From a safety standpoint, I think one important piece of gear that was over looked is Bike Gloves. They can be half gloves with fingers out and palm pads. Especially for more aggressive riders. Anyone who has ever had to stop suddenly due to unforeseen reasons and goes over the handlebars will be glad they had some sort of protection on their hands since that is what tends to make contact first with the ground and that is usually asphalt. Helps with road rash.

Coming late to the party but just subscribed. I'm 70 and recovering from cancer surgery so bought an ebike in September 2023. I sold my car and love riding here in Missoula Montana as the town is very bike friendly with shared paths, specific bike trails and bike lanes. Your tips are very welcome. Thank you.

I'd recommend a mirror to keep an eye on your rear, especially riding in traffic. Lights day and night & hivis clothing a must also 🚴

Great video! Gloves are important too because when you fall, the first thing that hits the pavement will be your hands. (And then your head)

A mirror is a decent idea for safety - maybe it's not the same for everyone, but I'm not someone who has great balance, and I always have a little trouble going in a straight line if I'm not looking ahead, so looking behind me often makes me pretty nervous. A mirror can help a lot with that. If a big mirror looks too dorky, there's Corky mirrors you can put on the end of your handlebars, which is basically a tiny fold-out wide-angle mirror. I sometimes wish I had a slightly larger mirror to see a little bit better, but it's a lot better than nothing: even on a tiny mirror, cars are very easy to see, and bikes and pedestrians are easy to see if they're close, so in the end I feel pretty safe, and can still look behind me if I don't trust the mirror. I'm sure many seasoned riders are just fine without a mirror; personally I ride pretty often but never felt 100% confident about looking back, so a mirror was a reasonable purchase.

my 2 cents ... Tire pressure: don't overfill, decrease pressure for riding on rough surfaced roads/trails/gravel. Shifting: anticipate shifts, minimize pedal pressure while shifting, keep ur cadence up. Safety: pay attention, head up/look ahead, avoid trouble

There really is no better channel for new riders than this one.

Additional point: keep your brakes top notch. E-bikes are faster, heavier and climb more easily than normal bikes. Especially in hilly places, remember to check brake pads often, keep a spare set ready, clean with disc brake cleaners and learn how to bed the pads in.

Another great video Chris. I appreciate your sense of humor. One thing I would mention, this fits in the etiquette area, if you are riding on a path and you need to stop, it would be nice if you stop as far right as possible and even get off of the trail if possible. I frequently see someone blocking a path without thinking.

How do you all feel about bike lanes being next to car lanes? I feel they should be closer to the sidewalk and have a 3 ft gap in between the car lane. I feel like a sitting duck when I ride in a bike lane.

The best advice: > Also, whether on a e-bike or a mechanical bike, learn and use hand signals. Any electrical turn signals on a bicycle *especially during the day* are less noticeable on a bicycle than on a car. We tend to notice the person on the bicycle first.

I have read reviews by cyclists saying that nobody reacted to a horn or devises that make electronic sounds. Generally, pedestrians recognize a bell being the sound of a cyclist rather than a horn or other electronic sounds. Great video ..... Thanks!

Awesome advice. I'd add that a reflective leg strap is a good way to keep your pant leg out of the chain in winter (rather than rolling up the pants). It has the added benefit of being another reflector.

Man, as a retired bike coach I loved this! Your deadpan Woody Allen-style delivery is a welcome change from the over-the-top perkiness of other influencers! 😅

Thank you for making this video. Tips like these are often under spoken and seeing videos like these are refreshing, especially as most of the “cycling tips” videos are generally around the road racer category, and sometimes they don’t often talk about urban utility riding. So nice to see videos from Propel, as you’re channel is often one which is my favourite because of how in depth and well designed the outline of topics the videos often discuss.

Top notch content as always. I constantly have to remind my wife to keep shifting down and up as she rides. She often forgets and gets frustrated because the motor is not helping her optimally due to her not being at proper gear.

I think of a bell as a notification, i.e., "something is about to happen", whereas a horn is more of an alert, i.e., "something bad is about to happen if you don't respond to it immediately". So a bell is like "i'm planning to go around you" and a horn is "we're about to crash into each other".

I think it's nice to point out glass or sharp stuff in the roadway when you know there's another bike not far behind you. Wave a pointed finger or waggle your hand in the direction of the bad stuff on the road. Maybe say glass.

Excellent job explaining everything here.Especially holding your line and passing and shifting and being in the proper gear/cadence.

You are a good ambassador to cycling, your shop and to NY.

Love these videos, always helpful and often humorous. 🥸

I’d say the first rule about safety on a bike is paying attention to your surroundings, keeping your eyes open for any vehicles or other elements that might cross your trajectory, and then making sure they’re seeing you by establishing eye contact. As to visibility, one of the most important things to do is taking your position on the road. Of course, by night, or in poor visibility conditions, lights are mandatory!

A lot of good points. Patience as part of riding etiquette is a big one. Everyone, including myself, should keep that in mind I think. The city can be tough and conditions vary so wildly, so we all can become impatient and do dumb stuff sometimes. Thank you!

I ❤️ my IGH. The profoundly absurd intersection at the bottom of my hill has me needing to yield to cross traffic that can't be bothered to signal. When I need to abruptly stop, the IGH means I can get up the hill. The chain guard on my GSD has been sufficient pants cuff protection. Having a pump strapped to my frame was quite handy this afternoon. When I got to the school pick up line, I walked Clementine back onto her haunches and gave the rear tire some air without having to remove the somewhat involved GSD panniers. (I did remove my drink from the cup holder. Learned that one the hard way.) I have a ridiculous neon pink 3/4 zip pull over windbreaker that I wear when biking. I don't think it will keep me from being run over, but I hope the grand jury will find it persuasive when deciding whether to indict.

I have both a horn and a bell and you're spot on. The horn is for cars, the bell is for everyone else. The point of the horn is to be loud enough for drivers inside of cars to hear (claimed 140dB) and it does that pretty well. That's painfully loud to be blasting a pedestrian with at close range.

One of the most dangerous and stupid things I've done is get my shoe lace trapped in the chain ring. At high speeds it will most like snap, but at low speeds it's going to drag you off the bike. I know, I've done it.

The throttle on my e-bike was the best decision I made with it. Makes it more of a joy to ride in those moments you can't keep pedalling or when you need a boost to get started from a standstill on and incline.

Enjoyed your help. I learned about using the gears from you ! Thanks !!

Looking forward to your etiquette video! I ride mostly in urban settings, and I find it's easier to be polite with pedestrians on my ebike, compared to a normal bike, as the cost of having to accelerate after breaking is now split between my body and my powerpack 🙂

Nice and friendly video for the newbies. Didn't make me feel silly for not knowing stuff. Can you please do a video in how to fix a puncture when away from home? And what kit we'll need to do so?

Safety/Etiquette -Mirrors on both sides of the handlebars and properly adjusted much like a car. -Bike alarm to go along with a good lock(s) - MIPS helmet for extra head protection. - Would like to see e bikes come standard with visible left/right hand turn signals. Otherwise hold your arm out way before you turn and keep it extended (if possible) until turn is completed. Sometimes it's challenging because everyone doesn't feel comfortable using one hand to steer. -Stay off sidewalk if possible -Try not to go through stop signs and traffic lights. We want cars to respect us on the roads. Show the same respect for pedestrians and vehicles.

Educational & entertaining. Thanks Chris!

Two points about clothing: 1: Since your going faster with less effort on a ebike on longer trips your are gonna get cold ( at least if you live at an other place than SoCal 😉 ) , so take a jacket or a sweater with you even if it seems warm. 2: Sandals are ok as long as you don't try to start in an uphill in the wrong gear! The force trying to start will twist your foot in the sandal and you will loose all power and balance and thereby fall into a ditch!

I would add a handlebar mounted or helmet mounted rear view mirror for added safety. I use the helmet mounted type as it doesn’t require me having to completely direct my vision away from the foreword obstacles to simply glance to my rear.

What a great video! Thanks so much!

Thank you for this video. I’m a very inexperienced bike rider in my sixties. We recently bought ebikes for when we’re travelling in our van. We mostly ride on bike tracks only because I’m not confident for on road. I do find that some of the “real” cyclists to be impatient and some are quite rude. I have certainly learned quite a bit from your video.

This was well done. Good advice, well presented.

I would strongly recommend filling your tyres, especially the rear one with tube sealant as fixing a flat on an electric bike can be a real slow and heavy task!

You must try to find the course of least resistance. I stopped yelling “On your left,” as too many people misunderstood and moved to their left instead! This is on a 2-WAY PATH shared by walkers, rollers and bikers, with posted signs saying, “Pass on left!” Often times, I’ll ride around a corner and people walking in a group will block the entire lane, and not leave room for runners and riders to pass. That’s when I might use my air horn to get their attention! Otherwise , the horn is mostly for car traffic. I also use discretion when ringing my bell because sometimes people get startled and jump in front of me. There are times when it’s easier/ safer to just pass people at a REASONABLE SPEED, and just go on my way. Sure, I like to ride fast. That’s why I bought a Specialized Class 3 that goes up to 28 mph, but I always try to be SAFE and COURTEOUS when riding in public areas.

Love your channel! Love the variety of topics!

Great session thanks, I always call out well behind other people letting them know I’m approaching, and then say thank you have a nice day.

Most e bike reviews I see on you tube, don't have the tester riding at a proper saddle height. You're not alone.

Love your videos - a quick comment. I think bike sellers should offer a "recommended" new bike road kit (customized somewhat for each bike), that includes a patch kit, a spare tube, a lightweight road toolkit (a la CrankBrothers or Topeak), tire irons and a portable pump - all in a small saddle bag. Experienced riders will already have these, but new riders don't know what they need until they need it. Also, I have a couple bikes, and I prefer to have this set for each bike anyway. The key customizations are the toolkit (it needs to have the right tools for the specific bike), perhaps the pump (high/low pressure) and definitely the spare tube. This also saves the new buyer having to search to make sure they order the right size replacement tube - if you send them a spare as part of the kit, they don't have to try to decipher the markings on their rim to figure out which tube they need ;-)

Thx for the tips. Just got my Superdelite GX Rohloff. Good lord. What a beast. Heavy as a tank, powerful as a Porsche and comfy like a Rolls Royce. It has nothing to do with a traditional bike or even a common ebike. It’s a new genre.

About the horn: I keep a horn on my left hand and a bell on my right hand. I usually bell to other bikers and pedestrians, but horn to cars and other vehicles.

Thanks from the UK for some really useful info! My first adult sized bike when I was 11 had no gears at all! I then fitted a Sturmey Archer 3 gear rear wheel which was great! Many years later I bought a 'Shockwave' full suspension mountain bike with 18 gear twist grips - that was great in summer but in the cold, wet winters I often couldn't grip the twist hard enough to change gear which always happened at the start of a hill (a lot of them in Devon). Today, at 63yrs I have a Shuangye folding, full suspension mountain e-bike, 21 gears via a trigger change with 5 levels of power assist - brilliant! (When I can remember which trigger goes up and which down!) Despite the usual stories of Chinese quality this one is beautifully built with quality gears and disk brakes front and back. I've used it with panniers and also a tow hitch and bike trailer for shopping trips. One word of advice though, if you come across a large piece of polystyrene lying on the cycle path and swerve to avoid it - remember there's a trailer on the back with its wheels sticking out - they don't like bouncing over obstacles!

Hi Chris. Thanks for another great video. I would really appreciate a more in depth video on shoes and clothing generally for longer rides on ebikes. I don't want to wear lycra like racing bikers do but I plan on taking some longer rides soon and am concerned what to wear for shoes and to prevent chaffing from prolonged riding. I would appreciate any information from your experience of maybe good brands to look out for. Thanks. Rob

Bicycles, ebikes and escooters are great options for last mile, short distance travel. Cities need to do more to encourage people to ride bicycles by providing safe, protected bike lanes and trails. Every adult and child should own a bicycle and ride it regularly. Bicycles are healthy exercise and fossil fuels free transportation. Electric bicycles are bringing many older adults back to cycling. Ride to work, ride to school or ride for fun.

One of my pet hates is cyclists wearing helmets tipped back - or even worse, having their kids' helmets perched at the back. Once you find a comfortable pair of trousers that doesn't fall apart, buy more of them. I have three pairs in different colours of beautifully stretchy, tough, quick-drying trousers that I wear all the time.

Very informative video. The only thing I might add would be for those of us who keep a small water bottle on our bikes for our trip, stop your bike to drink from it and don't drink while your riding down your path...I've seen 2 separate accidents occur this way, one with another bike coming towards her and the other with a pedestrian hit. Just a safety issue. Thanks for a wonderful video here.

First thought: He is wearing a hoodie in July. It is 100 degrees where I'm at and it threw my for a loop. Second thought: Great vid - subbed. Good advice on all topics. Third thought: The short shots of bikes are some of the coolest looking ebikes I've seen. Love the variety!

Thank you so much for this! As a recent car to ebike convert, these were super helpful.

Really great tips and many of those long time riders could take notice of.

I use the horn from really far away if I know it's going to be a tight pass, to give them extra time to see me coming/prepare or if I am going around a really tight blind corner (mostly applies to multi use trails) I will give a quick beep before I pop around the corner

Saddle hight: while standing (no forward movement) your leg should be completely 'extented' to touch the ground (obviously only) on one side of the bike. This way while driving your legs will be only slightly bend in the lowest peddle position. Which is ideal. An other important issue (where many people make mistakes); coming to a stop; break until you come to a full stop (please make shure your brakes are awesome), only then AFTER the full stop put a foot on the ground. If you still have forward speed you might fall over or at least you make life harder for yourself. Drive safe! Just some Dutch input.

Lots of good hints and ideas on safer riding. Good job!

Great analogy about when and why to shift gears. I struggle with that too but when you compared it to manual transmission on a car that worked for me. Shifting up and down based on speed (and hills).

Some of the preliminary data on E-Bike accidents show a lot of similarities with Motorcycle accidents due to the increased speed over a pedal bike. I'd argue a pair of armoured gloves and shoes would be worth looking into to prevent wrist/ankle breaks (and potentially even a half-face motorcycle helmet)

Thanks for this! Im a new e-bike rider after a 25 year gap in my pedaling career! A bit scared to be honest. Great video...love your style!

On shifting gears: I've had a traditional bike for many, many years. I changed gears obsessively. I got my first e-bike about 20 months ago and it took me about 4 months to realize there was no need to shift gears so much as it is easier to change the assist level. And to my mind, changing gears less often creates less wear and stress on the de-railing and drive chain systems.

Tbh all this stuff could be said the same for all bikes minus a few things, but you seem pretty cool and send out the right message so you get a thumbs up:)

Very nice presentation. Thank you.

I bought one of them new fangled belted, mid drive, automatiq shifting bikes. Added suspension post and fat butt seat. Now its a perfect old guys bike.

Just got a ebike recently as a way to get around regularly, very much appreciate the tips

Good video Chris! I definitely try to use my bell but many people end up not paying any attention when on a bike.

I think anticipation is key. Always be ready for a car door opening

If I lived in NY I would buy my e bike at Propel. Great videos. 🇺🇸🇨🇦

I don't know how it is in the US but here in Belgium the law requires every bike to have brakes in good working condition, a bell, reflectors front, back and sides. You are also required to have lights on (front and back) when it's dark or visibility is bad but those can also be placed on yourself or your backpack,... Personally I think wearing a HiViz vest adds a lot more to safety than wearing a helmet. Studies have shown that yes, helmets provide excellent protection against head injury but ironically they also increase the likeliness of accidents because they give the wearer a sense of safety, resulting in them driving more recklessly. Better to be highly visible and not get hit by cars at all.

I ride my eBike to my preferences of having battery last very long so I pedal a lot and notice the 7 gear Hubs you ride of shifting like a Clutch of various speed and terrain. Say I have 9 levels of PAS on 350watt, Im at PAS5 only on 5th gear GOING 21 MPH but I need to slow down so I go to PAS6( 6 TO 9 IS DOWNSHIFTING POWER,but you can go from 4 to 3 ect) with switching to 4th gear, then PAS7 3rd gear, PAS8 I start applying my disc brakes of the speed slow down I safely stop of 7 feet braking to full stop. It is really fun to learn this as it gets me more knowledgeable of how to use besides looking at specs. From there of re start I stay on 3rd to go on PAS1 than at 10mph I go 4th gear, at 15mph I go 5th gear( Ive yet to use 6 and 7 gear on PAS5 because Im new to ebikes) Shifting reduces the blunt power boost of exerting less power as speed picks up , besides that downshifting SEEMS THE MOST OVERLOOKED TIP, EVER. Downshifting controls handling of speed slow down to give safe space to use brakes without wearing them down.

Dude, great channel and I'm glad I found it tonight. I'm 52 and I rode my bikes since I was very young to the point I didn't even care to get my license until I was 20 because I didn't need it. But that aside, I dig your channel because I now have gotten back into biking at 52 and I bought a couple mid drives for the wife and I and we are going full force bike packing this year. I have a Raleigh M80 and she has an M60 from the 1996 year when we got married. Well, they make great ebikes now with new cassettes, brakes chains etc. and all the other gear. I also run a CNC business with the Mechanical engineering consultation. I'm thinking of a few ideas, but if you have any, feel free to contact me. Keep up the great vids. Real men wear helmets by the way...and before ebikes...I'd always say "on your left!" nicely, but take your time in life unless you're on a cannon ball run to cali...otherwise you won't save a second or two...

I've learned if riding with someone to discuss how you try to stay safe on the road you talked about when passing somebody I always announce myself when I'm a fair distance behind them and passing them to tell them coming up behind you on your left and discussing with someone that's your riding with some of your practices if you don't have a bell or a horn and I agree with you your horn should be used at a certain distance with other riders because you can actually spook one Rider

Great video, thanks! One point on bells ... I find pedestrians hate bells ... They seem to consider that you are demanding they get out of the way. I say "ding ding" instead and that usually brings a laugh. However the exception is school children with their friends. They want to cause issues for amusement. I have discovered that looking as if you are not going to stop (while actually thinking about it in case) causes them to subconsciously move aside without a word. Almost as they would just naturally walk around a tree. Loads of people with headphones don't notice me at all though and I have stopped lots of times for these guys and then been walked into very slowly! Quite funny!!

Thanks for that explanation of how to figure out the appropriate saddle height

I ride a Brompton and they have small low volume high pressure tires. I check them once a month. When it comes to lights I like to have lights on my helmet. One because you can point the lights into the face of drivers who seem not to have noticed you but the height seems so much more visable. Having high lights is really good for pedestrians who turn to cross the road and only glance before stepping off the path. High level lights can also been seen better when a car is comming out of a junction and the lights can be seen over parked cars at the side of the road. I am in England and we have much tighter roads than you guys have in the States. I did have an electric bike but I put on too much weight so I got the folding Brompton which is also a great bike.

About saddle height: invest in a dropper post. You can pedal without bending the knees too much while still getting the feet flat on the ground while stopped.

Great video (Good reminders)

I have found that wearing "Bicycle Pants" makes my ride far more "comfortable"!

Hi Chris, great video as always, in regards of what is the most important practice to remember while riding is, do so your mouth close, you’ll be ingesting a whole lot of insect protein if you don’t. lol As far as horns on bikes, just picture riding forty four kilometres down a bridge deck on a daily commute and in front approaching is a pedestrian, try to ring your bell, yelling at the top of your lungs at a person listening to loud music with earplugs ,oblivious of the fact that this is a bike path!!!

Good things to be making us all aware of.

Strangely enough butyl rubber IS slightly porous and will lose air just standing. It does not mean you have a slow puncture. As with all vehicles with pnuematic tyres you need to check your tyre pressures on a regular basis and inflate as necessary. Low tyres pressures make for hard work, more stress on yourself and your motor, reduces battery duration and increases tyre wear.

Another useful video 👍 what I found in my years of riding is to be assertive & confident on the road. A lot of drivers are respectful but there a lot of douchebags too. So take your road and if it ain’t safe for them to pass you then position yourself to protect yourself. I’m off to check my tyre pressures now 😀

Thank you for this. Sent to my daughter at college, she's going to need to use an ebike.

Good Job Chris !

My personally preference as a pedestrian is the sound of a bell ring, just to say they are passing. Otherwise it is a shock sometimes as the bike flashes by. As a cyclist. I did have one instance when two large dogs chased me for a kilometre with the owner trying to call them back. Lucky the ebike had plenty of speed to out run any dog/dogs! always take great care when passing anyone, plus here in Australia we get lots of dogs some on a lead and others not, so a ring on the bell a couple of times, one ring at a distance and another as you approach closer.

It's a good idea to CHECK the tire pressure with a pressure gauge before every ride. If the gauge indicates the tires are under inflated air should be added.

Fit a rear vision mirror. consider that you are on a powered vehicle and are able to keep up with traffic so it's always good to know what is behind you.

LOLz "should I buy a bike pump..." ❤ yes!

My bike shop gave the following most-common error about gears/transmission : when using gears, the rider needs to move the pedals while changing gear. Though the opposite must be done for transmission. You have to change the transmission while keeping still the pedals.

I got a Rad bike and spokes get lose a lot. I have a throttle and use it regularly to take off then I go back to up-shifting but I don’t down shift so much either. Here in WA a bike can be a car or a bike. It’s a big advantage if you want to take the green light or the walk light at a intersection. They are not always in same configuration, I just learned this. Great info, now I have to go check my air pressure.

Good points Chris, re: helmets their are e-bike specific helmets out there, I use the ABUS Pedelec 2.0 , as for being seen , FLECTR make great reflectors, they even won design awards.

Ok, this is how I do it. For riding ANY bike... Helmet. Hi-vis vest - mine's bright orange and can fold up into the palm of my hand. Mirrors on each side. Ding ding bell to politely let people know you're approaching. Electronic horn with a very loud and aggressive sound for whenever a car cut's you up and nearly kills you. Good lights for front and back and if you are out at night a lot, carry a spare for each just in case you run out or one gets lost or stolen. I've been there in the dark! Basic tools and pump. And perhaps tyre sealant and inflater for a quick fix if you don't want to spend half an hour fixing a puncture. A bike poncho is very good for keeping you dry even in very heavy rain without sweating too much. But on an ordinary bike facing a strong headwind it can be a hard pedal. Not an issue on an e-bike so I would say get one. Locks. Use more than one and at a minimum Sold Secure Gold and Diamond rated. They need to be only able to be cut with powered equipment. My chain and D locks for my ordinary hybrid bike weigh in at a combined 8kg. And that's still no guarantee. Cable locks aren't worth the cardboard they're packaged in. Trousers/pants band's to keep your clothing clear of the chain area. Or put on a chain guard. A backpack/shoulder bag/re removable pannier to carry your lights, tools, battery, whatever when you park up your bike. Don't leave anything on your bike that your not prepared to have stolen. Bar Mitts or other similar products for keeping your hands warm in winter. I've probably forgotten something obvious but that's my advice. Oh, and a trailer is fabulous for carrying all sorts of large or heavy cargo. And I find that car's actually give me a wider berth when I'm using mine which is a large sized dog trailer so it's actually pretty big. And indicator lights... I don't bother in broad daylight but I use indicator lights at night or in dull weather mostly in winter along with my good mirrors on either side. BUT... I still always look behind to make sure that the vehicle behind make's eye contact and I also use full clear hand and arm signals. Each reinforces the effectiveness of the other. Whatever is coming up right behind me when I'm about to make a turn or change my position on the road can weigh anything from one ton to over forty tonnes and if there's any misunderstanding about what I'm going to do or they're not paying attention then we all know who's going to come out of it worse!

Using proper hand signals. Two (2) New Inner Tubes specific for your bike.

great video, as are all your videos I've seen so far. I would add that keeping your line, as you mentioned, is very important, but in doing so, to always beware of riding next to parked cars. I would suggest to ride at a distance from parked cars in a way that if a door swings open that you don't get hit. Better to ride in a consistant line slightly in traffic, than to ride to close to parked cars where you might get doored.

I would recommend adding a helmet mounted rear view mirror to check your “6”. It doesn’t require directing your gaze completely away from foreword obstacles as happens when using a handlebar mounted mirror.

That was defiantely more than six but all valid and useful.

I bought a rear view mirror, I think its a good idea

Good tips 👍

Good topics. What are some of the better shoes to use for e-bikes. I appreciate the style etc will be personal for each rider. Thanks

Great video, so helpful for new e bike riders... Talk to Will at Scooterety about your channel last week, he only had great things to say about you. He's also doing good video on his channel. I believe your channel will become a popular one for e bikes as it gets more popular. All the best, love all the helpful information here...

Should mention that shifting reduces the load on your knees should always aim for the most comfortable level so that you are not exhausted at the end of your ride.