Electric Hybrid Bikes

What is a hybrid e-bike?

Hybrid e-bikes are a cross between a road and mountain bike.

They have slimmer tyres than a mountain bike; allowing them to cover distance efficiently (and increase battery range).

Think of these bikes as sporty SUVs.

Most hybrid e-bikes have suspension too.

Suspension makes your hybrid e-bike more versatile; allowing you to ride on different surfaces without being restricted.

It also lifts the front of the bike by up to 65mm too. This places riders in a more relaxed riding position and reduces hand and arm pressure.

New or occasional riders will definitely find this comfortable.

And some hybrid e-bikes don't have suspension.

Ergonomics on these bikes are a little more sporty and responsive. Perfect for suburbia and the inner city.

Mid-drive hybrid e-bikes.

Mid-drive e-bikes deliver more torque. They have more pulling power. 

Torque for mid-drives starts at 40Nm and can max out at 80Nm.

And the batteries are larger too; delivering more range (up to 625Wh).

You should consider a mid-drive hybrid e-bike if you need or want the extra assistance, you ride in elevated or hilly areas or you're carrying luggage.

Rear hub-drive hybrid e-bikes.
These e-bikes have the motor mounted in the rear hub.

Rear hub drive e-bikes don't have the same torque or peak power as mid-drives. And the battery size is smaller too (between 250Wh and 374Wh).

The torque on these are range from 25Nm to 40Nm.

So why would you consider a hub drive then?

You either don't want to spend a lot of money.

Or you do want to spend money getting a nice one.

Very ironic, we know.

Relatively affordable e-bikes will have a rear hub-drive unit. For example, the Shogun EB3 and Shogun EB3 Step-Through.

At the other end of the hub-drive spectrum, we've got bikes like the Orbea Vibe, Orbea Vibe Mid (step-through) and Orbea Optima.

The Vibe is super sleek, very lightweight, features clean integration and exceptional range - even with the smaller battery.

Both bikes could not be further apart in design and engineering.

You'll love riding a hub-drive if you want light assistance, you don't ride in steep, elevated areas or a lot of your riding is flat to undulating suburban or inner city paths.

The mechanical stuff.

It makes sense to briefly cover the non-electric parts.

We are riding a bike with gears and brakes after all.

We're going to distil this down to 3 areas: suspension, gears and brakes.

Suspension.
Hybrid e-bikes come with or without front suspension.

You should consider a bike with front suspension if you're riding on unsealed paths or rough pavement, you prefer a more relaxed riding position (front suspension lifts the front of the bike by up to 65mm) or you'd like a bike with stable (vs. fast) handling.

Without suspension, the handling is sporty and responsive. It also reduces overall bike weight.

Gears.
Most e-bikes will have a single front gear. This means no front derailleur, gear shifter or cable. Less moving parts equals less maintenance.

Focus on the back gears.

More back gears equals better quality components. So, buy the bike with the most amount of back gears you can comfortably afford.

Gear shifting gets smoother, components are more robust and durability improves.

Brakes.
Hybrid e-bikes are heavier, so good brakes are important.

Most e-bikes will have disc brakes.

And there are 2 different types:

Mechanical disc brakes deliver better control at reducing speed than rim brakes. So for e-bikes this is a minimum requirement.

But if your budget stretches to a hybrid e-bike with hydraulic disc brakes, these are so much better.

Hydraulic disc brakes need less maintenance. They deliver more control in wet and dry conditions. And they are more powerful; able to accommodate the extra weight of e-bikes, especially the heavier mid-drive bike options.