E bike roadtrip

I've got a two wheel trailer that I have been using at least every week for a couple of years now to go grocery shopping, it would handle enough weight to tour with and it's hard to tell I have it behind my e-bent as far as the handling goes but keeping track of where three different wheel tracks are going to run on your path is tedious. I'd much rather have a single wheel trailer like a Bob from the perspective of the mental/visual processing involved, if your front wheel misses the obstacle you are almost certainly good.

A couple of times one of my trailer wheels has dropped off the edge of the road where it's really uneven because I wandered a bit too close for the trailer but still had plenty of room for the bike, it was an exciting couple of moments as the whole bike jerked and the trailer jumped about two feet in the air and a foot sideways while twisting to the left. After well over a hundred nine mile round trips and some longer ones to other places I still don't feel completely comfortable with that trailer behind me.

If you are going to be riding places where the roads are not good or have a lot of debris then a one wheel trailer would be something worth considering.
 
Got my 10watt solar panel and some other small stuff today, think I'm gonna start building my trailer tomorrow if I have the time. Maybe I'll wait a week :lol:
Got all I need for my trip now, just need to put it together and field test it.

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Honestly, I don’t get this solar thing.
It’s heavy, low powered, and will contribute serious drag.
Forget it and move on to more functional solutions – like planning accordingly to spend the night where you can recharge off the grid.

Don’t go overboard and shoot yourself in the foot by purchasing a huge power supply that uses 2 kw! I was running with 63V 130 Ah which could carry me an average of 160 miles/260km per day. Recharged using two Meanwell HRP-600 (24V + 48V) in series; the total current draw was about 1 kw which is well below the limits of common household circuits. It means that you can recharge in the motel room or at a gas station or electrified rest stop. This charging assembly weighs less than that solar panel, less than any gas charger, and you can use it 24/7. I recharged during my sleep. :wink:

  • Buy enough batteries for you to complete the most challenging day.
  • Make sure you can pedal your ebike fully loaded; it’s important in case you run low on power.
  • Ride in the direction of the wind. I did my 2011 WA-CA loop clockwise when it would have been better going the other way.
Most people do not understand how difficult it is to do 100 miles/160km or more every day! For June, train now for progressively longer rides each weekend, then train two or three days in a row. It's good for the spirit and for the ebike; figure out the weak links early. Get your diet sorted.

Safe travels, KF
 
miro13car said:
CAN YOU tell us where you live?
Ironically you post about trip but nobody knows where?
It is the map of what country?
Click to expand...

I have posted where I live, wich country's my trip is going to be in :D
I'm starting from Norway, riding across Finland and end my trip In Sweden (luleå) where i turn and ride home.
But im doing a test trip first in my own country/Norway when the snow is gone.

Kf:
The solar panel is for a separate 12v battery that I'm gonna use for my lights, gps communication etc. it gonna be on top of the trailer and the weight of the panel kit is only 1 kilo.
I have done this trip by car many times and i know i will have problems some places to get a charge, so I want to have my generator with me.


I have already looked at the hrp-600 someone told me about meanwell , a lot of improvements and things I have done different tnx to you guys on this forum :)

This is my main trip I have planed:

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100 mile days definitely beyond my reach. But I just did three 60 mile days in a row, on a spring shakedown cruise. Came home plenty tired.

Main conclusion, I need to pare down the weight by about 15 pounds. The bike handled crappy with everything I wanted on it. So it's getting trimmed, to everything I need. I prioritize how the bike handles at the very top, and refuse to trailer so I can do a dive for life into the ditch if I must. Even overloaded, I could still swerve onto a gravel shoulder if the cars needed space, at 15-18 mph. Coming home much lighter, the bike was again able to ride 30 mph no problems.
 
Yeah the weight seems to be the biggest problem, I'll bet I need to trow some of the things I want with me on the trip too :(
But I feel I can load a lot more with my trailer, I don't see put wholes as a problem with my setup. I ride with my kid 20 kilometers every day to the kindergarten and my tactic is to aim at them with my bike, got 200mm travel so I don't feel them and the wheels of the trailer pass on the outside of the put whole. But sometimes it's impossible to miss them, that's why I upgraded the tires on the trailer so the rim don't get messed up.

Got the bike light mounted today.... :mrgreen:
Yes it's big, but I promise you.. I see everything hehe

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I seriously considered building a trailer hitch, to carry big loads to my house, or to lug that pig heavy generator of mine.

But I just love the way my bike rides nimble, if I just lose that 15 pounds I was talking about. I'd hate to hit the ditch towing a trailer. So I'm ditching the folding chair, and one battery to trim 15 pounds.

Hard to say how long a trip I can make, my health is still far from ideal. But I am definitely looking at driving to places where I can do 2 night trips that are through nicer country. Tour of Santa Fe, Tour of the Gila, that kind of thing. Some good roads are still only a 200 mile drive from my house. Last summer, I did a ride from Socorro NM, to Albuquerque, about 70 miles but I rode it both ways for a total of 140.

I have now ebiked every inch of road from El Paso TX to Santa Fe NM.

I need more battery to really go wild. I need a solid 70 mile range for some routes. Another 300 bucks, that I don't have.
 
Keeping enough lithium alive for a 100 mile journey is my problem as I commute daily on the damn stuff...LOL I think 100 miles a day is doable if I can juice up somewhere every 70 miles or so......And just like Dogman a poor mans budget. I used to be able to squeeze 40 + miles out of my 36v 20ah ping pack, but crawled along at 10 mph....
 
Ummm... Sorry I didn't see this thread, but on another ES thread "Etrike Touring", here:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=57467

Solar has also come up... and "wind-assist" too.

Just FYI
L
 
jkøkjøjøkjkøjøj.jpgupdate: still waiting for the snow to go away..... so i can do my trip
 
Did an 80 mile ride to wineboy's house the other day. A new personal best one day range. If all my battery was new and had full capacity, I'd have 100 mile range. 45 ah of 48v RC lipo.

Picture thread on it here. http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=59084

I just have to rub salt in the wound. But in about 30 days, we'll be riding in the furnace of hell, 100F or more, and also unable to breathe with so many forest fires going at once. We have a new season, smoke choke season.
 
Nice thred dogman, now I really can't wait now. Looks like you had a lot of fun. Got a super warm weather som I'm hoping to start my trip in 2-3 weeks time:)
 
Now I'm done with my trailer setup, needed to rebuild everything again. The original was wayyyyy to heavy so I made a super simple design on the one I got now and tested it fully loaded, worked perfect for my use. I made it small for a reason this time, now I need to think before I trow something in the cargo space :lol: + it's a lot more aerodynamic.

The forecast is good to me on Tuesday 6 may so I think I'll just jump into it and hit my first leg on my trip.
Got my solar panel working and the generator does it job charging the battery, everything is going my way for once 8)

Only got one battery on this trip but its only a little over 450 kilometer, and I mounted the generator so I can charge while riding if I want. Don't think I'm gonna do that but it's nice to know.

Just need to get the last things I need Monday and change tires on the bike.image.jpgimage.jpg
 
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DONE :mrgreen: tomorrow I'm on the road, can't wait :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Hope it's gonna be a nice trip with not to much trouble.
 
First pit stop of the day, my ass hurts like h***. Note to myself, buy another seat for long trips.
Bike is working good but the trailer don't like faster than 30 km/h but that's okey.
Going to try riding while charging tonight when it's not so much traffic.
 
Sounds like fun except for the butt pain part. I find that even a full fledged automobile seat feels uncomfortable after four hours or so.
Looks pretty snowy out there how are you holding up in the cold?

30 kph is a pretty reasonable speed for long range trips.

I think you will have an easier time of it recharging with a portable generator and outlets along the way than with solar, hope your trip goes well and keep us posted.
 
image.jpgYeah, im gonna buy that gel cover for my seat on my next trip.
It's not so cold any more here, maybe -10 Celsius at night.
Been reading on ES to long now, need to do my night riding.
 
Great to see you out riding!! 30kph is fast for when I'm distance riding. I often go as slow as 25 kph to make distance.

Don't forget to lube your crotch. Seriously, it's mandatory for longer rides. Anything, even some margarine will do. Pro racers have special sauces they favor. I've made do with chap stick :shock: , but by putting some on my hand first.

You need a chamoix sewn into your pants too, if you aren't using riding shorts. That seam will rub a mean hole in your balls. Stand the pedals more.

Hopefully you will grow a tougher crotch by later in the summer.
 
Joppo said:
Been reading on ES to long now, need to do my night riding.
Click to expand...

I can think of no other place where that statement would apply other than above the Artic Circle :wink:

Time will tell how effective the solar panel will be.

The bum-ache will go away after the 3rd or 4th day. Just take a break every now and then for 5-10 minutes and walk around/stretch. For seats, I use the Brooks Saddle. You only have one tush, and I found that after 50 miles/80 km that all saddles hurt... you just want to find the one that hurts less. At the speed that you are going I think a gel-pack would be fine, though if a person was constant above 25 mph/40 kph then a plush seat would not do; need more of a road/MtB type to reduce chafing and numbness.

Trailers can be persnickety, and I feel for you. Mine took me a few days to get used to and figure out the limits, though after that - driving was much more relaxed.

You are a rare bird. 8)
Hoping for the best of luck & safe travels! KF
 
Joppo
I really can imagine how you do on your trip. Living on severe winter central Canada flats I went on several spring trips myself when I was at your age.
The difference is Alberta Canada is a heaven for everything electric - live receptacles all over the place, parkings, mainly for car engine heaters.
I thought Sweden, Norway have plenty of such plug ins on parking lots.
 
Looks like typical scandinavian late-spring conditions :)
We are having +5C here down south at the moment for weeks.
I can only recommend Brooks saddles warmheartedly.
 
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