Regular Bike or E-Bike: Which Is Better for a Delivery Business?

Many people who make local deliveries use bicycles to make their rounds. Some who are just getting started are wondering whether they should they buy a regular bike or an e-bike. If this describes you, the article here can help with your decision-making.

Online purchases are skyrocketing. It is hard to give up on this luxury when people get their desired items on their doorstep with little money and time.

Behind the scenes, numerous people work day and night to deliver your products on time. Many are living solely off their income from local delivery jobs.

For starters, many of those people find it necessary to use a bike to do the deliveries. Those who are thinking of buying a bike for delivery purposes often end up wondering whether they should buy a regular bike or an e-bike.

Here’s a guide to help you decide.

Differences Between Regular Bikes and E-Bikes

For purchasing a bike for delivery, either you can pick up a new bike from a bike shop or buy a second-hand one from someone as a starter. However, first, you must decide what type of bike will be best for you. In order to make your decision, you must know the differences between the regular and the e-bike. Then you can choose the more suitable one for yourself.

Mechanisms of Regular Bikes and E-Bikes

From their appearance, an e-bike and a regular bike look pretty much the same. However, the differences lie in a few of the components. For example, e-bikes have a battery, a motor, and in some cases, a display. Otherwise, everything else is the same.

Power for the motor and the display comes from the battery. The motor keeps the bike moving with minimal effort. You can control the motor using the throttle and pedal assist.

Speed

For regular bikes, you need to paddle to move forward or speed up. The same goes for e-bikes, too. However, paddling becomes comparatively easier with the help of a motor. You can also control your dependency on the motor using the throttle.

You need to generate the speed by yourself when it comes to regular bikes. For e-bikes, you will need to paddle, but the motor can keep the bike going at a certain speed. If you cross the highest speed for your e-bike, you will have to paddle vigorously to go faster.

Maintenance

Regular bikes and e-bikes take almost the same kind of care and maintenance. You need to take your bike for repair every once in a while, no matter what type of bike it is. Moreover, there can be issues with both types of bikes, and you need to get them repaired.

The chief difference about maintaining e-bikes is that you need to charge them. It does not take much. Just plug in the battery cable, and that’s all.

Weight of Regular Bike Vs. E-Bike

Naturally, e-bikes are heavier than regular bikes. Due to the battery and motor, the weight of e-bikes increases. E-bikes weigh around 40 to 80 pounds, whereas traditional bikes weigh between 18 to 30 pounds. The bike’s weight does not matter much on delivery jobs unless you have to carry it.

Price

Price-wise, e-bikes are more expensive than regular bikes. Then again, you get much more from an e-bike than you do from a regular bike.

Also, the price range is quite wide for e-bikes, due to the bikes’ mechanisms and features. The cost can start from six hundred dollars go all the way up to eight thousand dollars. On the other hand, regular bikes can be priced between three hundred dollars and three thousand dollars.

Regular Vs. E-Bike for a Delivery Business

By now, you might know which one will be more suitable for delivery jobs or delivery businesses. Nonetheless, you can go through the in-depth discussion on regular vs. e-bikes and their characteristics, particularly in delivery jobs.

Delivery Time

Maybe you are a student and delivering as a part-time job to pay student loans. Or, you are doing delivery full-time to pay your bills. No matter how long you work, you want to deliver as many orders as possible within your allotted time.

With regular bikes, you get limited speed. If you want to speed up, you must paddle hard. However, after a while, it will drain your energy, and you might not be able to continue riding your bike anymore. All these can reduce the number of deliveries you make in a day.

On the contrary, with e-bikes, you do not have to give all your energy to riding the bike. With a motor, you can get a decent speed to reach many places in a short time. You are more likely to do more daily deliveries without wasting all your energy.

Tackling Different Paths

On your way to delivering orders, you might have to go through different terrains. The usual might be the road and the footpath. However, sometimes you might have to go over puddles, rocks, pebbles, brick roads, grass, and so on. An e-bike can handle these paths more smoothly than regular bikes.

More importantly, you might have to travel over hills or steep roads. It can be extremely tiring to keep riding your bike in these situations. You might even have to climb the route on foot with a regular bike. It becomes more tiring with loads of packages or orders. In such cases, an e-bike can be highly beneficial. You will not have to waste all your energy peddling to climb a steep road.

Rules and Regulations

Regardless of the type of bike you use for your delivery, you must stay safe on the job.

Also, in some areas or regions, e-bikes are not allowed. Sometimes, e-bike riders have to follow some rules and regulations that might not apply to regular bike riders. For instance, in some areas, e-bike riders must wear helmets, which is not mandatory for regular bike riders. In some locations, you might need a permit or be above a certain age to ride an e-bike.

Therefore, learn about the rules or restrictions of the area where you plan to operate your delivery jobs before investing in an e-bike.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO STAY SAFE ON THE JOB

Summing Up

There is no correct answer for which one is the best among regular bikes and e-bikes. It all boils down to which one suits your preference more. For e-bikes, you get less physical activity and more deliveries in less time, but you have to pay more and follow a routine for charging.

On the contrary, regular bikes can be tiring to ride all day. You might make fewer deliveries, but they are budget-friendly and starter-friendly, and you do not have to worry about charging or violating rules.