Once bikes became electric, one of the early ideas was to add a way to initiate and engage the motor other than pedalling. And why not? After all, creating a pedal-assist is complicated, why not involve the technology to just twist or push a lever that can bypass the complication and go straight to the motor when you need it?

People around the world (but mostly in North America) were beginning to love the throttle while others felt it made it less of a bicycle and more of a scooter or moped. The truth is, for a vast majority of the users, it is a little bit of both. 

While some countries have rules regarding the immediate access of the electric potential of the battery and motor, North America typically allows this. Of course, there may be considerations for certain trials or municipalities, but as a whole, there are no federal laws restricting the use of your ebike. 

And because of that, bikes like DŌST have become the envy of many countries around the world. So what is the big fuss? Why throttle?

Well when you mention a throttle, the obvious image that comes to mind is that of a guy zooming down the street while he lazily uses the tiniest of finger muscles to control the entire bicycle is perhaps a show-off kind of way. Well, I am not gonna lie, I have been guilty of that at times. But the real benefit of a throttle is actually that of safety and convince. 

Safety? Yep. Safety. You see, bicyclists on the roads and streets often get over-looked. Many drivers don’t pay perfect attention or worse yet, make a drastic move to beat the light or get one car ahead in a line. The on-demand throttle of a DŌST allows you to quickly get out of the way of danger and dart to the direction of your choice. Even at times, I have been able to start off the line faster than a car that grabs their attention. Also, this may sound funny, but it is true, I have had quite a few drivers pay MORE attention to me since I am able to achieve speeds they don’t normally see on a bike. 

The convince side may be given, but what you don’t know is that there are even more cases to use the throttle other than just to be lazy. The throttle helps people like myself, who has had two hip surgeries, get going on that hill so I can then join in and pedal at my strength. You may find it handy to get the momentum needed in a situation, or even bring you back home after an injury. 

People with a throttle aren’t cheating, if anything they are riding more often and using it to help, not solely to be lazy. And…well… there’s the fun aspect too! Everyone who rides a DŌST for the first time gets an instant smile. The throttle is another extension of that fun. So we say, enjoy the ride! Throttle to your heart’s content or at the very least, use it in a bind. It may come in handy!