A Guide to Buying an Electric Road Bike

An electric road bike can be a great addition to any dedicated cyclist’s roster. Whether you’re pushing yourself to break new ground on routes you wouldn’t normally take on or looking for a little bit of a boost so that you can keep up with your younger cycling companions, electric road bikes are a great way to enhance your natural abilities. They can also provide you with a bit of backup power for those moments when manual pedalling isn’t quite enough.

Finding an electric road bike to suit you is surprisingly simple. Many popular manufacturers like Trek and Giant now sport a range of electric road bikes, including everything from aero racers to all-road workhorses to off-road, gravel-ready rides. As such, it’s easy to find a brand you like or one from which you’ve already purchased manual bicycles, and pick out an electric bike from their range that suits your needs.

If you’re shopping for your first electric road bike, or just taking a wider look at the market, then there are a few key things to consider when deciding what to buy. First off, there’s your usage scenario. Are you taking on lots of steep hills and winding valleys? Will you be cycling at a mix of high and low speeds on long, flat trails? In that case, a motor with a high torque potential would be great. Then a performance bike with comfort-focused features might be better. Whatever you need, you’re sure to find an electric bike that suits you to a tee on this list.

Trek’s Domane+ LT 9 is a high-spec electric road bike that brings everything you love about Trek’s sophisticated machines and throws in some clever, smart features. Retaining a light profile was paramount here, and the Domane+ LT 9 is built around a superlight OCLV carbon frame and a curved, low-resistance design. The whole Ebike system is removable, including the battery and Fazua Evation Drive Pack. While equipped, however, this gear will give your pedalling power some extra assistance to the tune of 250W or so – quite the kick if you’re taking on hills or aiming to keep up with the pack throughout longer rides.

The Road E+ 1 Pro from Giant is a great electric road bike with a powerful Giant SyncDrive Pro drive pack system that can provide up to 80Nm of torque. As such, it’s a great bike for taking on hills, and the rest of the bike’s hardware is built to match this high standard. The tubeless tires are puncture-resistant and give you a nice smooth ride, while the lightweight aluminum ALUXX SL frame means the added drive pack won’t bog you down at all. And with a 25-90 mile range depending on your riding scenario, the 500Wh battery gives you plenty of assist distance on just one charge.

The Cannondale SuperSix EVO Neo may be pricy, but that’s with good reason. This is a fantastic road bike, even setting aside the electrical components included. Here, you’ve got a beautiful BallisTec carbon frame here with some incredible truncated curves and drag-resistant handlebars, plus low-drag, wide rim wheels designed with the bike’s aerodynamics in mind. When you bring in the MAHLE E-Bikemotion X35 drive pack, things get even better. It adds three levels of pedal-assist, and you can toggle between them easily thanks to the integrated controller on the bike’s top tube – all the cables are hidden, meanwhile leaving your bike with a great clean look.

Ride1Up’s Roadster V2 is one of the best budget electric road bikes going, at just $1000 in price. It’s a fantastic bike for such a reasonable spend, with a no-frills 6061 aluminum alloy frame good enough for most entry-level riders and a simple overall design that incorporates a compact LCD and a quiet 500W motor. The Shengyi geared motor hub has five pedal-assist levels, giving you plenty of versatility. Depending on riding conditions, the 36V 7Ah battery can provide up to 30 miles of range on one charge.

Focus’ take on the electric road bike comes in the form of their Paralane2 9.8. Hard to read but easy to ride, the Paralane utilizes a F.I.T carbon frame that weighs only 1.84 KG, with specially designed tubes built to redistribute shocks while riding and keep you comfortable all day long. Optimal gear shifting is a big priority in this build, and broad R.A.T. axles have been implemented towards this end. 2 colorways are available, and matching fenders can also be purchased to complete the kit.

With a hybrid on/off-road geometry and a rugged overall build, the Boardman ADV 8.9E is a great pick for riders taking on a variety of different road conditions. Pannier rack and mudguard-ready, it’s easy to get the Boardman equipped for any scenario, and its 38mm Schwalbe G-One Schwalbe tires mean you can handle any type of terrain with ease. The Fazua Evation drive pack included is app compatible, allowing you to keep a close eye on your battery and PAS levels, and the removable battery means you can swap out mid-ride to keep things going with up to 56 miles of range per charge.

The Topstone Neo 5 from Cannondale sits firmly in the mid to high-end price bracket at $5000, but it’s still a fantastic bike for its price. The Smartform C1 alloy frame is gorgeous and lightweight, and a full carbon fork complements the stripped-back build of the bike. The Bosch Performance Speed motor included here is focused on efficiency, providing 28mph of pedal-assist for up to 70 miles per battery charge. Once again, the battery is removable, allowing you to swap it out on the go, and there’s room to add fenders or off-road tires if you’re heading out trail-riding

The Domane+ HP Trek electric road bike is another great offering from their hybrid road/electric range, this time available at a much lower price point than some of their other Domane+ models. You get a good all-rounder here for a mid-range price, with a superlight 500 Series OCLV Carbon frame stripped of all unnecessary weight. Front and rear lighting are included as standard, and the Fazua drive pack of the LT has been swapped out for a Bosch Performance Line Speed motor, which provides up to 28mph of pedal-assist via its 250W hardware.

The Bianchi Aria Ebike brings together the build of a high-performance road bike with the powerful E-Bikemotion X35 drive pack for a great all-road cycling machine. It’s a highly specialized electric road bike with a full carbon frame and fork and comes equipped with Shimano Ultegra R8000 components comprising of R8000 shifters, derailleurs, and an R8000 crankset. The 250W motor can provide up to 40Nm of torque, making it a great option for hills, while dual disc braking gives you all the control you need when slowing down.

For those looking for a technical electric road bike that won’t break the bank, the BMC Alpenchallenge AMP Sport is a fantastic range to check out. There are three models available here, the AMP AL Sport One, Sport Two, and Sport Three DB, each with different drivetrain setups and varying components. The cheapest option, the Sport One, comes equipped with a Shimano 105 drivetrain along with Vittori Zaffiro pro tires with a 40mm clearance. The Sport Two is the mid-high end option, with a Shimano Ultegra drivetrain and a premium carbon seat post. Then you’ve got the Sport Three DB, which brings together all of the deluxe features of its sister bikes with a Shimano GRX drivetrain built for climbing dirt and gravel surfaces as well as handling any on-road terrain. All three options are high-quality offerings, and it’s just about the level of technical sophistication you require for your riding environment.

Trek’s Domane+ LT 7 is similar to the HP in many ways, with traditional road bike geometry and a Shimano Ultegra Di2 drivetrain, but somehow Trek has also managed to shave 3kg off the overall weight of the bike. Beyond this, the Bosch Performance Line motor has been swapped out for a more sophisticated Fazua Evation drive pack, which in itself is completely removable, allowing you to turn this great electric bike into a regular road bike in just a few minutes.

The SuperSix EVO Neo 3 from Cannondale is one of the best electric road bikes for those seeking something with traditional all-road geometry and a subtle electric boost, all at a low-mid range price. This bike utilizes the MAHLE E-Bikemotion X35 that we’ve seen a few times on this list, which includes a 250W motor that allows for up to 62 miles for assisted riding. The BallisTec carbon frame uses highly truncated airfoil tubes for a supremely aerodynamic design. The wide rim HollowGram wheels included here make for ultrafast riding without catching too much drag.

Another great Trek electric road bike from their Domane+ offering, the LT runs on Bontrager tires and uses SRAM force disc brakes rather than the Shimano brakes found on its cousins. Once again, you’ve got a lightweight 500 Series OCLV Carbon frame here, along with a fork with rear IsoSpeed technology to ensure a super smooth ride. The removable Fazua drive pack means you can convert it into a non-electric road bike with ease, and when you do need a little assistance, you’ll have 250W of pushing power to aid your manual pedalling.

Look’s E 765 is one of the best electric road bikes of 2021, with a reasonable mid-range price and an impressive high-fidelity build. This endurance-focused road bike is designed for long and comfortable rides, with a lightweight carbon frame, a relaxed rider positioning style, and a 3D Wave seat that’ll keep your butt comfy for hours at a time. The bike’s tires have 42mm of clearance, so it’s a decent option for taking off-road and up and down steep hills, and the 250W boost from the Fazua Evation drive pack is always waiting in the wings to assist you on difficult climbs.

This drop-bar electric road bike from Trek is another great addition to their Domane+ series. Once again, it utilizes Bontrager Aeolus carbon wheels to increase the bike’s aerodynamics while maintaining a nice smooth ride. Designed for all-road performance, this sleek electric bike comes equipped with front and rear lighting as well as hydraulic disc brakes and road-smoothing IsoSpeed technology. The Bosch Performance Speed motor used here can provide up to 28mph of pedal-assist for 80+ miles per charge, making the HP 7 a brilliantly efficient bike on the whole.

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