The Ultimate E-Bike Buying Guide: Budget

When anyone starts thinking about buying a new e-bike most people will ultimately start with a budget in mind. From the smallest of budgets to the deepest and biggest of wallets, a budget is the starting point for most buying decisions and it is the one that is the most important as it will determine what kind of e-bike you end up with despite the list of things you need from it. In this ultimate buying guide, we will be walking you through every aspect of buying a new e-bike from the budget (in this post) to the finer details and more specialist equipment. But for now, let’s open our wallets and talk about budget…

E-Bikes Are Not As Expensive As You Think

If you take a quick look around bike shops and online e-bike stores you will probably see prices range from £1000 – £10,000 and thinking that your tiny budget isn’t going to get you anywhere. But the truth is for most people’s needs an e-bike at the lower end (£500 – £1000) should get you exactly what you need. Most people don’t need a mid-drive with full suspension and a carbon frame that costs more than a brand-new family car, most people should be fine with a rear-hub drive and a basic hard frame with no suspension at all.

Even cheaper e-bikes like the smaller foldable ones should be OK if you only plan a small commute, or e-bike ride to work via public transport, or even just the shops and back. The other good news is that these days they are so much better and stronger made than you might first think with many features their larger, non-folding counterparts have. Want to do a little off-roading at the weekends? Then a fat tyre wheel-hub motor e-bike with some suspension could be the answer and they are a lot of fun as well being the e-bike I prefer the most. But let’s pretend that even a budget of £1000 is out of your price range after all there is a cost of living crisis at the moment so that is a lot of money. Well…the good news is there are even cheaper options…

Cheap, Cheaper, Cheapest and Free?!?

If buying brand new isn’t within your budget you might want to think about buying a 2nd hand e-bike! I made a good video on this the other day that is well worth a watch. As long as you are savvy of the cons and things to look out for there is no reason at all that you won’t be able to pick up a pretty decent e-bike for £500 or less.

Need to go even cheaper than 2nd hand? Why not consider getting an e-bike conversion kit and doing up an old bicycle? It’s not as hard as you might think and you will find prices as low as £300 for a whole kit. Now obviously you will need to have a few DIY skills here, but you can always watch a few Youtube videos to learn how to do it.

OK, so what about free e-bikes? Is there such a thing?

With various cycle-to-work schemes and getting back to fitness programs out there it is well worth exploring your options here. I mean, why pay £1000+ for an e-bike when work might pay for it, or even better could get one for free from a fitness initiative program or hire scheme  Would it really take too much of your time to do a little research and find out if your workplace/school/local GP has something like this? No, and it could save you a lot of money if there is something.

As you can see, there are a range of options when it comes to buying an e-bike with many shops and online stores also offering interest-free payments and other credit options. Don’t let budget determine what e-bike you get, let your budget be a guide to getting the e-bike you need, rather than the one you can afford.

If you have any questions regarding buying an e-bike, or what you can get within your budget do get in touch with us via the comments below, or the contact page.