No segment of bicycles is growing faster than electric bikes—and that demand is good for you, the e-bike shopper. Newer brands like Aventon, Rad Power Bikes, Charge, and Himiway have sprung up offering affordable options you can buy online, bolstering the higher-performance e-bikes from more established players like Specialized, Trek, and Giant.

Designs keep improving, tech is becoming more reliable at all prices, and the capabilities are expanding. Whether you want to purchase online or through a retailer, you can find everything from folding e-bikes, fat-tire e-bikes, electric-assist road bikes, and a sea of commuter and city electric bikes. Liberated from some of the standard bike constraints like weight and gearing, e-bike design has exploded.

To make these reviews as helpful as possible, we focused on lower to mid-price options from brands you can purchase directly online—though we did include a couple of recommendations for more expensive e-bikes that our team of bike testers loved.

If you are looking for a higher-performance e-bike, or specifically want the help and service you can get from a specialty retailer, be sure to check out recommendations for our Best High-Performance E-Bikes. You’ll find 18 exceptional, award-winning bikes rigorously vetted by our editorial team.

    The Three Classes of E-Bikes

    After determining which style of bike is right for you, the next major consideration is which class of e-bike best fits your needs. In the U.S., there are three classes defined by the type of assist and how fast the motor will propel you. Most electric bikes are defined as class 1 or 3. Class 1 bikes have a motor (max 750w) that assists while you’re pedaling, up to 20 mph. Class 3, also known as “speed pedelec,” can also have up to a 750w motor (aka 1 horsepower), but can assist you up to 28 mph. Both are allowed in most states and cities without the need for a license.

    Forward from： https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a22132137/best-electric-bikes/  BY TARA SEPLAVY AND