Hi, I signed up the this site while back, every now and then I flirt with getting an ebike, but then I talk my way out of it.
Now, I suspect I am a little different from your average overweight rider, and while I am very 'overweight' (23 stone/ 146 kilos ) I am far from a dead weight. I trained for Strongman for while and am very gym focused. I squat 280kg and deadlift 320kg, so I have some pretty powerful legs. (I don't know? maybe that makes me more of a typical overweight rider?) I have ridden Bikes all my life, I commute an 8 mile round trip daily, and at weekends will do trips of 12-20 miles for 'relaxation' while powering up hills takes it out of me a bit these days (46 years old) It is by no means a problem.
The idea of eBikes has always interested me from a tech perspective, but each time I think about it I talk myself out of the idea, as I seem to obliterate, or even destroy the Safe working loads of the ones I see advertised, and I worry about burning motors out.
The other half of me thinks, its not like I'll be sitting on the damn thing expecting the motor to do all the work, Surely +250w is +250w however you cut it? and considering I blitz past much lighter riders on my 29er mountain bike now, then there is not going to be a huge (or increased) strain on the motor all the while I am doing the largest part of the work myself?
As for other aspects of increased wear, I have been riding quality bikes for decades, (Giant, Cannondale, GT, Kona etc) and the only thing that wears fast is Bottom Brackets and Pedals, On two occasions I've pinged a couple of spokes on the rear wheel, but in decades of cycling twice is nothing really is it?, although I do worry that perhaps adding a potential 250w to whatever I currently generate might be a bit torque-ey for a rear wheel?
What is the consensus for us heavier guys?
Now, I suspect I am a little different from your average overweight rider, and while I am very 'overweight' (23 stone/ 146 kilos ) I am far from a dead weight. I trained for Strongman for while and am very gym focused. I squat 280kg and deadlift 320kg, so I have some pretty powerful legs. (I don't know? maybe that makes me more of a typical overweight rider?) I have ridden Bikes all my life, I commute an 8 mile round trip daily, and at weekends will do trips of 12-20 miles for 'relaxation' while powering up hills takes it out of me a bit these days (46 years old) It is by no means a problem.
The idea of eBikes has always interested me from a tech perspective, but each time I think about it I talk myself out of the idea, as I seem to obliterate, or even destroy the Safe working loads of the ones I see advertised, and I worry about burning motors out.
The other half of me thinks, its not like I'll be sitting on the damn thing expecting the motor to do all the work, Surely +250w is +250w however you cut it? and considering I blitz past much lighter riders on my 29er mountain bike now, then there is not going to be a huge (or increased) strain on the motor all the while I am doing the largest part of the work myself?
As for other aspects of increased wear, I have been riding quality bikes for decades, (Giant, Cannondale, GT, Kona etc) and the only thing that wears fast is Bottom Brackets and Pedals, On two occasions I've pinged a couple of spokes on the rear wheel, but in decades of cycling twice is nothing really is it?, although I do worry that perhaps adding a potential 250w to whatever I currently generate might be a bit torque-ey for a rear wheel?
What is the consensus for us heavier guys?