Can a 350lb Person Ride an Electric Bike? The Truth About Heavy Riders & E Bikes

Can a 350-pound person ride an e-bike? Stick around to find out. Hey, everyone, I'm Dustin. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry, and today I'm going to answer the question, can a 350-pound person ride an e-bike? Before I get into it, hit that subscribe button below. Stay in touch with us here at Sixthreezero. Be the first to know about all the new content we're putting out, giveaways we're doing, of course, new product releases. I've got two of our products right here. The simple step through a 500-watt e-bike and the zip and fold, 750-watt e-bike. Both are linked in the description below and there's a link in the top corner. You can click to check those out. All right, so let's say you are 350 pounds or even up and you're shopping for an e-bike, or let's say you're 300 pounds also and you are shopping for an e-bike, and you're finding maybe that a lot of warranties on e-bikes go up to 300 pounds, or they're rated for 350 pounds and you're wondering, can I ride an e-bike? What e-bike is best for me?

Well, let's get into it. So a lot of e-bike manufacturers, including Sixthreezero, are going to put a published weight limit on an electric bike, usually 300 pounds or up to 350 pounds. Now in the case of Sixthreezero, I do believe a lot of our e-bikes can work for 350-pound riders. We just don't warranty it above typically 300 pounds, some 350 pounds, because as the weight increases, there are certain things that can break down faster under the weight. Now as an example, if you have an e-bike and you have a rider that's a hundred pounds that's riding an e-bike on a consistent basis versus a rider that's 350 pounds, the motor is going to wear down quicker. It's just putting more torque on the motor. It's making the motor generally work harder on a daily basis under more weight.

So with that said, it doesn't mean the e-bike won't perform. I guess it's a question of standing behind the product for an extended period of time. There are other little things that play into the weight as well. Now, there are two things for me as a manufacturer, when we start to increase weight, the seat is an example that I see. Obviously, with a heavier rider, the seat isn't going to last as long as with a lighter rider. Now the same concept is just going to have more pressure. The springs are going to be under more constant pressure. Now, it doesn't necessarily mean that if you go out and find an e-bike that's more expensive, it doesn't mean that it's going to be better for a heavier rider. Things you may want to look for is the seat, you can replace yourself, so you could buy a beefier bigger seat.

Another thing to think about, now if you look here too on the zip and fold, it has thicker spokes than on the simple step through. Now, that's another thing to look for. If you're 350 pounds, you probably want to opt for a little bit thicker of a tire. Now these are 2.125 inches. These are three inches, and the spoke gauge is one size thicker on the zip and fold than they are on the simple step-through. That's another thing that could be a concern with a heavier rider with thinner spokes popping spokes over time. Now, it's not going to happen in the first month or the first six months even, but maybe after year one, year two, it's possible under duress, you could start to pop spokes.

Now, you can also add thicker spokes over time. Most e-bike manufacturers don't run their bikes with really thick spokes initially. There's a standard size spoke gauge that's used in most wheels with the thicker rim, the wider rim, like on the zip and fold, you would use a thicker gauge spoke. So as a heavier rider, it may be a better option to look for the thicker wheels, to look for the thicker spokes to support your weight, and to ensure that the spokes will last longer. Now, things like the motor as well. On the zip and fold, we use a Bafang motor, which is one of the most commonly used e-bike motors in the US especially if you're looking for a rear hub motor. There are also Bosch motors, mid-drive motors.

Another point is if you're over 350 pounds or 400 pounds, you could look at a mid-drive motor. They're a little bit more expensive. It may be better under a heavier load. The mid-drive motors are going to give you more torque, and they're going to be operating here in the crank versus in the rear hub. That could be better for several reasons, just putting less torque on the spokes back here, less torque on the wheels, and getting more of the power from the middle of the bike. That's a good thing to look at. I would say if you're north of 350 pounds, mid-drive may be your best option. If you're 300 to 350, I think a rear hub motor is still a great option, but look for something possibly with thicker spokes if you can. Again, something like the simple step through, we rate this up to 300 pounds, and if you were 350 pounds, it could still work for you, but again, we just don't warranty it above the 300-pound marker.

So just to come back really quickly, yes, someone who's 350 pounds can ride an e-bike. There's just these elements that you want to look for and ensure are going to be stronger than a typical e-bike, so to speak. The last thing I'll say is battery size is something to pay attention to. Now this is where it becomes challenging. I think if you are somebody 350 pounds and over, or even 300 pounds and over the battery size is one of the biggest driving factors for cost on an e-bike. And the heavier the load is on a bike, whether it's the rider or something in the basket, the quicker the battery is going to drain. So if you were to look at a 21 amp hour battery, it's going to be much more expensive than a 10.4 amp hour battery. The simple step-through is a 10.4 amp hour battery. The zip and fold is a 15 amp hour battery.

So a simple step-through is less expensive than the zip and fold. Now, the zip and fold also have a 750-watt motor, and the simple step-through has a 500-watt motor. So both of those things contribute to the price. So as a rider who's 350 pounds and above, you have to think about what your expectation of ownership on the e-bike is. Are you expecting to own it for three years, five years, six years, one year, or two years? If you're looking to spend $1,000 to $1,500 and you're 350 pounds and above in that $1,000 to $1,500 range, it's possible the e-bike may only last you one to two years and you start to experience failure at least, not at least, but possibly with the motor, possibly with the battery, because again, you're putting those two elements at work harder on a daily basis as you ride the e-bike.

Now, if you're willing to spend more north of $2,000, $3,000, the zip and fold's $1,700, that's a good option as well. But most of those features that I think are going to be best for riders 350 pounds and above, you're going to see e-bikes, $2,000 to $3,000 in that range. You're going to have the beefier tires, the bigger batteries, and also the bigger motors, which is the last thing I want to bring up, which is what motor size you need as a 350-pound rider. Now, it depends on the type of riding you're going to do. If it's mostly flat ground, 500 watts would be sufficient. But if you're going to take on any kind of hills at all, you're going to want 750 watts again, if you're 350 pounds or more. 500 watts for a rider, 350 pounds going up a hill is not going to be nearly enough to get you up that hill.

I'm 225 pounds and even on big hills with 500 watts, I can do it in pedal assist and level four and level five, and I get up with no problem. I can't just do the throttle though and get up the hill, I need to do it with pedal assist. So I can see that if you're starting to get about 300 pounds, the 500 watts of very big, steep, long hills isn't going to be enough power, at which point you'd want to consider something with 750 watts of power. Now again, if you're doing all flat ground riding, we've had lots of riders at 300 pounds, ride the simple step through and all of our other 500-watt e-bikes, and it's more than enough. But if you're taking on Hills 750 watts, and if they're really big hills, I'd even recommend going with that mid-drive.

And again, you're going to be looking at e-bike prices in the 2,000 to 3,000 range if you want something that will last you if you're a 350-pound rider. You can always opt for something less expensive that maybe you're just telling yourself, you know what? I'm just going to ride it as long as I can and see what happens, and I'm fine with that if it cracks out or I need to replace things. Or you can spend a little bit more money upfront and try to find those components that will help the e-bike last for you longer. So just to summarize, if you're a 350-pound rider, yes, you can find an e-bike. Things to look for, thicker spokes, bigger, wider tires, mid-drive motor, and 750 watts of power if you're taking on hills. If you have any other questions, if you're a rider about 300, or 350 pounds, put them in the comments section below, or let us hear about your e-bike experience if you're around that weight range as well.

Or you can email us at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at (310) 982-2877. Again, you can find these e-bikes linked in the description below. The zip and fold is a great option for 350-pound riders, with big thick tires, easy to mount and dismount, and a lot of power to get uphill. So check those out, link in the description in the corner of the video and at the end of the video as well. We also have a 30-day test drive for your e-bike policy. If you don't love it in the first 30 days, send it back, no questions asked, no money out of your pocket. We're also going to warranty everything in the first year, so if any parts, or anything breaks, we'll take care of the parts and labor in the first year for you. Lastly, we have a pedalers group on Facebook called the Sixthreezero Pedalers Group. You can search for it on Facebook. You can post questions there, ask riders, and get their opinion on any Sixthreezero e-bike and how it did for them if they were 300 pounds or 350 pounds. Then once you have your e-bike, you can post in the group, and make friends. It's tons of fun. Lastly, you can download our app, track your rides, and compete on the leaderboard. That is a lot of fun as well. So thanks for sticking around and don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.