When you’re fit and strong, powering through sun-kissed countryside on a road bike can feel like poetry in motion. But if age is catching up with you or you don’t have a sporty background, road riding can feel like an endless uphill struggle. An electric road bike is a solution. It lets anyone, not just amateur athletes, relish longer-distance commutes and hilly loops in the lanes.

E-road bikes must meet the usual regulations for electrically-assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs). That means that assistance is limited to 250 Watts of sustained power, can only be supplied while pedalling, and must cut out at speeds above 15.5mph (25km/h). The last of these presents a dilemma for e-road bikes: it’s not difficult to go faster than 15.5mph on a lightweight, drop-bar bike.

When shopping for an e-road bike, it’s also worth looking out for the E-bike Positive trust mark. Backed by the cycling industry, it identifies e-bikes that have been rigorously safety tested and meet UK regulations for EAPCs, giving riders extra confidence that they’re choosing a high-quality, road-legal bike. 

As such, it’s vital than an e-road bike’s motor offers minimal resistance when the bike is being pedalled by muscle power alone. And that is how they’re generally designed: so you can ride with little or no assistance when the going is easy on flatter roads, but have high levels of assistance available when you need help most – on climbs.

An e-road bike’s motor won’t be used heavily all of the time, so the battery doesn’t need such a large capacity and can be physically smaller. This has a couple of benefits: it can be hidden in down tube, making some e-road bikes almost indistinguishable from conventional road bikes; and it will be lighter. While other e-bikes tend to weigh 20kg or more, e-road bikes weigh around 15kg or less.

A lower weight and a lack of pedalling resistance when the motor isn’t being used help retain the sporty feel riders expect from a road bike. This is important because, if you weren’t bothered by it, you’d buy something heavier and more utilitarian instead, such as an e-hybrid or an e-folder.

Like any kind of road bike used for commuting, an e-road bike nevertheless needs practical features as well as pep. The facility to fit mudguards is non-negotiable, and it’s handy to be able to fit a rear rack as well. That’s why we’re looking at more modestly priced e-bikes here: you’re more likely to find the required fittings on such bikes.

Note that the prices below are RRP. Don’t forget to factor in your Cyclescheme savings.

Van Rysel E-EDR AF 105 £1,899.99

At the time of writing the Van Rysel E-EDR AF was on offer at £1,799.99, but even at full price it’s outstandingly good value. Less expensive e-bikes often have corners cut when it comes to bicycle itself. Not here. The aluminium frame and carbon fibre fork are what you’d expect from a mid-range e-road bike. There are fittings and clearance for full mudguards over the supplied 32mm tyres, and you can also fit a rear pannier rack and fork-mounted cargo cages. The groupset is 2x11 Shimano 105 and includes hydraulic disc brakes. Electric assistance comes from a lightweight Mahle X35 hub with 40Nm torque and a 250Wh battery in the frame. Control is via a BC900 bike computer. The only downside is that it uses cadence rather than torque sensing, so power kicks in slightly later when you start pedalling and the assistance feels more like an addition to your own power than an amplification. But at this price, nothing comes close. It weighs 14kg.

Ribble CGR E AL Tiagra £2,999

Ribble was one of the early adopters of Mahle’s rear hub motors, which combine low weight, minimal resistance when not under power, and the facility to fit a second, range-extender battery. The CGR E AL Tiagra has a Mahle X30 motor with 45Nm torque and a 250Wh battery. Control is by a minimalist IWOC unit in the top tube, which uses coloured LEDs as mode and battery level indicators. Assistance is delivered by torque sensing, which provides a more natural pedalling feel. The bike is similar to the Van Rysel in that it has an aluminium frame and carbon fork with clearance for larger tyres – 40mm Schwalbe G-One Allroad tyres. The groupset is 2x10 Shimano Tiagra, a tier lower than 105. While the bike lacks frame fittings for commuting accessories, Ribble sells a pannier rack and mudguard fitting kit for £50, so you can still add them. Weight: 14.1kg.

Cube Nuroad Hybrid C:62 Race 400X FE £3,899

While it’s more of a gravel bike, give that it comes with 45mm Schwalbe G One Allround tyres and has room for 50mm, the FE part this Cube’s name tells you that it’s Fully Equipped and commuter ready. The carbon frame and fork are fitted with mudguards, rear rack, kickstand and hardwired lights. Instead of a Mahle rear hub motor, the bike has a mid-motor: a Bosch Performance Line model with more torque (60Nm) than most e-road bikes. Mid-motors work more efficiently as the motor, like your legs, can take advantage of the bike’s gears. That should translate into better hillclimbing and a longer range – especially when you factor in the Cube’s larger, 400Wh battery. Another bonus is that the centre of gravity of the motor is optimal for bike handling. The drivetrain is 1x12 Shimano GRX with a large cassette for a good spread of gears, and (as you’d expect) the brakes are hydraulic discs. It’s 15.6kg, but that includes all that extra commuting equipment.

Pashley Roadfinder E £3,995

Pashley’s Roadfinder E is unusual for a couple of reasons: it’s made in the UK; and the frame is built not from aluminium or carbon but Reynolds steel (725, 631 and 525). Steel has a reputation for being heavier but the carbon-forked Roadfinder E tips the scales at just 13kg. Assistance comes from a torque-sensor-driven Mahle X20 rear hub motor with 55Nm torque. Like the Ribble, it has an IWOC controller in the top tube and a 250Wh battery. This model, the cheapest in the range, is equipped with 2x12 Shimano 105 gearing and hydraulic disc brakes. If you’re happy to spend more you can choose Shimano or Campagnolo electronic shifting. Tyres are 35mm Panaracer Gravel King slicks that are biased more towards road comfort than off-road control. The Roadfinder E has fittings for a rear pannier rack and mudguards; you can order a colour-matched pair with the bike.

Specialized Turbo Creo Comp E5 £3,999

Like the Cube above, this Specialized uses a torque-sensing, lightweight mid-motor rather than a rear hub motor. In this case, it’s Specialized’s own 1.2 SL unit, which has 50Nm torque and good sound baffling. The in-frame battery has a 320Wh capacity, while the display sits in the top tube like an IWOC controller. You can see ride metrics in detail, however, and it’s controller by a Bluetooth handlebar remote. The carbon fork and aluminium frame have fittings for mudguards and racks front and rear. There’s 20mm of suspension travel in the steerer tube of the fork. Specialized calls this Future Shock 2.0, and it’s there more for hand and upper body comfort than bike control over rough ground. The drivetrain is 1x12 SRAM Apex, as are the hydraulic disc brakes. Once again, tyres are lightly treaded all-road ones: 40mm Specialized Pathfinder tubeless-ready tyres that suit bad roads and better-quality tracks. Weight: 15kg. At time of writing, it was on offer for £3,499.