Take advantage of your e-bike’s extra power and equip it with everything you need to make your cycling more practical and more enjoyable...
The extra weight of accessories can compromise the performance of unassisted bikes, which is why you seldom see carbon road bikes towing trailers or mountain bikes with full-length mudguards. E-bikes are different. An extra kilo here or there is trivial when: a) your bike already weighs over 15kg to begin with; and b) you’ve got 250 extra Watts at your disposal. You can still cruise along in situations where unassisted riders would be struggling and sweating.
Here are some of the best extras when you’re buying (or already own) an e-bike. Prices are RRP. You’ll make significant savings if you get these accessories through Cyclescheme.
Mudguards keep you and the bike clean, saving on laundry and bike maintenance and enabling you to cycle to work in normal clothes. Many e-bikes come with mudguards but e-road, e-gravel, or e-mountain bikes often don’t. If there are threaded eyelets on the frame and fork, you should be able to fit standard, full-length mudguards. If not, there are special guards designed for road bikes and mountain bikes, such as the Crud Roadracer Mk3 and the Mudhugger range respectively.
Example: SKS Bluemels Style 28” 46 Set, £55
The simplest way to exploit the load-carrying ability of your e-bike is to add a rear rack. Sturdy ones that fit to eyelets on the frame will carry over 20kg and are the best option for more utilitarian e-bikes. You can then fit a pair of large panniers or a rack-mounted childseat. If such a rack isn’t feasible, check out alternative solutions. For example, the City Bag for the Brompton Electric is much more capacious than the little Essentials bag. For e-bikes without luggage mounts, bikepacking bags will work – as will most trailers (see below).
Example: Topeak Explorer 29er Disc 2.0, £54.99
Luggage tends to expand to fill the space available so there’s a good argument for using just one or two small panniers if you’re commuting on an unassisted bike. On an e-bike, that doesn’t matter: as long as the frame is long enough that you won’t bang your heels on them, use big rear panniers instead. Strong, waterproof ones so you can safely haul whatever will fit in them – groceries, a spare battery, a heavy duty lock, etc.
Example: Ortlieb Back-Roller City, £95/pair
Lights are a legal and practical necessity for cycling at night. If your e-bike’s battery has the facility to have lights hardwired in, e-bike-specific lights are the best option. They draw a tiny amount of a power compared to the 250W motor so will have little impact on range. And they can be bolted permanently in place, so you’ll never be caught out by nightfall or have to hunt for your clip-on lights. If you have to fit separate battery lights, all-in-one units without cables save on clutter compared to lamps with discrete battery packs.
Examples: Lezyne E-Bike Power STVZO Pro E115 LED Light £66 & Lezyne Rear Fender STVZO £20
Phone mount
Attaching a phone to the handlebar of your e-bike gives you easy access to your favourite navigation or fitness app, such as Citymapper or Strava. There are also specific e-bike apps that combine mapping with information about your e-bike, such as current speed, battery level, assistance mode selected, and so on. This is invaluable if you have an e-bike without a handlebar display, such as many Ebikemotion bikes or the Brompton Electric. (Those e-bikes’ apps are named accordingly.) Some e-bikes have a USB port so you can keep your phone charged using the e-bike’s battery.
Example: Quad Lock Bike Kit, from £45.99
Trailer
A trailer turns any bike into a cargo hauler, child carrier or dog transporter, depending on the type you attach. E-bikes excel at trailer towing. Any e-bike will do a good job but those with high-torque mid-motors are best as they’re more effective at slow speeds, such as when setting off or riding uphill – situations that are otherwise challenging when you’re towing tens of kilos. Some cargo trailers will haul over 100kg, although most are rated at less than half that. It’s still plenty for a nursery run or weekly shop.
Example: Burley Flatbed, £299
Kickstand
E-bikes are heavier than conventional bikes and don’t balance as easily against bike stands or walls, especially if the battery is situated high up. A kickstand allows easy parking anywhere. Centre stands suit the heaviest e-bikes and work well for bikes used on road. If you’ll be heading off-road, a sidestand gives more ground clearance when folded up.
Example: Hebie Bipod Propstand REX M 605, £41
E-bikes need good locks because they are, as a rule, more expensive than other bikes. Fortunately they’re also better able to carry the weight of a heavy-duty lock without it slowing you down. Get a lock that’s rated at least Sold Secure Gold. D-locks will fit e-bikes with frames like normal bikes but chains are easier to use for those with huge, battery-containing frames. They’re also ideal for use at home where most bikes are stolen from. Just make sure you use an equally secure anchor point.
Example: Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Chain, £199.99
When choosing tyres for a bike, there’s a balance to be struck between rolling resistance (drag), weight, grip, durability, and puncture resistance. Many cyclists eschew the toughest tyres because they want something that’s lighter and faster rolling. With an e-bike, tougher but heavier and draggier tyres won’t stop you riding at 15mph, so it makes sense to fit them – particularly as it’s harder to manhandle an e-bike to fix a roadside puncture. It’s also worth fitting wider tyres on an e-bike, assuming there’s room. Wider tyres can be run softer, which better isolates a heavier bike and its load from bumps and vibrations. The larger ‘footprint’ of wider, softer tyres is particularly useful for grip for e-MTBs, where a 2.6in tyre will generally be more capable than a narrower one.
Example: Schwalbe Marathon E-Plus, £43.99 each
Proper pump
Sporty cyclists carry tiny, pocked-sized mini-pumps. While they’re very portable, actually using one is like digging a hole with a teaspoon. On an e-bike, there’s little reason not to use something that will get the job done properly, because your e-bike’s motor won’t notice the extra 100-200g of a bigger, more effective pump. You could even toss a footpump like the SKS Airstep into a pannier.
Example: Topeak Turbo Morph with Gauge, £46.99
Extra battery
An extra battery gives your e-bike more range, enabling you to tackle longer and hillier journeys or just go longer between recharging. With some e-bikes, you’ll need to carry the spare (in your big rear pannier?) and swap it over when the original runs flat. But some e-bikes, particularly e-cargo bikes, are designed for a second battery to slot in, while others can be equipped with a range extender battery that sits in a bottle cage. However you do it, an extra battery will be expensive.
Example: Ebikemotion X35 Range Extender Battery, £549
Spare charger
If you have a longer or hillier commute that leaves your e-bike’s battery perilously low – or if you just forget to charge it now and then – it helps to have a second charger that you can leave at work. Then you can recharge your e-bike for the journey home. Failing that, add your home charger to the items stuffed in one of your panniers; it’ll only add around 800g.
Example: Bosch Standard Charger (4A), £120
E-bike helmet
You’re not obliged by law to wear a helmet on an e-bike but if you do it’s not necessary to go full roadie. On an e-bike you don’t need a super lightweight lid with excellent ventilation and cutting edge aerodynamics. With motor assistance, your exercise intensity will be comfortably aerobic. And at 15mph, having a more aero head doesn’t matter. Have a look at e-bike specific and urban cycling helmets, which have more commuter-friendly features and, dare we say it, more style…
Example: Dashel Urban Cycle Helmet, £79.99
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