At present, traveling by E-bike has become more popular as the assistance of a motor and a battery has made traveling easier and more enjoyable. With proper preparation and some extra gear, there is a huge difference between the experience of touring with normal bikes and E-bikes.
Of course, there are some limitations such as plugging in, being heavyweight, and so on. However, the advantages of E-bike touring are much more than its disadvantages. E-bikes pave the way for traveling a far distance without feeling tired. You will find it easier to ride in those places where you had difficulty riding a regular bike.
Everything To Know About Bicycle Touring With E-Bikes
Before you head out for a tour with an E-bike, you should buy a premium quality E-bike. This is where people get discouraged from going on an E-bike tour. The price of an E-bike is more than that of a traditional bike.
To satisfy the customers’ desire for traveling by an E-bike, some manufacturers have produced suitable bikes for touring. Now you can easily buy the best electric bike for under $800.
How To Organize An Electric Bike Tour
Just as a regular bike tour needs proper planning, an E-bike tour requires the right planning. We will share with you some amazing tips for organizing an electric bike tour.
Fitness
While E-bike riding is known to develop the fitness of its rider, some level of fitness is required before riding. Even if you are not physically fit, proper planning will help you factor in your level of fitness. The more you progress on your tour, the more your fitness level will develop.
How Far To Travel
Time scale, destinations, the availability of accommodation, and food are the most important considerations for planning an E-bike tour. Proper planning ensures that you have food, medicine, water, and a safe place to sleep. To know how far you can go with your E-bike, take several test runs in your locality. In this way, you will know how far your E-bike can go with one charge.
Where To Travel
Of course, where you want to go entirely depends on you. Yet, the availability of your necessary items influences the distance of your tour. For this reason, we highly recommend that novice travelers go on on-road E-bike tours instead of going off-road.
Type Of E-Bike
Safety and comfort are the basic needs of an E-bike traveler. Adding fenders and a couple of racks to your E-bike can facilitate your trip by carrying the necessary items for your tour. Unfortunately in this circumstance, you will face difficulty mounting on and dismounting your E-bike. To solve this problem what you can do is get a step-through electric bike. Even a fully loaded step-through E-bike is easy to mount on and dismount.
Weight Considerations
Every kind of transport has a limited weight coverage. So, when you pack your touring gears, make sure that you do not cross the maximum weight and include your own weight.
Battery Range And Power
Battery range relies on your fitness level, the size of the battery, and how much support you can provide through paddling. As we have already mentioned, taking a test run can give you an idea of how far you can go with your E-bike. Moreover, riding on rough terrain, hills can also factor into the range of your E-bike battery. Therefore, decide where you will go and then take several test runs on similar terrain before you go on an E-bike tour.
Charging On The Road
Probably the largest obstacle you will face is keeping the battery of your E-bike fully charged. Fortunately, many restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, and gas stations provide plugs. So, you can easily charge your E-bike if you are traveling on-road. You can also charge your E-bike battery in a camping area if you go to a public camping area. Try your best to keep your E-bike battery full whenever you can.
Second Battery
Although we have said that you can find a place to charge your battery, it is good to have a backup battery. You never know whether you will find a charging source to charge your battery or not. Your E-bike battery may run out of charge before you find a charging station. Furthermore, you can rest assured if you have a second battery with you on your trip.
Maintaining Your Electric Bike
Most E-bikes are known to be resistant to mud, dirt, water, sand, etc. Still, E-bikes are not unbreakable. They can be broken and damaged. You might not find any mechanic or repair shop on your way. This is why it is highly recommended that you learn some E-bike maintenance skills. E-bike maintenance skills will enable you to repair your E-bike in the case of an emergency and help you to spend your trip much more smoothly.
Transporting Your Electric Bike
Some people want to take their electric bike for a long distance. It is really pleasing to be able to ride on your electric bike in a famous place. Well, if you are traveling to a far place that needs you to board a plane, you can not take your bike with you as it is prohibited to bring it onboard. On the other hand, you can transport your bike through a private vehicle or a train.
Pros And Cons Of Touring With An E-Bike
While some people are idolizing a tour with an E-bike, some people are still hesitating. For your convenience, we have brought out some pros and cons of an E-bike tour so that you can compare them and see which side weighs over the other.
Pros
- Provide great speed with less effort.
- It can save your energy which you can spend later at your destination.
- You can easily ride above the hills and rough terrains.
- You will be able to ride a long distance per day.
- E-bikes enable people with injuries who can not ride regular bikes to enjoy bike tours.
Cons
- Electric bikes need daily charging.
- They weigh heavy.
- The electric parts are at risk of going wrong.
- If you run your bike with an extra battery after the charge ran out, the weight of the bike will increase.
Final Word
Overall, an E-bike tour is amusing and entirely beneficial to health. Hence, if you are planning to go on a trip, do not think twice to make it an E-bike tour. To make your trip enjoyable in and out, you should get an organized plan. Go through our guide to know everything about bicycle touring with E-bikes and how you can plan it properly.
