Will an Ebike carry 300lb

[Russell Lawton]

Hi guys i'm new to this so please bare with me,
I am 308lb and currently ride a 2016 giant reign, Although i know i am over weight i do actually ride with lads who are around the 180-250lb mark and until now could easily match their performance. I mainly do single track and red route runs with mild downhill black sections, My problem is i have recently been diagnosed with Lymphoma which is a mild form of cancer and one of the symptoms is fatigue, As much as i don't like to admit it i can no longer keep up with these guys as a result but am determined that this crappy illness will not stop me from enjoying what i love most, (apart from my wife and kids).
Thus leading me to the questions, Will an ebike carry my weight and if so will the weight reduce the battery and motors life span. I do have issues with rear suspension due to my weight (uphill bounce) so am i best to avoid this and go to a hardtail or does the battery assistance reduce the up hill bounce, I have looked into the HAIBIKE range with the bosch or yamaha motors and i am happy they can get me something to suit my needs for around £3000-4000 mark. My other issue is do i go for the Fatsix as i also have a fatbike which i love to ride. Haibike do a dual sus fatbike which looks and sounds great but i need as much advice as possible as once my purchase is made i have no going back. Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

 

[Russell Lawton]

When i say looks and sounds great i mean it looks pretty cool and the specification sounds good

 

[pxpaulx]

I'm bigger than you and the motors still help out plenty - sounds like you'll be putting in plenty of pedaling yourself, which I think is a requirement for a larger rider, but still worth it imho! Haibikes are nice (I have one coming, my wife just got one and it is the reason I'm getting one for myself). The Yamaha motor provides more pep for me than the bosch motor, but my cadence is lower than most smaller riders - can't pedal fast but my legs are strong, which might be the same boat for you. Apparently the Yamaha motor cuts out at a 90rpm cadence - as long as you're a slower/stronger pedaler I'd go for the Yamaha over the bosch (helps the wallet out as well). I don't bother with FS at my weight and stick to the hard tails, but that is a personal choice! I don't think the motor will help with the rear sus bounce any though - it would help overcome it somewhat with the added power, but the bounce likely won't be going away.

 

[eoghan]

If you haven't already read this you might find it useful

https://electricbikereview.com/guides/ebikes-for-large-people/

I found a number of stores near me that were very helpful and let me try a bunch of models, if you have that option I would take advantage of that. Plus those of us who are on the heavy side need to have a place to go to to handle the extra repairs we need, so it helps to buy local if you can.

 

[Russell Lawton]

I'm bigger than you and the motors still help out plenty - sounds like you'll be putting in plenty of pedaling yourself, which I think is a requirement for a larger rider, but still worth it imho! Haibikes are nice (I have one coming, my wife just got one and it is the reason I'm getting one for myself). The Yamaha motor provides more pep for me than the bosch motor, but my cadence is lower than most smaller riders - can't pedal fast but my legs are strong, which might be the same boat for you. Apparently the Yamaha motor cuts out at a 90rpm cadence - as long as you're a slower/stronger pedaler I'd go for the Yamaha over the bosch (helps the wallet out as well). I don't bother with FS at my weight and stick to the hard tails, but that is a personal choice! I don't think the motor will help with the rear sus bounce any though - it would help overcome it somewhat with the added power, but the bounce likely won't be going away.

Thats great, Thanks for the advice, To be honest i have my heart set on the Haibike fatsix Xduro rx but was just putting it out there to see other peoples opinions, So your thoughts are the yamaha motor is more suited for the larger powerful rider. And the Bosch is more suited for less leg power but faster pedaling. Can i ask which Haibike took your fancy?

 

[JoePah]

If you like your bike just install an ebike kit, or have someone install it for you.. Haibikes are great but overpriced and you will lose your shirt when you sell it.

For around $800 you could purchase the right kind of kit for YOU... See lunacycles, electricrider or Goldenmotors Canada.. Jsut stick with a mid drive or direct drive hub motor and a triangle battery or bottle battery.

 

[pxpaulx]

Sounds like Russell is from across the pond? With tighter restrictions and less diy options readily available, the store bought bikes may be the best solution available.

@Russell Lawton I've no doubt the fat six would be an awesome bike. The Bosch has a smoother power curve, for me it acted similarly to my easy motion evo snow in terms of power delivery. I was actually surprised with how similar it felt, whereas the yamaha felt like it has more immediate power both from a start, and also when applying more power/torque to my pedal strokes. And I do think my experience is attributable to being a larger rider, so I hope that helps! I'd definitely say try as many options as you can before deciding though, hopefully you've got a retailer somewhere nearby.

I didn't comment previously on your question regarding motor and battery longevity - You'll likely get less distance owing to weight, but that shouldn't affect the battery performance otherwise. I also think as long as you're actively contributing to pedaling (required of course on a pedelec, but if a bike has a throttle that is a different story) that the motor won't see too much extra wear over what is expected - especially with a mid-drive option, which is going to be operating for the most part at peak efficiency as long as you're choosing your gearing properly (which since you're a long time rider won't be an issue).

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Hi guys i'm new to this so please bare with me,
I am 308lb and currently ride a 2016 giant reign, Although i know i am over weight i do actually ride with lads who are around the 180-250lb mark and until now could easily match their performance. I mainly do single track and red route runs with mild downhill black sections, My problem is i have recently been diagnosed with Lymphoma which is a mild form of cancer and one of the symptoms is fatigue, As much as i don't like to admit it i can no longer keep up with these guys as a result but am determined that this crappy illness will not stop me from enjoying what i love most, (apart from my wife and kids).
Thus leading me to the questions, Will an ebike carry my weight and if so will the weight reduce the battery and motors life span. I do have issues with rear suspension due to my weight (uphill bounce) so am i best to avoid this and go to a hardtail or does the battery assistance reduce the up hill bounce, I have looked into the HAIBIKE range with the bosch or yamaha motors and i am happy they can get me something to suit my needs for around £3000-4000 mark. My other issue is do i go for the Fatsix as i also have a fatbike which i love to ride. Haibike do a dual sus fatbike which looks and sounds great but i need as much advice as possible as once my purchase is made i have no going back. Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

Kudos! to you for taking this step.
Any kind of illness suck and I hope this will be a momentary phase in your life. It's hard to pinpoint at something but E-bikes offer tremendous health benefit.

Life is short. Pick any E-bike you like and enjoy and I hope you recover from that illness.

Here's to you my friend....