E-Bikes & Bikes Customised to You
Hey guys, Dustin here, CEO of sixthreezero. I wanna talk to you today about the question, "Can eBikes go on a bike rack?" Let's talk about it. eBikes in general are going to be almost about double the weight of a normal bike. And so the reason for that is you've got a motor in the back and you've got a battery and between the motor and the battery you're talking about adding anywhere from say 20 to 40 pounds to the bike.
The batteries can weigh anywhere from 15 to 25 pounds, the motor can weigh about 10 to 15 pounds in and of itself, whether it's a mid-drive or rear hub, or front hub motor. With that said can eBikes go on a bike rack? The answer to that question is yes but I think there are some stipulations. My number one suggestion is you wanna take your eBike on a bike rack, take the battery off. Take the battery off, put the battery in the front seat or the back seat or in the trunk and then put the bike onto the bike rack.
Number one, I wouldn't wanna put, that's about 70, the sixthreezero eBikes weigh about 70 pounds, about 65, 70 depending on the model. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable putting that kind of weight on my car rack on my car. Now with that said I do think there are types of car racks that are better but I'm talking more about a trunk rack that is mounted on the trunk of a sedan. I personally would not put a 70-pound bike on that.
Now if you have a hitch rack I would say you could put the full eBike on there or if you even have a hitch rack where you actually set the bike in a tray, I would say yes, you could put the eBike on there with the battery. But my suggestion, take the battery off, put it in the car. You don't have to worry about the weather getting to it or something bad happening if the bike flew off. Without the battery on there, you're not gonna have to worry quite as much. Take the battery off, put it on there so the answer is yes, you can put eBikes on there.
Now as I've said I wouldn't necessarily recommend certain types of racks or I would recommend other racks over other racks. With a trunk rack, how it's secured to the car isn't going to be as durable as a hitch rack or even a roof rack. Now, I would not recommend a roof rack for an eBike because of its sheer weight. Now unless you're Hulk Hogan and you're comfortable a lot like lifting that thing on top of your roof and that's where you like it then so be it, go for it.
But to the average person, I don't even think it's gonna be possible to get an eBike on the roof, so I would rule that out. Also, I think it's pretty dangerous having to lift a 50 pound, even without the battery on there you're still looking at about 50 pounds for this bike. Lifting that on and off is going to be a real challenge and then you've got that thing sticking straight up on your roof another four feet in the air above your car.
And God forbid something hits it or it flies over or the wind picks up it's a bad situation. Stay away from roof racks. My ideal suggestion would be a hitch rack. Now obviously not all cars have hitch racks, you can always get a hitch rack installed but they're secure, they're mounted to the frame of the car. The hitch itself is usually mounted to the frame of the car. They're welded, they're not going anywhere.
And those aren't gonna be attached to the car itself, so you're not gonna be putting that weight necessarily, pushing down on your trunk or something, whereas the trunk racks they will. The weight will actually be coming down on your trunk. You're gonna be risking scratching your car or things like that, which that's a risk with any bike rack with normal bikes. Not just eBikes but obviously with something heavier just more chance for something to go bad.
If you could do a hitch rack it's also gonna be a little bit easier to lift the bike onto a hitch rack. Generally speaking with the trunk racks they angle them up so you have to lift a little bit higher to get the bike on there. Sometimes it can even be challenging with just heavier, non-motorized bikes so with an eBike it's gonna be even more challenging so a hitch rack is a way to go.
The other thing too is to be careful, these are heavy bikes. Can they go on a rack, period? Well if you're comfortable lifting about 50 pounds they can go on a rack. Now that's even without the battery because the battery is going to be 15 to 25 pounds, so we're talking about 45 to 55 pounds for these bikes.
If you're not comfortable getting that kind of weight above the ground, the answer to can these bikes go on bike racks is no. If you just can't get it up, get the bike up to the rack and put it on there, then they can't go on there. The other suggestion is if you're going to do a trunk rack, I don't recommend it but if you do I strongly suggest only one eBike on that rack. I don't feel comfortable, I've yet to encounter a trunk rack that I think is entirely secure.
I have done it myself but I'm always a little bit weirded out with doing any more than two bikes of a non-motorized bike. If we're talking eBikes I would just suggest only one bike if you're gonna do a trunk rack and please make sure you're comfortable lifting that kind of weight.
Now my other suggestion is why do you even need to put it in your car? Let the bike do the work, use the pedal assist, use the full throttle. Let that eBike do what it's supposed to do, you don't even need the car. 10, 15, 20 miles these bikes can get you there and if you've got a bigger motor and a bigger battery, you should have no problem making it, 25, 30 miles in pedal-assist mode.
Maybe you could data pedal assist on the way out and do full-throttle on the way back. You could do a 30, 40 mile round trip with not exerting too much energy. Leave the car at home but if you need to take the car, that's my suggestion for car racks. Any other questions you have for us, please reach out. You can email us at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us, 310-982-2877.
Check out our eBikes, find them on the top nav up there, and please enter your height and weight in our body fit calculator. It will tell you which bikes are the right fit for your body. If you get a thumbs down, reach out, we'll help find a bike that fits you. Our goal at sixthreezero is to find a bike that fits everyone's body perfectly.
DISCLAIMER: The 365-day return policy mentioned in the video above is no longer valid. Please refer to www.sixthreezero.com/pages/30-day-test-ride for the updated policy.
When it comes to transporting an electric bicycle on a car rack, it is important to ensure that the rack is designed to handle the weight and size of the e-bike. Most traditional bike racks are not built to support the extra weight and bulk of an electric bike, which can weigh upwards of 50 pounds. It is recommended to invest in a sturdy, high-quality bike rack specifically designed for e-bikes. Additionally, it is important to take into consideration the battery placement on the bike when securing it onto the rack to avoid damage to the battery or other components of the e-bike during transportation. By taking the necessary precautions and investing in the right equipment, it is possible to safely and easily transport your electric bike on a car rack.