This is the slippery slope. We need a lawyer with an engineering degree. Total BS.

My take is still--> IT'S A MOTORIZED VEHICLE. Done.

Ride if you like but it should NEVER be referred to as a bicycle, IMO.

I'm back to my original take

I see your point, as long as people say they rode an E-Assist bicycle, the playing field is level enough, IMO The whole point of a Legal E-Assist bike is to allow/get more people onto bikes and they can ride them where "real" bicycles can be ridden... Un-fortunately the N American idea of what a Legal E-Assist bicycle is different, than in Europe and Canada. It basically, makes it a fail, IN MY BOOK TOO...

Fail too, No wings and no rocket engines...

If someone is trying to brag, then it isnt the same thing.
This woman doesnt brag. She is, at current age, a competitive bmx rider. Back in 06 she was 4th at some worlds race in her age group.
Point is- she doesnt brag about accomplishments or talk about equipment. She rides. She couldnt do 100% of some rides without assistance, and its worked out for everyone. Not a single person (out of 50) that we ride with cares.

Who cares? Are you handing out medals so that it makes a difference? Do you spit on people who smilingly greet you on trails when they ride past, if they're riding an E-bike?

I was going to suggest you to do a tour in Europe but maybe you shouldn't. You might risk an anger induced aneurysm. We have so far seen hundreds, if not thousands of bicycle tourists while here and a tiny minority were riding other than e-assist bikes. Haven't had a single issue with people riding them either

I live in Europe, albeit a small island off the western coast, and cycle tour on the mainland at least once a year but this was the first time I'd seen another cycle tourist riding an e-assist bike. When I say mainland Europe I 'm talking specifically about France, Spain and Portugal.



Where in Europe are you seeing all these electrically assisted cycle tourists? Are they young like the ones I saw in Santiago?

Germany. It was like a bike touring Mecca. Although we rode the Elbe-Route which is probably one of the most popular bike touring routes on the globe so choosing the right route for seeing tourists definitely matters.

Most of the people we saw were middle aged to retired but most seemed to be in reasonably good condition. Some were in really good condition with very sporty e-bikes. Didn't dare ask about their daily distances.

If I ever do go e-assist it will be purely to increase distance. However this endeavor is making me itch for brevet cycling and the transcontinental race which are races and cheating is a thing so it may be I'll get a motorcycle and do the assisted things with that

So she uses a motor when she BMX rides in races?

It's the elegance and simplicity of bicycle touring that I'm concerned about. Touring has nothing to do with bragging. Most of the general public see bicycle touring a colossal waste of time & human energy.

AGAIN: Do what ever you want, on what ever you want. It's all fine with me. But please stop referring to a motorized-bicycle as a bicycle. IT'S NOT. If your ego can't handle the truth, so be it.

What you eBike supporters are trying to do is DE-HUMANIZE the bicycle and bicycle touring when you add your motors!

I have a friend who cycled the Rhine route last year so I'll ask him did he notice a lot of people touring on Ebikes.

Some people here are suggesting that Ebikes are just another technical development of the traditional bicycle like pneumatic tyres or derailleur gears. I can't agree, putting a motor on, even if it only assists, is such a radical change that it needs to be called something other than a 'bicycle'. Likewise calling it cycle touring is dishonest and some new term is required, such as 'Ebike touring'.

Why? Who cares and why is this important? It's just a vacation. There is no higher meaning, there is nothing more divine in cycle vs e-cycle touring. The feeling of accomplishment is your own and no one else gives a sh*t.

I completely fail to see towards whom it would be dishonest to call e-cycle touring cycle touring. The highest of the cycle tour judges? Society? Law and order? Why should anyone care?

Well, back to the original thread. Touring on an e-bike. A practical question. To continue touring I will need to e-assist my wife's bike to help her get up the hills on our tours. How do you travel with an e-bike battery?

I care and at least one other person on this thread also cares.


Why do I care and why in particular in the instance I described in the op? In general I believe words matter and they should convey accuracy. The particular instance was a situation where people were arriving and celebrating a physical and mental achievement, some in their 70s, walking from dawn or cycling rough trails and I was shocked to see young fit people arrive on Ebikes. I think it was a normal human reaction but others may disagree.

No.
Added that to show she is tough, competitive, and knows how to ride.

You and some other person caring doesn't mean anything though. Like Big Lebowski would say "that's just like, your opinion man."

If I meet a person who cycle toured with an e-bike who calls it cycle touring and it comes up he did in fact do with an e-bike, I'll probably ask how and where he charged, how it affected his distance and how it was like. I wouldn't sneer at him and proclaim him as a fraud who has mislabelled his activity and is a lesser being for doing said activity even though through spartan suffering he should have endured with just muscle power especially if he is a capable young human who is forbidden from having too much fun and thus is striken forever from the very important touring annals™

Exactly, it's my opinion.


I wouldn't sneer at him either so what's your point other than trolling?

So let me get this straight:

She doesn't brag but somehow you know that:

So at RAGBRAI, an event that dozens of people in her age group train hard to be able to accomplish on their bicycles without motors, she gonna ride an eTrike. Plus RAGBRAI is a fun event not a race so why can't she gear down that trike (cat-trikes have like 50 something gears) and do it.

She's a perfect example of someone fully capable but rather take the easy way.

You use it as little as possible, I can go easily over 120Km on 1 charge using it as I want to, or
You carry an extra battery to go farther, mine weighs 7 Lbs or
You get a foldable solar panel that is capable of charging the battery in a couple of Hrs weighs 7 or 14 or 17 Lbs... and a lot of $$$, or a lot of $$$$ or a lot of $$$$

My vote on E bikes!! commuting yes!! Touring no!!
When I hit 80 I'll let you know if I change my opinion.

Don't you mean the fun way?

I guess she was able to party more

But:



BTW: RAGBRAI is not what I'm interested in when talking about touring. But if you're doing it --> ride a bike!

Good lord. If you are serious with this, you are stretching. If you arent serious, you are doing a great squeeze impersonation.

1- I know she was a really solid BMX rider because others on the team who have seen her compete have told me. She and I have since talked at length about her BMX riding. It isnt bragging when someone asks you about something and you talk.

2- Yup, her body is no longer able to handle all of what RAGBRAI requires. Instead of not participating, she has found an alternative.

As I posted earlier I couldn't care less about RAGBRAI. Just don't be a lazy-butt, unless that's your nature. Motorized bicycles are fine.

/I GIVE UP!

Quick answer is no. Adding gears is a mechanical advantage. The person riding the bike does all the work and energy expenditure. A gear range would be chosen based on the person's experience and fitness level. If the fitness level is not up to the challenge based on gear ranges available, then the person can either modify the gear range on their bike, change the route, or train to be ready for the challenge when it arises.

Adding a motor is a motorized advantage. That is, the person riding the bike is not doing all of the work. Being either an E-bike or E-assist. If the motor is not powerful enough for the job, modify it, or replace with another which generates more power. If the range is not enough, find a way to get more miles out of it, by either taking more fuel or ways to easily refuel the motor. You begin to focus on how to improve the motor-aspect of the bike and not the human-aspect of the bike.

Riding a bicycle is a very rewarding experience to me; knowing I was able to travel distances at some speed solely powered by myself. There are times where I fail riding and need to walk, change the route, or lighten the load (either being gear or my belly). But I never thought of adding a motor to a touring bike as a solution.

There may come a time when that may change, however, if 50-miles a day is too much, then I would gladly shorten the distance per day over a longer period time before considering a motorized-bicycle. If the hill is too steep, I will gladly consider walking for a bit or changing the route before considering adding a motor to the bicycle.