Fastest Electric Bike of 2021

Feeling the need for speed? Charge on. Charge electric bikes are some of the fastest electric bikes on the market, perfect for zipping around the city, taking on mountains and anything in between. If it’s pace you want, we’ve got it.

What Affects an Electric Bike’s Speed?

How fast you go on an e-bike depends on a number of factors. First, let’s talk throttles. Both our City and Comfort e-bikes come equipped with throttles. Kicking in the throttle (our bikes have easy-to-use thumb throttles) gives you a boost while pedaling, or it allows you to stop pedaling all together if that’s what you’re feeling at the moment.

In full throttle mode, it’s an easy, breezy ride, where you can just sit back and enjoy the view… while steering and remaining otherwise vigilant, of course. Think of it as an experience similar to riding a scooter. Using the throttle alone, you can reach speeds of up to 20 mph on a Charge electric bike. 

The next factor that will determine your speed at any particular moment is the amount of pedal-assist you choose to use. This power boost is provided only when you’re pedaling.

Each of our models has several pedal-assist modes from which you can choose depending on how much effort you want to expand and how quickly you want to get where you’re going. The Comfort and City models each have five pedal-assist support modes (1-5, with 1 providing the least assistance and 5 providing the most), while the Charge XC has three (eco, trail and boost – plus walk-assist).

The lower the mode, the less electric assistance you’ll get, and the higher the mode, the more assistance you’ll get. While you can always pedal faster to speed things up in any mode, in general, the higher the mode, the more quickly you’ll go. So, if you’re running late to work, you may want to use maximum pedal assist, while on the way home you may want to use a low (or no) pedal-assist mode to get in a good workout while you go. 

Of course, the real work horse in an electric bike is the motor that powers the modes and throttle. Our bikes are equipped with the best batteries. The City and Comfort each feature 250W Bafang hub drive motors, while the XC features the 250W Shimano E5000 hub drive motor.

How Fast Can an Electric Bike Go?

How quickly can you get where you’re going on an e-bike? Each of our models is designed to reach speeds of up to 20 mph with pedal assistance. How far you can push the speed limit beyond that is up to you and your legs.

Is 20 mph race-car fast? No, but you’re not driving a race car. Going up to 20 mph on a bike means you’re going at a pretty decent clip. In fact, in their class, our bikes are the fastest on the market. Most laws around the world don’t even allow for faster e-bikes. 

To put it in perspective, 20mph translates to about a 3-minute mile. You could bike the length of an entire marathon in just 1 hour, 18 minutes and 39 seconds. Considering that the world record for running the same distance is 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 seconds, that’s not bad.

Slow Your Roll

Not a speed demon? Don’t worry, you can go at your own pace. Just because the power is there, you don’t have to use it. That’s why our bikes have multiple pedal-assist modes, so you can go at your own speed. 

In a review for Road Bike Rider, Lars Hundley wrote the following after he and his wife tested our bikes:

“With a 250 watt hub based motor, there’s plenty of power, but not an alarming amount of torque and speed like some of the Class 3 type of e-bikes that go up to 28 mph. I’ve ridden one of those Class 3 e-bikes, and I felt that it accelerated alarmingly fast. It also seemed that it would be very dangerous to ride if you weren’t an experienced cyclist. It requires some level of cycling skill to ride at 28 mph on skinny bike tires.”

“The Charge Comfort is a Class 2 type of e-bike that only goes up to 20 mph, which is plenty fast, but still reasonable for someone who isn’t an experienced bicyclist. It can be operated by pedal assist at one of five different assist levels, or by a throttle where you don’t pedal at all.”

Also, it’s important to note that if you’re constantly going at max speed, your bike’s battery won’t last as long. Our bikes are designed to go up to 50 miles on a single charge, which is a good distance. However, the more pedal assistance and throttle you use, the fewer miles you’ll be able to go before having to recharge your battery.

Don’t worry about getting stuck somewhere though, our bikes are equipped with indicators that tell you just how many miles you have left before the battery charge runs out.

Our bikes also break speed records when it comes to assembly time. They come nearly entirely assembled, so in just about 10 minutes you can unbox your bike and be out on the road riding. 

So where will you go? That’s up to you. Our bikes can go from the beach to the mountains to the streets of the urban jungle. Just choose your route, pick your pace, and go. Adventure awaits.

Ready to see for yourself how quickly an e-bike can make your life more fun? You can try out Charge e-bikes by scheduling a test drive, or chat with a team member to learn more.

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