Whether you travel by bike regularly or occasionally, it is imperative that your electric bike is adapted to your body type. Not every e-bike manufacturer measures their products the same way. It is therefore important when purchasing an electric bike to know the right size to take.
To help you in your choice, here is our guide to finding the right size of an electrically assisted bicycle.
How does the size of an electric bike work?
Being well positioned on your electrically assisted bike means above all saving yourself a lot of pain, while at the same time improving pedaling performance. If the second part is a little less true on electric bikes, being in any case well helped by the motor, comfort is however essential to take full advantage. Finding the right size for an electric bike is therefore very important if you want to use your e-bike regularly.
Although all bikes offer saddle adjustment, this unfortunately cannot always be adapted to your body shape. The ergonomics of the bicycle are essential in order to make the cyclist's movements harmonious. An electric bike that is too big or conversely too small will not allow you to be comfortable.
What are the sizes of electric bikes?
Created for more than 150 years, the bicycle has evolved in its forms to correspond more and more to the criteria of each individual. If for most of its existence, the bicycle frame was of a "classic" triangular nature, the size of the bicycle was mainly defined by the height of its saddle, this is no longer really the case today.
The different VAE frames on the market
New geometries have appeared over time:
- Sloping bicycle frame (i.e. with an inclined top tube)
- Gooseneck bicycle frame (also called ladies' bicycle)
- Folding electric bike frame
- City bike frame
- Full Suspension Electric Mountain Bike Frame
Here are the points to check before purchasing an electric bike to choose the right size.
Pay attention to the frame size of an electric bike
There are many electrically assisted bicycle frame shapes on the market. These different electric bike frame shapes not only meet a criterion in terms of look, but are designed to resist the different forces present.
If the size of the frame is important for pedaling, it is especially important for comfort, especially when you spend time on your two-wheeler.
Some manufacturers use international sizes (S, M, L, XL...), some electric bike manufacturers continue to use the real size corresponding to a virtual measurement of the frame.
Take into account the size of the electric bike wheels
Not to mention folding electric bikes whose wheels are designed to take up as little space as possible, there are 2 main wheel sizes of electric bikes. On the one hand, the 26 inch wheel sizes, which have the particularity of being lighter and more manageable. Otherwise the 28 inch is today a standard size. These wheels offer greater comfort as well as better pedaling performance.
Useful to know when choosing the size of your bike!
3 criteria for choosing an electric bike adapted to your body shape
The essential measurements for choosing your new electric bike are your body size, inseam height and arm range.
1st criterion: adapted to your size in height
The first criterion for selecting an electric bike is your height. Thanks to the adjustable saddle, it allows you to more or less compensate for the driving position you want to have on an e-bike. For greater comfort, heavy riders will prefer to have their leg almost straight when the pedal is at its lowest point.
As for urban cyclists who often have to put their foot on the ground, it is often more appropriate to choose a lower saddle size so as not to be on tiptoe at a red light.
Electric bike size chart. follow the leader
2nd criterion: the length of your crotch
To measure your inseam height. To do this, stand leaning against a wall, bare feet slightly apart (approximately 20 cm) and heels in good contact with the wall. Once you are perfectly straight, take a pencil to mark the highest point between your legs. From this point, simply measure the height to the ground.
With this number in mind, you can know the frame size suitable for your body shape. Both in centimeters but also in inches. Simply multiply by 0.665 to find the optimal frame size in centimeters. Or multiply by 0.226 to obtain the size of the frame in inches.
Please note, for electrically assisted mountain bikes the calculation is slightly different. For this type of mountain bike, the length to the inseam must be multiplied by 0.56 to find the frame size of a mountain bike.
By falling between 2 sizes after calculation, it is then the upper part of your body which will be decisive in the choice of one or the other size of your bike.
3rd criterion: Your wingspan, the relationship between your arms and your legs
The length of your trunk as well as your arms defines the appropriate distance from the handlebars. If you are between 2 sizes, it is necessary to do a quick calculation. By subtracting your height from your arm range.
To do this, simply spread your arms and measure the maximum distance between the two ends. If the value obtained is greater than zero you must take a larger bike size, and conversely take the smaller size if the value is less than zero.
Our conclusion on how to choose the size of your electric bike
If this article was able to give you an idea of the ideal size to choose for an electric bike, you should not make a fixed idea because you can also play with the height of the saddle to compensate.
Our advisors are available Monday to Saturday by telephone to answer all your questions. They will direct you to the right size to choose for your future VAE.
