any suggestions for an older, 300 lb, tall rider with a bad knee for an electric bike

[jaybird]

Hi could anyone suggest an electric bike for a tall rider, 6'3, 300 lbs, with arthritis in one knee, and a comfortable ride but not too slow. I am 62 years old and live in Miami beach and its flat terrain but I have to move along to keep up with cars. Thank you.

 

[pxpaulx]

Don't worry about your weight, I'm above that and have never had an issue. With the bad knee, you'll want to see if you are alright always pedaling, or if you need to get a bike with a throttle for times when the knee might still get sore. There should be several shops near you, best suggestion I can give is to go try as many as you can out and see what works!

 

[Jeff Backes]

I purchased a Trek XM700+ They make up to a 60" frame, the 55" I got is actually a little large for me. The motor is plenty powerful to get up the hills.

You have a great retailer there http://www.trekbicyclesuperstore.com

jeff

 

[SCbiker]

Here is a forum thread talking about low/ step through frames ... A consideration

https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/step-thru-frame.11116/

 

[YD51]

Don't worry about your weight, I'm above that and have never had an issue. With the bad knee, you'll want to see if you are alright always pedaling, or if you need to get a bike with a throttle for times when the knee might still get sore. There should be several shops near you, best suggestion I can give is to go try as many as you can out and see what works!

May I ask what your ride of choice is?

I'm 6'6" and clock in at about 285. Spokes and I don't get along very well. If it was just a weight issue I'd get a cargo bike with a 350 pound capacity, but with my height I look like a circus bear on a mini bicycle when I ride those.

 

[pxpaulx]

May I ask what your ride of choice is?

I'm 6'6" and clock in at about 285. Spokes and I don't get along very well. If it was just a weight issue I'd get a cargo bike with a 350 pound capacity, but with my height I look like a circus bear on a mini bicycle when I ride those.

Well, I've had a few different bikes now. Two easy motion bikes with rear hub drives, a rad rover (still have but don't ride it much, plan to sell), and currently a haibike sduro (Yamaha mid drive) and a bulls E stream fs 27.5 with the brose mid drive.

I like my ebike to still fell like I'm riding a regular bike, where the power is helping and not doing most of the work! I really like the brose and sduro mid drives for that. If you're looking for an ebike that still in essence rides like a bike (and makes you feel like a teenager again haha), you can't go wrong with either of those.

I have ridden a Bosch mid drive, and it is nice, but it ride more like the hub drive bikes I have owned. To me, hub drives push rather than assist. They want to go a certain speed, and will always drive you to a faster level than you may want. Mid drives work with the bikes gearing better and just seem to provide a more natural riding experience as a result.

 

[JohnT]

For someone your height, a lot of bikes would work with minor modifications. At 300 lbs, you're pushing the weight limit of many, but adjusting your spokes regularly will help.

At our Pedego store, we've put people as tall as 6'6" on the Pedego City Commuter Classic 28", but with a longer aftermarket seat post. I think we have someone 6'3" on the stock post.

I'm sure we've put people 6'3" or so on our Pedego Interceptor Classic, but again, you might want a longer seatpost. If necessary, higher handlebars are a pretty easy swap. It's available with a mag wheel upgrade that will handle 400 lbs.

 

[ROCebike]

For someone your height, a lot of bikes would work with minor modifications. At 300 lbs, you're pushing the weight limit of many, but adjusting your spokes regularly will help.

At our Pedego store, we've put people as tall as 6'6" on the Pedego City Commuter Classic 28", but with a longer aftermarket seat post. I think we have someone 6'3" on the stock post.

I'm sure we've put people 6'3" or so on our Pedego Interceptor Classic, but again, you might want a longer seatpost. If necessary, higher handlebars are a pretty easy swap. It's available with a mag wheel upgrade that will handle 400 lbs.

I second the Pedego but would choose the Boomerang with mag wheels. If your arthritis acts up you'll appreciate the low step through for mounting. It's featured on their web site as a testimonial from a former 300 lb woman.

 

[J.R.]

Whichever bike you choose, make sure it fits for size. A bike that doesn't, won't get used as much. I'm 6' 2", with ~33 inch inseam and I prefer a 20 inch plus frame. 20 inch MTB is fine for me, but road style bike, I prefer 21" and up to 23".

Good luck with your search!

 

[mrgold35]

I'm 6'3" and 265 lbs (down from 287 lbs when I started biking again at the end of summer). I've had pretty good luck with my 2016 Radrover. I added a larger Sunlite cloud-9 seat 11.5 X 12.5 size and a Suntour NCX SP-12 suspension seat post. I didn't have to adjust anything else for a comfortable ride. The longest ride I've taken with my ebike was 36 miles at PAS 3 and my legs gave out before the battery did (just under 20% battery life). I use the ebike mostly for commuting to work 13 miles round-trip on paved main and side roads. I'm probably 290-300 lbs with cold riding weather gear, large back pack, Topeak Rack bag with Panniers, work cloths, lunch, and cool weather gear for the afternoon.

It is mostly a drop in elevation to work of 5400 ft down to 4900 ft and I maintain speeds between 20-23 mph at PAS 5. My speed range heading home is between 15-17 mph at PAS 3-4 depending on how stiff the headwind is that day. I have no problems maintaining 18-19 mph at PAS 3 on level ground (again, any headwind will drop my speed).

One thing I really like about my 4" fat tire bike is it can transition from paved road, bumpy dirt lots, dirt trail, rocky trails, mud, and sand on the same ride. If you are planning to ride at all in the sand, fat tires with low PSI make it possible.

Which ever ebike you pick, I would plan to upgrade the seat post to a suspension type like thudbuster, cirrus body float, or Suntour NCX SP12 (assuming it is not a full suspension bike). I would also lean towards a bike with:
- front suspension forks
- larger tires to fat tires if possible to smooth out the ride more (cracked paved road are very bumpy at 15-23 mph)
- PAS and throttle
- opt for a larger battery capacity if available because you and I seill always use more e-power because of the extre weight
- plan on upgrading the seat and seat post. My seat Suntour seatpost is 27.2mm/400mm long. A 350mm lenght will work; but, you will be at its max height if you have long legs.
- make sure the bike comes with or has places to add accessories like water bottle(s), fenders, and racks.

 

[Imstew]

You might consider a day6, they look odd and aren't cheap. They've taken the crank forward concept and moved even more. They even have a model that's rated for 450 pounds. If you're handy with tools you could put your own mid drive (bbs02 or bbshd) in it, or just buy their electric model. http://day6bikes.com.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

You might consider a day6, they look odd and aren't cheap. They've taken the crank forward concept and moved even more. They even have a model that's rated for 450 pounds. If you're handy with tools you could put your own mid drive (bbs02 or bbshd) in it, or just buy their electric model. http://day6bikes.com.

Someone just did that.
This veteran is like 6ft 7" 300lbs or something...

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[Thomas Jaszewski]

Ride the bike you want to make sure it fits. I assume since this is primarily a review site you want already configured. Several here have liked their Volt bikes from Canada. I'm surprised by how nice they look and by Courts review. Step through was my last build. Keeping up with cars is perhaps an unrealistic goal for most off the shelf bikes, but once a bike rides over 20, in my opinion, you're exceeding the braking, safe braking, ability.

Step through will tend to be smaller frames since they are marketed to women.