The best lightweight electric bikes will give you a ride that's not too dissimilar to a non-assisted bike but with an added electrical power boost.
You can find lightweight e-bikes across all categories. Although many of the best folding electric bikes and hybrid electric bikes for commuting don't prioritise low weight, there are options available that are easier to carry and give you a more sporty ride.
Turn to electric road bikes and the best, lightweight e-bikes can approach the weight of many of the best road bikes, so they will often look and ride similarly. That's usually achieved by using carbon fibre for the bike frame and fitting compact, lightweight motor and battery systems inside. As you'll read in our buyer's guide at the bottom of this page, this has advantages and disadvantages.
Chief among the minuses is higher prices from the more expensive materials and components used and the more limited assistance offered than some of the best electric bikes.
But in return, you'll get an e-bike that feels more sprightly and climbs and accelerates better, and that's a lot easier to carry if you need to move it around.
That applies particularly to drop-bar road e-bikes, but the same is true of some flat-bar hybrid e-bikes. Options are fewer for lightweight folding electric bikes, as the need for a robust folding mechanism tends to reduce the opportunity to reduce the frame's weight and makes folding e-bikes costly.
We've covered options here for lightweight electric hybrids, lightweight folding e-bikes and lightweight road e-bikes in the guide below. Lower down the page is our buyer's guide with some advice on how to choose.
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Recent updates
There are more and more lightweight electric bikes available and older models are superseded. We checked this guide in April 2024, when all the bikes below were still current models.
Best hybrid overall
The Lemond Prolog is lightweight and speedy (Image credit: Future)
Great hybrid e-bike that's fun, functional, lightweight and stylish
Specifications
Drive system: Mahle X35+
Battery capacity: 250Wh
Max Torque: 40Nm
Weight: 11.8kg/26lb
Reasons to buy
+
Light enough to carry upstairs
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Integrated fenders
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Stylish eye-catching design
Reasons to avoid
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Expensive
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Greater assist might be welcome in traffic
Top-of-the-line, lightweight, and carbon fibre. Those words commonly refer to the latest, greatest, top-of-the-line race-focused road bike. Instead, they describe a city bike from Tour de France winner Greg Lemond. It's an integrated everything flat bar bike, that is perfect for city living.
It's easy to carry up a flight of stairs, looks amazing, and rides in a way that might make you think you haven't turned on the electric assist. That is until you turn off the electric assist and realise how much it was actually doing.
FutureShock headset may not be needed on city streets
Specialized's e-bikes fall into its 4x You and 2x You categories, with the Turbo Vado SL in the latter. That's because Specialized uses its lighter weight, less powerful SL 1.1 motor in the Turbo Vado SL. There's still a claimed 130km range though thanks to the relatively high battery capacity and you can add a range extender for an extra 64km between charges.
The 5.0 spec comes either without lights, mudguards and a rack or as an EQ version which adds these - and a little extra weight. Both bikes get Specialized's FutureShock 1.5 suspension headset with 20mm of travel to the handlebars.
For light weight in a folding bike, the Hummingbird Gen 2.0 bike takes the prize. Made of carbon fibre with a trussed rear section and kitted out with lightweight components it undercuts even the best road e-bikes at 10.4kg. The rear hub motor helps with ride quality and handling too.
Of course, compromises have to be made to hit this weight and the Hummingbird doesn't fold quite as small as the Brompton Electric, it has a more limited range, you only get one gear and it does carry a high retail price.
At over 15kg and with a steel frame, the Brompton Electric C Line Urban folder may not really fit the "lightweight" bill, but its iconic folding mechanism makes it a great option for the commuter. The battery pack unclips from the front of the bike, allowing you to carry it over your shoulder as a separate 2.3kg package and dropping the bike weight somewhat.
If you want to reduce the weight, Brompton has also added the Electric P Line to its range, which it reckons shaves around 1kg off the bike's weight by using a titanium rear frame and lighter components.
When you think about the category of high-end, lightweight electric bikes you have to include this Specialized entry. The S-Works Turbo Creo SL only launched a few years ago, but that's a long time ago for an e-bike and the Turbo Creo 2 upgrades performance. It's more gravel-oriented than its predecessor, with 47mm tyres on carbon DT Swiss wheels.
The motor system is a custom unit unique to Specialized. It features a 320Wh integrated battery and there's also a 160Wh range extender available. Move over to the traditional bike components and you will find electronic SRAM AXS, plenty of carbon fibre, and the Specialized Future Shock suspension stem system.
Best drop-bar e-bike for the road
(Image credit: Trek Bikes)
6. Trek Domane+ SLR
Best for speed
Specifications
Drive system: TQ HPR50
Battery capacity: 360Wh
Max Torque: 50Nm
Weight: 11.8kg
Reasons to buy
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Low profile mid-drive motor
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28mph limited in the US
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Comfort-enhancing Isospeed frame design
Reasons to avoid
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Non-removable battery
The combination of a Trek Domane endurance bike design in Trek's highest spec carbon plus the TQ electric drivetrain makes this bike a two-in-one endurance monster. Every time you ride it you can take advantage of Trek Isospeed at the rear of the bike, which means extra movement in the seatpost for a road-smoothing suspension effect.
If you decide to really stretch out the miles, the lightweight frame and TQ system mean the bike is easy to pedal without any electric assist. If you want more range, you can plug in the optional 150Wh range extender, although you'll lose a water bottle cage.
The Domane+ SLR is available in road-going 2x and gravel-oriented 1x specs, to tackle whatever terrain you prefer and in the US, it's a Class 3 e-bike and limited at 28mph.
Best drop-bar e-bike for custom spec
(Image credit: Paul Norman)
7. Ribble Endurance SL e Pro
Best for customisation options
Specifications
Drive system: MAHLE ebikemotion X35
Battery capacity: 250Wh
Max Torque: 40Nm
Weight: 11.8kg
Reasons to buy
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Excellent pricing
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Endurance geometry
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Customisable options via the website
Reasons to avoid
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Lacks brand cachet of some of its rivals
Ribble offers its Endurance SL e in four starting build levels. Of course, as with all Ribble bikes, you can get in and customise from there but those four starting places represent a wide range of pricing.
The top-of-the-line gets Dura-Ace and all the components to match that level, while this Pro build includes Ultegra and Mavic carbon wheels. But down at the bottom is where things get really interesting. You get the same top-of-the-line frame and low-weight motor system but it comes with the very dependable Shimano 105 12-speed mechanical shifting. It also comes with an excellent price for a top-calibre bike.
Best lightweight e-bikes: Everything you need to know
How are lightweight e-bikes made lighter?
Many electric bikes have an alloy frame and they'll often have a heavy, high-capacity battery and a high-torque motor system.
In many cases, a lightweight electric bike will start off with a carbon fibre frame, which will be lighter than alloy. It will usually pair with a less powerful motor system. Most electric bike motors will produce 250 watts, but what's important is the torque output. That can vary between around 30Nm up to 60Nm for a lightweight e-bike.
There may be some overlap with heavier models, but the output range for non-lightweight e-bikes will typically spread from around 50Nm up to 90Nm.
A heavier bike with a higher-powered motor will draw more juice from the e-bike's battery, so that will itself usually need to be heavier. A lightweight e-bike will usually have a smaller-capacity battery. This might limit the range, depending on where and how you ride.
But if the motor is speed-limited to 25kph, many riders will be exceeding this speed on the flat and the motor will only be called into use to any extent on climbs, extending the available range.
Many lightweight electric bike systems, like those from Specialized, Mahle and TQ allow you to add a range extender battery if you need more range. These usually fit into a bottle cage and plug into the internal battery's charging socket. They can add around 50 per cent to the e-bike's range, although you do lose the option to carry a second water bottle and you are adding extra weight to your lightweight e-bike.
Is there any drawback to a lightweight e-bike?
With most things in life, optimising for one feature means other features get left behind. When it comes to non-electric bikes that usually plays out as a choice between aero optimisation or lightweight. But what about electric bikes? Is there a trade-off for going lightweight?
The answer is both a yes and a no. It all depends on how you look at things. If you are expecting an American-style, Class 3 e-bike with a big battery and huge torque you won't find it. As long as you set expectations that what's possible is light assist and a smaller battery then there's no real drawback to going light.
No performance drawback doesn't completely mean no drawbacks at all though. The one big trade-off when you go lightweight is price. When it comes to bikes, powered or not, if you want a light bike, it's gonna be more expensive. Electric bikes aren't immune from this same equation.
Do lightweight e-bikes ride differently to heavier models?
Lightweight electric bikes are a distinct flavour of electric bikes. They have a unique ride feel to them and as long as you understand what you can expect you won't have any surprises.
There are some electric bikes that speed along at up to 28mph with very little rider input. These types of bikes are common in the American market. European law makes them difficult to own but they also make more sense in expansive American cities. The distances travelled are longer and there's more mixing with auto traffic. It makes sense in this context to travel at higher speeds.
You won't find anything like that in the ultralight market, with the exception of the Trek Domane+ SLR. Bikes of this style feel more like a traditional bike with the wind constantly at your back. With the Mahle motor system, you can even set it to add assistance based on heart rate. It's a much more sport-focused design that makes it easy to forget you even have electric assist.
How do you charge a lightweight e-bike?
Another thing to consider if you're looking for the best lightweight electric bike for you is how you charge it. Many lightweight e-bikes have batteries built into the frame's down tube. This makes the e-bike look less porky but means that the battery needs to be charged in situ.
That in turn means that you need somewhere to store the electric bike that's near a power supply, whereas with a removable battery system, you can take your battery to the wall socket.
There are exceptions to this generalisation. The Fazua system has a removable battery in the down tube, while range extender batteries can be taken elsewhere to charge.
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Josh hails from the Pacific Northwest of the United States but would prefer riding through the desert than the rain. He will happily talk for hours about the minutiae of cycling tech but also has an understanding that most people just want things to work. He is a road cyclist at heart and doesn't care much if those roads are paved, dirt, or digital. Although he rarely races, if you ask him to ride from sunrise to sunset the answer will be yes.
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 140 lb.
Rides: Salsa Warbird, Cannondale CAAD9, Enve Melee, Look 795 Blade RS, Priority Continuum Onyx
