Originally Posted by
Pop N Wood
I think we are talking amongst ourselves, the OP seems to have left us.
Factory built mid drive may lack removable batteries but not mid drive kits. lots of options there. Plus an external battery can be fit to just about anything.
I'm trying to figure out how ebike touring would work for myself. Since you are one of the few people who has etoured, just curious what you consider "long tour". Are you talking a self supported, cross country trek, with possible tent camping or more of a support van tour group ride between hotels? 40 mile days or the occasional 80-100 mile day?...
I'm going to ride to LA in a few weeks, from San Francisco. I think I'd consider that touring, but to be honest "fixing" the bike if something goes horribly wrong isn't really a criteria for me. If something nonstandard breaks, the tour is over, and I wouldn't be so far from civilization that a lyft or uber wouldn't rescue me. That may not really qualify as touring, but I have zero interest/ability in anything that involves a support van or being away from home for weeks at a time.
Maybe for other type of tours with eBikes people end up with super super heavy rigs that have HUGE batteries and motors, they carry solar panels, the whole deal, to try and get long range. But those bikes are massively heavy and impractical to pedal without lots of assist. I think it's a vicious cycle. For me, a better approach is going light, low resistance, and minimizing power usage. On my Creo, which is light and frictionless enough to ride with the motor off 90% of the time, I've averaged around 2.4 wH per 100 feet climbed, or around 1wH per mile on typical ride profiles up to 75 miles. The entire trip to LA (500 miles, 25,000 feet) only takes one charge. My plan is to do it in three or four days and bring the charger knowing that one or more nights I need to be able to charge. Obviously this is different than totally self sufficient touring, but with a range of way over 100 miles, other than serious mountain passes I don't see too many situations where I'd be too far from a possible charge. Adding the range extender would make it *almost* possible to go 500 miles and 25,000 feet up without the charger over 4 or 5 days, making a few "no charge opportunity" days less of a problem.