Bike Weight Myth

[mschwett]

i have two e-bikes. one weighs around 45lb. the other weighs around 28lb. i weigh 195. you wouldn't think the difference between 223 and 240 would be a big deal - it's only 7.6%. but it is, it's a huge deal. the difference in feel is night and day. i test-rode a 14lb non-e-bike last week, and the difference was even bigger. that 15% difference in total weight felt like the difference between a sports car and a minivan!

 

[harryS]

It also matters where you have your weight. It's easier to deal with four pounds around your belly than two pounds extra in each wheel. My fat 20" folder has steel rims, and combined with the bigger tires/tubes, that is a horrible bike to accelerate with pedal assist.

 

[kmccune]

Had an 82# fattie, it was extremely hard to pedal on an incline unassisted,have a steel framed cruiser that isn't that bad though still pretty hard on slopes, the narrower tires help the rolling resistance a lot.( its being converted to AWD)z

 

[kmccune]

The "Specialist" bikes felt so good even unpowered( maybe one day)

 

[indianajo]

I ride 94 lb without groceries, 174 with. I don't see any problem. I could probably push the bike up that C&O canal stairway. The bike is about 80, tools carrier equipment & lock equipment the rest. I've lost 50 lb of lard pedaling that around hilly Clark Cty In.

 

[WinterKill]

My wife and I have identical ebikes (mine is a large, hers is a medium) when we ride, if she uses the same assistance level as me she uses a lot less battery then me. Normally she rides one assistant level higher then me and has slightly more battery left at the end of the ride. I weigh about 75 lbs more than her, so in the case of range it does make a difference. If I only weighed 2 kilos more probably wouldn’t matter that much.

I would like to see him show how going only uphill affects the results. i know I can coast down hill faster then someone lighter than myself, so in his case going downhill is going to gain you time back from being slower up hill. I think that people caring about weight care most if they have big climbs on their route, some if it all flat, and could care less if it was all downhill.

 

[Pobidz]

I test rode two ebikes today, 46 & 62lbs, so 16lbs/7.25kg apart. They were both Aventons. I will say that as someone unaccustomed to cycling and definitely without the proper muscle groups, they both were very easy to pedal unassisted.

The bike I had specifically gone in to test, the 62lb bike, was just too tall and heavy. Despite it being a step through, despite having the seat at the lowest setting, I had a hard time hopping on/off at stops, but it was made extra difficult from the weight of the bike bullying me as it tipped to the side. I got to a flat stretch to test the throttle and tried to get back on the bike, but it began tipping, I nearly fell over, only catching its weight with my right leg and injuring my big toe in the process. Proper leg extensions or not, I don't see the benefit of having to headline Wrestlemania every time I have to stop.

The larger frame bike that I tried second actually weighed less than the first bike. The min seat height was almost the same, but it was much more manageable for me to mount and dismount despite my short height and joint issues. The different geometry probably helped a lot with that. At stops, I didn't feel the same sensation of being "shoved" to the side by the bike because there was just less bike pushing on me. I think I agree that lighter is the way to go.

 

[MikeDD]

I test rode two ebikes today, 46 & 62lbs, so 16lbs/7.25kg apart. They were both Aventons. I will say that as someone unaccustomed to cycling and definitely without the proper muscle groups, they both were very easy to pedal unassisted.

The bike I had specifically gone in to test, the 62lb bike, was just too tall and heavy. Despite it being a step through, despite having the seat at the lowest setting, I had a hard time hopping on/off at stops, but it was made extra difficult from the weight of the bike bullying me as it tipped to the side. I got to a flat stretch to test the throttle and tried to get back on the bike, but it began tipping, I nearly fell over, only catching its weight with my right leg and injuring my big toe in the process. Proper leg extensions or not, I don't see the benefit of having to headline Wrestlemania every time I have to stop.

The larger frame bike that I tried second actually weighed less than the first bike. The min seat height was almost the same, but it was much more manageable for me to mount and dismount despite my short height and joint issues. The different geometry probably helped a lot with that. At stops, I didn't feel the same sensation of being "shoved" to the side by the bike because there was just less bike pushing on me. I think I agree that lighter is the way to go.

You need a dropper seat post just like most of us shorter people.

 

[theemartymac]

The EMBN Gang have built a bike dyno and have begun testing a bunch of 'real world' scenarios (best possible tied to a machine anyway). I think this is a good companion to the OP video.

 

[ElevenAD]

My heaviest is around 85lbs my lightest is 75lbs, i had to carry them up and down from my second floor apt for two years and weight did matter lol
i dont do any intricate trail riding or down hill so i really dont notice the weight when riding.i would never ride my tanks without power,not by choice.

85lb Tank!

I ride 94 lb without groceries, 174 with. I don't see any problem. I could probably push the bike up that C&O canal stairway. The bike is about 80, tools carrier equipment & lock equipment the rest. I've lost 50 lb of lard pedaling that around hilly Clark Cty In.

i thought my bikes were heavy! Wow!

 

[Catalyzt]

I test rode two ebikes today, 46 & 62lbs, so 16lbs/7.25kg apart. They were both Aventons. I will say that as someone unaccustomed to cycling and definitely without the proper muscle groups, they both were very easy to pedal unassisted.

The bike I had specifically gone in to test, the 62lb bike, was just too tall and heavy. Despite it being a step through, despite having the seat at the lowest setting, I had a hard time hopping on/off at stops, but it was made extra difficult from the weight of the bike bullying me as it tipped to the side. I got to a flat stretch to test the throttle and tried to get back on the bike, but it began tipping, I nearly fell over, only catching its weight with my right leg and injuring my big toe in the process. Proper leg extensions or not, I don't see the benefit of having to headline Wrestlemania every time I have to stop.

The larger frame bike that I tried second actually weighed less than the first bike. The min seat height was almost the same, but it was much more manageable for me to mount and dismount despite my short height and joint issues. The different geometry probably helped a lot with that. At stops, I didn't feel the same sensation of being "shoved" to the side by the bike because there was just less bike pushing on me. I think I agree that lighter is the way to go.

This. Seeker is down to 46.5 pounds and still, when we hit a curb at the wrong angle and we started to dump it, catching the weight of the bike with my calf before the derailleur hit the pavement was noticeably harder than when the same thing has happened on Survivor, who weighs 40 pounds. Nice bruise from that, but don't have to get a new hanger or worse!

If I weighed 180-200 pounds, maybe it wouldn't have made as much of a difference.

49.5 pounds really was a bit too heavy for me in the Moto's stock configuration, I'm glad I dropped even three pounds.

 

[Elkman]

I road with a fellow who weighed 70 lbs more than I did and he was getting all the tire punctures and broken spokes while riding on the same roads. I can easily lift a 40 lb mountain bike into the rear tray of a bike rack but with 70 lb fat tire e-bikes I need a long motorcycle ramp and walk assist activated to get the bike up on the tray for the wheels. There are only 3 bike racks being made at this time that can support the 140 lb load of two heavy e-bikes.

Lighter bikes would cost me more than $9,000 for my wife and I and with the technology changing so much I prefer to deal with the heavy e-bikes, and to continue to ride our non electric road bikes which fit inside our SUV without removing the front wheels.

 

[Pobidz]

You need a dropper seat post just like most of us shorter people.

Yeah, that's why I want to try out a smaller frame. I was at the min seat height on both of those bikes so a dropper wouldn't have helped me much, but on a smaller frame I'd have the option to raise the seat for better fit and put on a dropper for ease of use.