4500+ Miles US Ebike Tour - August 2014

Watching your videos, it looks like traffic is very little, especially out on those farm roads. How has traffic been for you? It is my #1 concern, and why I have been hesitant to do a XC ebike trip. I just hate the feeling of being on a narrow road with a car flying up behind me at 50-70mph. All the roads I've seen here in TX are like that. Mostly narrow and high speeds. I know the North East has a more generous shoulder and lower speeds (not as straight/open), I grew up in CT road biking.
 
I'm in Crete Nebraska right now. It has been a grueling few days. Today I got soaked early on which reduced me to 600w charge . Still made 130 miles.

Working backwards last night I hung out at random dive in Avoca ia which was a total blast. My hike was charging out front and as it turned out there was a campsite right down the road.

The day before was awesome. After a 190 mile day I got to Jerrys place. Holy shit it is amazing. A full machine shop. He hooked me up big time.

I get some more updates soon but time is hard. I just every minute of the day. A tell it's been hard even to bang out a quick update. I'll try to do short ones from my phone.
 
grindz145 said:
I'm in Crete Nebraska right now. It has been a grueling few days. Today I got soaked early on which reduced me to 600w charge . Still made 130 miles.

Working backwards last night I hung out at random dive in Avoca ia which was a total blast. My hike was charging out front and as it turned out there was a campsite right down the road.

The day before was awesome. After a 190 mile day I got to Jerrys place. Holy shit it is amazing. A full machine shop. He hooked me up big time.

I get some more updates soon but time is hard. I just every minute of the day. A tell it's been hard even to bang out a quick update. I'll try to do short ones from my phone.
Click to expand...

Troy, you are making PHENOMENAL time, and even short little updates are fantastic. We can see that you stopped in Sutton, NE for lunch and a charge-up. We hope all's going OK as you approach the Colorado state line! You are inspiring the crap out of me!
 
Yea I think there's a whole load of us who are sitting at home right now thinking "I wonder if I could convince my wife to let me do something like this…"

I may have to try it in the next couple years. Of course by then the record will be something crazy (likely by someone inspired by troy).
 
Yes been watching Troy on Glympse (that’s so addictive) and am just amazed at the miles that he has been popping in on that bike on a little old golden motor too that has already had about 8,000 miles put on it!

Troy is doing what we all dream about doing or talk about doing, the xtracycle is a great bolt on extension to a bike, I remember being so impressed people riding with surf boards and other stuff strapped to them, Troy has to be tough though as sitting upright on a bike like that for 200 miles is very hard on the back and arms / wrists (I always get pins and needles in my hands) they sure make them tough out there in Rochester.

I wish Troy so much luck on this trip, and folks please watch his videos on his youtube channel they are so cool and even more so that he doing them and uploading such high quality footage on the move with no film crew or backup support vehicle.

Keep going Troy we are all behind you !!
 
mlt34 said:
Yea I think there's a whole load of us who are sitting at home right now thinking "I wonder if I could convince my wife to let me do something like this…"
I may have to try it in the next couple years. Of course by then the record will be something crazy (likely by someone inspired by troy).
Click to expand...

The Glympse updates are AWESOME. Troy, you are doing great!
 
jkbrigman said:
It would be really cool for a GROUP of E-S faithful to plan and execute a trip like this. I know one of the hardest parts of this for Troy is being by yourself.

BTW: the Glympse updates are AWESEOM
Click to expand...

I agree on both accounts.

I was actually thinking about the ES group record attempt as well, but I worry that it could be an issue as each person would likely have a different range and everyone would be limited to range of the lowest guy. Then if one person has a problem on the road, what do you do? Could easily wind up in one of those heart wrenching movie scene situations where one guy has to tell his comrades to march on and leave him behind...
 
jkbrigman said:
mlt34 said:
Yea I think there's a whole load of us who are sitting at home right now thinking "I wonder if I could convince my wife to let me do something like this…"
I may have to try it in the next couple years. Of course by then the record will be something crazy (likely by someone inspired by troy).
Click to expand...

It would be really cool for a GROUP of E-S faithful to plan and execute a trip like this. I know one of the hardest parts of this for Troy is being by yourself.

BTW: the Glympse updates are AWESEOM
Click to expand...
That sounds awesome! I would definitely be up for a UK based trip if ever one was on the cards.
 
mlt34 said:
I was actually thinking about the ES group record attempt as well, but I worry that it could be an issue as each person would likely have a different range and everyone would be limited to range of the lowest guy. Then if one person has a problem on the road, what do you do? Could easily wind up in one of those heart wrenching movie scene situations where one guy has to tell his comrades to march on and leave him behind...
Click to expand...

You are absolutely right about that. The protocols some of the existing rides follow for qualifying riders would need to be used to prevent that (very sad) event from happening.
One other thing I've been thinking about is trailers....
 
Maybe a one wheel trailer like a BOB. Two wheel trailers just take up too much power IME.

The key is to take as little stuff as needed, and compact things like hiking sleeping bags/mats/tents. Ultralight stuff. If you are riding an upright, a longtail like Troy's is the way to go. I have a homemade one as my cargo ebike.
 
veloman said:
The key is to take as little stuff as needed, and compact things like hiking sleeping bags/mats/tents. Ultralight stuff.
Click to expand...

Truth.

I think if you need a trailer then you're trying to bring too much stuff. Even Troy's bike seems REALLY loaded up, which is probably cutting into his efficiency.

Minimalism would be the key. That's hard for some people, I know. There are always those last minute "oooh but I should take this too" things. But if I was going to do this journey (and I really want to) I'd try to not take anything more than what fits into a 50L or so hiking backpack, and smaller if possible. A few basics (tubes, electric connectors, etc) would be required but things like tires could be purchased on the road when you see yours are getting worn down.

I'd love to do this trip on a comfortable cruiser frame, maybe an electra townie with a 48V 9C 2810 setup and about 2-3 kWh of lithium and a backpack or panniers for all my stuff.
 
veloman said:
Maybe a one wheel trailer like a BOB. Two wheel trailers just take up too much power IME.

The key is to take as little stuff as needed, and compact things like hiking sleeping bags/mats/tents. Ultralight stuff. If you are riding an upright, a longtail like Troy's is the way to go. I have a homemade one as my cargo ebike.
Click to expand...

I believe you - two more tires on the ground could be non-negligible resistance. You are making me think that traveling light/little and using a longtail bike (or a big LWB recumbent?) is the best way to go. Of course we've got Justin L-E and Troy as examples. I hope Troy tells (later) more about how he coped with things when he got wet. I know you aren't supposed to pack stuff wet, but that looks unavoidable for a large XC.
 
mlt34 said:
veloman said:
The key is to take as little stuff as needed, and compact things like hiking sleeping bags/mats/tents. Ultralight stuff.
Click to expand...

I'd love to do this trip on a comfortable cruiser frame, maybe an electra townie with a 48V 9C 2810 setup and about 2-3 kWh of lithium and a backpack or panniers for all my stuff.
Click to expand...

mlt34, that's music to my ears. My main commuter is a clone of the electra townie. neptronix has referred to bikes like this as a"mid-tail". (about 4-6 inches between the seat tube and rear wheel). I like the battery/motor combo you mentioned, because I have those components, but I'd be surprised if you could make 25mph on a 9c 2810 at 48-50 volts....
 
Don't forget about Kingfish's epic trip from Washington to California. He talks a lot about carrying a load including using a trailer:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28573
 
jkbrigman said:
I'd be surprised if you could make 25mph on a 9c 2810 at 48-50 volts....
Click to expand...
you're right, that's about a 19-20mph rig on the flat. I don't think I'd want to aim for more than 150 miles a day though, so a solid 8 hours a day would get me 150 miles with room to spare at that speed. Also on touring I think it can be nice to slow down a bit and enjoy the ride. 25-30 mph is great for getting where you need to go, but these types of trips are all about the journey.

And what's the name of the clone? Sounds like a cool alternative to an expensive Townie.
 
mlt34 said:
jkbrigman said:
I'd be surprised if you could make 25mph on a 9c 2810 at 48-50 volts....
Click to expand...
you're right, that's about a 19-20mph rig on the flat. I don't think I'd want to aim for more than
...

And what's the name of the clone? Sounds like a cool alternative to an expensive Townie.
Click to expand...

Mine is a Specialized Sport Expedition. Build thread at:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=45993

As it sits, I could carry the amount of gear you specified for an XC. Battery box would need to be made (planned) and improved lighting (planned).

tomjasz has a pair of similar bikes, they are Trek ("Pure", I think?)
 
I can't believe that I'm just finding this now and Troy is over 1,000 miles deep into the US. Rock on Troy! We're all pulling for you! (too bad only figuratively)


mlt34 said:
jkbrigman said:
It would be really cool for a GROUP of E-S faithful to plan and execute a trip like this. I know one of the hardest parts of this for Troy is being by yourself.

BTW: the Glympse updates are AWESEOM
Click to expand...

I agree on both accounts.

I was actually thinking about the ES group record attempt as well, but I worry that it could be an issue as each person would likely have a different range and everyone would be limited to range of the lowest guy. Then if one person has a problem on the road, what do you do? Could easily wind up in one of those heart wrenching movie scene situations where one guy has to tell his comrades to march on and leave him behind...
Click to expand...



What about an around-the-sphere (or as close as we can get) world record relay? We pass one 'thing' from person to person on a huge route to get it as far as it can go
 
cal3thousand said:
I can't believe that I'm just finding this now and Troy is over 1,000 miles deep into the US. Rock on Troy! We're all pulling for you! (too bad only figuratively)

What about an around-the-sphere (or as close as we can get) world record relay? We pass one 'thing' from person to person on a huge route to get it as far as it can go
Click to expand...

Hey c3k! I only found the twitter feed off Troy's website only a couple days ago (troyrank.com). Sending Troy total props + vibes. He's done a remarkable job.
 
http://troyrank.com/
https://twitter.com/grindz145
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9X8VKAlYEyHBCJSBFhNu9w
http://instagram.com/grindz145
 
grindz145 said:
4 days until I would like to leave, and things aren't going super-great. Managed to shoot the bike across the backroom, on accident this evening. Took a nice chunk out of my shin with the pedal in the process. Very much behind on everything... we'll see how this goes... :roll:
Click to expand...

Subscribed to your youtube channel. Didn't realize it was you when I started watching. I'm kicking around an idea for doing a coast to coast journey soon as there are at least medical states for cannabis from coast to coast. You're doing great! :D
 
*blurb*
 
Did another huge day today. Sorry for the lack of updates. I Internet. Did another hard-core 200 mile day today and I'm in Colorado! Another 150 miles to Denver tomorrow and I can't wait! Camping in some Park downtown right now. I charged at like 4 different gazebos today and now I'm camping at one.

It was cool how the landscape changed today. From the flat Plains of Nebraska to the rolling hills and to the Tundra of Eastern Colorado. I saw a giant buffalo right next to me in the roadside, albeit behind fence.

Yesterday I went through most of Nebraska. Super boring. People were really cool though, even though most people from Iowa told to watch out for the Nebraska folks, hah.

It got really hot today for the first time and the controller is hot, but generally seem OK.

Attn all you Denver/boulder folks, let's meet up in the next couple of days!
 
jkbrigman said:
grindz145 said:
I'm in Crete Nebraska right now. It has been a grueling few days. Today I got soaked early on which reduced me to 600w charge . Still made 130 miles.

Working backwards last night I hung out at random dive in Avoca ia which was a total blast. My hike was charging out front and as it turned out there was a campsite right down the road.

The day before was awesome. After a 190 mile day I got to Jerrys place. Holy shit it is amazing. A full machine shop. He hooked me up big time.

I get some more updates soon but time is hard. I just every minute of the day. A tell it's been hard even to bang out a quick update. I'll try to do short ones from my phone.
Click to expand...

Troy, you are making PHENOMENAL time, and even short little updates are fantastic. We can see that you stopped in Sutton, NE for lunch and a charge-up. We hope all's going OK as you approach the Colorado state line! You are inspiring the crap out of me!
Click to expand...

Glad to hear it! I hope 4000 mile ebike tours are commonplace soon:)
 
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