Armadillo!

December 21, 2018

Kerrville fo Fredricksburg

Great stay at Barabara's Bird's Nest in Kerrville

What a day today! Very beautiful! This Texas hill country is just stunning.

A Longhorn! This was along the Loose Livestock area so there was no fence between us!

Finally grabbed a deer shot. We saw many today. Some ran across right in front of us.

There's a herd of exotics up there but I didn't get a good shot.

Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 3,201 miles (5,152 km)

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Susan ShoreHi, I'm enjoying your journal! I'm curious about some of the logistics of touring on an e-bike. If I've missed a discussion, please refer me. Do you carry an extra battery? Do you get range anxiety? Does your touring load decrease your range significantly? What is the advertised range for your bike, and do you think it's realistic? Do you charge up only at night, or during stops mid-ride (I think I saw one photo of you charging during the day, but not sure if that is routine)? Any other comments about how an e-bike changes the tour? Thanks! And happy holidays!
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5 years ago

Janet Anspach-RickeyTo Susan ShoreDear Susan,
I love my ebike! I love that you are interested. We didn't see anyone else doing long distance touring using ebikes so we wanted to answer all the questions you just asked and I'm happy to share the answers! Did we have range anxiety? YES! We considered buying an extra battery but what we have found is we don't need it! We are riding with Emma who does not have an ebike so we turn the battery off if we aren't climbing. We can do 50 miles on one bar and we have five bars of available! The load makes very little difference. If we are in Eco mode which is mostly what we use, we get 15 miles a bar. We try to keep our rides around 45 miles average. We've done as much as 75 miles. A headwind cuts down the mileage more than the load and of course climbing cuts down on the mileage but we did 47 miles today with 2,350 feet of climbing and I had three bars out of five left. Again, I turn the motor off when going downhill or level and it really makes a difference. We just charge at night because we really haven't needed to charge during the day. There hasn't been anywhere to plug in here in Texas but other areas where we could actually stop at a gas station or grocery store or restaurant, we wouldn't hesitate to plug in if we thought we might need it. Usually we just plug them in when we arrive and if we are doing short 30 mile days we will wait two days before we recharge. Having the assist to climb or to slice through a headwind is HEAVEN! We love touring with our ebikes. The range advertised for our Bulls Crosslite Ebikes is 75 miles and that is realistic without hills or headwind if you want to have it in Eco all day long. Let me know if you have anymore questions. To be honest, I forget I'm on an ebike and I don't think to talk about it but it is a most amazing experience.
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5 years ago

Susan ShoreTo Janet Anspach-RickeyThanks for your reply. It's great to hear such enthusiasm. I've toured on a regular bike (and have journals on CGOAB), but I've gone back to work and am using an e-bike for my commute. I have a pretty good hill to climb in the morning, and while I dreaded it on my other bike, the e-bike makes it fun. When I bought the e-bike for my commute, I was told that 40-50 miles was a typical range for most bikes, and that was only under ideal circumstances. You seem to have a bike that is better than most! I have smallish battery, so I'm at the lower end of that range, and I know my big hill reduces the range a lot. I tend to be an anxious type, and I get nervous when the battery drops to 40%. It's good to hear that you've been managing your battery without issue. I know that when I turn off the assist, it feels a bit like I'm being pulled backward. I think it must take some self-control to ride long days without using it, knowing that it's available. I'm not ready to retire my regular touring bike, but I have been thinking about whether it would be possible to tour on the e-bike, and you've given me some encouragement. Thanks! I may try an overnight this summer.
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5 years ago

Janet Anspach-RickeyTo Susan ShoreYou bet! We have the Bosch500wh. So far it has been really great!
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5 years ago

Susan ShoreThanks. I have a Bosch 400 Wh battery, and get less than half your range! My motor is 250 W. I checked the specs on line for yours, which says it is 350 W. I'm puzzled. Don't fret, I don't expect you to explain the techy stuff. Maybe I'll find a Bulls dealer and ask how they do it.
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5 years ago

Janet Anspach-RickeyTo Susan ShoreSusan,
Our battery is a 250 also. I knew the 400 didn't have as much range but wow, only half, that hurts.
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5 years ago