Dec 10, 2020
Every time I come across an eBike I wonder if you go touring on
something like that? On this episode, I chat about my research on
the topic!
Gear Talk: Exploring eBike Touring
First - I'm far from an expert on this. This picqued my
interest in the spring of 2019 when I was riding the DC to Cinci
route and I got SMOKED on the Ohio to Erie trail by a Mennonite kid
on an ebike. You can cover some serious mileage with one of those!
But can you tour?
Second - Is this "cheating"? No. Is it cheating to have better
gears than the bike next to you? Gears at all? I say ride your
ride. Also, this opens touring up to more people, which I'm all
for.
Third - there's been some legal and social pushback on ebikes
in a lot of places. They are being categorized as mopeds under some
state laws, and if you spend any time on social media, there are
OPINIONS on this. They're too fast, too dangerous... etc. It wasn't
until last summer that ebikes were allowed on the
C&O.
Considerations
- eBikes tend to be heavy, but are getting lighter all the
time
- You need to charge
- Run out of juice, you're cranking a much heavier bike
- Range used to be too low for touring in that 60 mile/day range
but battery tech and efficiency is getting a lot better
- The batteries are too big to fly
- Price - they can be pricey
Different types
- Pedal assist
- Throttle
- Mid-Drive
- Hub-Drive
- There are even e-assist trailers that will give your bike a
push
- There are retrofit kits but those may not be robust enough for
touring
Battery swaps
Europe seems to be working off of a standard sized battery and
there's a network of battery swaps at stores, pubs and other places
(Switzerland seems to be great for this). Not a US thing, like at
all.
Power
250w (Europe) up to ludicrous 750w (US). More power can get
you, well, more... BUT it drains batteries faster. 250w is probably
the best spot for touring because that gives the best range with
assist power.
Batteries
Improving all the time. Key metric here is Watt hours (Wh).
The higher the number the more range you'll have. Multiply volts by
Amp Hours and you can start comparing apples to apples for
different voltage batteries (they vary from 12-48 volts across
different ebike options)
Battery Strategy - carry a few, take at least one long break
where you can charge one or more up
My take
I'm intrigued, maybe not in the near term, but definitely down
the line as batteries get better and better
Helping with climbing and headwinds
#notcheating
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