With notable exceptions*, electric bikes tend to be around 20-25kg, which is about the same weight as the public hire bikes you can ride in cities like London, Paris and New York. However, unlike those hire bikes, electric bikes have the additional power of a motor to help them take that weight. But where is that weight coming from?
The Centre of Power
You can probably guess that the battery and motor will add weight to an electric bike, and you'd be correct. The motor and battery will add around 6kg to the overall bike weight, depending on the model.
Built for the Job
The frame of an electric bike will often be heavier too. Frames have to be built more robustly than a conventional bike because e-bike are asked to handle so much more power.
Not only that, e-bikes are often tasked with carrying much more cargo, and with riding over changeable terrain. Without the heavier frame, the comfort of the ride would be severely compromised.
This is one reason why we don't think that electric bike conversion kits are great. Adding extra power to a bike that the designer has not accounted for often leads to weaknesses in the bike that over time can become troublesome at the least, and dangerous at the most.
Performance Features
If your leg muscles were the only power source on the bike, then it would be tougher to carry heavy-but-useful components such as:
- fast-stopping disc brakes,
- bump-reducing suspension forks,
- water-blocking fenders,
- pannier-carrying rear racks,
- Theft preventing wheel locks
- ...and more.
However, on an electric bike you have two motors - your legs and the bike motor - and between the two, you'll be more than capable of carrying the weight of these fantastic features plus any cargo you wish to carry for the ride.
In short, electric bikes are heavier because they are work horses, not race horses. Strip out the weight and you'll also strip out the performance, the comfort, and the versatility.
Check out the electric bikes that we have in stock here.
*Electric road and gravel bikes tend to be much lighter, as does the 'SL' range by Specialized.
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- Beginners' Guide to Electric Bikes