RAGBRAI 2022

[Roamers]

Anyone doing RAGBRAI this year?

I did 1988 and 1989, our wives joined us in 1989. We both said been there done that after a very rainy, gravel road, messy 1989.

Fast forward 33 years (older, less than perfect knees, much more robust size, evidently not smarter) we are doing it again since my brother (marginally younger, much better physical condition) wants to check it off his bucket list.

This event is actually what crossed us over to purchasing ebikes. Been pretty happy riding a Raleigh C40, but no way knees would make a day without E assist (Iowa is not nearly as flat as many think). My wife and I are actually sharing the riding/support by each riding half day; that should keep us in "one battery range" each day. My brother is traveling with 2 batteries.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

Anyone doing RAGBRAI this year?

I did 1988 and 1989, our wives joined us in 1989. We both said been there done that after a very rainy, gravel road, messy 1989.

Fast forward 33 years (older, less than perfect knees, much more robust size, evidently not smarter) we are doing it again since my brother (marginally younger, much better physical condition) wants to check it off his bucket list.

This event is actually what crossed us over to purchasing ebikes. Been pretty happy riding a Raleigh C20, but no way knees would make a day without E assist (Iowa is not nearly as flat as many think). My wife and I are actually sharing the riding/support by each riding half day; that should keep us in "one battery range" each day. My brother is traveling with 2 batteries.

Heck yeah that's great to hear!! I've done it every year since 2017 and even taken some of my customer's bikes out when driving from Oregon. Bosch usually has a support truck there, Trek brought a bunch of e-bikes (all Bosch stuff), and I've seen Gazelle there too. There's been consistent growth in terms of folks on e-bikes, most stop towns will have an outlet to top off the battery too. The route planning is fantastic and can give you an idea of where to take your breaks to fuel both you and the bike!

Where are you coming from and what are you riding?

 

[dodgeman]

I looked at it, not seriously, then I saw how many do it. Looks like a big crowd. Where to people sleep, do they camp out?

 

[Roamers]

Where are you coming from and what are you riding?

Moline, IL. We'll be on C380s. My brother is on a Rad. Not too concerned about charging. My brother and I are both in Sprinter Adventure Vans. Mine isn't complete yet but plan to have solar and batteries in before the ride.

 

[Roamers]

I looked at it, not seriously, then I saw how many do it. Looks like a big crowd. Where to people sleep, do they camp out?

I assume it hasn't changed in 30 years. Could see days with 10,000 riders. It is the biggest party I have experienced. Last times we did it, traveled with a bike club that moved equipment from town to town and camped. This time we are self supporting with vans. Most camp, others hotel and B&B. These are typically small town overnights, so limited hotels.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

I looked at it, not seriously, then I saw how many do it. Looks like a big crowd. Where to people sleep, do they camp out?

There can be up to 30k people per day depending on where the route goes. It's very much a "choose your own adventure" in the sense of having it fully catered or all the way to sleeping in people's front yards. Going with a semi-catered group isn't a bad idea if you don't mind sleeping on the ground. There's so many folks you'll be woken up by the amount of pumps coming off of tires in the morning. It's so damn fun!!

 

[AlanDB]

Someone needs to start a "sag wagon" recharging/battery replacement service. Otherwise, I just don't see how ebikes are viable for the whole RAGBRAI route. Iowa summer heat/humidity makes RAGBRAI a grueling ride most every day and finding a way to recharge batteries in the small towns every night would require a lot of planning and local contacts. Plus, a typical day's ride is well beyond the battery range of most ebikes even if you stick to ECO mode. Pulling the excess weight and drag of an ebike when the battery dies doesn't sound like much fun.

Don't get me wrong ... RAGBRAI is a great celebration for the biking community. I just don't think ebike accommodation is there yet.

 

[Roamers]

Someone needs to start a "sag wagon" recharging/battery replacement service.

We'll have our Sprinter with 400 AHr of lithium battery and 440 Watts of solar. Parked at midday stop and each night stop. My brother will have another 300 AHr alongside us. Haven't learned about charging needs, but I speculate there will be extra.

I think I read on the RAGBRAI site there is someone somewhere on the route that is selling recharge rather than turkey sandwiches.

Test rode and purchased C380s today. I was impressed with the unpowered ease of pedaling; similar to my Raleigh C40 even though more than twice as heavy. No actual experience yet, but I anticipate unpowered more than half the day most days.

 

[AlanDB]

@Roamers ... Have fun! I look forward to hearing your report of how it goes.

 

[EMGX]

Apparently there is an option for your brother instead of having to carry two batteries, if that was his plan.

E-bikes and charging service keep 'tough old birds' on the road at RAGBRAI

Though e-bike sales are surging, they're still a rarity on RAGBRAI. One vendor has become a lifeline for their users.

www.desmoinesregister.com

I live way too far away to consider RAGBRAI but if I was to ride it on an Ebike having two batteries I'd use the service where he charges the spare battery and has it available mid way through a day's ride (if I read the article correctly).

 

[dodgeman]

The shop we got our e bikes is in Burlington Iowa and he has done it before. I asked about e bikes on it and he said there are quite a few. He said it was an issue charging batteries, I got the idea they used generators. He said it was a problem getting enough charging places.

 

[Roamers]

Apparently there is an option for your brother instead of having to carry two batteries, if that was his plan.

I thought I had read an article; that was it.

We're not overly concerned. He knows his bike's capabilities; but will have to fine tune that knowledge on route. Since we are traveling with 2 vans with plenty of charging capability and plan to meet up with support drivers each day at lunch, we can determine pretty quickly each day if he needs to carry battery or not. In a pinch, we can call for support for a meet if more battery is needed during the day. He will actually have 4 batteries with him. My wife and I are each riding half the day, so we really have 2 batteries per day and the ability to charge as needed all day long.

That's the plan; hopefully reality matches. If not, we'll punt!

 

[Roamers]

The shop we got our e bikes is in Burlington Iowa and he has done it before. I asked about e bikes on it and he said there are quite a few. He said it was an issue charging batteries, I got the idea they used generators. He said it was a problem getting enough charging places.

I believe it will be important to be charging independent.

 

[Roamers]

Easy ride this year, It's downhill (on average).

 

[Roamers]

So, anyone on the ride? Long story short, we were going to do it to ride with my brother. He tested COVID positive last Monday (doing fine now) so couldn't travel.

One of his colleagues was going to travel with him, so we volunteered to get her to the start and maybe stay overnight.

Saturday in Sergeant Bluff was about as miserable as you will find in Iowa. Upper 90s and mid 70s dew point (feels like 110ish) with intermittent thunder storms. We spent about 5 hours helping her setup and walk around town, then drove back home 5.5 hours rather than suffering through the night.

The good news is, the weather forecast looks amazing starting Monday. Temperatures have dropped and chances of rain are down; the temperature forecast is absolutely amazing for RAGBRAI week.

We are going to head back to the route Wednesday and just do some riding around towns and enjoying the festivities.

My wife and I can not imagine jumping on a bike today even after getting a good night sleep in a/c; it was that bad yesterday!

 

[Roamers]

It dudint get any better than this!

 

[JRA]

I saw the weiner mobile when I was like 10 at a filming of a Rte. 66 episode near my home town we went to see.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

So, anyone on the ride? Long story short, we were going to do it to ride with my brother. He tested COVID positive last Monday (doing fine now) so couldn't travel.

One of his colleagues was going to travel with him, so we volunteered to get her to the start and maybe stay overnight.

Saturday in Sergeant Bluff was about as miserable as you will find in Iowa. Upper 90s and mid 70s dew point (feels like 110ish) with intermittent thunder storms. We spent about 5 hours helping her setup and walk around town, then drove back home 5.5 hours rather than suffering through the night.

The good news is, the weather forecast looks amazing starting Monday. Temperatures have dropped and chances of rain are down; the temperature forecast is absolutely amazing for RAGBRAI week.

We are going to head back to the route Wednesday and just do some riding around towns and enjoying the festivities.

My wife and I can not imagine jumping on a bike today even after getting a good night sleep in a/c; it was that bad yesterday!

Sorry to hear about the Covid scare!

Yep, I just got back from doing day 2-7, SO MUCH FUN!!! Saw quite a few e-bikes too, even a mom carrying her kiddo on her Tern GSD, I'll dig up a pic!