Why are ebikes so heavy? Well, to put it simply, it’s because they have a battery and a motor, and both of these components are heavy.
Our Ascent, Traverse and Tranzit models weigh in at 26kg, while our Superlite electric bike weighs in at around 22kg, making it very similar in weight to a carbon fibre bike.
A couple of important questions to ask yourself when comparing the weight of different options:
- Are you comparing apples to apples? For instance a bike with a lower-capacity battery may weigh 1kg less. And, a bike that is weighed without carrier, lights and mudguards will weigh 1kg less.
- What premium are you willing to pay for lighter ebike weight?
Let’s look at the weight of components on the MeloYelo Ascent and Traverse model e-bikes, starting with the heaviest:
- Motor: 4.01kg
- Frame: 3.85kg
- Battery: 3.7kg
- Wheels (two wheels with rims, hubs, spokes, not including tyres & tubes): 3.4kg
- Suspension fork: 2.76kg
- Tyres & tubes (2): 1.92kg
- Carrier: 0.9kg
The total of the above is 20.54kg, and there are still quite a number of components not included in the above, like the gear system (cluster, derailleur, shifter) seat post and saddle, handlebars and stem, pedals, lights and mudguards.
Bear in mind that our Traverse and Ascent models have a 630 watt-hour battery so that you need not worry about running out of juice on the trail. Most other ebikes have smaller batteries of around 500 watt-hours, and those smaller batteries weigh around 1kg less. So, in this case your trade-off is, do I want more range or do I want less weight? (By the way, with the Superlite, you don’t have to make this trade-off. You get a lighter bike, yet still with a large-capacity battery.)
Bear in mind also, that in the case of MeloYelo bikes, our specified weight includes the carrier, lights and mudguards. Combined, these components add just over 1kg to the weight of our bikes. Most other brands would not include the weight of these components, because these components don’t come as standard accessories on their bikes.
The Bottom Line on Ebike Weight?
Of course, it’s possible to reduce bike weight by using different components, such as a lighter frame, lighter motor, lighter wheels and lighter suspension. And in fact, that’s exactly what MeloYelo has done with the Superlite ebike, which weighs 4kg less than some of our current models. Be aware though, that weight reduction does come at a cost.
