The title describes the gist of things. In 18 months of owning my Bikonit MD750, I’ve traveled over 2100 km (1300 miles) in day, night, and rain; swapped out four sets of tires trying to lower the rolling resistance; built my own new set of 29" wheels with ebike-speed rated tires; and have taken it on mixed-mode adventures by using light-rail as my range extender.
It’s the latter where the weight is a small issue, as the light rail train has three stairsteps onboard, which I have to carry the bike up and onto. 43 kg is kinda a lot, although that does include all the things I will need for a day out. I can pursue getting stronger to lift it more easily, or convincing the transit department to acquire low-floor trains, but I’d like to know my options:
What are some Class 3, mid-drive ebikes currently available in the USA, that weigh less than 43 kg (95 lbs)? Ideally, less than 25 kg (55 lbs) too, as that’s the most common weight restriction for buses. I want to see what y’all can recommend, irrespective of price or range or other considerations.
I’m not likely to terminate my investment in this current ebike, as it’s provided sterling service thus far. But I wonder if maybe what I have has already been outmoded by the latest developments in this ever-changing slice of the mobility space.
TY in advance!
43 kg isnt nothing, but its also not really that much for me, a 6’0 200lb guy who lifts (we know nothing about your physiology, so I’m aware this may not apply)
I’d say it might make sense to look into small things you could do to make lifting the weight easier. Something as simple as adding attatchment points for a thick shoulder strap so you can throw the strap over your shoulder to squat the weight using your legs and core instead of trying to muscle it with just your arms.
Or adding grab points or pads so you have more optimal lifting points to make shifting the weight less awkward.
It’s the height of the bike which makes its 43 kg somewhat cumbersome. I basically have to lift the front higher than the rear to clear the first steps, and the heft of the dual-battery down tube doesn’t give me a lot of options for grabbing the bike lower down.
So I’ve mostly been grabbing the handlebars and seat tube, but I might try your suggestion to squat the whole bike from below. It might not be the most normal thing to do at a light-rail station, but that hasn’t stopped me before lol
Not so much squatting the bike from below, a strap from the seat tube to the headstock would give you good height adjustment to get it high enough to make getting it up the stairs easier but not so high your lifting it needlessly high, if you’re shorter or its still really awkward it also might be worth trying a barbell pad around the top bar of the frame putting your arm through the triangle, squatting down and hoisting it onto your shoulder. See whats more comfortable.
Forget how “normal” it looks to others, its a not insignificant weight and lifting it awkwardly is asking for injury.
Ah, now I understand what you mean. I’ll give it a go! Thanks!
Your ebike is a monster lol. Look at ebikes from the regular bike manufacturers like Tern, Specialized, Marin, Trek, etc. Ride1up makes good budget stuff too. There’s Lectric as well, the One looks interesting and should be out by this Fall. Those would all be significantly lighter than your bike.
There’s kind of a point of diminishing returns with batteries in terms of size and weight so ideally, your battery should be maybe a little bigger than necessary to get you to your destinations under the worst conditions (i.e. it’s freezing out, maybe snowy or muddy) but not much bigger.
Good luck!
95lbs is quite a bit of weight! I totally understand the desire to get something lighter and easier to deal with. It’s one reason why I recently got an acoustic folder.
A significant amount of weight comes from the battery and motor. Reducing weight to <50lbs means going for a smaller battery and likely a smaller motor.
In other words, consider going to class 1 or 2. There are more road and commuter bikes in that class which meet that weight target. For example, Trek’s FX+ 2 at just over 40lbs. Smaller batteries also mean less expense, so perhaps you’ll keep your existing bike instead of selling it. Then you’ll be able to choose the right bike for the day’s plan. :)
I currently have an acoustic bike and this ebike. What I’m hoping to avoid is N+1 Syndrome, which is the desire to have N+1 bikes, where N is the current number of bikes lol
But I think you’re right that the 25 kg target for a Class 3 with appreciable range may be tough to find. I’m in the fortunate position where I can take bus and/or light-rail with the acoustic bike no-problem, or can run the ebike for 20 km to the light-rail station and still have range at the end of the line. It may be too much of a stretch to have the features of both bikes: lots of range plus full compatibility with transit.
Hah! I said “thanks for helping me solve my N+1 problem” to the sales guy at my LBS after walking out the door with the folder. More bikes is always the right answer! 🤣
Yeah, I can see you’re trying to thread the needle here. It’s going to be tough. Opening up your parameters is at least a decent start towards filling a spreadsheet of potential bikes.
If you want to give up weight, you’ll likely have to give up some power. I bought a Specialized Turbo Vado SL a few years ago and it’s 35 lbs, class 3 with 35mm tires. I’ve seen people fit larger ones, but I bought this thing for the weight.
It’s class 3 and fairly light, but it won’t drag me up the side of a mountain without my help. It was still worth it to me because I wanted a light bike that I could keep riding after running out of power. My partner bought me a nice solid basket that I fill up in the store and it clicks right into the rack so I can carry some groceries, 2 locks, a backpack, etc. I would guess with the basket, fenders, extra lights, and a coat of dust it would probably weigh within a pound or two of your limit.
All that to point out that you can go lighter, but there may be a tradeoff. I think the other folks who suggested different ways of carrying the bike probably have more affordable short-term solutions than acquiring more bikes… though less fun. :)
