Hi from FatBob!

[sjpt]

Any cheap bike or ebike will have cheap wheels; you will probably break quite a few spokes.

 

[FatBob]

I found Kalkhoff do a range of bikes for 170 kg loads, but boy they are not cheap!

https://www.kalkhoff-bikes.com/en_gb/xxl-bikes

 

[LeighPing]

There are less expensive bikes that might also suit your needs. Welcome.

Woosh Big Bear | MTB electric bicycle from Woosh

The Woosh Big Bear, a very sturdy electric bike 36V 15AH battery from Woosh.

wooshbikes.co.uk

 

[FatBob]

Is the secure car park underground? If so just a rack for a few bikes would be pretty secure.

I'm afraid that with all the other constraints £750 is not going to be possible. You could try 2nd hand, but there is a big risk that the battery will be dead or near dead.

No, it's a concreted area outside the apartments surrounded by fencing and with an 433.02 MHz radio-controlled gate.

 

[FatBob]

The problem with any folder is that the hinges and locks are an inherent weakness that limits their weight carrying capacity.
£750 may be a possibility for a regular frame bike but it can almost be guarenteed that the battery will be of poor quality and not have a long life.

In your search look for a 'Geared hub motor', don't be tempted by cheap offerings with 750 or 1000 watt motors.
These will be direct drive and, whilst being fast on the level, are poor hill climbers and known to be battery eaters.
On a cheaper bike the components (brakes, drive train etc.) will be lower quality, but all of these are easily replaceable with off the shelf generic parts.

Great advice. Thanks.

 

[FatBob]

Can someone with more experience and know-how assess if this Ancheer set up is a good fit for my needs (in original post, non-folding)?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ANCHEER-Upgraded-Removable-Lithium-Ion-Spoting_Black/dp/B081N7V9F4

 

[FatBob]

Ouch!!

Currently still suffering from extremely sore knees (OA & mobile meniscus – whoever said cycling doesn't put forces through the joints, cf. swimming, doesn't understand physics) and even sorer bum from my first my bicycle ride in 7 or 8 years! Lol!

I dug out my old steel (lead?) framed Halfords Apollo Slant MTB (original online advert on Wayback Machine - lol!), oiled the rusting chain and inflated the flat tyres. I don't know how much it weighs but it feels bl**dy heavy! The current model on sale comes in at 16 kg so it must be at least that. It fits in the elevator (just) without having to up-end it so that's OK, and suggests I can do without a folding ebike in the future.

Not mine (chain & spokes not rusted like mine!):

Only managed about 3 miles round trip (yes, only 3 miles!!!) before saddle pain was intolerable, and was on the verge of myocardial infarction by the time I got home. Struggled on the short sections of upward gradients (anywhere between 1% and 3% depending on the various online route planners.

Otherwise, it was fun and liberating to be out on the bike again. I was certainly surprised that the old rusted tank could take my hefty weight without the wheels / spokes / hard tail giving way, given the amount lent to discussion of weight limits.

I'll give it a few days for knees and bum to recover, before trying again. Hopefully I can do regular short stints while hopefully losing some weight. It certainly can't solve my commuting issue (8%-11% hill) and the knees are a problem which probably point to me still needing an ebike. Wish me luck!