Scooters & E-Mobility
Hub Motors and Mid-Drives Do Genuinely Different Jobs
The two common e-bike motor positions are not two versions of the same thing. They differ in how they use the bike's gears, and…
Sarita Fernandes
Contributing writer, Ride Banana
Sarita writes about commuting, luggage and the logistics of arriving presentable.
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17 articles
Scooters & E-Mobility
Regenerative Braking Gives Back Less Than People Expect
The idea is appealing: brake, and put energy back in the battery. The physics of a lightweight vehicle at city speeds makes the…
Scooters & E-Mobility
Nominal Watts, Peak Watts and What the Controller Decides
Motor power figures are quoted in at least two incompatible ways, and neither describes how a bike feels. The controller between…
Scooters & E-Mobility
Rain, Puddles and Where Water Gets Into an Electric Bike
Most e-bikes handle rain without complaint and very few tolerate a pressure washer. The difference is about how water arrives…
Scooters & E-Mobility
Assist Cut-Off Speeds and What Happens Above Them
Every pedal-assist system stops helping at a defined speed. How gracefully it does so, and what the law says about the number…
The Commute
Dress for the Ride You Will Be Having in Twenty Minutes
The most common commuting mistake is dressing for the temperature at the front door. Your body produces a great deal of heat once…
The Commute
The Fastest Line Through a City Is Rarely the Calmest One
Route planning by bicycle is not the same problem as route planning by car. The shortest option often costs more in stress and…
The Commute
Winter Riding Fails at the Fingers and Toes First
Riders who give up cycling in cold weather rarely do so because their body was cold. They stop because their hands hurt and their…
The Commute
Carrying a Laptop by Bike Without Destroying It
Road vibration and a hard landing are different threats and need different answers. Most damage happens at the moment the bag is…
The Commute
Bikes and Trains: The Awkward Bit in the Middle
Combining a bike with public transport doubles the reach of both. It also introduces rules, timing and carrying problems that…
Scooters & E-Mobility
Electric Scooters and Electric Bikes Are Not the Same Machine
They share a battery chemistry and almost nothing else. Wheel size, standing posture and how the power arrives make them behave…
Scooters & E-Mobility
An Electric Bike With a Flat Battery Is Still a Bicycle
It is heavier, geared for assistance and less willing to be pushed along. Knowing how it rides unassisted turns a stranding into an…
The Commute
The First Week of Bike Commuting Fails on Logistics, Not Fitness
Almost nobody gives up because the riding was too hard. They give up because of a wet towel, a missing lock key and a meeting they…
The Commute
Splitting a Load Between Front and Rear Changes How a Bike Steers
The same weight in a different place produces a different bicycle. Where you hang the bags decides whether the steering feels…
The Commute
Punctures on a Commute Are a Time Problem Before a Mechanical One
The repair takes minutes. The consequences take an hour, which is why commuting reliability is about avoiding the stop rather than…
The Commute
Heat and Humidity Beat the Slow-Riding Trick
Riding gently keeps you cool in dry warmth and does almost nothing in humid air. The reason is that sweat only helps when it can…
The Commute
What to Leave at Work So You Can Ride With Empty Pockets
Every item that travels twice a day is a chance to forget it. The cheapest upgrade to a commute is a drawer at the far end.