Electric Bicycles

PJ123 · March 2020

E-bikes seem to be the new thing. That said, does anyone have any experience with them as they apply to camping? They seem to make sense. A conveyance that takes up little room but can take us farther and faster than the TV for the "Walmart Run"?

MuttonChops · March 2020

This is the type of topic best discussed with several cups of coffee or bottles of beer.
There are as many answers as there are to the "what is the best travel trailer" question.
Everything depends on Your interests, what makes You happy.
That said:

Go For It !

PJ123 said:

E-bikes . . . A conveyance that takes up little room . . .

Sounds like you are referencing the 20-inch wheel folding bikes. Folding bikes, electric and human power, are very popular in the RV world. I prefer full size bikes and a requirement when purchasing the TV was a full-size bike would fit in the the cargo area . . . . .

PJ123 said:

E-bikes . . . any experience with them as they apply to camping? They seem to make sense.

I switched from taking a Segway to an e-Bike for camping. e-Bike has greater range (more miles per charge), higher travel speed, and is less likely to be told "not allowed here".
But I do miss the SEGs comfort, no thinking response, faster hill climbing.

Overall, I've been pleased having an e-Bike available. Short rides to a grocery store, sight seeing, even traveling down NP dirt roads have all been doable on the e-Bike.

Have even built a charger into the T@B. (see posting: https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/10077/e-bike-120vac-charger-installation#latest ) For now the charger only works with 'shore' power as I'm not ready to commit 2KW of invertor/battery/solar to recharging the e-Bike. But with a 34+ mile** range a lot of ground can be covered.

** Manufacturer claims up to 50 mile range . . . while I like to keep pedaling effort at a constant even on big hills so I demand a bunch more power from the battery.

Verna · March 2020

I love my e-bike, an electric assist folding bike. I can reach the ground with it’s shorter height. It takes a lot of pressure off my knees.

I use it a lot around campgrounds, going to the laundry, to the campground store, to friend’s campsites. It’s great.

PJ123 · March 2020

Thanks for the input folks! DW and I are in the market for a couple of e-bikes. Folders would seem to make the most sense. Right now we have an Up in Front bike rack on the 400 but I don't think that it is strong enough for a couple of e-bikes. I suppose if we reconfigure the TV (pickup truck) a tad we could squeeze a couple in there.

Just as an aside I had NO idea that there were so darn many makes and models of e-bikes out there. If anybody has any recommendations on brands or types....or whatever your experience is with e's any info would be greatly appreciated and considered.... Thanks....Pete and Jeanne

MuttonChops · March 2020

PJ123 said:

. . . any recommendations on brands or types....or whatever your experience is with e's

Suggest you look at Class-2 e-Bikes. Class-2 have a throttle that makes starting from a dead stop effortless.

Step-Through frames (girls bike style) make mounting/stopping easier.

Mid-Drive Motors are overall better than hub drive motors.

I dislike derailers so have an internal hub gearing (IGH) model, not sure these are available on folders, there are two main brand; shimano and NuVivic.

Good Luck; e-Bike shopping makes deciding on a car model/brand or travel trailer model/brand easy.

Verna · March 2020

Seriously, a fold-up e-bike weighs around 37+ lbs each. Plus, I’m not sure I would want my e-bike in driving rain outside. Mine stays in the back of my truck. I do have a 15’ cable and a good padlock so I can lock it either to a tire on my 400 or to the tongue.

As far as a brand, I went through Amazon with a friend a month ago. What features cost me $600 two years ago costs $800 now. These bikes will not have the top of the line names. The name brand of mine is no longer on Amazon.

I made sure it was a 6 or 7 speed, with 3 electric assist speeds, had a rack on the back so I could put a milk crate there to carry stuff or my dog, had Shimano parts on it, and made sure the battery had a locking mechanism on it. Those batteries can cost $250 + apiece. Be sure to get at least semi-knobby tires on them because campgrounds are not always paved and those slick street tires will not go in sand or deeper gravel.

You can also get more expensive name brands such as Rad that costs $1300+, but not on Amazon. (Rad’s prices have come down from the $2,000 + range to $1,300+ range in the 3 years since I bought my e-bike.)

By the way, #1 speed is 9 mph, #2 is about 12 mph and #3 Is 15+ mph on level ground. I feel a helmet is a great investment.

Denny16 · March 2020

I have been looking at Specialized E bikes, here is a nice overview: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/electric-bikes

PJ123 · March 2020

Thanks Again Y'All ! Verna you're right, while most of the mgf's claim water resistance I wouldn't want to tempt the elements. Also agree a helmet is called for. I rode motorcycles for years and years but twenty miles an hour seem a lot faster on a bicycle. And Mutton Chops, you're right on with the twenty inch wheels,also the interior hub and the platform for the puppy carrier (A MUST!),mid frame motor, with a throttle to top off the list. The knees aren't what they used to be. Oh,and by the way..kudos for the engineering on your built in charger...impressive!

Denny16 you've given me more food for thought. Nice looking bikes!!

Thanks again folks! Pete and Jeanne

Verna · March 2020

@Denny16, ahhh...how I miss my pink Specialized woman’s bike. It was damaged when my bike rack broke on the rear of my teardrop while in AZ. (Never ever put a bike rack on the rear of a camper without a bumper!)

Thanks got the link—those do not look like my last Specialized bike!

Denny16 · March 2020

Verna, that was a nice looking bike.
cheers

Homebodyatheart · March 2020

I bought an Ebike similar to @Verna. I wanted the low step through. I solved the bike rack dilemma by getting a folding one and it fits nicely behind the drivers seat of my TV. Figuring out what is important to you and your budget will narrow your choices. I watched many YouTube videos so I had half a clue what to look for. I bought it in the fall so I’m still figuring out how to use it, but so far I’m happy!

Tabaz · March 2020

Three of us at T@Bazona this year had RadRovers. While I had problems with my initial assembly, I now enjoy the bike. They are all “heavy” compared to non-electrics, but provide added utility.

ScottG · March 2020

You might also check out this recent discussion.

Verna · March 2020

Thanks, @Tabaz ! The last time I checked the Rad bikes, they were $2000+. Now they’re getting down to a more affordable price!

Verna · March 2020

@MuttonChops, I can charge my 20V DeWalt drill and other tools batteries using my built-in inverter in the 400 on sunny mornings (hint: it takes a lot of power) and the battery is charged in about 30 minutes as though it were being charged from a house 110V.

I have never had the “courage” to charge the e-bike’s battery from my inverter since I let it go down to almost empty before charging and then it takes over 4 hours to charge.

MuttonChops · March 2020

Verna said:

@MuttonChops, I can charge my 20V DeWalt drill and other tools batteries using my built-in inverter in the 400 on sunny mornings

No doubt you can charge the Drill Battery.
++ My Black&Decker 20V 1.5AHr take a bit more than 3 hours to charge
uses a Total of ~ 1 AHr of trailer battery over that time
++ While the e-Bike 48V 14AHr needs 8 hours to charge
uses a Total of ~ 16 AHr of trailer battery capacity

Expect our solar panels only produce 2-4 Amps most of the time with sun angles/clouds etc

PJ123 · March 2020

Thanks Scott. You can tell I totally missed that discussion.

Tundra57 · March 2020

@Verna how did you carry your dog one the bike and what was her reaction?

Verna · March 2020

@Tundra57, Sunny Day loves to ride in the milk crate on the rear of the bicycle. She also loves riding in wagons and wheel barrels...she has been riding on the rear of my bikes since she was a baby and she’s 10 yrs old now.

I put a sweat shirt type Afghan throw in the bottom of the basket, put her in, I take off her leash (I feel this is important because I don’t want the leash to fall and get tangled in the axle, plus I know she’s not going very far from me), put up the kickstand and take off. I do not leave her in the basket when I leave the bike, but I do tie her leash to something other than the bike.

And although I always wear a helmet (protecting my most valuable asset!), she won’t tolerate a helmet so no helmet for her.

ChanW · March 2020

Re the dog helmet...

It reminds me of a trip a friend and I were riding on the Trans Canada Highway in the late 70s (on motorcycles), each of us with our dog in a crate on the 'back' seat. Medium size dogs, mine was a Shepherd, hers was a Husky dog. We both wore our helmets, although not required at the time, if I recall.

Alas, while cruising along at 55mph, a pickup truck on the shoulder of the road that I'd just passed, suddenly pulled out in front of her. I watched in my rearview as everything went flying, including my friend and the dog.

My friend was lucky, ending up alive, with a fractured ankle (eventually pinned and permanently immobilized), and a broken wrist.

The Husky must have learned how to properly fall in another life. She was relatively unscathed after her flight. No dog helmet.

Moral: "protecting your most valuable asset" is important!

Verna said:

......
And although I always wear a helmet (protecting my most valuable asset!), she won’t tolerate a helmet so no helmet for her.

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