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Electric bicycles use batteries as a source of power and a quiet DC motor as a driving mechanism. On most e-bikes the motor is built directly into the wheel (known as a hub motor) and the batteries are discreetly hidden in the rear rack or frame. Electric bikes can be operated just like normal bicycles, but they can also be power-driven by a throttle or pedaled with the help of 'pedal-assist' (or 'PAS').

Most of our electric bikes and scooters are throttle controlled - meaning you use a throttle to control power and speed. To get started, simply twist the throttle to accelerate and hold it to maintain speed. Other e-bikes are classified as 'pedal assist' and power is applied automatically. Once you start pedaling, a torque sensor picks up your movement and power integrates seamlessly while you ride. Just pedal and go. Once you use the brakes or quit pedaling, the power is deactivated and you need to pedal again (lightly) to re-activate pedal assistance.

For people who prefer full control, a throttle is a nice option since it operates just like a motorcycle. But if you're looking for simplified operation, pedal assist is great because it does all the work automatically. Keep in mind: you have to pedal (lightly) for power to be applied with pedal assist. With a throttle, no pedaling is required at all. Please Note: Most of our e-bike models include pedal assist (PAS) and a throttle.

The speed of an electric bike will vary based upon several factors. With no pedaling, U.S. law restricts the speed of electric bicycles to 20mph or less. This ensures you don't need a license, insurance or special safety gear to operate an e-bike in most states.

Most electric bikes are rated up to 20mph by the manufacturer, but the actual speed will vary depending on rider weight, terrain and road conditions. Smaller riders are likely to achieve higher top speeds than large ones, and you're likely to go faster on flat terrain than uphill. Keep in mind, U.S. law does not restrict how fast you can travel while pedaling, so most riders can easily exceed these ratings while providing assistance.

The range of electric bikes can vary, but most riders are able to achieve a 10-20 miles per charge on the average e-bike model. One of the main factors in determining how far you can travel on a single charge is how much assistance you provide. Rated by amp hours (AH), the typical e-bike battery has a capacity of 10-12AH. Without pedaling, riders can expect a range equal to this rating (i.e., 10AH = 10 miles). But since most riders will pedal along the way, the majority of e-bikes are rated up 15-30 miles per charge. Obviously, the more pedaling you do, the less strain on the battery and the more range you'll achieve. Keep in mind, 'pedal-assist' bikes have higher ratings and achieve more range than throttle-controlled bikes because the rider is required to pedal at all times.

Another factor that can have a big impact is terrain. If you live in a hilly area or have lots of steep inclines - expect less range from your e-bike. Larger riders or people carrying heavy loads can also expect reduced output. Because weight is a factor, this also means higher quality NiMH or Li-Ion batteries are capable of slightly longer ranges due to their reduced weight. Other factors include wind and road conditions.

Battery charge times will vary between manufacturers, models and battery types. Typically, the initial charge will take 6-12 hours. For routine charging, higher quality batteries (such as Li-Ion and NiMH) will take less time - anywhere from 2-6 hours. Cheaper sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries will take 6-8 hours.

Battery technology continues to improve everyday. We currently use the latest and best battery made; the Lithium Ion. 

Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) - Lithium Ion batteries are the highest quality batteries available in today's market. Although they cost the most money (upfront), they have the longest life and the lowest weight. Because they last 3-4 times longer than cheaper battery types, the higher cost will be negated over time.

Battery life will vary depending on the type of battery you choose and how well you maintain it. Typically, Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries last the longest - anywhere from 700-1000+ charges. Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries have a life span of about 500-700 charges, while sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries last between 300-500 charges.

To extend the life of your battery, charge the battery regularly and promptly after each use. If you store your bike for prolonged periods of time, both the batteries and charger should be stored at temperatures above freezing and recharged every 4-6 weeks. The longer a battery sits uncharged, the faster the life will be reduced.

Surprisingly, this is one of the most common questions at our retail shop. In order for an electric bicycle to produce power, it would require resistance, making it harder to pedal. The energy savings would be minimal and riding your bicycle would be very difficult. If you used power instead, it would put more strain on the motor, depleting an equal amount power to the power being generated. Its' unrealistic and inefficient.

Not only are electric bikes fun and easy to operate - they're very economical! It costs around $0.10 to fully charge a battery. Even with the oldest and least efficient form of battery technology (SLA), it costs less than $0.01 per mile to operate an electric bike. Li-Ion and NiMH cost even less. Plus, you don't have to worry about a license, insurance or registration in most states - and maintenance is minimal.

Compare that to gas-powered vehicles which average about 25 miles per gallon. With gas prices at $2.50 - $3.50 per gallon, it costs about $0.15 per mile for gas alone - or 1500% more than an electric bike. Add in license costs, registration, maintenance and other fees, and the cost skyrockets. According to U.S. Government figures, the average cost of driving and maintaining a motor vehicle in the United States is $0.54 per mile.

Electric bikes are very safe! Intelligent functions are incorporated into every bike we sell and vary between manufacturers. Most include automatic power cut-off features, and all bikes use standard electrical safety components such as circuit breakers and fuses to protect riders. Although it's possible to be shocked by mishandling or misusing these products, it's very unlikely when used properly. If a shock does occur, not enough voltage is present in any of our bikes to constitute a serious safety threat.

For the most part, every product we sell is water and weatherproof. But this does not mean they're water-tight! If you submerge any of these products in water, it will seep into the openings and likely cause damage. These products are fine in light rain or damp riding conditions. But during heavy downpours or deep puddling, we recommend pulling over and waiting for the weather to subside. If you plan on riding in the rain on a regular basis, we recommend taking some extra steps to further waterproof your e-bike. This includes ensuring all electrical connections are wrapped in electrical tape and all connectors and exposed openings are sealed with clear silicone.

The Federal Electric Bike Law states that any e-bike with operating pedals, limited to 20mph and with 750w of power (or less) is classified as a bicycle. But this law only applies to manufacturer's safety standards (i.e., bicycles are not required to have headlights). While you can legally ride an e-bike anywhere standard bicycles can be ridden, each state is responsible for the laws governing the use and operation of electric bikes. Since the laws vary from state to state, please check with your local DMV or Secretary of State. If you are unfamiliar with local electric bike laws, consider this:

• Police don't normally know the specific laws pertaining to electric bikes.
• Police often expect electric bike and scooter riders to wear a bicycle helmet.
• Most electric bikes look like ordinary bicycles to the casual observer.

To download the Sterner Electric Bike User Manual, click here.

Electric bicycles are a great way to get around, save money and protect the environment - all while having a blast. But as fun as e-bikes are to ride, they still require attention to the best electric bicycle safety practices to ensure your fun rides can continue safely for as long as possible. Many electric bicycle safety tips are similar for standard cycling, but there are also some e-bike specific tips that you should pay attention to each time you hit the road.

This tip is pretty simple but could save your life one day. I won't go into too much detail here because I have a whole article dedicated to the helmet discussion. Let's just suffice it to say, if your head is going to go bouncing off a car windshield or scraping along the road surface, it's probably best that it be covered by something more than a baseball cap.

I like to use a full face helmet with a face shield that flips up. These give you lots of benefits including:

• All around protection
• Sun protection (tinted screen and the upper lip physically blocks the sun from your eyes)
• Keeps you warm in the winter
• Walking around with it gives the impression that you ride something cooler than an e-bike (if such a thing exists). Full face helmets do have some downsides though, including higher cost, somewhat limited visibility and that they get HOT in the summer. I often switch back to a regular bicycle helmet in the summer.

Most deadly bicycle accidents happen at night. How do you protect yourself when the sun goes down? It's simple: put lights on your bike. The more the better. Those dinky reflectors that came on your bike simply aren't good enough. Do you really want to pin your hopes for survival on a flimsy piece of plastic designed to be the cheapest way to minimally fulfill an outdated law?

Use at least one blinking front (white) and rear (red) LED light on your e-bike. Even better, put more than one of each. An additional light on your helmet is even better. Spoke lights are great too. Anything that makes you more visible at night will greatly decrease your chances of being hit by a car. For more info on e-bike lights, check out my article "Put the Right Lights on Your E-bike".

Install both a bell AND a horn on your bike. Bells are for warning pedestrians and horns are for warning cars (don't mix them up, pedestrians don't like getting blasted by an air horn). You'll notice I said "air horn". Leave the rubber ended trumpet for the clown cars.

What you are looking for is a bicycle air horn such as the awesome AirZounds bike horn. These suckers are LOUD. I thought I had damaged my hearing the first time I blasted it indoors while removing it from the packaging. An air horn is what you need to alert drivers to your position when they try to merge on top of you or start pulling out ahead of you. My AirZounds horn has saved me from multiple close-calls and probably even a few collisions.

Don't be this guy - ride in the correct direction of the road! This might sound obvious, but a lot of people believe it's better to ride against traffic so that you see cars coming towards you and they can't sneak up and hit you from behind. However, that type of rear end bicycle collision is incredibly rare compared to all other types of bicycle accidents. One study I read stated that those types of rear-ended-by-a-passing-car collisions make up just 2% of all bicycle traffic accidents.

Statistically speaking, you have a much higher chance of being hit by a car pulling out onto the road that didn't see you because he didn't check for traffic coming the WRONG way. Stick to riding with traffic and not against it.

On an e-bike, ride in the lane if you can travel the posted speed limit of the road. Traffic in many urban areas, especially downtown and business centers, rarely surpasses 25-30 mph, and is often much less during peak hours due to stop-and-go traffic. It's much safer for you to ride in the lane with the cars so that they can see you than trying to hug the curb and getting passed by cars.

Also, when cars pull out onto the road, they check the middle of the road for other cars and often miss a bicyclist who is riding on the extreme edge of the road. Giving yourself more space between you and the curb also provides you with room to work with should you find yourself needing to make any sudden evasive maneuvers. Lastly, it removes the chance of getting 'doored' by a parked car, which happens when a parallel parked car opens its door before you have a chance to move out of the way. At low speed these collisions are annoying and result in damages; at high speed on an e-bike they have been known to be deadly.

Not only does this help you improve your e-bike range, but it will also give you better control should you need to react quickly to avoid a collision. Keep your tires topped off so you have the best chance to staving off a crash when milliseconds count. While you're at it, check your tire tread and make sure your tires aren't bald. Worn tires and e-bikes are a bad combination due to all that extra power you're packing. You definitely don't want to lose grip with the road when you need it most (or pretty much ever, for that matter.)

Drive defensively and assume other drivers are out to get you. To be fair, they usually aren't actively gunning for you, but sometimes it might appear that way due to their misjudging your speed on an e-bike.

Most drivers see a bicycle and think "slowpoke" regardless of how fast the bike is actually moving. Years of seeing kids on bikes have seemed to reinforce this bicycle = slow mentality of drivers. This can be a big problem when you're on a fast e-bike and the oncoming driver assumes he has time to make a turn in front of you. You might think that he obviously realizes your current speed and thinks he'll make it, but all he sees is a bicycle and assumes he's got all the time in the world.

This situation happens much more often than you may realize and you want to take electric bicycle safety seriously then have to be prepared for it. I never give a driver the benefit of the doubt and ALWAYS assume they'll make a bad judgement call about when to make a turn or start slowing down. If I'm wrong then I get left wth the pleasant surprise of meeting a competent driver, and if I'm right then I was already prepared to start braking or move out of the way.

Be extra careful on weekends, especially Friday and Saturday nights. This is when the drunks are out in force. As bad as drivers can be on a nice, sunny Tuesday afternoon, Friday night it can be like there is a bounty on your head and the first drunk to get you will claim the prize.

I love the Mirrycle handle bar end mirror, which costs just $12 at the time of this writing on Amazon, but there are many other great options out there too. Like we talked about earlier, statistically speaking you aren't likely to get hit by a motorist just happening upon you from your rear, but you ARE much more likely to be hit from behind if you suddenly swerve out into the lane to avoid something in the road.

Always try to look behind you or check in your mirror before moving further out into the lane. Compact cars are getting quieter and ever more popular electric cars are nearly silent. You often have no idea a car is coming up behind you and accidentally moving out in front of one is much more common than you might guess.

Many bicycle accidents occur at intersections simply because a cyclist wrongly assumed a driver saw him. Never assume a driver knows you are there unless you specifically make eye contact with him. Even then, keep a healthy amount of doubt - remember tip #7. Intersections are dangerous places for bicycles/e-bikes so it's vital that you do everything you can to ensure other drivers know you are there.

Riding an e-bike should be a pleasurable experience. Staying safe is your best bet to keep it that way. For a great run-down of the most common ways bikes and cars meet - and how to avoid them - check out www.BicycleSafe.com. Everything covered there is just as important for electric bicycle safety as for normal bicycles.

Sterner Bike Flexible Payment Plans include three options:

1. Pay in Full
2. Pay as Monthly Payment Plan*
3. Pay as Rental*

*Please Contact 347-854-6190 or lng@usacworld.com for detail information.

USAC World Inc uses (USPS, UPS, Fedex, DHL, etc.) as well as this service type (First Class Mail, Overnight, Ground, etc.) to delivery our products to our valued customers.

USAC WORLD Limited Warranty

Your satisfaction is very important to us. We warrant that your USAC WORLD bike is free of defects in materials or manufacturing for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase, subject to the limitations indicated below. If at any time within one year of your purchase, you discover a defect in materials or manufacturing, please contact us or your authorized dealer for repair or replacement.

Battery: 1 year

Motor: 2 year

Other electric components: 2 year: such as controller, display, brake lever.

This warranty is void if the bicycle was not purchased new from us or an authorized dealer.

This warranty does not apply to normal wear and tear, including wear of tires, brake pads, and cables.

This limited warranty does not apply to paint/finish or components attached to the bicycle such as front forks, wheels, drive train, brakes, seat post, handlebar and stem (all of which are covered under the one year limited warranty above).

Damage caused by stunt riding, off-road riding, racing, collisions, or other abusive treatment is not covered by this warranty. This is a consumer warranty and does not apply to products used in rental operations.

Conditions out of the Warranty Scope

1. No invoice or warranty card or the vehicle is not in conformity with the invoice or warranty card.

2. USAC WORLD will repair the damage exceeding the warranty period with the expenses of the parts charged on the customer.

3. The customer shall be responsible for the expenses for replacing the parts and repairing expenses if a trouble or damage is caused by the improper use or improper storage of the user or self assembling or disassembling or crash, hammering, or overloaded use, or damage caused by chemical corrosion.

4. In principle, the quick-wear parts and components which are not in the warranty scope (chain, brake pad, plastic parts, free wheel, brake cable, bulb, pedal, saddle, bicycle ring, tire, frame, bag rack and etc.) will not be maintained for free.

5. The battery group with its seal torn.

Disclaimer

Esteemed Customer:

1. Thanks for choosing the new concept lithium battery bicycle produced by USAC WORLD. In order to be served faithfully, please read the following Instruction Manual carefully.

2. The figures in the Manual are for your reference only. If there is inconsistency between the figures and the actual product, the actual product shall prevail.

Before using the product, please read the Disclaimer carefully. The behavior of using the product of USAC WORLD will be deemed that you have already understood and accepted all the contents in the Disclaimer.

1. When you use the product, you must abide by the national laws and regulations as well as the local traffic rules. USAC WORLD will not be responsible for any consequence caused by breaking the aforesaid laws and regulations.

2. All the parameters of the bicycle have already been permanently set according to the national standards. USAC WORLD will not be responsible for any over-proof (such as improving the speed) and short circuit from changing the original standard of the electrical circuit and any damage or loss caused accordingly.

3. Continuously charging in an environment without surveillance for more than 8 hours is forbidden. The charging area shall be equipped with breaker and the device shall be safe and valid. Charging in a humid and high temperature environment and in an environment stacked with combustible substances is forbidden. The power of the vehicle shall be shut off during charging. USAC WORLD will not be responsible for any damage and loss caused by the above improper charging.

Attentions

1. When you purchase the product, please check all the data in the vouchers and properly keep all the vouchers after purchase. The user shall be responsible for any consequences caused by the inconsistence between the data and actual product or the insufficiency of the vouchers.

2. Please consciously abide by traffic rules and ride in bicycle lane. In order to ensure the safety of you and others, please do not ride with people and cargoes. USAC WORLD will not be responsible for any consequence caused by improper use, over-speed and over-load.

3. Pay attention to waterproof. Please do not put the vehicle or other parts into water or park the bicycle in rainwater.

4. The battery is not allowed to be exposed under the sun or stored or used in high temperature environment (more than 60℃). Otherwise, the battery will be burned and the capacity may decay.

5. Please use the special charger provided by USAC WORLD to charge.

6. If the bicycle is not used for a long time, please charge the battery every three month. The batter shall be charged to half load (usually 2-3 hours).

7. The charging time is about (4-5) hours.

8. Please do not disassemble battery, motor, controller and other parts by yourself. If you need to replace them, please go to the designated place for repair. Do not tear up or alter the maintenance sticker by yourself. Otherwise, the free maintenance may be refused.

9. For the safety of others, please do not lend the bicycle to a person who does not know how to ride an electrical bicycle.

10. In order to avoid pollution to the environment, please do not litter used battery. The used batteries of the products will be recycled by the networks designated by the enterprise, the distributors or the government.

11. The folding bicycle cannot be stored in the trunk of a car (or a long time) (the battery storing in a trunk with the temperature of more than 50 degrees centigrade after being exposed under the sun will be burned and the capacity may decay.) The Company will not be responsible for any consequence caused.

Returns

To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging. To return your product, you need to send us an email at info@usacworld.com to follow instructions.

To complete your return, we require a receipt or proof of purchase.

Refunds (if applicable)

Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item. We will also notify you of the approval or rejection of your refund.

If you are approved, then your refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment, within a certain amount of days.

Late or missing refunds (if applicable)

If you haven’t received a refund yet, first check your bank account again.

Then contact your credit card company, it may take some time before your refund is officially posted.

Next contact your bank. There is often some processing time before a refund is posted.

If you’ve done all of this and you still have not received your refund yet, please contact us at info@usacworld.com.

Sale items (if applicable)

Only regular priced items may be refunded, unfortunately sale items cannot be refunded.

Exchanges (if applicable)

We only replace items if they are defective or damaged. If you need to exchange it for the same item, send us an email at info@usacworld.com.

Shipping

To return your product, you need to send us an email at info@usacworld.com.

You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping will be deducted from your refund.

Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary.

If you are shipping an item over $75, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.