There has never been anything like this in Germany! An e-bike test with 50 different bikes in six categories and 34 test criteria. Each wheel can reach the maximum number of 1000 points. Depending on the area of use of a wheel, however, the meaning of individual values varies. For example, the range of a trekking bike is much more important than that of a city bike; on a mountain bike, on the other hand, strong brakes are of great importance. The laboratory tests were carried out for FOCUS by one of the most renowned test institutes in Germany: the company Velotech from Schweinfurt.
REACH TEST
Motor support and range efficiency were determined on a test stand. In the range test, all e-bikes had to climb a six-percent incline – until their battery was empty. The pedaling power of the (virtual) driver averaged 103 watts, the pedaling frequency was 63 revolutions per minute and the speed was 16 km/h. The support factor (U-factor) describes the relationship between the motor power and the pedal power provided by the rider (103 watts). A U-factor of 2,0 means that the drive supports twice the power, i.e. puts an additional 206 watts on the road. The higher the U-factor, the stronger the motor support.
[mom_video type=”youtube” id=”tRWcYeqYzC4″ width=”770″ height=”433″]BRAKE TEST
The ISO 4210 standard requires a clearly defined and prescribed braking performance from an e-bike. The result of the deceleration performance was evaluated by the Velo testers in a ratio of 70 percent (front wheel brake) to 30 percent (rear wheel brake). The behavior of the brakes in practice was also included in the evaluation of the braking performance. Sound strange, but it is like that. After all, a brake that doesn't perform quite as well on the test bench doesn't have to be bad because it may be sufficient in everyday use or is even characterized by being particularly easy to dose. Conversely, a fast and brutally responsive disc brake is not optimal on every e-bike.
PRACTICE TEST
What Velomotion evaluated under the item "Equipment" should not be reduced to the components screwed to the bike; this also includes the dealer network as well as the range of services, the guarantees, frame sizes, the operating instructions or the connectivity of a system - so can a smartphone also be connected, or are there GPS functions? Of course, the quality of the built-in equipment also plays a role, as does whether the scope of delivery includes a frame lock or a pump. The design of an e-bike must also be evaluated and plays a part in the equipment. Since Velomotion didn't want to be the sole judge of which bike is a particular eye-catcher, the bike experts started an online survey.
HOW FAR CAN I GET?
The question most frequently asked by dealers when buying an e-bike is: "How far can I actually get with an e-bike?" As always with a bicycle, the "human factor" plays an important role. The choice of the support level, the switching behavior and above all the body weight have a great influence on the energy consumption. Range eaters are also inclines, where every kilogram and every meter of altitude puts a strain on the battery. Technical features also make it difficult to compare different e-bikes in a standardized way. For example, rear-wheel hub motors work most efficiently at higher speeds, while mid-drive motors are best at converting the energy in the lower speed range (e.g. uphill) into propulsion. Last but not least, there are different basic settings for identical motors, which are specified by the e-bike manufacturers and range from "gentle" to "sporty". Other manufacturers also switch off the engine earlier than is actually necessary and thus reserve the remaining capacity of the battery for the lighting system or an electronic circuit. In practice, this means less electric range, but you can still drive well and safely with muscle power.
THE CONCLUSION
In contrast to some car manufacturers, the bike industry tries to provide serious information. Nevertheless, you should not trust all information. In the test results, the Velomotion testers give a minimum value that came about under tough test bench conditions. And that's true!