To start off, many of us will opt to upgrade the bike to electric first and see if it lives up to the hype before even thinking about answering this question. Purchasing a quality motor kit and battery is a substantial investment and the kit comes with replacement brake levers, so let's just start there first and see how it goes. If your experience was like mine, the Bafang mid drive motor conversion kit was everything I had hoped it would be and after many fun miles of cruising around, it became clear that the mechanical disc brakes on my bike just didn't feel safe or confidence inspiring. The provided levers had built in cut off switches, but they did not make the brakes work any better than before. Enter the Tektro Dorado HD-E710 e-bike brake, seen here. These hydraulic brakes were so easy to apply compared to my mechanical brakes. Just a gentle squeeze and I was instantly slowed to a stop. The built in lever reed switches cut off motor power for added safety. After hundreds of miles I began to appreciate the value of an e-brake designed specifically for the needs of an e-bike. The added girth of 2.3mm rotor thickness compared to standard 1.8mm thickness of standard bike rotors combined with larger calipers and larger brake pads seen here made by bike stop like a disc brake motorcycle. I was able to stop on a dime with confidence and added safety. Yes, e-bikes should have e-brakes. It is an investment, but one well worth it. If budget is a concern, consider upgrading the front brake first seen here because it is approximately 80% of your stopping power, and upgrade the rear seen here as budget allows. The Dorado brakes can be made to order with the Bafang BBS02 wiring harness brake cable seen here for an easy plug and play installation.
