Ebike for touring?
#26
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Yeah, I very briefly test rode one so I have some idea. I rode up a pretty good hill. The really cool thing about them if they are set up to provide an assist and not a throttle activation is that you really don't feel like you are motoring up. You just feel like you are really strong.
#27
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It may be healthy to walk in her shoes for a while 😁
#28
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Yeah surprisingly there are some pretty good ones. The one I was lakling about was actually quite steep, less than a quarter mile long though. I have some nice rides near by with some rolling terrain that is very similar to where I grew up in Maryland. Much better in that regard than most of the state if you like hills. I was pleasantly surprised when I moved here.
I can head out and find a flat ride, but it requires some effort to do so without driving to it. Most of the rides that start from home roll a good bit. Way more than would seem possible given that the state high point is only 345'.
I can head out and find a flat ride, but it requires some effort to do so without driving to it. Most of the rides that start from home roll a good bit. Way more than would seem possible given that the state high point is only 345'.
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#29
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You’d be better off taking up motorcycle touring. My sister does it and there are a lot of similarities to bike touring. One benefit is you have a much longer range and don’t have to worry about running out of power.
#30
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Actually I really like travelling by motorcycle and camping is a good fit with it Lots of range. Easy to get to places to do off bike stuff. Pretty different from bicycle touring despite the similarities though. It might be much easier to get the wife to come along.
#31
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How would you all feel about touring with another rider on an E bike? Curious to your thoughts ?
We had a very nice gentleman join us last year for a week long tour and he was on an E bike. He was a little embarrassed at how easily he climbed and how well he maintained pace even with significant headwinds compared to the rest of us, and I think he was concerned that we might resent him for that reason. I tried to comfort him by letting him know, that I am only concerned with my own fitness and speed and his bike has no effect on that and so he wasn't a bother to me at all......as long as he didn't expect me to stay with him or try to increase the length of the days that I and the others were comfortable with. I sensed others in my group were not that keen on it.
Btw, was it cheating that I drafted off of him one day while plowing into some heavy headwinds...Ha
We had a very nice gentleman join us last year for a week long tour and he was on an E bike. He was a little embarrassed at how easily he climbed and how well he maintained pace even with significant headwinds compared to the rest of us, and I think he was concerned that we might resent him for that reason. I tried to comfort him by letting him know, that I am only concerned with my own fitness and speed and his bike has no effect on that and so he wasn't a bother to me at all......as long as he didn't expect me to stay with him or try to increase the length of the days that I and the others were comfortable with. I sensed others in my group were not that keen on it.
Btw, was it cheating that I drafted off of him one day while plowing into some heavy headwinds...Ha
Last edited by robow; 02-03-22 at 06:42 PM.
#32
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I would have no problem touring with another person on an e-bike as long as they would not try to push me to go faster :-) We all go at different speeds and enjoy our freedom. If You get somewhere ahead of me then scout it out and text me with options.
#33
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My Pacific Coast tour in 2014 was my last tour where I was searching for places to plug in. After that I invested in a dynohub, a dyno powered USB charger, and a sizeable pass through cache battery for touring, thus I can be self sufficient on electricity. I generate the power I need for my GPS, lights, phone, etc. I would rather not have a touring partner telling me that we have to stay someplace else so he or she can plug in their battery. Every day.
A friend of mine is 85, a couple years ago he bought a trike because his balance has gotten bad, and he has trouble pedaling it up hills. I expect him to go electric soon. He will be the only e-bike user that I regularly ride with. If he toured, I would probably tour with him a bit, but not regularly.
I have a bit of a bias on e-bikes, they are not allowed on bike trails in my community unless they are pedaled under muscle power, but the only times I ever see an e-bike are on the bike trails where they are much faster than the muscle powered bikes. One of the e-bike stores used to advertise that they were conveniently located on one of the bike trails where it was easy to try them out. Almost nobody uses them on roads where they are allowed. Thus, when you see an e-bike in my community it is usually being operated illegally. Almost nobody commutes on e-bikes, most commuters are using muscle power. If I was still working, I would consider getting one for commuting but I would stay off the trails where 20 plus mph e-bikes do not mix well with pedestrians, joggers, parents with kids in strollers or on kiddie bikes, and muscle power bikes that are in the 12 to 18 mph range. But I used to commute on a motorcycle, if I had an e-bike I would consider it a lower power motorcycle when I commuted on it.
Side note - There is a company that makes kits to electrify older Vespa scooters. I never owned a Vespa, but that is the kind of thing I could get interested in. But they have no pedals, if I had one it would be licensed and insured as a motorcycle or moped.
#34
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This is my friends E bike, notice the size of the battery, it's enormous and heavy but it will hold a charge. I get a kick how he keeps adding accessories and more stuff to his bike, but he doesn't think a thing about it since there really is no weight penalty.
#36
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I got my Riese and Müller Supercharger2 for touring and while I haven't really done much touring yet (busy at work and other life stuff) it has been a great bike for commuting and grocery getting and other sundry tasks. It has good range and having navigation has been super handy.
The only thing I might worry about is charging at night in some places but if I plan a little not a problem.
The Creo is a neat bike but as the stock bike I might do some upgrades to make it work better for light touring. Different wheels are really the biggest thing but I would probably also swap to a fork that can handle some gear.
The only thing I might worry about is charging at night in some places but if I plan a little not a problem.
The Creo is a neat bike but as the stock bike I might do some upgrades to make it work better for light touring. Different wheels are really the biggest thing but I would probably also swap to a fork that can handle some gear.
#37
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#38
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I've never toured with an ebike, or even ridden one, but I did meet some ebike tourers on the Erie Canal Towpath, they had a sag wagon with a generator. The GAP would be, I think, ebike friendly since it has so many services along the route.
Good luck.
Good luck.