How Much Electric Bike Power Do You Really Need? 750W vs 500W Step-Through Showdown

A 750-watt step-through e-bike or a 500-watt step-through e-bike? Which one's right for you?

Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry. And today we're going to talk about 750-watt step-through e-bikes versus 500-watt step-through e-bikes and which one is right for you. All right. Here, I have the Simple step-through E-bike, which comes in two versions: 750-watt and 500-watt. Now, one of them has fat tires, while the other doesn't. I would say more often than not, 750-watt e-bikes have fat tires, but that's not always the case, so don't quote me on that. But today, we'll talk specifically about the motor sizes, and if you're out there looking for a step-through, do you need 500 watts, or do you want 750 watts? So let's get into it. Now, having extra power in many situations is not a bad thing, right? If you're going up hills and you really wanna breeze through that hill, having the extra power is very, very nice. Especially for somebody like me, I'm 230 pounds, 750 watts is a great thing. I can make it up on a 500-watt with the pedal assist and not break a sweat at all. The 750-watt just makes it a little bit easier, where it's even less work for me. I can do throttle only on the 500 watts, but I'm only going about five miles an hour. With the 750, I throttle only. I'm more in the eight to nine miles per hour range going uphill. Now, that depends on the type of hill. Of course, seriously steep hills are gonna be challenging one way or another. But the other thing I will say is about a 750-watt versus a 500-watt. So, all e-bikes are limited in their speed. So, most states have restrictions. In California, the maximum speed you can go with just the throttle is 20 miles an hour, and the pedal assist is 28 miles an hour. Now, on a cruiser e-bike like this with a 750-watt motor, you're most likely never going to reach 28 miles an hour. It's just not possible with the output of the motor, the fat tires, and the design of the e-bike to actually get you up to 28 miles an hour.

I have tried with all my might. The fastest I could get is about 22 to 23 miles an hour in pedal assist. But with that said, on the throttle, it's gonna be limited to 20 miles an hour. So when you add on a 750-watt motor, what you're getting is number one, more power to go uphill and acceleration. So you're getting more off the line, let's say. Like if we were to race both of these off the line, the 750 watts is gonna go faster. For a lot of riders that I meet here who come for test rides, many of them don't want that really quick acceleration. They're happy to have a smaller motor. Especially if you're somebody who does primarily flat or small hill riding. And also, if you just do long-range casual riding and you like to use low levels of assistance and you actually like to pedal and utilize your own body, then having a 750-watt motor is not necessary. Generally, you're going to spend more money on a 750-watt. Now, unless you find something that's using less expensive parts in other areas of the bike to make up the difference, a 750-watt will be more expensive than a 500-watt. You're getting more power. Oftentimes, with a 750-watt, you'll see bigger batteries as well because with more power, you want a bigger battery, so you don't drain the battery quickly. If you use the same size battery that you're using on a 500-watt system as a 750-watt system, you will inevitably drain the battery quicker on the 750 watts. So, as a result of having a bigger battery, you will also see an increased price.

So it's really important for you to think about what's most important to you, what type of riding you'll do. 500 watts is good for a lot of people. More than 50% of riders would be fine with a 500-watt motor. Now, again, if you have a lot of hills, if you're a heavier rider and you just want that acceleration, 750 watts is then probably a good choice for you. So all things considered, you know, you have to consider what's right for your body, what price point is right. The other thing I'll say is that a lot of the 750-watt motors, many of them, look kind of industrious in a lot of ways. Sometimes they often have big, heavy-duty, clunky frames, which I don't think is always necessary, but that seems to be like a design that a lot of e-bike companies like, where they increase the motors, now it needs to become this big, beefy thing. Now, we're not doing that here at Sixthreezero. Our Simple step-through is relatively unassuming, doesn't have a huge, thick, bulky frame, and it has a 750-watt motor. So that is a good option if you don't want something big and bulky. But a lot of people do like the big, bulky motor. So if you do, by all means, make that choice. And lastly, just to end, ultimately, again, figure out what's right for you, figure out your budget, and choose the right bike. Last thing I'll say about the motor is we get a lot of riders that get on, and when they push the acceleration of a 750, it scares them.

Now, there's another group of people that get on, they're like, wow, yeah, I like that. I want to go fast. So think about what type of rider you are, what's most important to you. Ultimately, you will be able to make the right choice.  Now, if you need any help choosing or have any other questions, please reach out to us at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at 310-982-2877. In addition to that, we offer a 30-day test ride on your e-bike policy. If you don't love it in the first 30 days, send it back. No questions asked, no money out of your pocket. We're also going to warranty everything for one year. Anything goes wrong in the first year, we'll take care of it, parts and labor. And if you want to come out for a test ride, we're here in San Clemente, California, at 1046 Kai Rakoto Unit K. Come test ride any of our e-bikes before you purchase to ensure you're making the right choice. Also, join our community. We have a Facebook group called Sixthreezero Pedalers. Join the group before you purchase to talk to existing riders to ensure you're making the right choice. Then, when you have yours, post in the group, make friends, and finally download the app to track your rides and compete on the leaderboard. So thanks for sticking around, and don't forget, it's your journey or experience. Enjoy the ride.