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Hey You Two,
Looks like you are having a blast. You are such pros now riding in Europe, especially France! Holland looks so nice. We will be there soon. Right now we are in San Luis Obispo with everyone from Silverdale, WA. We rode to Avila Beach today and Pismo Beach. What a pretty loop. So much fun on our electric bikes. Three out of 20 of us have the ebikes! Poor souls still laboring away. We take it easy on them though.
If you think of it - take a few pictures of the bikes fully loaded but separate. It's too difficult to tell them apart when you take shots of them together with everything on them and I can't see how you have things set up! They are gorgeous bikes. How will you ever be able to leave them in Europe when you return? But that is for another day.
Just caught up with the reading tonight. Tomorrow we ride from Ragged Point to Morro Bay all along Route 1 on the Pacific Coast. I hope to see whales. Today we watched an otter rolling and playing in the kelp. He was big and very cute.
Janet Anspach-Rickey
Yes, there is no way to get the battery on a plane. Tricia Graham managed to ship hers to Australia, the cost exceeded the battery's (significant) value. We decided to throw extra money at the problem by buying these bikes, which we intend to leave in Europe. But for you it would be more like how to get a bike like this going in some other continent. Difficult.
One kind of solution we are looking at is the "LiGo" battery sold by Grin Technologies in Vancouver. These are 98wH, which is under the 100 wH limit for going on a plane. If you buy 4 or 5 you can then plug them together to form a proper sized unit. One problem though is that Bosch, Shimano, etc. motors have proprietary batteries as part of their systems. So to use LiGo you need to DIY a generic setup - which is looking to me to be messy in terms of cables all over, and lacking in range. Still, we will be experimenting with it for Dodie's Bike Friday, which has had its frame rebuilt after last year's crash. Bike Friday in Eugene, by the way, has indeed already created a LiGo solution and offers to retrofit it to existing bikes.
Ah yes, but everybody's a critic. One pundit pointed out that the boat lacks not only lifeboats but also oars. With this equipment missing, how are you supposed to row to the island to bury your treasure?
6 years agoWe exaggerated some story about having loaded in lots of extra milk foam, and Sabrina fell for it!
6 years agoHi Sue, so far there are no hills to be seen. I bet that'll change!
6 years agoHi Ben, it's great to have you along for the ride!
6 years agoHi Steve & Dodie,
Glad to see that yo are all set for the off. The bikes look up to the task. We were wondering if you would have any problems getting the bike battery on the plane for your return journey? Just thinking of the future for ourselves. Hope you have a great trip,will be following.
Alan & Wendy.
Violet too! We’d both want some...
6 years agoAmazing!
6 years agoHow much trouble did you get in? Criminals!
6 years agoHi Mike,
Yes, sadly a harsh and fundamentalist culture overwhelmed Crazyguyonabike and part of that was an unwelcoming approach to ebike touring. Lots of authors now on Cycleblaze moved here to find a more respectful and inclusive environment. There are so many forms of bicycle touring and methods - ultralight bikes, trikes, bikes with kids, assisted groups, tandems, wild camping/camping/warm showers/hotels, etc. etc. that only an inclusive approach feels comfortable to us.
In ebikes specifically there are hundreds of models and many technical twists and classifications. But only a select few of the styles and technologies are actually adapted to or ever used for touring. Here in Europe the touring ebike is a well established and developed category, and with it pedal power remains what it is all about. You do not really have to think about it. The shops know very well what is appropriate so there is no worry about going wrong
Hi Scott,
We enjoyed reading about your trip to Eugene. New bikes, any kind, are always so much fun. But the folks at Green Gear are specially nice to visit.
I should be able to jump back into the fray with a Bike Friday story when we get back from France. That's because we had the Eugene people straighten and rebuild Dodie's wrecked frame. I will reassemble the bike - this time with red cable housings! Then I hope to post a triumphant resurrection photo into last year's account of the road accident .
Did you ever read my article about buying a Bike Friday? It will be a little dated now, but could be fun to compare with your experience.
We hope to take the Fridays back to Yucatan next Winter, but there is a good chance Dodie will be not yet recovered from knee surgery. I could put e-assist on the Friday - Eugene is quite into it now - but we would want to struggle to make it torque sensing no throttle and even Green Gear are not quite that advanced yet.
The new bikes look great! Can't wait to hear all about you two tearing up all those hills!
6 years agoThanks to Michael, I found you guys!!
6 years ago
What a treat! 2 bedtime stories from the Grampies in the same day. We can hardly wait to get over there. Oh well, there is still so much to do before we can leave.
6 years ago