Help! Recommendations for Very Heavy Rider?

[FatBob]

I'm about 130 kg (over 6 ft) and looking for suggestions for a suitable ebike. It will be mostly for commuting and (when lockdown ends!) visiting friends/family on roads. Typically looking at round trips of around 25 miles with gradients each of up to 7% over a mile. Budget-wise £1500 max realistically. I could possibly stretch to £2K all in if the bike & aftersales support was "perfect".

From what I can tell, I need a pedal assist with a battery of at least 600 Wh to guarantee the range. I'm not sure about the amount of torque needed in the motor though.

Please discount Woosh as they don't currently have any in stock for many months.

 

[sjpt]

I'm about 130 kg (over 6 ft) and looking for suggestions for a suitable ebike. It will be mostly for commuting and (when lockdown ends!) visiting friends/family on roads. Typically looking at round trips of around 25 miles with gradients each of up to 7% over a mile. Budget-wise £1500 max realistically. I could possibly stretch to £2K all in if the bike & aftersales support was "perfect".

From what I can tell, I need a pedal assist with a battery of at least 600 Wh to guarantee the range. I'm not sure about the amount of torque needed in the motor though.

Please discount Woosh as they don't currently have any in stock for many months.

You shouldn't need that big a battery unless you really want the electrics to do almost all the work. 7% is a pretty mild hill. Neverthless, it's always good to have a little extra.

Bosch range assistant will give a pretty good idea of range for different riding conditions and bike types; it's designed for Bosch bikes but gives a pretty good idea for any 'normal' ebike.

eBike range calculator for Bosch drive systems

How many kilometres do the different Bosch eBike batteries last? The Bosch Range Assistant displays how many kilometres your pedelec can travel on a single battery charge.

www.bosch-ebike.com

Shame about Woosh.

 

[Woosh]

The Gran Camino may be worth a look. It has very similar performance compared to the Big Bear but with rear wheel motor.
The shipment should be here beginning of April.

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?gran-camino

 

[Andy1865]

I'm about 130 kg (over 6 ft) and looking for suggestions for a suitable ebike. It will be mostly for commuting and (when lockdown ends!) visiting friends/family on roads. Typically looking at round trips of around 25 miles with gradients each of up to 7% over a mile. Budget-wise £1500 max realistically. I could possibly stretch to £2K all in if the bike & aftersales support was "perfect".

From what I can tell, I need a pedal assist with a battery of at least 600 Wh to guarantee the range. I'm not sure about the amount of torque needed in the motor though.

Please discount Woosh as they don't currently have any in stock for many months.

Hi Bob...have a look at an ECOTRIC fat tyre

 

[FatBob]

Hi Bob...have a look at an ECOTRIC fat tyre

Thanks for the suggestion!! Unfortunately, I don't think it's a goer for a number of reasons:

• Although the manufacturer's website says the max speed (from 23 mph) can be programmed to suit each country, the motor is still rated at max 500 W output, so doesn't meet UK regulations for EAPCs (250 W output max).
• "Weight capacity" is 260–265 lbs (118–120 kg) so wouldn't be rated for my 130 kg, and it's not clear if this limit includes the bike or not, so not practical for shopping trips etc.
• Both Amazon.co.uk & Amazon.com are currently out of stock.
• The manufacturer's website says there's stock in, but there's no mention of international shipping, charges and import duties etc.
• It has on-demand throttle capability (as well as PAS), however EAPC rules state that such a bike must be type-approved first if "it can be propelled without pedalling (a ‘twist and go’ EAPC)".

 

[soundwave]

Cube Reaction Hybrid Performance 400 2021 - Out of Stock | Tredz Bikes

Cube Reaction Hybrid Performance 400 2021 - Electric Mountain Bike. Out of Stock. All Electric bikes are delivered free to the UK mainland, 365 day returns & Price Match.

www.tredz.co.uk

Haibike Sduro Hardseven 2.52020 500wh Hardtail Electric MTB Blk

 

[FatBob]

You shouldn't need that big a battery unless you really want the electrics to do almost all the work. 7% is a pretty mild hill. Neverthless, it's always good to have a little extra.

Bosch range assistant will give a pretty good idea of range for different riding conditions and bike types; it's designed for Bosch bikes but gives a pretty good idea for any 'normal' ebike.

eBike range calculator for Bosch drive systems

How many kilometres do the different Bosch eBike batteries last? The Bosch Range Assistant displays how many kilometres your pedelec can travel on a single battery charge.

www.bosch-ebike.com

Shame about Woosh.

Thanks for the link! From what I can tell, I need to be looking for a bike with a motor that provides up to something like 50 Nm torque at max pedal assist. Thanks!

 

[FatBob]

The Gran Camino may be worth a look. It has very similar performance compared to the Big Bear but with rear wheel motor.
The shipment should be here beginning of April.

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?gran-camino

Was told end of May for the GC when I asked.

 

[Woosh]

sorry, you are right. I forgot to take into account the build backlog. Hatti does bikes, I do kits.

 

[FatBob]

Cube Reaction Hybrid Performance 400 2021 - Out of Stock | Tredz Bikes

Cube Reaction Hybrid Performance 400 2021 - Electric Mountain Bike. Out of Stock. All Electric bikes are delivered free to the UK mainland, 365 day returns & Price Match.

www.tredz.co.uk

Haibike Sduro Hardseven 2.52020 500wh Hardtail Electric MTB Blk

Thanks very much for the suggestions!

Sadly the weight limits are outside my 130 kg:

• CUBE – 135 kg: The maximum system weight consists of the bike, rider and load (luggage rack or trailer).
• Haibike – weight 120.0 kg [unspecified if this includes bike itself]

 

[soundwave]

if your not going to be going down hill off road going 40mph over jumps ect it will be fine just for riding round town ect

it wont snap in half as soon as you sit on it but you will find 120kg is the limit on most bikes same with office chairs ect.

plus you will loose waight fast i can live on takeaways and cider and still stay the same size

also note the frame has 5 year warranty, they dont know how fat you are if you did brake it so warranty wont be a problem if it even happens.

the wheels would fold in half b4 the frame broke.

 

[vfr400]

Don't take any notice of the weight limit. It won't break, but if anything goes wrong, unscrupulous dealers will try to worm their way out of warranty obligations. Talk to them about it before you buy and get a record of any agreements.

 

[D C]

I have a Giant Fathom E+, the manual states:
"The maximum permissible total weight (bike, rider and luggage) for our E-bikes is 156Kg (344lbs)"
It would do what you want and has 27.5 x 2.6 tyres which would help spread the load but it's above your £2000 stretched budget.
May be worth a look at Giant bikes as from the wording in the manual the 156kg seems to apply to all their electric bikes
Dave.

 

[FatBob]

What's the consensus on the Carrera Crossfire from Halfords for a heavy rider like me?

It's around £1K cheaper than others mentioned so far, and with the same/similar 120 kg rider limit (160 kg total (bike + rider + luggage)), although battery only 9 Ah (Bosch range assist link suggests a range nearer ony 15 miles, worst case scenario).

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/all-bikes/carrera-subway-e-mens-electric-hybrid-bike-2.0---16in-18in-20in-frames-445926.html

 

[FatBob]

Thanks to everyone who has said to ignore the weight limits. I was fearing that in the end I might need to spend £4K+ on a cargo bike. Hopefully if what I buy can cope with my weight I can lose some steadily.

 

[sjpt]

What's the consensus on the Carrera Crossfire from Halfords for a heavy rider like me?

It's around £1K cheaper than others mentioned so far, and with the same/similar 120 kg rider limit (160 kg total (bike + rider + luggage)), although battery only 9 Ah (Bosch range assist link suggests a range nearer ony 15 miles, worst case scenario).

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/all-bikes/carrera-subway-e-mens-electric-hybrid-bike-2.0---16in-18in-20in-frames-445926.html

There have been lots of issues with Crossfire in the past (search this forum), cutting out at what seemed to be arbitrary times. It may be that the issues are resolved on the newer models. Then again, a lot of people have Crossfires, so the number of issues may be more a reflection of that rather than a higher percentage of them going wrong.

Whatever bike you end up with keep very close eye on the spoke tension. Broken spokes is a more common issue for heavy riders than than broken frames, but if you keep them properly tensioned you can ameliorate that. Better built wheels should be a feature of more expensive bikes, not obvious from a quick spec comparison.

 

[FatBob]

There have been lots of issues with Crossfire in the past (search this forum), cutting out at what seemed to be arbitrary times. It may be that the issues are resolved on the newer models. Then again, a lot of people have Crossfires, so the number of issues may be more a reflection of that rather than a higher percentage of them going wrong.

Do you think it's false economy to go for this bike instead of the £2K+ offerings?

 

[soundwave]

Do you think it's false economy to go for this bike instead of the £2K+ offerings?

buy cheap buy twice plus they look better as well id not buy anything from Halfords just dont do it!

 

[sjpt]

Do you think it's false economy to go for this bike instead of the £2K+ offerings?

Difficult question. Most of the components are probably perfectly OK. (I haven't checked the specs in detail, there may be some dodgy bits.) If you get problems with the wheels you can get a very good pair of handbuilt ones (the rear would need to be built onto the motor) for much less than the difference between£2k+ and the cost of the Crossfire; probably quite a bit better than wheels on the £2k+ bike.

Five years ago or so we bought a fairly cheap but sensible Viking tandem under the theory we could replace bits we didn't like and still be ahead on cost. In that time we have replaced chains of course, but the main changes have been new rear wheel (£100), Suntour suspension seat post at rear (£50), Marathon Plus tyres (£50 pair) and front bar risers and new handlebars (?<£50 between them). Oh, and Whoosh XF07 kit (£500). For us it has turned out very well.

 

[soundwave]

my carbon crank arms and pedals cost £500

 

[D C]

Do you think it's false economy to go for this bike instead of the £2K+ offerings?

I think it definitely is for us heavier guys though if you're a light weight you can often get away with cheaper components. I found out many years back when I couldn't afford good stuff that cheap can end up expensive when you start repairing and replacing.
There's also the inconvenience involved when things need fixing just at the wrong time and it's nice to own and to use a good quality item rather than something that's only okay.
Easy for me to spend your hard earned cash
Good luck what ever you decide.