How Much Does an Electric Bike Weigh?

If you are wondering how much an e-bike weighs, or why it is heavier than a standard bicycle, you will find some simple explanations for these answers through our article.

In fact, today we are talking about the weight of an electric bike, explaining why it's heavier than a regular bicycle "powered by human propulsion".

First of all, we can say that it is mainly a matter of adding a lot of weight to the electronics, then we have to consider the kind of use at which it's related to an e-bike, and finally we are talking about the fact that it's more powerful and faster which means that consequently needs to be more robust and reliable.

Another very important question is: does the extra weight influence your riding experience?

Let's go step by step to find out. Are you ready?

E-bike weight: electric components does the most important

The first point that we have to consider is that an electric bicycle carries much more components than a standard bike, starting with the motor, battery, wires, sensors, accessories and the LCD display.

Therefore, it is clear to anyone that the weight will be higher than a "human powered bicycle" because the e-bike include much more heavy-duty components. Let's explain with a simple example: instead of buying an e-bike you can also choose to "electrify" your standard old bike by buying and assembling an e-bike conversion kit.

In that case you will get all the electric components that you need to be installed on your standard bike. An electric hub motor can weighs about 11 - 15 LBS, a battery pack with large capacity weighs about 11 LBS, then you have to add the main controller, wires, display, sensors etc.. let's suppose that last group in total adds 6 LBS .

So, as you can see, with a simple e-bike conversion kit, you would have to add about 32 LBS to the weight of a standard bike to convert your bike to an e-bike 

The weight of an electric bike: light or heavy?

Delving into the weight of electric bikes, we need to mention that modern models come in different shapes and sizes, and they are assembled with different components as needed. Exactly like standard bicycles, we find substantial differences between different models, if for example a ultra-light road race bike versus a stronger fat tire bike. Electric bikes can weigh from 50 lbs to 80 lbs or more depending on the model and technical specifications.

Some electric bikes are built to be very light and thin, make them easy to carry and transport.Smaller folding models, for example, are intended for use on trails and can be easily taken upstairs.  On the other hand, such small folding e-bikes have smaller batteries (less range) and less powerful motors, making them suitable for only certain uses.

In many cases, they cannot face off-road or "heavy commando", because they have a very low payload capacity.

Instead, we find larger e-bikes with large wheels, meaning the ability to carry heavy loads and long capacity battery packs for longer trips.

E-bikes are "heavier and stronger"

Electric bikes are more powerful than standard bikes, which means that components have to be stronger to keep up with the extra torque and speed offered by the motor.

Producers want to ensure that the frame and all components provide a safe ride and reliability, so additional reinforcing materials and stronger components are needed. This means that the total weight will be increased to make the chassis stiffer and more capable chassis.

The suspension and wheels are more robust to be able to support all the extra weight and speed.

Is it better to buy a light e-bike or a heavier one?

Reading our article you can easily understand that the weight it's related to the size and model and it is not necessarily a parameter to consider when choosing an e-bike. The best thing to do is to focus on what we need and on what kind of hills we are going to ride.

In this way, we can choose the right model and the right weight.

Does more weight affect the riding experience?

We clearly say that e-bikes have to be heavier than a standard bike, but does it influence the riding experience?

We would like to remind that the e-bike is powered by an electric motor that does the most of the work, giving the rider an easy task and requiring little effort on the pedals.

This means that when the bike motor it on, we don’t even feel how much heavy the bike is, we only feel a lot of power in our legs.

On the other hand, the extra weight it's also useful to make the bike more stable and maneuverable while going off-road and at speed. In fact a very light bike is much difficult to control at increasing speeds and roughness of the terrain.

Therefore, the extra weight becomes a bonus rather than an evil when driving with the motor on.

In the end, we can confirm that it is better to care about buying a nice, reliable and powerful e-bike with a good payload capacity than to overthink its weight.

Are you ready to buy your first e-bike? Check out Gallop's new models, they're ready for your daily adventures!