Methodology
How we choose and score
The 0-to-10 scores you see in the charts are ours, not the manufacturer's. We calculate them with the same rule every time, so two bikes can actually be compared.
Where the data comes from
Every page starts from the product's real Amazon.com listing: title, price, average rating, review count, features, spec table and the reviews the page itself shows. The photos are the product's own, hosted on our server.
We then cross-check that listing against the manufacturer's own website and, where necessary, specialist retailers. It's a necessary step, because Amazon listings are often incomplete or flatly self-contradictory: on one bike in this catalog, Amazon states a battery capacity in the bullets that is two and a half times what its own spec table says. When they conflict, the manufacturer's figures win and we say so on the page.
What we do when a figure is missing
We leave it empty. You'll see a «—» in the table and a note explaining it. We don't estimate, we don't round to a believable number, and we don't borrow the figure from a similar model. If a brand doesn't publish its motor's torque, that cell stays blank and the matching axis on the chart is marked «no data».
It looks less impressive, but it's the only way the comparison is worth anything.
The six scores
The first two are calculated by formula from manufacturer data; the rest are the editor's judgment, cross-checked against verified buyer reviews. We recalculate every score whenever a new bike is added, so they stay comparable. Note: the US scores are not comparable with the Spanish or Brazilian ones, because the scales use different units and the law allows far more powerful motors here.
Range
Based on the manufacturer's claimed range in pedal-assist mode. 15 miles scores 0 and 90 miles or more scores 10.
Power
Based on the motor's nominal wattage, which is the figure US law uses. 250 W scores 0 and 1,000 W scores 10. The legal ceiling for a vehicle to still count as an electric bike is 750 W: above that it scores high but stops being a bike in the eyes of the law, and we say so on its page.
Comfort
Editorial judgment on suspension, saddle, riding position, tires and standard equipment.
Sportiness
Editorial judgment on geometry, gear range, motor torque and suspension travel.
Ease of use
Editorial judgment on assembly required, drivetrain type, weight, removable battery and maintenance.
Value
Editorial judgment on the equipment and the real owner reviews against the asking price.
How we make money
Through Amazon affiliate commissions. If you buy a bike through our links, Amazon pays us a percentage and you pay exactly what you would have paid going there directly.
That's an obvious conflict of interest, and the only way to handle it is in the open: we write each bike's downsides in the same detail as its strengths, we summarize the negative reviews as fully as the positive ones, and we never sort anything by what pays best. If a bike has a known problem, it's written on its page.
Read the full affiliate disclosure.
Prices go stale
The prices you see are a snapshot from the date shown next to each one. Amazon changes them constantly. Treat them as a guide for comparing models, never as the price you'll pay: you only know that when you open the link.