Sustainable mobility on and off the road

Go presenting his latest sustainable rides.

Electric mountain bikes—commonly called e-mountain bikes—are relatively new to the Philippine market. But assemblers here say this new type of recreational ride has been attracting enthusiasts as well as converts.

“The e-mountain bikes make mountain biking accessible to people who don’t want to exert too much or can no longer bike hard. This type of ride is in fact, attracting more people to mountain biking including those who are still new to the sport, individuals who are less fit, or elderly individuals who still want to enjoy mountain biking for several more years,” said Gary Go, owner of Grantman Industries that assembles the Hero brand of e-mountain bikes.

His shop, located at the corner of South road and 4th avenue in Cubao, Quezon City (near Edsa and Santolan avenue), uses high quality parts like gears from Shimano, tires from Kenda, and lithium-ion batteries from Samsung and Panasonic.

“We have all sorts of variants: the standard mountain bike frame in both hard tail and full suspension, the so-called fat bikes (those with over-sized wheels), and even choppers and road bikes,” said Go.

The electric motor is either mounted on the rear wheel or the crank (pedal) area.

Way much better

Hero e-mountain bikes may carry a hefty price—from P60,000 to as high as P110,000—but these models are way much better than the battery powered motorbikes we see on the road, assured Go.

“The e-bikes we see on our streets today are designed for paved and not-so-steep roads. They are also fueled by heavy lead-acid batteries, which has a charge that only lasts one year. Recent advancements in lithium-ion batteries have allowed us to make our bikes a lot lighter (from 35 kilograms to around 45 kg, which is comparable to traditional mountain bikes that weigh from 20 kg to 35 kg),” explained Go.

Go added that Hero e-mountain bikes generate 500 to 1,500 watts depending on the model, and could allow the rider to attain a speed of 40 to 50 kilometers per hour, and cover distances from 40 to 50 km.

Removable, rechargeable

The battery pack attached to the down tube is removable as well as rechargeable via standard electrical socket. Charging takes between four and six hours.

Hero mountain bike’s top-of-the-line model

He explained that e-mountain bikes should not be regarded as motorcycles because e-mountain bikes are specifically designed for recreation although they could still be used for commuting.

Unlike motorcycles, these bikes still feature pedals, and the role of the electric motor is ideally to assist the rider should the road become too steep or if their legs are already too tired.

“Our bike’s pedal assist feature enables the rider to just utilize 20 percent, 40 percent, or 60 percent of the electric motor’s power. But of course if its too much for the rider or during emergency cases, they could always use 80 percent to even 100 percent of the electric motor’s power. However, this will shorten the distance that could be covered,” reminded Go.