The sound of an electric bike is one of the important things that people who buy an electric bike for the first time think about.
In fact, these people’s concern about the sound of the electric bike may be a logical thing, especially if they have not tried the electric bike or because they have heard some electric bikes that are very loud.
Therefore, in this post, we will discuss this topic and explain whether the electric bike really makes noise, and also what is the degree of sound power from the electric bike, and also what are the factors that may make the electric bike emit a loud sound.
Now let’s get started.
Do Electric Bikes Make Noise?
The components of an electric bike are different from regular bikes, and of course, one of the most important of these components is the motor, and since we are discussing today whether the electric bike makes noise, the first thing we look at is the sound of the motor.
I personally tested several electric bikes in terms of the motor sound, and I used a sound meter (I bought it from Amazon for about $29) in this test.
In fact, the motor sound may differ on the same bike depending on different conditions that we will explain later, but for simplicity, I measured the motor sound in 3 electric bikes with different motors: 250W, 500W, and 750W in very normal riding conditions inside the city without any loads on the bike.
How Loud is an Ebike with 250-Watt Motor?
How Loud is an Ebike with a 500-Watt Motor?
How Loud is an Ebike with a 750-Watt Motor?
The electric bike with a 750-watt motor is considered one of the bikes with great power, which is reflected in the sound of the motor, but taking into account that most electric bikes in this category are made of high-quality materials, I did not find a big difference between them and the 500 watts.
As a general rule, the sound of the 750-watt motor in an electric bike ranges from 70 to 85 dB at medium speeds and may reach 90 dB at high speeds.
What are the factors that may increase the sound of an electric bike?
After we have explained the strength of the sound of the electric bike in different conditions, let us know the most important factors that may lead to the loudness of the sound of the electric bike.
1- Motor type.
The type of motor is one of the factors that may lead to an increase in the sound of an electric bike.
It is known that the hub motor has a quieter sound than the mid-drive motor, and the reason for this is that the mid-drive design is in the middle of the bike, and in most cases, it is inside the bike frame, and this means that the frame will increase the amplification of the sound.
In contrast to the hub motor, which is in the front or rear wheel, without any other objects that may increase the sound.
2-Loads on the ebike
3-Riding on Steep Hills
One of the things that may increase the sound of an electric bike is riding it on steep hills because this requires more spinning from the
motor and therefore the sound of the ebike become louder, unlike riding a bike on city roads, which are much less sound.
4- Frame material.
The materials from which the electric bike frame is made affect the sound strength of the motor, especially if it is mid-drive. For example, a bike whose frame is made of aluminum has a higher sound than a bike whose sound is made of carbon fiber.
5-Motor technology.
Although the components of the electric motor are almost the same, the technology that is used by the Motor manufacturers differs, and with this difference comes many advantages, including the sound of the motor.
This explains why two ebikes have the same motor capacity, but one is quieter than the other.
How to reduce the sound of your electric bike?
There are some simple steps that you can take in order to maintain a quiet sound in your electric bike, and in this section, we will discuss the most important of these steps.
1- Wash your ebike.
Although the motor is the most silent component of the electric bike, there are other parts that may cause annoying sounds while riding,
the most important of these sounds are the brake or cassette sound, as well as the chain.
The good thing here is that if you take care of washing the bike regularly, you will get rid of the dust and dirt that can get stuck in these parts and cause annoying sounds.
2-Take care of your ebike motor.
3-Donot overload your ebike.
Conclusion.