Electric bikes, why so heavy?
Discussion
Simple question, why are electric bikes so heavy? I'm specifically thinking of folding bikes, for example this https://velorution.com/gocycle-g4i-folding-electri...
Manufacturers claim 16.6kg but independent reviews say it actually weighs 17.7kg. The bike has magnesium wheels, is only small, carbon forks, carbon mid frame, etc. so has expensive and light materials. The battery only weighs 904g so where is all the weight from?
My cheap decathlon folding bike is less than 11kg and there is nothing exotic on it. What am I missing?
Manufacturers claim 16.6kg but independent reviews say it actually weighs 17.7kg. The bike has magnesium wheels, is only small, carbon forks, carbon mid frame, etc. so has expensive and light materials. The battery only weighs 904g so where is all the weight from?
My cheap decathlon folding bike is less than 11kg and there is nothing exotic on it. What am I missing?
cb31 said:
ok so looks like the motor then, do you know if they are about to get any lighter or is there nothing on the horizon? Not sure I want to pay £4k for a heavy bike.
My Boardman eBike has one of the lightest mid motor units along with a small battery which are fully detachable from the bike. I can tell you its essentially like carrying two extra D-locks around. However the extra 4-5kg gets you an extra 250watts+, that far more power than any human can mange for an extra 4-5kg of weight.Motor and battery weights aren't reducing anytime soon.
Motor as people say. Most 250w hub motors weigh 2.5kg+ (compared to sub 200g for a reasonable conventional hub), and while they're physically smaller, a lot of mid-drive units weigh similar. Gocycle is a single sided one too while probably adds weight.
Just because it's small doesn't necessarily mean they can use less / lighter materials - still has the same forces acting on it. Gocycle use alu for the front half, and I bet the carbon rear isn't that light. The casing they cover the chain etc in will add to that too. Single sided fork won't save material compared to a double (may add to it if anything). Mag wheels are often heavier than spoked. The (big) stem/bars/seatpost will be alu and probably heavier built as they're longer than a normal bike. The Nexus 3 speed hub isn't light, although probably similar to a derailleur, cassette, hub.
The gocycle isn't bad and unless you have to drag it around folded a lot then it doesn't really matter. As said, at least the Brompton design puts the battery in the front bag so you stick that over your shoulder and carry a lighter folded lump around.
Just because it's small doesn't necessarily mean they can use less / lighter materials - still has the same forces acting on it. Gocycle use alu for the front half, and I bet the carbon rear isn't that light. The casing they cover the chain etc in will add to that too. Single sided fork won't save material compared to a double (may add to it if anything). Mag wheels are often heavier than spoked. The (big) stem/bars/seatpost will be alu and probably heavier built as they're longer than a normal bike. The Nexus 3 speed hub isn't light, although probably similar to a derailleur, cassette, hub.
The gocycle isn't bad and unless you have to drag it around folded a lot then it doesn't really matter. As said, at least the Brompton design puts the battery in the front bag so you stick that over your shoulder and carry a lighter folded lump around.
Barchettaman said:
Unless you have to hoik it around on a regular basis the extra weight of an e-bike is pretty insignificant IME.
You’ve got this motor thing to help you out, you see.
When cycling off road on a mountain bike and lifting over styles etc, then the weight becomes an issue.You’ve got this motor thing to help you out, you see.
Also when I have to push mine up flights of stairs at the office, if it wasn't for the Bosch 'Walk' feature then that would be a pain too.
When doing maintenance on mine I like to have the bike at face height, which rules out most bike stands, and would make it heavy to lift. So I have an electric winch in my garage roof to lift it to whatever height I desire.
Edited by LeadFarmer on Monday 13th December 14:42
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