Electric Bikes - Thoughts on Giant Twist Freedom + Trailer

The Giant Twist Freedom DX (two battery packs) is looking pretty good to me.

I know ... I know. Buying a conversion kit is less money and yada, yada, yada. I like a lifestyle without a lot of bits and pieces and batteries floating around - so I am attracted to manufacturers offering a complete electric solution.

Here's the question:

The DX places the batteries in the rear panniers ... leaving almost no storage space for a long, or multi-day, ride.

What are your thoughts about attaching a trailer to this bicycle? Any problems that might make this plan "impossible"?

Thanks for your assistance.

I would expect it to take a trailer just as easily as any other bike.

Multi-day rides on an ebike only make sense if you have access to electric outlets along the way, and even then the limited range and time required to recharge may keep you from getting anything useful out of your electric motor.

If I remember the info right, the Freedom is being promoted as going 70 miles between charges. The catch is that to get that range you have to be:

-150 pounds
-Use the lowest possible power assist level 'eco'
-Ride until one battery is drained, then switch over to the other battery

Which means the more weight you intend to move (rider+gear) the more time you'll actually spend off of the bike charging batteries...

It looks like they seem to use two, 24V 9ah, Li-ion batteries. The owner's manual says max 35lbs on the rear rack. I think this is underpowered for a trailer, and it will kill the range anyway. You'd get longer range and a longer battery life out of a 20ah LiFePo4 anyways. If you're thinking multi days, build it yourself and with the extra $1000 or so you'll save, load that trailer up with batteries!

Here's a link to the brochure and owner's manual (http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/ebike/2253/32019/). Edit: you have to choose the download tab.

If you want something without gadgets and something that may need fixed a lot, I'd avoid that Nexus rear hub, especially if you'll be towing a trailer. You could buy a bike and the lowest end Bionx for cheaper.

The rack will only hold 35 pounds because the weight of the batteries on it use some of it's (approx.) 50 pound carrying capactiy.

If I remember the info right, the Freedom is being promoted as going 70 miles between charges. The catch is that to get that range you have to be:

-150 pounds
-Use the lowest possible power assist level 'eco'
-Ride until one battery is drained, then switch over to the other battery

Which means the more weight you intend to move (rider+gear) the more time you'll actually spend off of the bike charging batteries...

I imagine the trailer will hurt you even more due to its added aerodynamic cost. And the faster you are the more it's going to hurt you, regardless of mode.

It seems to me that e-bikes are for urban utility more than recreational riding. If you're going to make use of that 70 mile distance, often, on recreational rides than you'll probably find the e-bikes wanting. If you're going to live inside of the design of the bike then you're probably spending way to much money on a recreational bike for the miles you're doing! But for riding to work and the store it's plenty of power and range and you'll use it for years until you wear it out (in theory).