidance to what you can expect.
What to look out for
Like all machines, an e-bike is made from several moving parts and components, all of which will have different lifespans. Without getting overly technical, we'll look at some of these parts and components in detail, and explore what makes for a longer-lasting e-bike.
Powering your ride
Common to all e-bikes are batteries, which deliver that powered assistance we all love. They can come in quite a range of types and sizes, but lithium-ion batteries are the most widely used for e-bikes as they generally have a higher number of charging cycles (around 1,000) compared to more traditional nickel- or lead-based batteries. This translates into around 3-5 years' use, depending of course on how often the bike is used and the battery recharged. With any TENWAYS bike, the battery is covered under a two-year warranty, and we heartily recommend taking a few simple steps to care for your battery properly – this can really help to ensure it has as long a life as possible.
Even after the warranty, you will still be able to get replacement batteries from us.
Motoring along
E-bike motors are seen by many as a 'long service life' part, designed to outlast most other bike components! There are two main types of e-bike motor; one which sits in either the front or rear wheel hub, or one which is mid-mounted in the frame between the pedal cranks. The different positions are suited to different types of bikes and their typical use – for example, you might see mid-mounted motors on those heavy-duty cargo bikes that are being used more and more by delivery companies in lieu of gas-guzzling vans. On commuter bikes such as TENWAYS' CGO600 and CGO800S, a high-quality, lightweight rear hub motor gives the rider responsive assistance without adding too much to the bike's overall weight. Our motors are specially selected for a super-smooth ride and long working life and, like the battery, the motor is covered by a two-year warranty.
Putting you in the frame
When doing your research on e-bike brands, it's worth checking out the warranty policy to see exactly what's covered. Some will have separate warranty periods covering the e-bike's frame and forks; at TENWAYS we offer a generous five-year warranty period, compared to just three years with some mainstream brands!
The hard-working parts
Some parts of your e-bike will experience a lot more stress during daily riding than others and will need to be checked and replaced at regular intervals to keep everything running smoothly. Wear-and-tear components include brake pads, tires, and chains; we recommend that you check these over on a routine basis and, if you're not confident in replacing them when needed, your local friendly bike-shop mechanic should be your first port of call.
At TENWAYS we've done our best to make regular maintenance as easy as possible. The main star here is the Gates carbon belt drive; compared to a traditional chain with derailleur arrangement, it lasts substantially longer (up to 30,000 km of riding, compared to 3,200 km) and doesn't require greasing and maintenance. Other wear-and-tear components on a TENWAYS bike are commonly available, meaning your local mechanic should have no problem replacing parts quickly and easily.
Share your own adventures:
If you've found this advice useful, don't be shy! Share it with a friend who's been considering joining the e-biking revolution – it might just help them make that decision! If you'd like to hear from real-life Tenwayers who've enjoyed many kilometers of trouble-free riding, check out the Facebook community group.
