Traveling With Electric Bikes

[SimonSKL]

It’s a Yakima Holdup 2” hitch carrier.

[Siebrands]

We live in north country. Traveling south in winter using a regular bike carrier will soon ruin your bike due to snow, rain, mud etc. So we bought an enclosed bike carrier to protect our ebike investment. Smart move!

[gurroz]

Originally Posted by Siebrands

We live in north country. Traveling south in winter using a regular bike carrier will soon ruin your bike due to snow, rain, mud etc. So we bought an enclosed bike carrier to protect our ebike investment. Smart move!

Fortunately we live in Arizona so most of our travel is May through September. My wife lived in Pittsburg for 18 years and would be happy to never touch snow again! Very smart getting an enclosed carrier!

[1237dmctlc]

Originally Posted by gurroz

The batteries run between $350 and $550 depending on specs. Most can be regarged 800 - 1000 full cycles. After that number of cycles they will operate at 80% efficiency and need to be replaced. On most bikes the battery can be charged on the bike or pulled and charged inside the house. Hope that helps.

Yes, thanks it does. Appreciate it.

[Nmdoug]

Originally Posted by gurroz

We just completed our summer travels covering 5750 miles in the south west U.S. We travel in our class C without a tow vehicle. My wife is a nervous passenger when towing anything behind us. At 25' with no slides breaking down camp and touring in the motorhome works for us, however, we were looking for another way to explore. We researched and ordered ebikes which were back ordered for months. While on our last trip of the season we received notice they shipped. It will be interesting to see how they integrate into our RV life. I am interested in hearing from any of you traveling with ebikes. We purchased ours from Rad Power Bikes in Seattle.

We have two Rad Minis and love them. Since they fold we put them in the back of our car. In your case you will need a bike rack and I would suggest one that mounts on a hitch, enjoy...

[Edbehl]

We bought two 20” folding e-bikes and a couple of fitted zippered bags to store them.
They fit easily INSIDE the rear storage compartment of our 26HE or in the back of our 2door Jeep Wrangler tow’d when we are out exploring. I elected not to get the fat tire versions as when folded ours take up less space. We make a point to use them everywhere we go and even have a backpack for out 22lb puppy who loves to ride with me
I got these ANCHEER bikes on EBay and only spent 565 each and bought a 3 year warranty too
They go 20+ mph an we have traveled over 3 Hours with over 1/2 battery remaining
Great options without high expense

[NeilV]

Battery life depends much on you. If you fully deplete the battery often then its going to get hotter during the charge cycle and won't last as long while if you do not run it completely down to 0 miles or have it going into limp mode and charge it sooner rather than later they can last much longer. Of course high quality batteries generally will last longer than no name or bargain batteries.

Most are like the batteries in a cordless power tool and can slide out for charging indoors and to help prevent theft so sliding in a new one is a fairly simple process as long as you do not lose the key that locks them into place. Charging the batteries indoors in an air conditioned space can also help extend battery life.

EZip used to be pretty good until they were bought out by a Private Equity Group that also owns Raleigh and a number of owners of the EZip bikes having noted that service and support is no longer anywhere close to the way it was before that. The local shop that used to provide support for EZip has stopped and advises their customers to look elsewhere which is unfortunate. Support for the Currie electronics which is also now owned by the same Private Equity Group also appears to have suffered too. Friends who would never have considered anything but an EZip no longer recommend them.

Anyone who wants to test out the waters on an EBike might want to look up Pedego to take advantage of the free rental they offer. Yes they are expensive however you will get to take am EBike for an extended test ride to see if an EBike will work for you.

Be mindful that each state has different regulations on where EBikes can be ridden depending on the speed and class of the bike. Over a certain MPH or with a Twist Throttle and they can't legally be ridden on many bike paths unless they can be locked into Pedal Assist Only Mode and even that is not universally acceptable so one has to be aware of the local speed and throttle type regulations.

[1237dmctlc]

NeilV that's a lot of good information that I probably would've found out the hard way. Like drones, places like Best Buy,, etc.., that sell them to you dont really know the rules and regulations especially state to state. Its left up to the consumer who sometimes just don't think to check or may even not care until something happens. Thanks time to do more homework. :-)

[Mpflood]

We tow a jeep and have 2 Rad Bikes.
I have the Rover 5 and DW has rad step thru.
We havent traveled with them yet, but im thinking of trying the standard yakima four bike
Rack on back of jeep. Not sure about the weight though.
Enjoy

[gurroz]

Originally Posted by Mpflood

We tow a jeep and have 2 Rad Bikes.
I have the Rover 5 and DW has rad step thru.
We havent traveled with them yet, but im thinking of trying the standard yakima four bike
Rack on back of jeep. Not sure about the weight though.
Enjoy

The weight is very important, ebike racks are generally rated for 60 to 65lbs per bike. Also if they have fat tires (over 3") there are special racks for those. You can reduce the weight by transporting the bikes without the battery ( saves just over 7lbs. Also consider removing the seat and seat post, no one can steal them and it will save another pound or so. You always want to transport with a rack that cradels the bike rather than a rack that hangs the bike from the frame. Good riding!

[Sheilag1848]

We are FT so our ebikes are always along. Mounted on rear of toad, we added roof top lights on car because bikes blocked view of tail lights. Bike Rack is Hollywood and is Really STRONG. Our first was a lower quality and we found that it bounced and rocked so much that we were quite uncomfortable with its safety. Cover is purchased on Amazon (where else LOL). Again, we selected the most durable available. Now, when he fishes, I can walk or bike. And we find bike paths almost everywhere we go.

[plrude]

We bought two Rad mountain bikes 3 years ago. We tested the various models before purchasing. Our first trip was a 30 mile roundtrip. I pedaled using the assist mode and my battery was nearly at full charge at the end of the trip. We went with a Thule rack ( the most expensive one) due to the weight of the bikes and attached them to our Winnebago View. Also bought a cover on amazon to keep road dust/mud off them. I bought the larger frame (I'm 6 ft) but probably should have gone with the smaller frame. If you do a lot of sandy roads, definitely get the big tire version as the mountain bikes tend to slip on sandy roads. I also recommend adding the optional seat stem with shock absorber. I have been very impressed with how sturdy the Rad bikes are and lack of maintenance problems compared to a normal mountain bike. We are in our late sixties and these bikes work effortlessly for getting around.

[gurroz]

Originally Posted by plrude

I have been very impressed with how sturdy the Rad bikes are and lack of maintenance problems compared to a normal mountain bike. We are in our late sixties and these bikes work effortlessly for getting around.

Hope we will be able to say the same think in 3 years.

[Minglehill]

We also travel in a Class C (29 ft) and only take our bikes. My husband bought an e-bike upgrade for my recumbant. I no longer walk up the hills! We camped in Algonquin Provincial Park in September where it is very hilly and the electric assist did just fine.

[Elkman]

A number of folding eBikes and one that looks interesting is the GoPower that has a removable battery so when mounted on a bike rack it will be a lot less tempting to a thief without its battery attached.

[Elkman]

Most of the Class C RV's have bunks over the cab which are of no use to us. Putting a couple of folding e-bikes there would be a great way to make use of that space. Our new RV has a 110V outlet in the overhead bunk space that we could use to recharge the bike's batteries. Very timely thread for us.

[lenore]

When we received our bikes we had no rack. Put them in the Dinette area on way home. The RAD bikes are quiet heavy at 65 apiece. We purchased the Hollywood rack and when viewed in camera absolutely are solid still. Trick to loading is tilt the rack, put front tire in wheel rack and then just lift the rear tire in place. Bought a Pro cover on Amazon and both bikes are covered and secure. Great combination of bike, rack, and cover.