Electric bicycles have also become popular in Japan.

In many cases, aren't electric bicycles for people who don't like pedaling?

For such lazy people to ride a road bike seems like a contradiction.

If I may speak frankly, it's "heresy."

It's a sports bike, but you're not doing sports.

But it's fine, isn't it?

Because they're cool.

I will tell you about electric road bikes and things to be aware of.

■I dare to call them E-bikes.

In Japan, electrically-assisted bicycles are commonly called "electric bicycles."

However, I would like to specifically call electrically-assisted road bikes "E-bikes."

The main reason is that they are cool, but also because they are a step above typical electric utility bikes.

If the battery on an electric utility bike runs out, it's hell.

An electric bicycle with a dead battery is not just a bicycle.

It's a heavy bicycle with reinforced parts for the electric system.

A bicycle with a dead weight is like a fitness bike with heavy pedals for exercise.

It is clearly heavier than a regular bicycle.

On the other hand, a road "E-bike," while heavier than a regular road bike due to the electric mechanism, isn't excessively heavy.

Even if the battery runs out, it's just a slightly heavier road bike.

It's clearly lighter than a utility bike, so it's not much of a burden.

■There are roughly two types of batteries.

Batteries can be roughly divided into two types.

It's simple.

"Heavy batteries" and "light batteries."

Everyone wants the lighter one, but the lighter one is more expensive.

A long time ago, there were bicycle batteries that contained lead-acid batteries used in mopeds, which were very heavy.

Since the battery weighed over 10kg, it was really tough if the charge ran out.

The amount of charge after about 200 cycles would be halved, requiring replacement.

The price ranged from around 15,000 yen to 100,000 yen.

They weren't particularly popular, but at the time, there was no other option.

In contrast, recent batteries use lithium-ion cells.

Lithium-ion batteries are lighter and take up less space compared to traditional batteries.

I'd like to share more details another time, but they largely eliminate the weakness of nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries, where charging repeatedly gradually weakens the charge.

Technological innovation is amazing.

Prices still range from around 15,000 yen to 100,000 yen.

The price varies depending on the applicable shape and battery capacity.

Considering the riding distance and some degradation, choose a battery with sufficient capacity.

■The battery must be removable from the main unit.

Now that I've piqued your interest in E-bikes a little, there's one crucial point you absolutely must pay attention to.

That is the battery mounting type.

There are roughly two types: "integrated type" and "external type (removable type)."

The integrated type has the battery built into the bicycle frame and cannot be removed even when charging.

So what happens is that you have to bring the bicycle into your house every time you want to charge it.

No matter how carefully you ride, the tires will get dirty.

If you need to bring it upstairs from the entrance, you'll have to wash the tires thoroughly, and if you charge it every day, you'll be washing the tires every day.

If you have a spacious garage that you can use freely and can store your bicycle in the garage every day, then there's no problem, but...

The battery absolutely needs to be removable from the bicycle itself.

You lock the bicycle in the bike rack, take the battery home, charge it in the living room, and use it the next day.

This is the best way to use it.