WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR

The normal stuff

The stuff you look out for in secondhand internal combustion bikes is equally applicable to electric. Keep an eye out for things like: wheel bearings, headstock bearings, tyre wear, cosmetic damage, and that all electrics work as they should.

Check how much warranty is left on the battery

Since the battery is the most expensive part of any E-bike, making sure there is ample warranty left could save you a fortune. It may be worth buying your first E-bike through a dealer, even for a used model, as you’ll be able to get extended battery warranties and comprehensive health checks. That’s until you get the feel of your ground-breaking two-wheeler.

The controller

The controller meters charge, just like a carb or fuel injection meters petrol on a conventional machine. It’s hard to tell if a controller is worn because they don’t contain any moving components. If an E-bike has high mileage, the controller will have put out more power in its lifetime than a new equivalent, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worn. It’s a solid-state part – it either works or it doesn’t.

The things to check would be the obvious. If you don’t have any power to the bike, the controller may have given up. The controller could be the cause if the bike is stuttering, running a little odd or there are issues with performance and acceleration.

Motor

The motor is more mileage-based. If you have a bike that’s done 20,000 miles, listen out for the bearings. If they’re worn, you’ll be able to hear them just like any worn bearing. “An electric motor makes a very clean noise, there’s no grinding, no vibrating, like a petrol engine really,” says Alec from EEMC. “You wouldn’t expect to jump on a combustion bike and hear a noisy motor or notice too many vibrations without thinking something was wrong.”