How do you define the ideal electric touring bicycle?

[richnyc]

Am I alone in thinking the ideal touring bike would have batteries integrated into the frame ?

I agree, although I kind of worry how waterproof the battery enclosures are if I end up riding in rain for extended period of time??? It seems to me that if the battery is on the outside of the frame it seems more robust solution... What you guys think???

 

[VirgilCaine]

I agree, although I kind of worry how waterproof the battery enclosures are if I end up riding in rain for extended period of time??? It seems to me that if the battery is on the outside of the frame it seems more robust solution... What you guys think???

I actually thought inside the frame would be more protected from the elements, but I don't have any experience with the outside setup.

 

[richnyc]

Personally, I would have to have front suspension, which would knock out most front racks and complicate distributing the weight properly.

Yeah, that's the one thing that I actually prefer NOT to have. For many reason but mostly experience of touring on non-ebikes... The loss of power while pedaling on a loaded bike, the added complexity on extended touring... In the past I was forced to put my bike on the roof of a bus and the front suspension would leak out... I prefer larger wheel diameter and fatter tires to offer me the same kind of "suspension". I'm sure I could lock it out but still... Loving what Riese and Mueller are doing on their ebikes, the front suspension and the overall weight, just too heavy if I'm forced to pedal without power, are keeping me away... Have to take out one for a test ride and see

 

[VirgilCaine]

Yeah, that's the one thing that I actually prefer NOT to have. For many reason but mostly experience of touring on non-ebikes... The loss of power while pedaling on a loaded bike, the added complexity on extended touring... In the past I was forced to put my bike on the roof of a bus and the front suspension would leak out... I prefer larger wheel diameter and fatter tires to offer me the same kind of "suspension". I'm sure I could lock it out but still... Loving what Riese and Mueller are doing on their ebikes, the front suspension and the overall weight, just too heavy if I'm forced to pedal without power, are keeping me away... Have to take out one for a test ride and see

Good points, but my biggest problem on the last tour I did was numb hands and that was on 1.75 tires. IMO,if you are forced to pedal without power on any e-bike loaded with touring gear, it's gonna be brutal. The cost of R&M is what is keeping me away.

 

[richnyc]

My choice would be a Surly Long Haul Trucker, Salsa Fargo or Jones Plus Complete. Steel frame, big tire clearance, lots of mounts, front fork with mounts, long chainstay, mechanical disk brakes, two battery mounts, spare spoke holder, pump attachments, Fender mounts, Rack mounts, Jones H-Bar, platform pedals, Brooks saddle.

A few years ago, Surly asked me what bike I would want to have an E-Bike Frame for.... I responded the Long Haul Trucker for touring. ... then their first E-model came as the Big Easy (oh well).

open as to motors (shimano, bosch, yamaha) ... I currently have a Felt the Shimano Steps, it does okay.

I still have Salsa Fargo from 2009 when they introduced them for the first time... The BEST bikepacking and touring bike I've ever owned, period!!! It would eat up forest roads like butter... LOL... Wish I could find something similar in an ebike... It looks like the Rennstahl bike mentioned above is so far the closest.

 

[richnyc]

Good points, but my biggest problem on the last tour I did was numb hands and that was on 1.75 tires...

The best solution for numb hands are jones bars, or bent bars that offer you lot more hand positions... My own personal favorite are Salsa Fargo bent bars with Syntace C3 clipons... I could rest my hands and wrists on my elbows and knock out 100 mile days without any pain...

Although I have no idea how it would work in an ebike setup, esp. from safety point of view...

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I agree, although I kind of worry how waterproof the battery enclosures are if I end up riding in rain for extended period of time??? It seems to me that if the battery is on the outside of the frame it seems more robust solution... What you guys think???

I prefer the external batteries, I've found that very few people clue in on the fact that my loaded touring rig is electric -- they just process the batteries as weirdly shaped frame bags.

I'd also say that I really like the Bosch Powerpacks because it looks like they will be supporting that form factor for a long time and I suspect in the future you will be able to rent or lease extra batteries in that common form factor. Another benefit if you tour in Europe is that Bosch is adding charging stations in popular bike touring areas.

The major deal-killer on an in-tube battery for me is that they will not fit well into a pannier so you can't carry an extra one or two for that long trip.

 

[VirgilCaine]

So if a loaded touring e bike with racks has a weight approaching 100 lb, what kind of range do you think you're going to be able to get?

 

[VirgilCaine]

From a weight distribution standpoint, should we be considering a motor on the front hub for a touring bike, if you're going to go with front suspension?

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I'd love to see more written about Koga Signature E-World Traveller. I think that might be an ideal world e-bike tourer based on the very popular Koga Miayta touring bikes from the Netherlands:

https://outdoorguru.com/bikes/trekking-bikes/koga-signature-e-worldtraveller-s-trekkingbike-review/

https://signature.koga.com/#/1/en/gb

 

[VirgilCaine]

The major deal-killer on an in-tube battery for me is that they will not fit well into a pannier so you can't carry an extra one or two for that long trip.[/QUOTE] I might be mistaken on this, but I thought I saw a bike that had two batteries integrated into the frame at one of the bike shows

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I might be mistaken on this, but I thought I saw a bike that had two batteries integrated into the frame at one of the bike shows

What if you need three or four batteries for your trip?

So if a loaded touring e bike with racks has a weight approaching 100 lb, what kind of range do you think you're going to be able to get?

I have two 500wh batteries on the frame, I weigh about 220lbs, and carry 20-30 lbs of stuff on a trip. I get 60-70 miles of range with middling elevation gain (say around 2500 feet) riding nearly the whole day in low levels of pedal assist. I usually only use high levels of pedal assist to blast through scary sections, on hopelessly long and steep hills, and when I am just plain wrecked.

In gentle terrain I think 100 miles is reasonable with that setup.

In much steeper and more rugged terrain I think 35-40 miles is likely.

You'll also get better range riding on smoother roads, which I do not.

 

[VirgilCaine]

That bike might be great for the Netherlands where it's flat as a pancake but, what kind of range are you going to get in the US? I guess I should qualify this by saying I live in the mountains.

 

[Nova Haibike]

For reference let’s look at the state of the art non-electric touring bike. The Tout Terrain Silkroad

I'd want a touring bike that could take on a world tour; a bike that could go anywhere, be virtually bulletproof, and be highly repairable in the field. So I'd probably start with something like the Thorn Raven and bolt on a Bafang motor. Not elegant of fancy like a Bosch, but that's probably a benefit when you're far from fancy bike shops. Worse case sceario would be to remove the motor altogether and revert it back to an acoustic bike. You couldn't do that with a Bosch-powered bike.

 

[VirgilCaine]

I'm not even sure that the best Touring setup for an e-bike would not involve pulling a bob trailer.

 

[Dionigi]

I'd want a touring bike that could take on a world tour; a bike that could go anywhere, be virtually bulletproof, and be highly repairable in the field. So I'd probably start with something like the Thorn Raven and bolt on a Bafang motor. Not elegant of fancy like a Bosch, but that's probably a benefit when you're far from fancy bike shops. Worse case sceario would be to remove the motor altogether and revert it back to an acoustic bike. You couldn't do that with a Bosch-powered bike.

Check out Jack Butler traveled from France to China on a converted touring bike.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8RchFhGNkatH6isqeDRa2w

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I'd want a touring bike that could take on a world tour; a bike that could go anywhere, be virtually bulletproof, and be highly repairable in the field. So I'd probably start with something like the Thorn Raven and bolt on a Bafang motor. Not elegant of fancy like a Bosch, but that's probably a benefit when you're far from fancy bike shops. Worse case sceario would be to remove the motor altogether and revert it back to an acoustic bike. You couldn't do that with a Bosch-powered bike.

That is a big reason why if I were to cycle across Africa or the Silk Road or Tierra Del Fuego I'd take an acoustic bike. That and the sheer impossibility at this point of getting your e-bike and batteries to the start of your tour or getting it home afterwards.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I'm not even sure that the best Touring setup for an e-bike would not involve pulling a bob trailer.

Trailers are great if you need to haul a lot of stuff or your bike doesn't have the eyelets for racks.

I'd argue that if you feel the need to haul a lot of stuff you need to rethink what you are taking. Modern lightweight camping gear and clothing is very light, and even if you equipped yourself extravagantly I doubt you could spend $3000 on a decent kit, which would include tent, sleeping bag, pad, cooking equipment, and all the clothes you'd need. Remember this is a forum where people buy $5000 e-bikes so you can't tell me that lightweight camping gear and clothing is too expensive.

So unless you have a lot of hobbies or you post youtube videos for a living you don't need to carry all that much.

 

[JRA]

I also think a single wheel dropout mount type trailer is what I would use in conjunction with some frame type bags for easy access for my daily requirements. I believe the loaded capacity of a BOB trailer is 80lbs. and I’m seeing higher expected weights added to the bike itself above. But having good gear and only as much as necessary is smart and in fact credit cards don’t weigh much truth be told?

I made up a moto BOB years ago actually with a 48v 1000w Golden Motor wheel and it performed quite admirably. It would launch up the steepest streets in Astoria, OR easily and handled just fine with the battery and groceries on board. So in fact I feel it entirely possible to just use a similar type and just have a 500w front hub motor on the bike if even that.

Best thing is that the loaded weight is easily jettisoned for side adventures. The bike will handle better also with less weight arguably when on the road.

 

[VirgilCaine]

I was hoping to try my bob trailer out with my Atom Lynx, but the 12mm axle is not compatible. The moto Bob is intriguing.