The Ultimate Guide to Electric Bikes for Sale in Sydney and Australia

Introduction: Electric bikes, or e-bikes, have taken the world by storm, revolutionising how we commute and explore our surroundings. This comprehensive guide will delve into the world of electric bikes for sale in Sydney and throughout Australia. Whether you’re a seasoned rider or a curious newcomer, this guide will help you navigate the landscape of e-bikes, from where to buy them to critical considerations when purchasing.

 

1. Where to Buy Electric Bicycles in Sydney:

• Local Bike Shops

• Specialised E-Bike Retailers

• Online Marketplaces

• Second-hand/Used E-Bikes

Among all those options, we strongly recommend you find a specialised retailer, such as Cyberbikes.com, that can perfectly understand your wants and suggest the best ebike for your needs.

It’s important to note that electric bikes (ebikes) will give you the sensation of being a superhero! That means you will use your electric bike more often than a regular bicycle; because an electric motor pushes you forward, you will not feel tired when cycling, allowing you to explore more and ride your ebike often.

 

 

2. Where to Buy Electric Bicycles in Australia:

 

• Nationwide Retail Chains

• Online E-Bike Retailers

• E-Bike Expos and Events

It’s excellent that Australians enjoy a vast outback, but will my new electric bike arrive where I live? Will it survive the conditions? Can I count on a warranty?

The answers lay down to who you buy your electric bicycle from.
Choosing a reputable company and ensuring their warranty extends long enough so you always see yourself covered.

We suggest looking at their Google and Facebook reviews, thoroughly visualising how you intend to use your future ride and enjoying any freebies, for example, free shipping when offered.

3. What to Look for When Searching for Electric Bikes for Sale:

 

• Battery Life and Range

This is an important part. We suggest only buying ebikes with batteries certified according to the norm UN38.3 and made with branded cells class A, which means companies like LG, Samsung, Panasonic, and Sony should be manufacturing the cells of your battery pack.

The range of your electric bike can be calculated following our Range Calculator.

Today, you should mainly focus on 48 Volts batteries, or if you’re on a budget, you could consider 36V batteries. However, 36V batteries might not last that long in the market.

 

• Motor Power and Type

There are two major types of motors in the market: HUB Motors and MID-DRIVE Motors.

HUB motors are installed on the axle/hub of each wheel. The hub motor could be installed on the front, rear, or both wheels. This is the most reliable and economical way to have an ebike. At Cyberbikes.com, we are big fans of HUB Motors because they simplify and make ebike user-friendly. Any inexperienced rider can ride an electric bike with a hub motor. Even though many people say that MID-DRIVE motors are better for off-roading, we cannot agree 100% with that saying because hub motors are perfect crawlers, always keeping weight where the tyre contact point is, but that’s a chapter itself for our next blog post.

MID-DRIVE motors are the real motors for those who want to climb hilly mountains and have a lightweight bicycle with weight centred on the frame. However, their associated buying cost, the constant maintenance of the drivetrain (chain, cassette, derailleur, shifter) and requiring prior knowledge from the rider, they are today not our favourite motors of choice. But they have their space in the market, and some still consider them the best motors. However, as e-bike specialists, we must alert you that while MID-DRIVE Motors still uses the conventional bicycle drivetrain (derailleur, cassette, chain, shifter), they will continue to have lower reliability and require more maintenance than hub motors. Remember, having the chain snapping in the middle of nowhere is not a fun experience!

When discussing motor power, anything above 250W should make you feel like a superhero. However, when climbing steep hills, you might think that 250W is not enough! That’s why we have installed 500W motors in our Cyberbikes and consider them a mix of many worlds. For example, they are lighter than more significant motor hubs. At the same time, they can provide high torque because of the expanded motor shell (in this case, the bigger, the torquier the motor is).

So, our recommendation is to stick with at least 500W. Hence, you’re sure to have a bike that will last for many years, and as we all age, you won’t need to acquire a new ebike as your current one has enough power for the years ahead.

 

• Frame Design and Material

The three most common ebike frame materials are aluminium, steel and carbon.

Aluminium	Steel	Carbon
Entry Level Bikes	Entry Level Bikes	Professional Bikes
Professional Bikes	Cargo Bikes	Racing Bikes
Affordable	More Affordable	Expensive
Light Weight	Heavy Weight	Ultra-Light Weight

To summarise, if you’re not a professional athlete looking to reduce the weight of your ebike, and your requirements do not include carrying over 100kg of loads plus yourself on the bike, we do recommend choosing an ebike made with aluminium that has its frame heat treated, and certified according to the EN15194 like our Cyberbikes do!

 

• Bike Style (Mountain, City, Folding, Moto style ebike)

This is a very peculiar choice, but we like to guide people according to the application.

The most versatile bicycle is the Mountain Bike because this bicycle can go on and off the road, has excellent clearance from the ground and has a geometry that allows quick steering and control at high speeds. However, it’s essential to consider the body weight and height of the rider. Hence, you feel comfortable on that type of ebike.

Folding ebikes are usually smaller, so a tiny person will feel better on this type of ebike. A city bike might be more equipped than a mountain bike, which is perfect for night riding, and that should be considered.

Another example is, if you like pedalling, stay away from bicycles that have a motorbike-style because their seat height is not adjustable. So, it will not be suitable for your knees when pedalling on that ebike.

Those are examples to illustrate usage. If you have any questions, please Contact Us.

 

• Pedal Assist Levels

Pedal Assist works like cruise control in a car. Once you select the assistance level on the LCD display, the ebike motor will kick in once you start pedalling. You will enjoy the electric assistance according to your chosen assist level. However, do not get too attached to the scale of these numbers because that scale can change depending on each bike and its factory setup.

You should look for an ebike that offers you at least 5 levels of assistance, so level 1 is 20% of the maximum power and level 5 is 100% of the total power.

 

• Display and Control Features

The display is a great thing to pay attention to. Ideal we recommend choosing a colour LCD display. With a decent screen size, you can easily read information such as battery %, speed, and kilometres travelled. Time running, and sometimes, depending on the display manufacturer, you can access extra features and tune up your ebike, giving it an extra boost or increasing its abilities.

 

• Throttle

Inside the ebike industry are two types of people: those who like to pedal and those who also pedal but enjoy the assistance of a hand throttle.

According to Australian law, ebikes can have a throttle, but the throttle should only be able to push the ebike up to 6km/h. However, when conducting research among customers and when limiting the ebike to those circumstances, it’s evident how much the law is against safety. Why?

This law has been imported from Europe, where bicycle lanes extend through the entire continent. That law works well when the drivers respect bicycles. However, in Australia, cyclists have to share their way with cars and, unfortunately, are seen as plagues, holding on traffic.

We strongly suggest you have a full throttle on your ebike. One of the reasons is reaction time. Imagine crossing an intersection where cars can drive at 60km/h until you have enough balance to stroke the pedals and move your ebike forward. The car has already hit you. With a thumb throttle, you could quickly zip across the intersection without the need to move your legs.

Another example is cycling through winding roads because the bike pedals could go very close to the ground. If you turn left and the left pedal touches the ground, you could fall off your ebike. So, having the thumb throttle allows the rider to continuously throttle and accelerate the ebike while cornering, which gives a considerable advantage, especially when cars are behind the cyclist.

Overall, the throttle is a positive thing in the ebike industry. It gives freedom to use your legs to accelerate the bike and an extra safety layer when finding balance on the bike, when crossing intersections and when turning.

See some examples in the short videos below:

 

 

 

• Braking System

The Braking System couldn’t be neglected. We strongly recommend you choose only ebikes with large disc brakes (over 180mm disc diameter), use enclosed hydraulic brake systems, and have brake sensors connected to the bicycle controller. But Why? Ebikes are heavier and faster than standard bikes, and because of that, the brake system is constantly under extreme usage! So, the best way to keep yourself and others safe is to oversize and leave extra room when you’re at high speed and a car cuts in front of you! Or when you’re cruising, and a pedestrian goes across without double checking.
This oversizing also improves reliability and reduces maintenance costs, which far exceed the initial investment of a brake system like this.

Check our Cyberbikes Models because they all have robust brake systems like the ones mentioned above.

 

• Warranty and Customer Support

You should choose an ebike with at least one one-year warranty for its electrical components and understand how its warranty works. Most bike companies do not attest that their bikes are waterproof, which means you could be in trouble if your ebike gets flooded. Check the IP rating of your ebike before buying. At least IP54 should be offered. We at Cyberbikes currently provide a 2-year warranty and are working to bring ebikes IPX6 and so on to the market. Stay tuned!

 

• Price Range and Budget

As an electric bike is a hybrid vehicle because it uses humans and electric power, we should expect it to cost more than a regular bicycle. And thinking that ebikes can assist us in longer journeys, we should consider comfort and reliability. As a general rule, in Australia nowadays, it will be hard to find a comfortable and reliable bike for less than AU$2000, as we strongly suggest going above to around $3000 when budgeting your electric bike. Why? It will ensure that your ebike comes from a renowned brand, has been properly manufactured, and that the ebike has all the certifications and will outperform other bikes in the market.

Of course, we cannot judge the product only by its price but know that cheap bikes are cutting corners to get those low prices.

 

4. When to Consider an Electric Bike Conversion Kit:

 

• Upgrading Your Current Bike

• Cost-Effectiveness

• Customisation and Personalisation

• Mechanical Aptitude and Tools

• Sustainability and Recycling

 

Converting an existing bicycle to an electric one can outstand factory bikes when correctly and professionally done. These bikes were made at the factory to be electric.

Cyberbikes has accomplished over 100 conversions in its history, but we have also seen unsuccessful projects. The most important thing to consider when choosing to convert a bicycle are:

a. Frame type: Can this frame bear the weight and impact I will cause? Is this a certified frame? It’s common at the shop to hear people keen to convert a road bike into a mountain bike; good luck with that because it will hardly work, and the budget to make it happen will skyrocket!

b. Is the motor and battery compatible with the frame I have? If you add a Ferrari motor to a VW beetle, will that be the best car in the world? I doubt it will. Also, is it helpful if I now have a Ferrari engine on my VW Beatle and the range is 10km? So motor power and battery size have to work together, and they have to respect your bike frame.

c. Suspension, tires and brakes: Is my bike capable of mimicking the road surface and overcoming obstacles, are the tyres grippy enough and are the brakes hydraulic? The battery and motor must be chosen according to the vehicle’s capacity to steer, stop, and overcome obstacles. Take a holistic approach to this one!

d. Will I assemble the ebike myself or hire a professional? If your hobby doesn’t include being in a garage surrounded by tools, converting an ebike is not for you. We’re not saying that you cannot do it. Still, we are saying that after you finish it, you might need a professional to fix your mistakes and realiably put your ebike to work. But if you’re keen to risk and want to have a go, you’re welcome and know Cyberbikes is here to support you every step!

 

Conclusion: Embracing the world of electric bikes opens possibilities for your commute, adventures, and overall well-being. Whether you’re in Sydney or anywhere in Australia, knowing where to buy and what to look for will empower you to make an informed decision. Additionally, an electric bike conversion kit could be the right choice to enhance your current bike’s performance. With this guide, you can embark on your electric biking journey. Happy riding!