Frequently Asked Questions

In Australia, helmet laws are a point of debate. Helmet use is mandatory and non-compliance can result in a $330 fine, emphasising safety as helmets have been shown to save lives. However, some argue that mandatory helmet laws discourage cycling, impacting public health given the benefits of cycling for reducing obesity and improving mental health. Advocates for relaxation argue that more cycling can lead to less obesity and more public health benefits, and that helmet-wearing cyclists may receive less caution from drivers.

For more info, read our blog here.

In Australia, electric bikes must comply with certain wattage limits, with recent laws in some areas like NSW allowing for 500w e-bikes on public roads without a licence or registration. The laws can vary by state, so it's essential to check local regulations. E-bikes must have throttles disabled and adhere to a 25km/h speed limit to comply with road rules. Helmets are mandatory, and lights are required for night riding. No driving licence or vehicle registration is needed if the e-bike meets these standards.

For more info, read our blog here

An e-bike can be used as a normal pushbike and on roads and bike pathways so long as it meets a few criteria. These vary from state to state. In most circumstances, the throttle must be disabled. You can still use the pedal assist (motorised support) so long as the bike is limited to a max speed of 25km/h.

Vamos bikes arrive to you locked to a 25km/h speed limit to comply with EN15194 Australian e-bike standards.

This allows you to ride your e-bike rego and licence-exempt under Australian law, just like you would a pushbike. You change this setting via the LCD control panel located on your handlebars at any time to unlock unlimited speed.

There’s a video that will walk you through this for each bike on the Vamos website under our Ebike Manuals & How Tos which you can find here.

It should take you no more than 30 secs, and just a few clicks to unlock unlimited speed on your Vamos Bike.

Learn more about Australian laws and e-bikes here. Exact laws vary from state to state.

From empty to full, a typical e-bike battery costs about $0.15 to $0.20 or less to charge in Australia. It’s incredibly affordable. Even if electricity prices were to double overnight, you’re still sitting pretty in regard to costs associated with charging your e-bike.

If you know your electricity cost you can work out how much it will cost you. Currently, at the time of writing this, the average price of electricity in Australia is about $0.28/kWh. We’ll use that to show you the maths.

Here’s how to work out the cost of charging an e-bike battery:

1. First find your battery kWh rating. To find this, multiply the battery voltage (V) and amp hour (AH) rating and then divide by 1,000 to get kilowatt hours (kWh). For example, let’s say you have a 36 volt 15 amp hour battery. That would be 36 x 15 / 1,000 = 0.54 watt hours.

2. Now multiply your watt hours (0.54kWh) by your electricity price ($0.28/kWh) to get your cost. In this example, that’s 0.54 x 0.28 = $0.1512 (or 16 cents if we round up!).

Intelligent Pedal Assist System (PAS) enhances your electric bike riding experience by providing a more intuitive and personalised level of motorised assistance. These systems optimise power delivery, conserve battery life, and result in more smooth integration between your pedalling effort and motor assistance.

Pedalling the bike will activate the motor, speeding you onward with intelligent 1:1 pedal assist. A sensor monitors your output through the pedals. It then sends a signal to the electric motor to tell it how much assistance to give you based on your chosen assistance level.

In more simple terms, the motor will automatically provide the right amount of power to support your pedalling cadence and desired effort/speed. This results in a turbo-charged riding experience whilst still giving you total control at the pedals. It allows you to modulate your speed without the use of the throttle.

The faster you pedal, the more power the electric motor will provide to assist you. Similarly, the steeper the incline, or the more challenging the terrain or headwind, the more power the motor will provide. Going downhill or on flats the motor will provide less power yet you’ll still feel the exact same level of support through the pedals.

One great thing about electric bikes is that you can choose your level of riding effort. If you want to do more of the work and have less assistance from the motor simply choose a lower support setting (e.g. assistance level 1). If you want to do less of the work and receive more motorised assistance then choose a higher support setting (e.g. level 5). You can toggle between these settings as you ride or when stationary with the press of an up/down button easily accessible on your handlebars.

Yes. All Vamos Bikes are 100% weatherproof. The motors and batteries are sealed units. You can ride them in any weather conditions. Rain or shine you’ll be fine to ride.

A bit of a no-brainer, but avoid any significant areas of water which will submerge the motor (located in the hub of your wheel). Whilst Vamos e-bikes are 100% weatherproof they are not designed to be able to handle being fully submerged.

Just like a normal bike, it’s best to park your bike undercover where possible to avoid rust and corrosion.

If you do happen to ride through rainy conditions ongoing, you may need to lubricate your bike chain more often.

There are no weight or carry restrictions on our bikes. However, in general, the lighter the passenger/cargo the faster the bike will go, the more acceleration you will have, and the longer the battery will last. This is a consideration if you’re looking to carry cargo ongoing.

For those looking to carry passengers or cargo, an e-bike with higher wattage, higher torque, and a larger battery is always a great option. Amigo is a great option if you’re looking to carry passengers and/or a lot of gear.

Apart from the included carry options fitted to each bike, each bike can be fitted with additional after-market carry systems if desired.

Common additions are pannier bags (side saddle bags that hang off the sides of the rear carry rack), or a front basket. You can even fit out with a center-mounted child seat or attach a rear child carrier (towed carrier) to zip around the kids! Rear carry trailers that you can tow behind you also exist.

How you set up is only limited by your imagination.

All Vamos E-bikes should fit most universal attachments.

If there’s a particular attachment you’ve got your eye on please send us a link to the attachment and we can have someone from the team confirm the compatibility for you 🙌

To charge any of our bikes use the charger provided.

For added convenience, you can remove the battery from the bike to charge. Or, charge whilst the battery is still in the bike.

The charger plugs into any standard wall outlet. It’s similar in size to most laptop chargers.

Simply plug in, flick the power on and you’ll be charging.

Most batteries in our range take between 5-6 hours to charge in full from flat.

Look for a battery with ‘3A’ if you’re after fast charge.

Our bikes don’t have weight restrictions.

However, the lighter the rider/cargo the faster they’ll ride and extend battery life.

Generally speaking, the heavier you are the less top-line speed, torque, and acceleration you’ll get. Similarly, the heavier you are the faster you’ll drain the battery.

For those on the heavier side or looking for more support and performance we recommend looking for higher watt/torque options in our range such as the Hefe, or Amigo.

You should find the expected KM range per full charge for each bike and battery option on our website, listed on each product page. Your actual range will vary depending on how heavy the rider/cargo is, your power setting, and throttle use. The heavier the rider/cargo, the higher your power settings, and the more you use the throttle, the faster you will drain the battery.

For those looking to go further on a single charge, looking to carry more, or after more top-line performance, the larger battery options are always a great choice. Most people just charge their bike battery when they’re home after a full day of riding. The battery can easily detach from the bike so it’s easy to take with you and charge at your destination or with you overnight. The charger is similar in size/weight to a laptop charger so is also incredibly portable for those that need it to be. Some people chose to get an additional charger to leave somewhere where they regularly commute (e.g. their place of work), although this is not essential.

Each Vamos Bike has a battery-life indicator on the controller/screen located on the handlebars. This will fluctuate as you ride (go up and down) as it shows you your expected range if you continue to travel at the current conditions in which you’re currently riding. For example, if you’re using a lot of power when going up a steep hill it will drop quickly. Once you are past the hill the battery-life indicator will go back up. When you are stationary the battery indicator will give you a true reading. You can check the battery life without having to turn on the bike too. If you press the power button on the battery it will also show you the charge left in the battery.

We only use leading battery providers including Samsung, Panasonic, and LG batteries purpose-made for electric bikes. Industry-leading, they are made to see a lot of use and are incredibly reliable. Nevertheless, like all batteries, they do have a finite lifespan. It’s probably only after 3-5 years or more of regular daily use that you will start to see a noticeable decline in battery life. For example, after about 500 full-charges expect about a 10-15% capacity decline.

New batteries are available if needed and can be easily replaced unlike those that are in-built into the bike. All batteries on our bikes can detach from the bike in seconds.

All batteries on our bikes come with a one-year warranty.

All our bikes come delivered to you 85%+ pre-assembled. There should be no difficulties in setting up to get riding, regardless of your experience. Most are just screwing and clipping things in. No complex tools are required.

Detailed instructions on how to set up your bike are provided in the manual. If you’re more of a visual person and would like to see someone go through the entire setup process required for your bike, head to our Getting Started page.

Each video will take you from unboxing, through the entire setup process, and have you ready to ride in minutes. See how each e-bike will arrive straight from the Vamos factory to your doorstep.

All Vamos Bikes come about 80-90% pre-assembled.

The only tool required to assemble your new ride will be an allen key or two.

Brushless motors outperform their brushed motor counterparts. Brushless motors have a higher speed range, can provide more torque, make less noise, are more efficient, require less maintenance, and have a longer lifespan.

Without getting too technical, a brushed motor uses a series of small brushes within the motor that connect its internal rotating component with its static components of the motor. These internal brushes rub against the inside of the motor to receive, maintain and generate electric power as the motor spins. They spin with the motor. These brushes need to be replaced over time. A brushless motor uses an improved design which negates the need for these brushes. Power is supplied and maintained via wires that do not need to spin inside the motor.

Our bikes are designed and engineered in Australia.

Parts come from a variety of overseas built brands.

We list all major component brands on our website. Check the ‘made with’ on each product page.

For example, we use market-leading Samsung batteries (Taiwan).

If you want more info on the manufacturing process please let us know.

Any bike service provider can service a Vamos Bike.

We’ve purposely designed our bikes with leading competent parts like Bafang rear hub motors so that they’re easily serviceable at any bike mechanic.

Leading brand component parts are essential.

Bike mechanics are well-versed in their maintenance and repair (as they deal with them every day).

Bafang for example is the industry-leading engine for e-bikes so there are plenty of spare parts available if needed. Troubles can be handled quickly, efficiently, and at low cost.

Electric bikes do indeed offer environmental benefits. While it's true they require electricity, which may come from coal, the amount used is minimal. Vamos e-bikes feature energy-efficient Samsung lithium-ion batteries, which are more eco-friendly than lead-acid types. Studies, like those from the European Cyclist Federation, suggest that e-bikes and traditional bikes have nearly identical carbon footprints per kilometre travelled. E-bikes reduce the need for higher carbon-producing transportation, making them a smart choice for the environmentally conscious.

For more info, read our blog here

You can purchase a Vamos Bike directly from our online store, visit our retail location in Mascot NSW or head to one of our trusted stockists.

Nothing would please us more, we’re set up in Bondi Beach and in Mascot Sydney. Call or email us and come to whichever location suits you.

You can also find our bikes in retail stores across Australia. Find the nearest retailer near you here.

Purchase one of our bikes and don’t love it? No sweat. Send it back to us within 28-days and we’ll give you a full refund on your purchase.

Buy with peace of mind. If you purchase a bike from our website and are not entirely happy with it, for whatever reason, you can choose to return it back to us within 28-days of purchase for a full refund of the product price.

The product must be in its original new condition to result in a full refund of the purchase price.

Any shipping costs will not be refunded.

If you intend to return a product please contact us first so we can help you through the process.

We offer the ability to purchase any of our e-bikes via ZipPay or MoneyMe.

ZipPay and MoneyMe are money lenders, whereby you pay them back over time instead of us.

You’ll still get your purchase straight away if you choose either of these payment methods and own your bike.

It’s a bit like buying your bike on a payment plan.