EBike cross-country experience

[mattdwyerva]

My wife is currently riding an ebike across the country with me, west bound from Rehoboth Beach DE to Astoria OR.  She has a Specialized Vado SL that is a couple years old (frame is carbon, I see they switched to aluminum in latest versions), and I have a Salsa Cutthroat (non-electric).  We are currently taking a break until 8 July to see kids and grandkids, having left our bikes at Cove Bike and Ski in Dillon CO for service while we drive to Boulder for family.   We recently rode over Hoosier Pass to get to Dillon, but our trip is not over.  I feel confident that we can make it to Astoria 'if the creek don't rise'.  At our age (66 & 68), arthritis and other things are a problem (esp for me), but I will skip that discussion and focus on the ebike. 

My wife's Vado SL (33# empty) can carry extender batteries in std Specialized bottle cages, so we carry 4 of those (I carry one of them on my Cutty).  Typically, she uses 2 or 3 extenders if mountainous, having set the controls to use extenders first, and typically the main battery is over 50% at end of the day.  We anticipate using 4 extenders in Wyoming.  Using extender first supposedly is bad, but battery health is over 90% after 2 years of use, and seems necessary for highest capacity with multiple extenders, even if battery health declines a bit.   BLEVO phone app is good for seeing data on batteries (e.g, tells you if firmware needs updating) - Specialized app is not as forthcoming.   We carry 2 charger bricks so that all batteries can be charged in a few hours every night.  We stay at motels or warm showers (no camping) and have not charged during the day so far.   Carrying extra batteries is heavy, but it is analogous to carrying gasoline for a car trip thru the desert.  It is definitely extra weight but the extra power dwarfs the weight issue.   

We tested multiple battery strategies in 3 different short tours the year prior to starting across the US on Skyline Drive in Virginia, trails to DC and Pittsburgh and back, as well as across Florida.   I changed some eqpt on the Vado (racks, fenders, brakes, chainring) in that period.  All but the chainring we considered to be essential.  The stock rack bent under wear of a test tour so I went with old main mountain (OMM) front and rear which required removing rear fender/light combo.  I added PDW metal fenders (bent them to fit in fork) which gives her much more clearance to tires in case of mud.  Including batteries, she is carrying 40-45 lbs I think.   We will see once the bikes get weighed in Missoula.

My wife's FTP is about 50 watts, and we set the 3 levels of support at max of 80W, 120W and 240W.  As you may well know, you get a lot more miles out of low power level than high, so "miles per battery" rating is highly dependent on user and terrain and temperature (below 40F, you get less capacity).  She would not be this tour without the ebike, which allows her to go the same speed as me which is pretty great.  While throttle type ebikes ridden at 30 mph may lead most of us to curse ebikes as a group, my wife's ebike has been an enormous blessing for her which is wonderful to see.

Matt Dwyer

[John Nettles]

Glad to hear you are still biking.

I personally have no issue with eBikes for people like your wife who would not be riding otherwise.  My gripe is the aforementioned jerks who fly by you at 30mph with no warning. 

Since you do not camp, how are you routing through Wyoming? How many miles a day do you do? 

Tailwinds, John

[mattdwyerva]

I need to review alternates, but currently have a difficult 70 mile with 4000 feet of climbing day between casino near Lander and Dubois.   That day is why we have 4 batteries, and even then it will be close I think

[mattdwyerva]

Oh yes, and mileage varies but we aim for 250 miles per week in mountains and up to 350 miles per week on flattish bike trails.   We use one rest day per week, so 40-60 miles per day I guess

[driftlessregion]

Three years ago after 25 years of self-contained touring, including the Northern Tier etc., I declared that I was done with it. I'm 72. (I still tour but we take turns driving the camping gear.)  But, I recently bought an e-wheel which I put on my custom Gunnar Grand Tour bike. It handles the same as it did before and my hope is that I can return to carrying 30-40# of gear. I had planned on a trial run last week but it was too hot. The cost was about $1400. The range will likely be an issue so I will probably order a second battery. It mounts like a water bottle. Check it out https://www.cytronex.com/. Their customer service is great.
Here's a review.https://www.roadbikerider.com/cytronex-diy-ebike-conversion-kit-review/
I'll add more when I have put it to good use.

[driftlessregion]

Here is an update on my new Cytronex e-wheel. I love  it. Too much. I want to ride it all the time instead of my other favorite bikes. I do commute more now that I have it to come up the hill to my house when I’m tired.  I put it on a Gunnar Disc Tour seen here on Chinook Pass on the way into Mt Rainier National Park) https://gunnarbikes.com/site/bikes/grand-disc/. (yes, Gunnar misspelled it) 
I was a spry 64 years of age when this was taken in 2016. I have since stopped loaded touring and my hope is that with the Cytronex I will be able to do it again. Twin factors of my schedule and weather has conspired against me to test this hypothesis.
I use it when I have my granddaughter on her tag-a-long attached. Together they add 56#  to haul up the hill to my house. The Cytronex is perfect for that!
The Cytronex is set up with a switch and I can choose 5 levels of power. The cool thing is that I can fine tune each level. For instance I have level 1 at 22% of power (which is also the lowest it can go), level 2 at 40%, level 3 at 60%, level 4 at 80% and 5 is 100% of power. If I chose to I could set level two at 80% etc. I find that on level terrain I get 2-3 mph boost with no extra effort.
Yesterday I went out and did 30 miles with 1034’ of climbing and max 5.6% hills. I used levels 2-4 on the hills and always had level 1 on even though I didn’t need it on the flat trail. I finished with 4% left on the battery. I took an extra battery (3.4#) and with the two racks and water bottles it weighed 46#. I was very pleased with its performance. The next test will be this week when I add 35# of gear for an overnight camping trip. That route is flat. After that will be a 50+ mile with >2500’ of climbing with gear.  Will need both batteries for that. Obviously, range is its downside, and the only downside  I see. I get to use my custom Gunnar instead of a more expensive Bianchi  for example, for the cost of a complete cheap ebike. No one is making a pure touring ebike  to my knowledge. The Cytronex does not affect the handling of the Gunnar at all. I have $2000 invested in it which includes the second battery and optional front and rear lights. $160 was shipping  from England.

[mattdwyerva]

Thanks, Maverick.  She never would have tried on an "acoustic" (non-electric) bike.  She is justifiably proud and amazed to have ridden 4400 miles cross country now, including the usual, numerous mountain passes.  It was a great experience for both of us.