The weight of the world... on wheels.

August 7, 2023 10:02 AM

So, I've wanted an e-bike for a while now, but I'm a giant 6'4"+ middle-aged dude, and the weight limits of almost all of the bikes are lower than my current weight (not by a huge amount, less than 50 pounds). I found a great deal on a quality e-bike with a weight limit lower than my current weight. Let's say that I got it. Is there any real risk? Is it just plain going to break, or should I just assume there's just the weirdness of invalidating the warranty, getting less range and putting some added wear and tear on it?
posted by I EAT TAPAS to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

I used to be pretty excited about biking in my youth, and roughly the same size as you are. My experience ended up being somewhere between the two - an elevated risk of bending the forks (and probably frame), wheels didn't hold up, flat tires caught me far too often (I think). I'd guess that 50 lbs-ish is 20-25% of the rated weight for that bike - a long way from having a catastrophic fault right away, but it's going to eat up a lot of the bike's safety margin on a good day, and they won't all be good days.
posted by wotsac at 10:30 AM on August 7, 2023

Bikes are generally stronger than they look, but also physics.

It's not going to break as soon as you get on it, but, yes, all other things being equal, you're going to put more stress on the frame and components than a lighter rider. I hope that won't stop you from riding.

I would say that if you get a real bike (and not a bike-shaped object--ways to tell the difference include the use of standard acoustic-bike components, a manufacturer that also makes analog bikes, and a LBS that's willing to work on them) and exercise reasonable care, you'll probably be just fine. A helmet and gloves are a good idea for anyone.

If you want to hedge your bets a bit, and are able to spend some more money, you might look at mountain bikes, which are designed to withstand greater stress on components, and cargo bikes, which are designed to carry heavier loads, compared to bikes made for e.g. commuting or road riding.
posted by box at 10:39 AM on August 7, 2023

There are exotic bike parts with weight ratings, and if you exceed them you can expect shortened lifespans. Even without knowing what bike this is, I can say with confidence it doesn't have any.

It might be the tires—it's possible that the tires' max pressure isn't enough to stop a rider of your weight from bottoming out.

I'd be surprised if the frame itself is at risk, but anything's possible.

A common problem I've seen with e-bikes is that they've been price-engineered and are not using robust enough components—regardless of your weight. The brakes, for example, need to be able to consistently haul you down from whatever speed that bike can achieve. Class 3 e-bikes can go 28 mph with assist; the only time I'm going 28 mph on my regular bike is with a downhill or massive tailwind—so my brakes need to be able to handle that sometimes, but a Class 3 bike needs to handle it all the time. If you're heavy, you're taxing the brakes a lot more. You'll also burn through pads really quickly even with top-quality brakes . I don't know if that is this bike's weak spot, but it would concern me.
posted by adamrice at 10:43 AM on August 7, 2023

I can’t help you decide what to do here, but there are absolutely e-bikes which are designed for heavier loads. Here’s a WorkCycles Fr8 (“freight!”) MAD City that carries “around” 200 kg/440 lbs from the Netherlands, for example.
posted by mdonley at 11:06 AM on August 7, 2023

Best answer: In non electric bikes, one of the weak points we think a lot about is wheel strength. So heavier riders might choose to upgrade to a sturdier rim with more spokes. Going to wider tires, tubeless, and a cushion insert would also be some good upgrades.

I tell you this because those upgrades are easy to do to an ebike that has a middrive motor, rather than a motor in the hub of the wheel. My ebike has a hub drive and unless I get whole new motor and wheel, I can't increase spoke count on my bike. I could go to a little wider tire, but not much.

I usually weigh about 240 pounds and have ignored weight limits on stuff rated to 200 pounds without failure so far.
posted by advicepig at 11:24 AM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

Sounds like you and I might be similar size, so I'll add my story for the record. I've been daily driving an e-bike for the past 3 years or so, and I'm always right on the edge of the maximum weight advertised for that model.

For the most part it's fine, but the tuning and maintenance of the wheels especially has required extra attention compared to my younger years when I was riding without as much weight. I totally destroyed a set of wheels by not checking the spoke tensions often enough, and by jumping up and down curbs, riding over bumpy terrain, etc.

After a rebuild with sturdier wheels I've been more on top of things, and more conscious about rough terrain. I haven't had much trouble sense. I think it's doable, but you'll likely need higher quality equipment and more maintenance along the way.
posted by owls at 10:54 PM on August 7, 2023

My husband is about 50 lbs over the "rider" weight limit for his electric bike, but even when carrying our kid on the back, he doesn't exceed the bike's "max gross weight" (the bike is a Benno boost, so it is meant to carry kids/cargo). He has been riding it pretty much daily for about two years, and the only issue we have had is one broken chain, which our bike shop did attribute to the the extra effort required for an electric bike to carry a heavier load.
posted by mjcon at 9:09 AM on August 8, 2023