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.

 

[vfr400]

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

It's nothing to do with economy. It's elecetrical system is flawed. There are many similarly priced bikes that don't have its bad torque sensor and motor connector.

 

[FatBob]

It's nothing to do with economy. It's elecetrical system is flawed. There are many similarly priced bikes that don't have its bad torque sensor and motor connector.

Can you suggest some good quality ones (for similar price ~£1100) that can cope with my weight from vendors who provide good aftercare? Thank you.

 

[Nealh]

Wisper though £1100 may not be enough.

 

[FatBob]

Wisper though £1100 may not be enough.

I'm afraid not. As soon as you choose the options the prices (if not already there) push £2K. Thanks for the suggestion tho.

 

[soundwave]

i think the cube or the haibike would be the best option as you will need a xl frame size to fit you as you dont want a bike that's to small.

 

[RonnieX]

I’m 6’1” and nigh on 20st. Ive got a Decathlon Rockrider E-ST900. Size ‘L’. I could even get away with an ‘M’. Don't get an XL unless you’re over 6’4” or have seen the bike in the flesh!

 

[FatBob]

I’m 6’1” and nigh on 20st. Ive got a Decathlon Rockrider E-ST900. Size ‘L’. I could even get away with an ‘M’. Don't get an XL unless you’re over 6’4” or have seen the bike in the flesh!

My old cheapo MTB is a 20" frame on 26" wheels and is big enough.

 

[Nealh]

My old cheapo MTB is a 20" frame on 26" wheels and is big enough.

Covert it with a kit for about £600.
Will the bike upgrade to hydraulics ?

 

[soundwave]

Nature Hybrid ONE 400 Allroad iridium`n`blue 2020

One bike, many reasons: The Nature Hybrid ONE Allroad is the Bosch e-bike that'll slot right into your life. Fully equipped with mudguards, an AXA and Busch & Müller lighting system that runs off the Bosch battery and a kickstand, it's ready to go wherever you go. So neatly integrated is the...

www.theedge-sports.com

thats about as cheap its going to get from new and only 1 size in stock.

 

[FatBob]

Covert it with a kit for about £600.
Will the bike upgrade to hydraulics ?

I looked into this a while ago but I'm honest enough to admit that I'm no engineer/mechanic and beyond my knowledge and skills – viz. I can't even begin to answer your question.

 

[RonnieX]

Have you considered something like This

 

[Abby]

I'm in the same boat 6' though lost 10kg so down to 125kg
There not so strict on the 250w regulation over here (Australia) though the 25km is rather strictly applied by bike suppliers
I had NCM on my short list until reading regular spoke breakage issue more often with heavy riders , there's also a rain ingress issue with there batteries regular reported
So I'm considering a fat tire bike maybe is a 20"x4 cargo some rather up 150kg
Though I suspect i may look like a rather decrepit hipsters on one lol

 

[georgehenry]

I am sadly over 110kg at the moment and my two Chinese derived Oxygen rear hub road bikes of circa 2011 vintage are still going strong, although I had to make myself familiar with changing the odd spoke and tensioning spokes evenly in the rear wheels, never had any trouble with the front, but I have only had to do that occasionally and always got the wheel stable again no longer breaking spokes, and I carry overloaded panniers with shopping in combination with my weight.

I am no wheel building expert. I simple replace a broken spoke and tension the spokes so they are all roughly the same.

I also have a hard tail Haibike mountain bike of circa 2015 vintage that I have ridden hard off road also with loaded panniers for just under 13,000 miles and have had to occasionally change the back wheel, which is easy on a crank drive.

So the only thing that your weight might effect is the back wheel, but not so much that you cannot cheaply maintain and keep on top of it.

Or with a crank drive simply change it. I bought a spar cheap back wheel with shimano hub of ebay for £57 quite recently and was amazed how good it was.

However if you were feeling flush you could push the boat out and pay around £650 for a hand build bespoke rear wheel.



Today's shopping trip!

 

[FatBob]

Thanks to everyone's answers and input.

Given that I've probably put on yet another stone during lockdown, it seems I would be riding whatever I decided to buy at the very top end of its unofficial weight limit and I really don't want to be fearing popping spokes etc on something I've forked out £2K+ for each and every time I step on the bike.

In the absence of an affordable machine that can very comfortably and reliably take my weight + load (and doesn't require a licence) I think I have very little option but to face the uncomfortable truth and try to lose the weight first by other means.

 

[soundwave]

try that with a hub motor

 

[sjpt]

This bike claims to be suitable; at least in 'Load capacity: 150kg/330lbs'

ANCHEER 2019 Upgraded Electric Mountain Bike, 250W 26'' Electric Bicycle with Removable 36V 12.5 AH Lithium-Ion Battery for Adults, 21 Speed Shifter: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

Shop ANCHEER 2019 Upgraded Electric Mountain Bike, 250W 26'' Electric Bicycle with Removable 36V 12.5 AH Lithium-Ion Battery for Adults, 21 Speed Shifter. Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Very cheap, pretty basic, plenty of cons: https://www.bikeride.com/ancheer-electric-mountain-bike/

I doubt the customer service would be up to much.

There's one with lower capacity battery (not suitable) but more reviews on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ANCHEER-Electric-Waterproof-Collapsible-Black-6AH/dp/B0793PCB18/ref=sr_1_8

 

[FatBob]

This bike claims to be suitable; at least in 'Load capacity: 150kg/330lbs'

ANCHEER 2019 Upgraded Electric Mountain Bike, 250W 26'' Electric Bicycle with Removable 36V 12.5 AH Lithium-Ion Battery for Adults, 21 Speed Shifter: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

Shop ANCHEER 2019 Upgraded Electric Mountain Bike, 250W 26'' Electric Bicycle with Removable 36V 12.5 AH Lithium-Ion Battery for Adults, 21 Speed Shifter. Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Very cheap, pretty basic, plenty of cons: https://www.bikeride.com/ancheer-electric-mountain-bike/

I doubt the customer service would be up to much.

There's one with lower capacity battery (not suitable) but more reviews on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ANCHEER-Electric-Waterproof-Collapsible-Black-6AH/dp/B0793PCB18/ref=sr_1_8

Cheers sjpt. While it might meet the affordability test, I think the reviews point to it falling short on the reliability test.

 

[FatBob]

try that with a hub motor

There's clearly a gap in the market for making custom bikes for us big fatties.

 

[FatBob]

Came across this today – 180 kg rated weight limit!

https://knaapbikes.com/

Your thoughts?

 

[Pedaluma]

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 calculator. Specialized had to take theirs down.