4500+ Miles US Ebike Tour - August 2014

[knoxie]

Hey Troy have you tried http://www.glympse.com/ great way for you to share your location when you want to and for us all to track you on the road in real time

[veloman]

I heard about this new product called Wind Blox. If you wearing a bike helmet, it cuts down on wind noise.

[grimbasement]

I've been following this too. I remember following Justin's trip in 07 or 08. Seeing this adventure got me thinking about upgrades to my Yuba my goal is to do a 500 miler self supported trip sometime in September. Seeing those people with the kickstarter... Anybody can do a trip like that with an RV support crew charging batteries making 3 squares a day. That's soft. Self supported is hard core and really the only thing that proves manhood and proves what the these bikes can do.

[mlt34]

Hey Troy have you tried http://www.glympse.com/ great way for you to share your location when you want to and for us all to track you on the road in real time

He's actually using glympse, but he's posting only on Facebook so the whole world can't track him here. Understandable. A bit creepy if the entire internet knows your location down to 5 meters.

He just checked in 3 minutes ago in the middle of IL, for anyone who needs their ebike tour live blog fix

edit: he's currently traveling at 18 mph. Man, this level of detail is seriously creepy. I feel like if I zoom in far enough in the satellite map, I'll actually see him...

[grimbasement]

Pretty fun watching this on glympse. He's on the Hennepin Canal bike trail cruising at a a cool 25 mph. About 25 miles east of Moline IL. So cool.

[jerrydubois3]

Hey Troy,

If you can make it to Des Moines on Friday...you got a place to stay. I got this thing on Saturday and Sunday though.

The 24 Hours of Cumming Gravel Race and Festival will take place on the gravel roads of central Iowa. Launching from Cumming, Iowa, this will be one of the toughest endurance biking challenges in the United States. Riders will have 24 hours to cover 400k (that’s 248 miles to you and me) and nearly 15,000 feet of elevation gain. That’s a challenge for even the gnarliest of grinders! Not ready to tackle this beast solo? Take it on with a team of 2 or 4 people. To insure the best race experience possible we will cap race registration! Come join us at “The Midwest’s Best Gravelfest.”

So I will miss meeting you if you can't make it tomorrow:(

[grindz145]

I just found out about a family that is planning on a record attempt with a 7,000 mile ebike journey: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/98 ... nav_search

Though it is intended to go over six months, so I'm not sure at what point it stops being considered a single record-ebike-trip and just becomes someone riding their ebike a lot for an extended period of time. If we all add up our daily trips, eventually we'll break the record too…

Anyways, here's their plan, though I don't see how that quite adds up to 7,000 miles:

Wow, I may not have the record for long if I do get it then. As long as they don't stop for more than 15 days at a time, I don't see why they couldn't make it. Although traveling the northeast in the winter without stopping is pretty difficult...

All the more reason for me to break the record while the breaking is good. The best part is that I'm doing all of this without a kickstarter, I'm just doing it.


So if all goes to plan Ill be in Des Moines tomorrow. I'm in davenport right now and I should be able to make the distance.

Drop me a line on FB if you want so we can meet up, my sister in law is in town too, but I would love to stop by the bike shop first thing Saturday morning.

[grindz145]

Hey Troy have you tried http://www.glympse.com/ great way for you to share your location when you want to and for us all to track you on the road in real time

Add me on Facebook Knoxie. I'm posting a glimpse every day. I don't want to publish it 100% publicly though.

[grindz145]

Hey Troy,

If you can make it to Des Moines on Friday...you got a place to stay. I got this thing on Saturday and Sunday though.

The 24 Hours of Cumming Gravel Race and Festival will take place on the gravel roads of central Iowa. Launching from Cumming, Iowa, this will be one of the toughest endurance biking challenges in the United States. Riders will have 24 hours to cover 400k (that’s 248 miles to you and me) and nearly 15,000 feet of elevation gain. That’s a challenge for even the gnarliest of grinders! Not ready to tackle this beast solo? Take it on with a team of 2 or 4 people. To insure the best race experience possible we will cap race registration! Come join us at “The Midwest’s Best Gravelfest.”

So I will miss meeting you if you can't make it tomorrow:(

Jerry, I'm hoping to make it late tomorrow (friday) might be after dark, but I will be getting an early start. drop me a line to see if we can't hook up, like I mentioned my sister in law will be in town too, so I might catch up with them too, not too sure yet. 585.200.1681.

[grindz145]

So I'm at a ridiculously nice couples house in Davenport IA right now. They're just strangers that I found on warm showers, but they are just literally as nice as can be.

It has officially been a whole week now (although the first day was really a half day) and I"m just about at 1000 miles. That's not quite where I wanted to be, but it's not terrible either. It has honestly been way more of a mental and physical challenge than I realized, but I'm starting to get in the groove. I'm really behind on updates but hopefully I can get some editing done tomorrow.

I decided to just start opening up the throttle instead of being so miserly. I did have a tailwind today though. I averaged 24mph which is amazing.


I have the current limited to 10A in the cycle analyst and at first I had the speed limited to 24, but I removed that and I think I'm just going to try to hold it WOT at 10A from now on, and hopefully I will make more progress. It's amazing what an extra 5 MPH does. Although even 22mph on these canal paths are rediuclous. I feel like a dakar rider.

Sorry for the disjunctive posts. I'm tired and I still can't believe I'm attempting this. Hopefully I can get at least 5k miles to give these kickstarter guys a run for their money ;D

[veloman]

1000 miles in a week is not bad at all. You are charging at a bit below 1c, which is similar to Terry Hersher. He found that he could cover more miles by going faster, even though it was less efficient. There is a sweet spot somewhere. Personally, I much prefer 25mph over 20 for covering distance.

[adriftatsea]

This is really interesting, I'll be following along.

So what are the 'Gentleman Rules' for the world record?
- No 'non electric' riding days?
- Max days of rest?

Just curious, as I like the idea of promoting records because it promotes record-breaking (and ala durability testing).

I was seriously thinking of some long tours this summer, but then the worst happened, a job.

[grindz145]

This is really interesting, I'll be following along.

So what are the 'Gentleman Rules' for the world record?
- No 'non electric' riding days?
- Max days of rest?

Just curious, as I like the idea of promoting records because it promotes record-breaking (and ala durability testing).

I was seriously thinking of some long tours this summer, but then the worst happened, a job.

The guinness record rules basically require that you just don't stop for more than 14 days or something like that. There are very few rules otherwise. I just only have 30 days or so, so I just have to huck it out.

[grindz145]

1000 miles in a week is not bad at all. You are charging at a bit below 1c, which is similar to Terry Hersher. He found that he could cover more miles by going faster, even though it was less efficient. There is a sweet spot somewhere. Personally, I much prefer 25mph over 20 for covering distance.

That seems to work right now, but depending on the wind it just might not be an option with my aerodynamics.

[mlt34]

Troy,

Can you remind us what your bike's specs are? Motor, controller, batteries, the important stuff?

That seems to work right now, but depending on the wind it just might not be an option with my aerodynamics.

headwinds are the worst, aren't they? It's like you do everything in your power to make an efficient ride, plan accordingly, feather the throttle, add some aero, and then the big guy up stairs is just like "nope, sorry."

[knoxie]

He is doing amazing, got twin monitors here at work one on my work the other on Glympse, I think he has 2kwh of batteries, he is running a golden motor. home made controller with a backup sensorless controller in case the halls bum out on him, sensible move and something that Justin did on the cross Canada trip. Justin had a lot of problems with broken spokes, not sure if Troy has had any yet, he is sharing his glympse status on twitter for those that want to follow that dont use Facebook just go search and follow him on twitter.

[grindz145]

He is doing amazing, got twin monitors here at work one on my work the other on Glympse, I think he has 2kwh of batteries, he is running a golden motor. home made controller with a backup sensorless controller in case the halls bum out on him, sensible move and something that Justin did on the cross Canada trip. Justin had a lot of problems with broken spokes, not sure if Troy has had any yet, he is sharing his glympse status on twitter for those that want to follow that dont use Facebook just go search and follow him on twitter.

Spot on knoxie. The controller is an 18 FET infineon type with a host of mods. I have a BMS battery style charger 900W on the rear. A total of about 1.4 kw peak charging (about 1.2 kw total). I have a feeble old golden motor hub, but part of what I want to prove out here is how truly viable these things are, they can stand the test of time, even with a somewhat inferior chinese design. (not really to western standards).

[amberwolf]

If you can keep up the pace you could probably at least make it to New Mexico or so before you have to turn around. If you think you need to slow down, you might have to turn around sooner.

I'm guessing that I won't get to meet you this year...maybe sometime in the future when I win the lottery and don't have to work I could meet you halfway. (it'd just take me a lot longer since I'd be hauling dog(s) with me)

[grindz145]

What do you think? Am I crazy?

From one crazy guy to another, I say hit it Troy!

One thing as you've clearly found and others have noted is that 200 miles per dauuy on average is a lot to cover by ebike. Technically it looks easily doable (what, just 25mph for 8 hours!), but it takes a good chunk out of the enjoyment factor you could otherwise have since you are pretty much on the road, charging, or sleeping 24/7. No time to hang out with ES folks, check out surroundings, or even slow down for a while while biking so the wind isn't screaming in your ears. I'd agree with others that there's no shame in having mostly ~100-150 mile days instead, and only occasionally aim for record breaking 200+ mile ventures. They look good on paper, but in practice are not so fun.

Keep rolling and I'll look forwards to following your progress too. -Justin

You are very much the inspiration for this trip my friend, so I'm glad to hear from you. I'm not going to shoot for much more than the current record since it won't stand for long anyway. This way I can keep the mileage down. Still relative to motorcycle travel it is very slow and I do get to tree ally enjoy every road. It's still a long time left so we'll see Iwwish I could make it out to Vancouver. That was naturally the first destination that are to mind when I dreamed this trip up I feel that it's imporant to do round trip journey if possible to really show how practical it is.

[grindz145]

What do you think? Am I crazy?

From one crazy guy to another, I say hit it Troy!

One thing as you've clearly found and others have noted is that 200 miles per day on average is a lot to cover by ebike. Technically it looks easily doable (what, just 25mph for 8 hours!), but it takes a good chunk out of the enjoyment factor you could otherwise have since you are pretty much on the road, charging, or sleeping 24/7. No time to hang out with ES folks, check out surroundings, or even slow down for a while while biking so the wind isn't screaming in your ears. I'd agree with others that there's no shame in having mostly ~100-150 mile days instead, and only occasionally aim for record breaking 200+ mile ventures. They look good on paper, but in practice are not so fun.

Keep rolling and I'll look forwards to following your progress too. -Justin

You are the inspiration for this trip Justin. You'rethe pioneer. I am going to not worry so much about the mileage for sure, but it is slower than motorcycle travel and I really do get to see so much. I will stop at every ES membershhouse possible haha.

[zener]

I just found out about a family that is planning on a record attempt with a 7,000 mile ebike journey: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/98 ... nav_search

Though it is intended to go over six months, so I'm not sure at what point it stops being considered a single record-ebike-trip and just becomes someone riding their ebike a lot for an extended period of time. If we all add up our daily trips, eventually we'll break the record too…

Anyways, here's their plan, though I don't see how that quite adds up to 7,000 miles:

Wow, I may not have the record for long if I do get it then.

You can get and keep the record.
These are cheaters.
They use a stinko-mobile as support!
But the record is without a stinko-mobile.
So even if they only accomplish a lousy 999 miles they will have a record.

Have a good trip! Enjoy it!

[grindz145]

I just found out about a family that is planning on a record attempt with a 7,000 mile ebike journey: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/98 ... nav_search

Though it is intended to go over six months, so I'm not sure at what point it stops being considered a single record-ebike-trip and just becomes someone riding their ebike a lot for an extended period of time. If we all add up our daily trips, eventually we'll break the record too…

Anyways, here's their plan, though I don't see how that quite adds up to 7,000 miles:

Wow, I may not have the record for long if I do get it then.

Support vehicles are for chumps;-)


You can get and keep the record.
These are cheaters.
They use a stinko-mobile as support!
But the record is without a stinko-mobile.
So even if they only accomplish a lousy 999 miles they will have a record.

Have a good trip! Enjoy it!

[grindz145]

If you can keep up the pace you could probably at least make it to New Mexico or so before you have to turn around. If you think you need to slow down, you might have to turn around sooner.

I'm guessing that I won't get to meet you this year...maybe sometime in the future when I win the lottery and don't have to work I could meet you halfway. (it'd just take me a lot longer since I'd be hauling dog(s) with me)

I would seriously love this opportunity. The desert frightens me a little this time of year with respect to ebike travel. Well see how things go though;-)

[grindz145]

If there's ANYONE on E-S who can do such a trip, it's you man! Your experiences you've already blogged/podcasted about show that you have a ton of experience that will hold you in good stead. The fact that you're using a longtail, I think you've got the right "equipment" for the job.

EVEN if you CAN'T keep to your needed schedule, I say GO FOR IT, just lower the bar and the objective if you need to. Put SOME KIND of trip on the docket and you'll surely learn things you can bring back to the rest of the E-S community!

It's August 7, around 10:43am US EDT right now, so I'm thinking you are actually out there motoring/pedaling as I type this.

Indeed I was, Knoxie convinced me to post the ps coordinates on Twitter, so if you follow me there toy can see where I'm at (when my battery is not at 3 percent like it is now.

[e-Bike Family]

Awesome! We're doing it too, but going an entirely different route. We're more worried about cold than heat since we're taking 6 months and circling around the north and east of the country. 6,000 miles more or less, and winter is coming...

We'll have a support vehicle since our 2 toddlers are coming along. Yeah, not willing to put them through a tough ride ---- yet.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing updates. Where are you posting your video blogs at?