June 27, 2018
E-bikes?
There has been a lot of controversy in the cycle touring community about the use of e-bikes. Is it cheating? Is it real touring?
With this in mind, I paid a lot of attention to what the experience was like on this tour. How did it compare to the previous 40,000 km, mainly on Bike Fridays? And how could I describe the difference?
I think that in the hours of meditative pedaling along, I have come to the best way to think of e-assist. But first it has to be clear that by e-assist I mean a low powered (250 nominal watt, 50 nM of torque) mid motor, torque sensing, system with no throttle, intended for long distance touring, or at least extensive tootling around town. I obviously don't mean a high powered, short distance, mountain bike meant for climbing steep trails in the forest, and I don't mean a 4" tire beach cruiser. It's not hard to identify and find the type of bike I am talking about. In Europe, anyway, if you walk in to a bike shop it is assumed this is what you want, and this is what is mostly on display.
The way I came up with to describe the cycling experience was to consider the kinds of bikes a person could possibly be riding. On one end of the scale there could be a heavy basic push bike, heavily loaded with camping and other gear. Pedaling that could be a real trial, and even a strong rider could end up walking a lot of hills. In the middle there could be a heavy/low quality push bike but unloaded. A strong rider could move along quite quickly on that, and would be unlikely to walk any or many hills. Finally there could be a light weight, unloaded bike. Maybe not a carbon fibre rocket, but light! A strong rider could easily zip along at 40 kph on that, and could crank up any hill.
Now the thing about my e-bike is that it can emulate a range of bikes, with the exception of the ultra light one. (It can't do the ultra light because it can never go faster than 25 kph).
If I run the bike with the assist off, I am touring on a heavy bike with a heavy load. The gearing really isn't meant for that and the experience would quite quickly be exhaustion. But if the bike is run on the first level of assist ("eco" on my Bosch system) then it becomes an unloaded but heavy/cheap bike. An unloaded bike like that is a lot easier to pedal than a loaded bike. On the other hand, 95% of general users on a bike path will breeze by me, because they are usually riding even lighter bikes than the one my bike is simulating.
If I crank up the assist I am in effect cranking down the weight of the bike I appear to be riding. At maximum assist, I am keeping up with most non-touring riders on the trail, but I am still not passing any, or many. And the riders on really light bikes just flash on by.
With the bike set on "eco", the experience is just a little bit easier than it was with a loaded Bike Friday. That's why a full day of cycling still produces close to the sought after full amount of exhaustion. But there is a big, and critical further advantage. When you hit that "unfair" head wind, or just too many or too steep hills, you can temporarily dial the apparent weight of the bike way down. That makes things way more pleasant, and a lot of tough routes way more feasible.
The other big advantage about the e-bike is that for whatever reason, when confronted by hills or head winds on a push bike, I have some deeper reserves of strength and endurance that can be called on to see the situation through. But Dodie, though tough and determined, lacks that same deep physical strength. And now with two defective knees, she could not apply the strength it even if it were there. From my own point of view, that translates to worry. Worry that Dodie will not make it to the next stop, or that dark is coming, or that she is suffering. Knowing that she too can dial down her bike weight and make it through, is a huge benefit for me (and she of course likes it too.)
What this has all meant for us in practical terms, is that our daily distances and total trip length has returned to where it was eight years ago. Moreover we have been able to visit wonderful regions that in the past would have been more or less impossible (i.e. Brittany coast) or just a trial (Alsace Wine Route, Provence - Luberon region).
Overall, using an e-bike for touring has been just great. We have achieved the exercise we wanted, made it though the too rough bits, and done it worry free. The downsides - initial cost, having to charge up daily, and not taking the bikes/batteries on planes - have been worth it.
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I like the way you summed it up. I am all too familiar with the comment "Oh, but you ride an e-bike," meaning we are sitting there doing nothing, or at least that there is no effort involved, so no big deal if we are still touring. Or they think our health will detiorate since we aren't getting a real workout. Actually, I think low level exercise (at my age anyway) builds up more strength than when I work out hard. Same goes for my husband (who will turn 80 in a few days).
So thanks for your contribution to the enlightenment of the general public on e-bikes!
Suzanne
5 years ago
5 years ago
5 years ago
A great dissertation that even Gunton could understand!
Suzanne's comment about the weight of the beasts is the one disadvantage that I can see.
Mike
5 years ago
On the other hand, cycle touring is never about the joy of a true light bike, because no matter what the bike it always needs a ton of gear on it.
5 years ago
We've enjoyed reading your detailed journal, and as senior Bike Friday tourers are very interested in your comparison of ebikes with BFs. Our impression is that whether a bike has e-assist or not is far less significant than being able to enjoy all of the benefits of exploring countryside on a bicycle. Just wondering where you are planning to store the ebikes for the winter after your friends finish using them.
Eva
5 years ago
Another option is to store just the batteries and to take the bikes home. Some friends, or even bike shops, may have space for a battery if not a bike.
Finally, one could put bikes or just batteries into a storage locker. We rather like the Shurgard company, for their clear web site and locations around Europe: https://www.shurgard.fr/
5 years ago