Bikepacking with an E-Bike

[Mr. Coffee]

One of the observations I'd make is that most e-bikes have a poor setup for a front carry, especially off of the front fork. You could mount 3-pack cage mounts with hose clamps or similar but I'm personally really nervous about that, because it is a great way to destroy a fork. There are some great products that let you do this, but you need to proceed with some caution. This is especially true since a lot of e-bikes, even quite spendy ones, often come equipped with suspension forks that are inadequate for a serious shred. If you go with a suspension fork and want to mount cage mounts, find a good bike mechanic whom you trust and take their advice.

For my money if I were building a dedicated bikepacking e-bike I'd use a fixed front fork with lots of mount points. If I wanted a little bit of travel I'd install a suspension stem.

Frame bags, especially non-custom frame bags, are also problematic with e-bikes. And there isn't really a great solution.

Those two things together end up being a Big Deal because having problems with fork cage bags and frame bags can effectively cut your useful carry volume in half. And also since those are good places to put heavy, dense items that are a poor choice for a saddle twinkie or a handlebar roll. So it does end up being something of a challenge figuring out how to make all that work.

 

[PDoz]

G'day Andrew, you're flickr link has some great photos

It looks like you're from west oz ? Have you met Aus Digger from advrider ? He's dabbled in using an ebike, but is usually self powered.
Eg

Flexo from advrider also tried some variations, including a bafang powered hardtail fat bike, but seems to have settled on a dual suspension emtb for mtb riding and his surley for touring. He's from this side of the continent.

How much assistance are you actually wanting? You're clearly a LOT more aware than me re weight vs function, but have you looked into a front hub / throttle conversion? Eg keep the motorbike, invest in a quality front wheel that you can swap in / out dependin on planned routes? I suggest this for purely selfish reasons - I want to see what a knowledgeable local comes up with....If going down this pathway, it might be worth trying to connect with the guy who did the canning? He seems to have ghosted since 2019 , not sure if that's from the east aus fires or covid, but he was an outside the box thinker with an interest in emobility.

 

[peterh_nz]

[2] Any thoughts on the front rack? Just more weight? Maybe a better mount for the dry bag? I will be using Salsa Anything Cages HD on the forks. Again, I have seen videos of these fitted in combination with the front rack

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you

I ordered my RM HS SC2 with the front rack and find it very useful. Use of the rack dropped back slightly after I purchased a trailer. Currently my most frequent use is carrying a usb powerbank on longer trips (power bank in a suitably sized lens case with velcro straps).

In my opinion the additional weight of the front rack is irrelevant for a bike of this type and use. If one needs to, it should only be considered in relation to the total weight of bike, luggage and rider. It would be a different matter if the bike was raced competitively!

I purchased the bike with a Kiox display and swapped it for a Nyon after the newer version was released. The display has a very extensive range of data display options. I find the display excellent and have no need for any additional third party displays.

Seems like you have make good progress with your decision making.

Cheers

 

[Aushiker]

I retrofitted an AEROE dry bag cradle on the fork arch using a diy aluminum bracket. Performs very well.
View attachment 168330

I like what you did there. Differently food for thought. BTW is that a Supercharger? The LBS is saying that the Jones H Bar cannot be fitted with the Nyon cockpit.

 

[BikerG]

I like what you did there. Differently food for thought. BTW is that a Supercharger? The LBS is saying that the Jones H Bar cannot be fitted with the Nyon cockpit.

Thanks! The bike is a Canyon Pathlite ON.

 

[Aushiker]

One of the observations I'd make is that most e-bikes have a poor setup for a front carry, especially off of the front fork. You could mount 3-pack cage mounts with hose clamps or similar but I'm personally really nervous about that, because it is a great way to destroy a fork. There are some great products that let you do this, but you need to proceed with some caution. This is especially true since a lot of e-bikes, even quite spendy ones, often come equipped with suspension forks that are inadequate for a serious shred. If you go with a suspension fork and want to mount cage mounts, find a good bike mechanic whom you trust and take their advice.

For my money if I were building a dedicated bikepacking e-bike I'd use a fixed front fork with lots of mount points. If I wanted a little bit of travel I'd install a suspension stem.

Frame bags, especially non-custom frame bags, are also problematic with e-bikes. And there isn't really a great solution.

Those two things together end up being a Big Deal because having problems with fork cage bags and frame bags can effectively cut your useful carry volume in half. And also since those are good places to put heavy, dense items that are a poor choice for a saddle twinkie or a handlebar roll. So it does end up being something of a challenge figuring out how to make all that work.

I have used Salsa Anything Cages on my Salsa Mukluk and never had an issue with them. You can see them in the photo in my opening post. Mind you, that is on a rigid fork. I guess I will find out how they go on the suspension fork. Image of an early setup of the bike when I was on the Holland Track in Western Australia.

I am curious as to why the frame bag is an issue on the SuperCharger besides the limited space. I do appreciate that it would have to be loosened off at the top tube to access the battery mounted there. That said, I am not likely to go with a frame bag anyway, as I do travel light, and as I will not have to carry multi-day water supplies on the SuperCharger, I am pretty sure I will have more than sufficient carrying capacity with panniers being used if really necessary.

I have a rack on the Salsa when I have had to carry water for multi-days riding (will not be an issue with the ebike due to the need to recharge and due to a change in route planning). For what it is worth, the maximum water I have carried is 35 litres + 20 days of food, but that was on my Surly Long Haul Trucker with an Extrawheel trailer. The first few days were slow ones, but

 

[Aushiker]

G'day Andrew, you're flickr link has some great photos

It looks like you're from west oz ? Have you met Aus Digger from advrider ? He's dabbled in using an ebike, but is usually self powered.
Eg

Flexo from advrider also tried some variations, including a bafang powered hardtail fat bike, but seems to have settled on a dual suspension emtb for mtb riding and his surley for touring. He's from this side of the continent.

How much assistance are you actually wanting? You're clearly a LOT more aware than me re weight vs function, but have you looked into a front hub / throttle conversion? Eg keep the motorbike, invest in a quality front wheel that you can swap in / out dependin on planned routes? I suggest this for purely selfish reasons - I want to see what a knowledgeable local comes up with....If going down this pathway, it might be worth trying to connect with the guy who did the canning? He seems to have ghosted since 2019 , not sure if that's from the east aus fires or covid, but he was an outside the box thinker with an interest in emobility.

Yes, Western Australian. I haven't met Aus Digger but I was not aware advride did bicycling stuff as well. Will have to check out the forums again.

I cannot help you on the hub motor but maybe others can chime in.

The KTM 390 Adventure just does not get ridden so it really needs to go.

Thanks for the feedback on Flickr. That is something I need to put more time into.

 

[PDoz]

Yes, Western Australian. I haven't met Aus Digger but I was not aware advride did bicycling stuff as well. Will have to check out the forums again.

I cannot help you on the hub motor but maybe others can chime in.

The KTM 390 Adventure just does not get ridden so it really needs to go.

Thanks for the feedback on Flickr. That is something I need to put more time into.

There's a few pushbike riders on the Aus subforum of advrider - https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/so-you-ride-a-pushie-hey-the-aus-bicycling-thread.536781/page-316

I think there are also youtwittface groups in Aus for ebikes now, eg a victorian group of eMTB riders with about 1000 members. I'm finding the urban emtb scene a bit too aggro for my taste so doubt they'll cater to your travel style. It's strange, about 30 years ago my wife and I would come across outback cyclists whilst touring on our motorbike, I always enjoyed stopping for a chat, but could never quite understand the appeal of, eg, slogging away on the telegraph track. I find myself curious now, although highly unlikely to have the time / stamina in the near future. We did most of the big tick outback trips on motorbikes, and I'd sort of like to be able to chat whilst touring in future.

Gotta love that cattle grid shot...

 

[Aushiker]

I must admit whilst the Telegraph Track is on my 'to-do list' the slogging part and the need to carry a lot of water plus age is making it drop down the list

I did try motorbike touring with a Royal Enfield Himalayan (way too heavy) and my KTM 390 Adventure, but it always felt like it was travelling in the car but without the cage; that is, I was less inclined just to stop and look at something because I was 'flying past' whereas on the bikes the pace means I connect more to the environment.

I am glad I gave it a shot, but I am back to the bikes. Hopefully, the Supercharger will take off the edge for most of what I do/want to do, leaving the Salsa Mukluk for more adventurous short tours.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Old Man Mountain Fat Sherpa Racks, Front mounted (photo 1, original configuration) and Front & Rear Mounted (photo 2, my final bike setup).

I'm old school too and find the ease of use and capacity of a good rack mounted pannier beats the new age bike frame mounted bags, 7 days out of the week. Unless of course, you are single-tracking a cliff face with just enough clearance for your bike to go through.

The front and rear racks on my Haibike have their weight of rack, bags and gear placed directly on the special made thru-axle that go with this brand rack. The stays just steady things upright. Note, the front rack is mounted on a Rocks Shox Bluto suspension fork.

I use the front rack for my SON28 dynamo powered headlight, while the rear sports a SON tail light.

I figure the way I've outfitted this Full FatSix, it is a go-anywhere bike, minus fording streams and other waterways (Ebike No-No). Snow, sugar sand, gravel, asphalt and concrete roadways, it matters not.

 

[Aushiker]

Based on what you've described, a gravel bike might be a good choice for your e-bike bikepacking adventures.

I did consider them as an option but didn't find anything that would not be a significant comprise. Whereas, the Supercharger comes pretty much ready to go with all the fruit plus also has two integrated batteries so much better range (important for me) without the need to carry/swap batteries. The tyres are also a decent width at 62-584 (again important as often riding sandy tracks).

 

[MdgColorado]

I’m a long-time bicycle tourist with a new e-bike this year, a Cannondale Synapse Neo SE. The bike, which no longer appears to be available, is a 650b gravel bike with Bosch mid-drive and 1x11 SRAM drivetrain. I got very lucky and picked it up a my local REI for about $2000 off, as it was a return from someone who rode it once in 2020.

This summer I loaded it up for an overnight tour in Wyoming. The tour didn’t turn out as planned because I made a stupid wrong turn, but I did ride the fully loaded bike 27 miles with 1800 feet of altitude gain, at up to 35 mph, on paved and unpaved roads. The bike rode really nicely, I must say, and there were some steep sections.

I’ve been touring since long before bikepacking was invented, and I’m sticking to conventional panniers and racks - or I should say rack in singular, as the fork has no eyelets. So everything went on the rear Blackburn rack: Ortlieb panniers, tent, bag, pad. Carrying those items plus my usual selection of overnight gear including dinner and breakfast, total bike and gear weight was about 68 pounds with empty water bottles. I did not take the charger. At only 4 pounds heavier than my loaded Salsa Vaya, it was lighter than I’d expected. The bare Cannondale is a 40-pound bike.

It’s been years since I rode with that much weight in back and just a small handlebar bag in front, and I expected some instability. But the bike rode fine, remaining stable at 35+ mph.

 

[BikerG]

Yep, I prefer a rear rack with panniers also. And I usually strap my top and under quilts for my hammock at the front. I’m not a ground dweller, I hammock camp mostly.

 

[Aushiker]

An update:

I just ordered a Riese and Muller Supercharger GT Rohloff 53 cm in warm silver matt.

Nyon cockpit
- 1250Wh dual battery
- GX option
Transport cover R&M x 2
Front carrier + bag, with headlight relocation kit

All up, a scary AU$ 12,156/US$ 8,184.

Delivery is expected in April.

 

[TrevorB]

Bet you never imagined speeding 5 figures on bike before. I struggled with first ebike at $3500 but had no problems with $7000 for last ebike, been a couple in middle at $5000-6000.

 

[MdgColorado]

Looks like quite a bike, nicely built and configured. Let's see some pictures when it arrives!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

An update:

I just ordered a Riese and Muller Supercharger GT Rohloff 53 cm in warm silver matt.

Nyon cockpit
- 1250Wh dual battery
- GX option
Transport cover R&M x 2
Front carrier + bag, with headlight relocation kit

All up, a scary AU$ 12,156/US$ 8,184.

Delivery is expected in April.

A 33 kg e-bike?

 

[Aushiker]

A 33 kg e-bike?

29.3 kg according to the specifications, plus the weight of the front rack/bag. However, given the specifications and the type of long-distance riding I prefer, it should work out well for me.

For context, I carried 35 kgs of water plus 20 kgs of food on an analogue bike, all on rough outback roads. The bike and trailer (Extrawheel from Poland in fact) was about 20 kg plus camping gear. That is the nature of outback touring here in Western Australia

 

[TrevorB]

29.3 kg according to the specifications plus the weight of the front rack/bag.

3.5kg is 2nd battery, then there is its lock and connector say another 0.5kg.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

A 33 kg e-bike?

Yes. Actually Chargers have apparently lost a few grams since I purchased mine in 2018.

They are good bikes. Heavy, which means you'll hit 75kph on pretty modest downhills. Very stiff bike. Probably still one of the best choices for a loaded touring e-bike.

Actually, that last sentence is pretty sad. There have been a fair number of innovative touring and bikepacking bicycles hitting the market in recent years, and the old standbys like the Surly Disc Trucker and Koga World Travelers have been given substantial revamps and upgrades. But in the e-bike space (with respect to touring) there hasn't been a lot of improvements in the last five years, and there is a substantial room for improvement.