Coast to Coast E-Bike Ride ... what are the logistics?

[jag]

WOW! Your really getting my hopes up!! 20lbs of cargo for a family of 3!?!
How many days camping for the family is that gear load good for?

Like Jenny mentioned, I'm only carrying the tent and cooking gear for three. Different people will prefer different gear, but as an example this is what I'm carrying:

2lbs MSR stove, pots and a 0.6l fuel bottle:
1.5lbs thermarest
2lbs Western mountaineering ultralight 10F sleeping bag.
5lbs Nallo 3 person tent
2-3lbs?? Rear panniers
1.5 Lbs light goretex jacket and pants w/o all the unnecessary underarm zippers etc found on todays gear. (This one was japan sewn and I bought it in Korea)
2-4lbs underwear and extra clothes: Stanstead wool longjohns and sweathers (Canada's contribution to the world), watchmans cap and gloves from army surplus.

Food varies by duration and availability along the way.

To go superlight alone, I would use a 2lbs tent, a 1lbs foam pad and either no cooking gear or just one pot and a smaller stove.

Here is the tire that looks to be the best for the winter I have seen so far:

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti topcontact.shtml

I wouldn't be using just the standard Top Contact tire, but the winter version.

Not sure what to say about the tire. GPB 40-50 is awfully expensive for a tires. I've had most tires for free as takeoffs from other bikes, or gone for the cheaper stuff. However a couple of months ago I splurged on $30 Schwalbe's and indeed the rubber compund seems nicer. I've seen how quickly a snow squall can come in Montana. I would still probably just try my luck with regular touring tires, but I wouldn't go touring in winter weather.

I commute in the winter, and just got studded tires for my ebike this past season. But i commute because I have to get places. For touring I'd choose more pleasant weather. The studded tires increase drag a lot. I think I posted figures on ES last winter.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Thanks again for the great information and insight, my main concern is traction to keep from slipping in the event that bad weather rolls in.

I don't plan on riding in the bad weather on purpose, or in winter, but I'm just wanting to be prepared for the worst.

Where is the best place to get gear? I hear a lot of people talk about REI, but I just want to make sure I'm getting the most for my money, and I wouldn't be totally against used equipment, but at the same time I am leaning towards new just because of how many miles I will be putting on everything.

Any estimate how much $$$ you have into the gear you listed?

 

[jag]

I don't plan on riding in the bad weather on purpose, or in winter, but I'm just wanting to be prepared for the worst.

This depends on the place. When close to civilization you can always take a bus, hitch a ride, or stay in town until the bad weather passes over. When far from civilization it is good to have a self reliant backup plan. However the most crucial is to keep yourself warm, have water, some food etc. if you have to sit out a storm, or break down so you have to walk back.

Any estimate how much $$$ you have into the gear you listed?

The gear I used was accumulated over at least a decade, a lot on sales, used or from surplus. By gradually buying and replacing I was able to get exactly the gear that fits my style and the conditions I'm out in. When I really wanted something I would just save up and get just that thing in a year. So about 4 years ago I bought a $500 tent. That's the most expensive piece. But it is a 3 person tent. I had the 1 person Zephyr before and that's less than $100 new. My sleeping bag was also pricey at nearly $200. I bought directly from Feathered friends. Called them and got a bit off an irregular Swallow model. Cookset (used) and stove (new) was about $100.

In terms of clothes I think the outdoor stores are overpriced, and I for cold weather I prefer wool to synthetics anyway. I get this from workman clothing stores and army surplus.

Where is the best place to get gear? I hear a lot of people talk about REI, but I just want to make sure I'm getting the most for my money, and I wouldn't be totally against used equipment, but at the same time I am leaning towards new just because of how many miles I will be putting on everything.

REI and MEC in Canada have decent pricing that is consistent. I don;t like stores that sell for full price one week and then have it 50% off the next week. Obviously full price is way overcharged.

There are outlets, e.g. Sierra Trading post, that sell overstock outdoor gear for way less than the usual retailers.

 

[Crash Machine]

I just did a 2000 mile tour of the southeast( Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Virginia,Tennesee). My most valuable equipment was my bob ibex trailer. Carried over 80 lbs. of gear in that trailer sometimes. I roughed it alot and I already had wonderful,light camping gear. I stayed on national forest land alot. Had to find other campers with generators to charge sometimes. But mostly I just charged anywhere. Noone ever said no to me, but it often involved being stuck waiting to charge somewhere for 3 to 4 hours in the middle of a hot day. Wal-mart was one of my typical stops.
I have the crystalyte 4840 which allowed me to haul almost any amount of weight up almost any hill. For every up hill there's usually a downhill to save you. But I found that by keeping my watts below 1000 I could get an average of 2 miles per Ah sometimes even better. Get a cycle analyst if you don't have one. I only had 25 Ah to work with so it would be 50 miles or less in the morning then the same thing in the evening. This left little time to find a place to lay your head but it always worked itself out. Carried some M.R.Es on the trip but every time I broke one out someone would usually buy me a meal. One thing I definitely learned was that people are wonderful and I guess that's what this trip ended up being all about.
Every item on my bike was built to the highest standard, no expense spared, but problems still arise. On the last leg of the journey in a little town called Mckee, Ky on my way to Johnson city,Tn( where I am now) a coal truck(ironic) ran me off the road. This dislodged my 10Ah battery and completly destroyed it. This pretty much ended my tour but hasn't curbed my enthusiasm. Next year I plan on crossing the continent ,one end to the other. So good luck and safe journeys...

 

[Evoforce]

I don't know what to tell you Light, my X-5303 and 5304 barely even knows that my hundred pound daughter, 10 pound cooler, 10 pound chairs, and chariot(? lbs) are behind it. Maybe your weight wasn't balanced or you need a bigger motor?

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Well I went to REI yesterday, and got a few things, I have a camping stove:

http://www.rei.com/product/709000

And a Air Mattress:

http://www.rei.com/product/734496

And ordered this Tarp in lieu of a tent:

http://www.rei.com/product/627835

I have decided also on a synthetic 10 DEG sleeping bag since I am pretty warm blooded, and I believe I can always sleep with socks and a cap if needed for more heat.

Some things that I have yet to figure out a good way to solve, is drying clothes, easy to find bio-degradable soap that I can use out in the woods for both cleaning myself and my clothes, I plan on packing extremely light, and having one set of warm weather clothes, cold weather clothes with maybe 3 layers, and I will just wash my clothes after every ride.

One other thing, can anyone recommend a good cheap solar shower? I'm sure REI sells one, just want to know what others have used.

Thanks!

 

[Evoforce]

Golly Light, I do alot of camping and I believe you are still going to want a small tent. It helps in many ways. 1. It helps keep pests off. 2. It can help keep night creatures separated from you. 3. It can help you keep heat in better if needed. 4. It can help you and your gear stay dryer in windy driven rain. 5. It can give you more privacy for changing and ? 6. It can keep some of your gear stored from view when you make camp and want to go on little side junkets. 7. Etc. On to another note. I recently stumbled onto another bikers site that was doing a cross country, and he had a nifty solar charger for cell phone, laptop, recharable flashlights, etc. I will try hard to find his website again if you let me know you are interested.

 

[dogman dan]

I did a lot of camping in my younger days, both tents and tarps, and one thing is for sure. If you don't have a tent, you must have a very good bivvy sack. In a pinch, you can make do with a 55 gallon size trash bag ( drum liner), but a good bivvy sack is sooo nice. Just a very light coated nylon tarp sewn into a completely waterproof bag your sleeping bag goes into. Done right, you can cover your head with something, and sleep sitting up while sitting in 6 inches of water. If you do get a tent, that fly would make a good bivvy sack, sewn into a bag with lots of sealer on the seam.

 

[scouser-nick:)]

have a look at DD hammocks there pritty sweet they do a mix of a bivvy and a hammock not to mention the giant tarps they do

 

[jag]

Well I went to REI yesterday, and got a few things, I have a camping stove: And a Air Mattress:

And ordered this Tarp in lieu of a tent:

I have decided also on a synthetic 10 DEG sleeping bag since I am pretty warm blooded, and I believe I can always sleep with socks and a cap if needed for more heat.

Some things that I have yet to figure out a good way to solve, is drying clothes, easy to find bio-degradable soap that I can use out in the woods for both cleaning myself and my clothes, I plan on packing extremely light, and having one set of warm weather clothes, cold weather clothes with maybe 3 layers, and I will just wash my clothes after every ride.

One other thing, can anyone recommend a good cheap solar shower? I'm sure REI sells one, just want to know what others have used.

Thanks!

Good stove, pad and a 10F sleeping bag should be good for most 3 season use.

I would like to chime in with the many others recommending a tent. When the weather is bad you want to be able to be completely enclosed. Also keeps the bugs off you at night. A small tent is much more comfortable than a bivy sack for not much more weight.

I dry clothes by strapping tot he outside of my packing while underway.

Solar showers IMHO are for those who stay in a camp for days. Need to fill up in the morning, then hang in a sunny, windless spot for hours before it is warm.

Mostly I just make sure to take a rinse in whatever the avaliable water temp is when I'm warm from exercise. Or if I really want warm I'll heat water in the 2l pot on the camp stove. (My wife for some reason doesn't like using the same pot for washing and eating. However bringing the next pot of water to a boil is sure to sterilize it)

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Golly Light, I do alot of camping and I believe you are still going to want a small tent. It helps in many ways. 1. It helps keep pests off. 2. It can help keep night creatures separated from you. 3. It can help you keep heat in better if needed. 4. It can help you and your gear stay dryer in windy driven rain. 5. It can give you more privacy for changing and ? 6. It can keep some of your gear stored from view when you make camp and want to go on little side junkets. 7. Etc. On to another note. I recently stumbled onto another bikers site that was doing a cross country, and he had a nifty solar charger for cell phone, laptop, recharable flashlights, etc. I will try hard to find his website again if you let me know you are interested.

Yes! I am definitely interested to know how he set-up his charging!

I actually got a sleeping bag (synthetic) and bivouac (like a form fitting "tent" to your sleeping bag) for just around $209, and I understand the advantages of a tent, I just don't want to pack something that bulky. My bivy is about 1/4 the bulk of even a small one-man tent, and I will bring a short bit of tent pole to make an arch inside the bivy so I can make some space in front of my face.

I am used to sleeping in "mummy" bags that fit tight and because of this, very warm.

I plan on never leaving my camp-site with out my gear, it will be such small amount that it will pack-up quickly enough.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

have a look at DD hammocks there pritty sweet they do a mix of a bivvy and a hammock not to mention the giant tarps they do

Oh sweet! I love the sound of that, got a link by chance? I'm thinking I need trees to hang it, or are there poles to hold it up?

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Well I went to REI yesterday, and got a few things, I have a camping stove: And a Air Mattress:

And ordered this Tarp in lieu of a tent:

I have decided also on a synthetic 10 DEG sleeping bag since I am pretty warm blooded, and I believe I can always sleep with socks and a cap if needed for more heat.

Some things that I have yet to figure out a good way to solve, is drying clothes, easy to find bio-degradable soap that I can use out in the woods for both cleaning myself and my clothes, I plan on packing extremely light, and having one set of warm weather clothes, cold weather clothes with maybe 3 layers, and I will just wash my clothes after every ride.

One other thing, can anyone recommend a good cheap solar shower? I'm sure REI sells one, just want to know what others have used.

Thanks!

Good stove, pad and a 10F sleeping bag should be good for most 3 season use.

I would like to chime in with the many others recommending a tent. When the weather is bad you want to be able to be completely enclosed. Also keeps the bugs off you at night. A small tent is much more comfortable than a bivy sack for not much more weight.

I dry clothes by strapping tot he outside of my packing while underway.

Solar showers IMHO are for those who stay in a camp for days. Need to fill up in the morning, then hang in a sunny, windless spot for hours before it is warm.

Mostly I just make sure to take a rinse in whatever the avaliable water temp is when I'm warm from exercise. Or if I really want warm I'll heat water in the 2l pot on the camp stove. (My wife for some reason doesn't like using the same pot for washing and eating. However bringing the next pot of water to a boil is sure to sterilize it)

Good points, I will have to see if I can store a solar shower bag in the sun on-top of the rear panniers maybe.

I will also look into another DC to DC converter and run some stuff from the main battery pack.

Can you imagine the look on someone's face if they see me with a small inverter running an electric shaver? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Gregory]

I've had a Hennessy Hammock for years.

The cold does tend to creep through, but a self inflating mattress shoved inside helps. Quite small and light. Cool factor is good. Great for camping in woodlands. Some one man tents are just as small though.

 

[scouser-nick:)]

have a look at DD hammocks there pritty sweet they do a mix of a bivvy and a hammock not to mention the giant tarps they do

Oh sweet! I love the sound of that, got a link by chance? I'm thinking I need trees to hang it, or are there poles to hold it up?

haha if you dont have trees just put it on the ground thats why there awsome £40ish last i checked
http://www.ddhammocks.com/products

 

[dogman dan]

Cool you have a good bivvy sack. I slept a lot of comfy nights in mine, in cheap tents that were flooded, while my tent mate was up all night soaked. 8) Later I chucked the cheezy tents,( circa 1970), and just went to using a big piece of plastic tarp for a lean to. I never could get the hang of sleeping in hammocks though.

 

[Evoforce]

I agree with Dogman about the hammock. For us older guys, It just isn't shaped right for our backs. Especially not for a long trip like you are taking. The only problem with a bivy sack or the setup like you have is, if the weather is too hot out, but you still want the protection from pests, it can become uncomfortably hot. You will not want to haul shower water around with you. It is just too heavy to be worth it. You might also want to cary a water purifying cup with filter so you can drink from any water source without having to boil water. I will look for that solar info for you. Hope I can find it again. Found it! (tonx.com) click on his solar heading. Wow, that was a stretch finding that again. Enjoy! Oh, and did I mention that this guy is in the middle of doing a cross country right now on a pedal only bike. He might be a good one to contact now to find out his suggestions.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Very Kewl!!

You guys rock!! (I don't care what everyone else says! :wink: :lol: )

I have to admit those hammocks look inviting, but I don't know if I would be lying still enough to keep from falling out in the middle of the night. If it's warmer, I'm thinking I might just sleep on-top of the bag & bivvy with a good mosquito cover and the Noah's tarp over-head.

Good point on the cup! I can't believe I forgot the single most important camping essential. Water purification.

I would like to have something that is either a purification tablet, or maybe a pump with filter since I like to have water for my camel back and such, but it's a good point I don't want to be boiling water all the time just to drink it. I have been re-thinking the rear panniers and I might just use some nice bags that I can make into panniers like these:

I got something very similar to this at goodwill for $7.00 and I might just have more of a hard plastic "trunk" made of ABS from pickle barrel (giant ABS plastic barrels that restaurant supplies come in such as sliced pickles in bulk.

 

[Kingfish]

LI-ghtcycle, please allow me to share my recent overland experience on an ebike:

On my road trip to California last July I initially planned on 200 miles/day however I had to scale back to about 125 miles because I didn’t have enough batteries ready. The farthest I got on a single day was 173.3 miles which included 8,000 ft of climb and 13,000 ft of descent. On that day I broke 5 spokes, one flat tire, and had to replace the entire bent rim. The total trek was about 500 miles in 3.5 days. The bike used FWD 9C 2806; it wore that tire down to the nubbins pretty quick. Figure 1,000 miles per drive tire. Ave speed was about 30 mph on the flats with a 55V nominal system. CHP didn’t bother me but then I made like a regular bike (dropped speed) when I saw them.

Along the way I stayed at either family or a motel where I could charge. The original plan was to go the full distance, alternating between RV parks (because they have power) for ½ price over motels, and motels where I could do laundry. Of course staying with friends/family is much better! :wink:

If I get P1 finished then I will plan once again to do 200 mi/day using the RV park/motel trick. Though clearly I will need 80Ah @ 15S (55V) to do it. In fact I have a plan underway to take the coastal route from Washington to California this winter and avoid the snow on the passes. Figure lots of rain, but no ice.

I enjoy traveling light: two sets of clothes, four sets of socks/undies. Buy what you need when the time comes. Don’t put anything on your back other than food, wallet, and water/juice. I prefer to stop every 20 miles to stretch/eat; reduces the butt-ache and fatigue. Since you have time, take pics, journal, talk to locals, and have a great time! I always like talking to locals; they are so full of interesting things and they want to know about what brings you their way. Hospitality seemed to find me. Being on an electric bike will inspire awe

Counter to that – there will be jerks on the road that mess with you for no apparent reason. When I pulled through a California Border Protection Station the inspector warned me not to camp too close to the road or make a fire that could be seen from the road (outside of a designated campground) because there had been a rash of assault & robbery. I kept to my plan of staying in motels and at family. The planet is getting weirder :|

Organize your budget so that you can afford to eat thrice what you normally would; you will eat mountains of food. Eat simply; raw foods are best! Your body will tell you want it wants through cravings, and don’t hold back. Stay ahead of the hunger and thirst curve by proactively eating. This is why I stopped every 20 miles or so: To feed the machine, inspect the bike, and smell the roses

I went without a watch or a cellphone, relying instead on my pioneering spirit. For coast-to-coast, that would be foolish. Plan for breakdowns; your bike is not a car and equipment failures will happen on a trek that long.

I wish you safe travels! There is nothing like the experience of freedom cruising down the wide open road with no one in front or behind as you drink in the majesty of nature as it unfolds before you like a storybook, enchanting at every turn.

Still a Boy Scout, KF

 

[Crash Machine]

I went with the Eagles Nest hammock system but ended up carrying a tent too. Good to have a place for you and your gear when the weather gets bad. It's kinda hard to stay warm in a hammock the air flows right under you. Kingfish puts it well, take your time and soak up the scenery. The road is a wonderous place....

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Thank you KF and Crash, I will take your advice to heart, I am very grateful to have your experience to guide me!

I am certainly going to take time to smell the roses, and stay at houses of friends as much as possible, I hope to have safe places to either camp or stay with someone between the warm showers network (touring bicyclists who open their homes to other traveling bicyclists), churches and friends in-between.

I believe between my bivy sack, +10 synthetic sleeping bag and noah's tarp I should be well covered for shelter both for gear and myself. I will also have a motorcycle paging alarm to have the microwave proximity sensor to keep from being surprised by intruders while camping.

 

[dogman dan]

Kingfish and Crash are my idols for doing what I only fantasize about. Good advice.

Not sure if Kingfish has FS on his bike, but my long haul bike has never bent a rim or broke a spoke. A quality FS mountain bike really takes the sting out of the harsh road surface. The back roads have some reeeeeal suprises on them you hit at 30 mph. Taking it 60 miles at a time, and using a car to get to the next section, I only made it half way of my journey from El Paso to the Colorado border. But it was enough to test stuff, and get rid of what didn't work so great. I get about 2000 miles out of a drive wheel tire max. I use the cheap bell tires from wallmart or kmart, and figure there is one of those every 50-70 miles everywhere just about. So some spare stuff is always there. Justin took a wheel out of a junk pile at one point on his cross canada trip. I have about a year of hard use on some schwinn brand panniers that I got cheap at wallyworld too. They seem to be holding up, but at goodwill or such, small carry on luggage looks like it would work great to me. If you want a trailer, nashbar has been having a sale price on thier bobtrailers.

I may have said it before, but sew the crotch pad from some trift store bike shorts into your regular pants. I put the pad into hiking shorts, or pants with zip off legs. And vaseline helps on the long ride days too.

As for the planet getting wierder, yes it is! But most of it is nowhere near as weird as much of california has been for quite some time. :wink: But anywere you are, just commuting or living on the road, you gotta avoid doing stupid stuff that screams out to lowlifes " easy pickings here". It's one of the reasons I like to keep the bike dirty, and my self looking much poorer than I really am. Depending on local law, pepper spray, or at least a hefty wrench for your hub bolts is a good idea.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Here is what I am bringing with me, and if two legged predators show up, I can always say I was startled, it was dark, and I thought it was a bear! :wink:

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

You know, I am really hoping I can avoid the traditional route that a car takes to get where I am going. I would have no problem just heading east through Oregon and then up through Idaho. I'm not thrilled about gravel roads, but I'd much rather take roads/paths less traveled.

Anyone have a good site to direct me to for a good route to take from Oregon City, OR to Missoula, MT? I'd especially like to hear from those who have done it already.

Thanks!

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Oh, one more thing I keep forgetting to mention, I have looked at different products to lube up the chamois shorts, and I started to think of something cheap that I could get anywhere to use, I have been using bag balm, and although it's maybe not THE cheapest thing, it is cheaper than the "butt butter" type stuff that stores sell for the specific use with cycling shorts. I have been very fortunate in that I have never chaffed, maybe because I have started with an electric on short trips and worked my way up over time.

I have heard vaseline works well, and I imagine buying that in the generic form from any chain store could be a good value, but if anyone has used anything else cheaper that worked well for them, or has extensive experience that might make me think about paying for some of the more expensive stuff to save my butt on longer trips, I'm all ears.

Thanks!