For a while I have been interested in eBike touring. To be honest not because I want to do it personally, but it is encouraging to see people getting out and about cycling the world, when they may not have even done so if that had no other option.
eBiking is becoming much more main stream and for touring it is growing in popularity. It is amazing to see, the Swiss government for example, inviting e-bike tourism with over 600 battery swap points on their major cycle routes. Allowing e-bike tourers to swap their batteries at places like bars and bike shops.
Why Tour On A eBike?
There is a big debate in the touring community about wether or not one should tour on a eBike. Some say that it is cheating and there is no real reason to tour on eBike. I personally think these remarks are silly. There are legitimate reasons why someone would want to consider a eBike for touring.
For people who are unfit and are looking to getting into touring, with a bike touring partner for example. They love the idea but are limited in the physical ability to ride up hills and other more advanced physical demands of bike touring. Some heavier bike tourers have said, “as a heavy, 61year old female cyclist I think the ebike is the best option. It’s like a safety net that is there when needed.”
Many people I researched tour on eBikes and it allows them to make a touring adventure more fun and possible. As without a eBike they may not have even had made it. “I started bicycle touring when I was 51 and not very fit. I have an electric cargo bike. My and my husband (with our children) covered 1,300km in 8 weeks on our first tour and had a great time. We crossed the alps twice. After 8 weeks touring, I was many kilos lighter, and felt 10 years younger. Go for the electric bike!”
Life is tough and unfortunately as much as I would like to not talk about it. People have been dealt a bad hand and have to live in result of such circumstances, if that is cancer or a disability. But if one has a strong desire to want to continue biking and push the boundaries of the norm, a eBike can help make such a dream possible!
Do you need to train for a bike tour? This is a question that I answered in a previous blog article. It has some relation to eBikes as most who get them are due to a lack of fitness. It depends on your personal fitness, everyone is different. If you are time restricted and want to go soon a eBike is a good choice. I personally prefer to ride with a challenge of getting up that hill with no help. I guess that is how I am wired, but I have always been fit and can understand why others would want a eBike. And they seem like a great solution to those who lack the fitness ability.
At the end of the day, quite frankly, regardless of physical limitations and age, people should be able to ride whatever they want without judgment. So if you want to ride a eBike for your next tour, then go for it. I am going to try my best in this article to share with you all that you will need to know to get you on your eBike and getting going.
Things To Consider When Touring On A eBike
- You are still required to produce power, turning the pedals. It is not like you get a free ride, there is still some expected physical exertion, but a reduced amount of intensity.
- If you ride to max speed for an extended time they will cut out and your battery will die. It is best to use them as a assistant not for a replacement.
- Lowest level of assistance is the same as riding a normal bike. Plus a touring bike that is fully loaded it can make little difference. Looking for a bike with extra levels of power is recommended for touring.
- If you are just getting into bike touring and a complete beginner. No matter what age you are it can be hard to get used to the world of touring. Certainly for older people, when you’ve never cycled for long distances for most of your years. Getting a eBike can be a great choice. At the beginning of daily rides you can pedal until getting fatigued, then switch on the electric.
- The power eBikes produce can be variable.
- It might be a better idea to hire a eBike when you get to your destination. Even some hotels have charging rials for eBikes.
- There are some modification you can do to your current touring bike to convert it into a touring eBike, might be a good idea to get a add on bike kit.
- There is planning required when flying with eBikes and large lithium batteries. As they are high risk flammable and potentially explosive if damaged, and in most cases are not allowed on commercial flights. Worth looking further into. Most airlines don’t allow these batteries. Which means you will have to courier them. Another way to get around this is to ship or seamail it. Or try your chances with Air freight, they will only take them with a hazmat declaration and proper packing done through a certified hazmat shipper. Which is rather expensive.
- Most have about a 70km (45 mile) range, if they are any good. However this range is dependant on whether they are flat kms or hilly. Meaning a eBike is more limited in the mountains.
- Higher quality e-bikes have better electronic management, and lighter batteries.
Pros and Cons To Touring With A eBike
Pros
- Great for equalising access where there is disparity in fitness levels for riders
- Confidence booster for the person riding it
- Also they can increase the fun of a bike tour. if you would have otherwise be miserable and unhappy struggling with fitness.
- Great if you have injuries that otherwise stop you riding normal bikes, like knee or back pains.
- Allow you to rely on your own fitness on the flat and when the road gets hilly you can use as much assist as necessary
- Cover more distance per day with the same distance without a eBike
- You could complete a tour quicker then otherwise planned on a standard touring bike
- They entice people who don’t cycle at all to get out there and give it a crack!
- eBikes are a great way to re-start cycling too. If you fell out of riding bikes for years, eBike can get you back into the game
- They allow you to ride up hills with ease. Resulting in more energy at the end of a full day riding, so you could preform other activities.
Cons
- Daily charging
- They are expensive
- The route could be decided by a eBike, requiring constant charging locations
- E bikes are heavy
- More parts that could go wrong with eBikes
- If you run out of power you will have to manual cycle with all that extra weight
- There is possible chance of problems flying with batteries.
- A eBike for a beginner rider could present challenges. A standard touring bike is safer.
- Some say they are not worth the weight on a tour, with the amount of kms you get out of a battery. But I believe you don’t notice that much more weight, but you sure notice the extra help on the hills.
- A eBike defiantly does add too much complexity. If you are willing to work around all that then a eBike is for you.
Convert Your Own Bike With eBike Motor
RetroFit Kits
Are a option for your eBike touring setup. if you don’t want to go out and purchase a eBike. These are a great option if you want to turn your current touring bike into a eBike.
They are essentially a motor on the rear wheel that is fitted to your bike and powers it.
If you are looking for some options for a retrofit kit, these brands are good options. Ansmann, Bionx, Dillenger, E-Bike Kit and Ezee. There are even some option for sale on Amazon too. BAFAGN sells a 48V 500W option which is around $780.99 comparable to the top of the line Bionx which is 48V and 555W but costs a top dollar price of $1,700 to $2,000.
You can expect prices from as low as a couple hundred to a couple thousand for a retrofit electric bike conversion kit. But if you go for something in this mid price range from $700 to $1000 it should be adequate enough for a eBike tour. These retrofit kits are typically a cheaper alternative to buying a eBike.
Hub-Drive Motors
There are many types of hub-drive motors on the market today. They are the most common type of motors for most bikes. Allowing you to fit them onto most bikes.
Hub brand examples include; GoSwissDrive, Bionx, Falco, SRAM, Dapu, Xion, TDCM, MAC, ION, A2B
Mid-Drive Motors
Mid-drive motors are becoming more and more popular with eBike companies and it seems the more effective solution for eBikes. Resulting in optimal torque in a variety of situations.
Some examples of mid-drive motors include;
Bosch mid-drive motor
Bafang BBSHD 48V 1000W mid-drive Ebike Motor
Electric Trailers
Electric trailers like the Ridekick trailer, are another solution allowing you to hook it up to any bike and offer extra power.
How To Charge Batteries On The Road?
There are many places where you can charge your batteries while on the road. Many places that you would charge your other electric devices. Coffee shops, restaurants, and libraries to name a few. Campsites are the most popular, paying for powered campsites and having your batteries charge over camp so they are full and ready to get going the next morning.
Have in mind that if you do choose to tour a eBike you will most likely have to stop and find somewhere daily to charge your batteries. This could be troublesome if you just want to ride.
What To Look For In A Good Touring eBike?
A bike that has adequate battery capacities to get you where you need to go on your tours. Looking for a battery that is around a 400Wh+ and maybe look at getting a couple of them. The bigger the battery the heavier it will be. Other then that is worth looking at a bike that has similar traits to a standard touring bike. In terms of build quality, strength, etc. If you want to read more about what to look for in a touring bike, check out this link.
Also you want to check the legalities of the speed of your eBike in the countries you wish to travel in. In the US each state is different in the requirements for their individual expectations of eBikes. I suggest reading on NCSL to see what the laws are for each state.
Different Types Of Touring eBikes
Throttle
These have a button on the handlebar allowing you full control of the power you wish. Working much like a motorbike.
Pedal Assist
These only start to work as soon as you begin pedalling. A torque sensor will pick up when you are pedalling and begin to assist. Some even have the ability to apply larger energy for stronger pedal strokes while it provides smaller amounts when pedalling lightly.
There are different styles of eBike for touring, like, cargo eBikes, and even tandem eBikes. You could get a tandem touring bike if you are looking to bike tour with your partner. This allows you to equal out the differences in speed between two people. But there is so many options to choose from, and other eBikes that do not stand up to the demands of bike touring, as they are just not built for it. But below is a list of some of the best eBikes recommended by other electric bike tourers.
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