Very cool! I love seeing people from other parts of the world appreciate the beauty of the United States, and congratulations on becoming a citizen! What amazing accomplishments!
Thanks so much! I have traveled to over 80 countries, but the United States has more to offer than most. It was an incredible journey to e-bike across this incredible country. Thanks for your great comment.
Hi Crimson, this would be great. You can find all the details about the trail at www.ebiketour.org with gps files and planning tables. We are working on a guidebook and a documentary as well, but this will take a year to complete.
Did you campout on this trip and how did you manage charging your battery? Also what mode setting did you typically use eco, emtb,tout ,turbo, Thanks Great videos
Thanks for the great question. The one person convoy mostly stayed over at camping sites with electricity (KOA) when they were in the vicinity of the route. We also stayed at Bureau of Land, State and National Park campsites. Of the 128 days of the tour, we camped 33 days. Five nights were on camping sites without electricity. The majority of miles were in eco mode and we biked without any motor assistance for short parts on 75+ mile days to conserve with excursions into Turbo mode on steep inclines or after coming to a complete step to get the bike and the trailer moving. On shorter days, we would e-bike mostly in touring mode. For those new to the Bosch system, it has Eco, Touring, Sport and Turbo and each mode affects the range of the e-bike. So, the distance determines in what mode you can e-bike. The e-bike has 2 625wh batteries in the frame and we carried 1 spare 625 wh battery. Normally we would have to use the spare battery on 65+ mile days.
Great video and tour. I did noticed you carried a lot of luggage with you. If you spend most of the time in hotels you could have maybe take less stuff with you, which would have increased the range considerably. I only take like 15 kilos with me, including camping gear. But to each his own. if you really need all that luggage, just take it.
Hi Jan, great observation. It was indeed a lot of equipment. I had a total of 416 lbs to tow including the weight of my body. Most of the weight, other than the bicycle and the three e-bike batteries (2 on the ebike, one spare), was in the filming equipment as I filmed for two documentaries along the route with a Netflix certified camera and a Skydio 2 drone with 5 batteries. The camping gear was not heavy as it is all ultra light weight. I needed three e-bike batteries as there was a 100 mile section in the desert of Nevada without any opportunity to charge the e-bike. There was another section near Ely in Nevada where I had a similar problem. Most days, I only used two e-bike batteries. I filmed sometimes 4 times in one day with the drone, so these extra batteries were also needed. So, it was a bit unique to combine a cross country e-bike tour with the filming assignments. Thanks for your great comment and interest in the project.
@@dr.gregoryf.maassen2637 hello. Thanks for the great replay. It makes more a sense now with all the filming and so. I myself are from gen Netherlands and want to do a similar tour. I have a question regarding staying in hotels. Were you allowed to take your bicycle in the hotel rooms and were they cool about it, or did they give you a hard time with it?
Hi Jan, I never had an issue bringing a bicycle into a hotel. I was always greeted nicely by staff, and they always accommodated (or tried to accommodate my request) to have a ground floor room. The challenge was sometimes to clean the bike before entering a hotel. I always ensured that is was clean enough not to upset anyone. As I biked through some rough unpaved terrain in bad weather, the bike and trailer were completely covered by mud. Rain does not really help clean the bicycle. I remember using potholes and drains to get water to handwash the e-bike to make it look somewhat representable. I also have taken the e-bike to the shower several times. Don't tell the hotel, but yes, I have taken showers with the bike to remove all the mud and gravel from the brakes :) @@janfictorie4584
Hi Dennis, it was a combination of camping sites with electricity, Warmshower hosts, friends, and the motels/hotels. Only a few times did I have to charge the batteries during lunch breaks at a gas station or a restaurant as the temperature was so low or the headwind was so strong that the battery capacity was insufficient to reach the endpoint that day. It takes considerable planning to charge the e-bike, so I maintained a preplanned charging schedule. I always knew where I could charge the battery along the route across America.
@@e-bikeloversdc2835 thanks. Am planning to ride to Astoria (Oregon) hopefully later this year, and I’ll most likely need about three hours of charge time if I ride the whole 90+ miles in one day. I’m not in particularly good health, so staying in hotels at this juncture is more or less a requirement (so as to have reliable electricity), and my knees (have had surgery on both) won’t stand a *lot* of pedaling. I’ve pre-run the first third of the prospective route, so I know of electrical outlets so as to “top up” in that portion.
@@justinbogart278 I won’t really know the exact date until a few weeks before I go. (Money, mostly; that, and I need to *make* some “new and improved” traveling clothing and bags, as well as a single-wheel trailer.) At this stage, most likely will stay within 30 miles or so of Astoria once I get there. I *HAVE* given some thought about going out the Bend way, however. Perhaps on the next trip or two?
Thanks so much. Here is a blogpost reflecting on the tour and lessons learned: ebikelovers.com/2023/03/04/charging-up-lessons-learned-from-my-4685-miles-ultra-long-distance-e-biking-tour-america/
I'm interested in managing my use for overnight camping. I have a 350 watt geared motor & have set the 15 amp controller to 7 amps. This limits me to 200 watts, but I find my usual is 100 to 160 watts. I'm pretty happy if only making 6-12 mph. I wonder how you managed power, & since is looks like speed is not your goal, is a bigger motor always better?
Hi Russell, this is a particularly good question, and we will write a blog post about e-bike motors at www.ebikelovers.com to get through the marketing hype. Less is better. I towed 416 lbs. with the e-bike (me, the bike, the trailer, and the cargo) across America in all weather and terrain at an average of just under 12 mph. I never had a problem climbing steep inclines (sometimes 20% plus during detours), and I did it all with a Bosch 250 watts Gen 4 Performance mid-drive and a Rohloff E/14. The motor never overheated and never malfunctioned. 250 watts is the nominal power. It has a greater peak power, I have been told, but Bosch has not disclosed the numbers as far as I can tell. The peak power is also irrelevant to me, as the motor did an excellent job. Most rear hub motors are 750 watts or more (Stromer is an exception with some of its motors). Rear hub motors tend to be less efficient and need to consume more energy. The less your motor consumes, the farther you can e-bike. So, for ultra-long-distance cycling, we always recommend a mid-drive motor, and 250 watts is plenty.
@@e-bikeloversdc2835 WoW. Thanks. That really makes me feel proud of myself. I just bought the only one I have ever sat on. The first thing is, look at everyone putting the big chainrings on, to go faster, when a duffer like me feels plenty of speed at 15 to 20 mph. I'm also not pounding away with the equipment on a mountain trail. Your adventure is really worth publishing. Have a look at the Oregon Outback bike trail videos.
The e-bike performed extremely well. We had no significant mechanical or electronic issues. We got a Bosch error infrequently when charging the batteries, but it didn't stop the e-bike from charging when we reconnected the charger. Propel in NY is looking into the error. So, despite the 606 Bosch error that popped up a few times, the e-bike and the Burley trailer performed beyond expectations.
Awesome video and adventure! Congratulations with your citizenship! Do you happen to know your average watt hours per mile/km? I have a custom ebike I'm getting ready for touring and I'd love to compare numbers. Right now, without luggage/gear, I am doing 60-mile trips at about 5 wh/mile and averaging 12 mph.
Hi Tyler, this is an excellent but difficult question to answer. Depending on terrain etc, my legs generated some 120 w on average with peaks of up to some 140 w. This is with the Burley trailer and all equipment etc at an avg of 12 mph. Bosch doesn't show on E-bike Connect how much power the motor has contributed. So, I can only guess and must have around 160-180 w
@@e-bikeloversdc2835 thank you so much for attempting to answer, I guess I am just spoiled with my cycle analyst giving me so much telemetry. I think the value is simply calculated by taking a battery reading before and after a set distance traveled, then calculating out how many watt hours were used and diving by the distance. It's a combined human and electric value.
I got the similar figures on a 30lb Ribble Endurance ALe with the motor set to 40% assistance on a round trip, 60 mile estimated range for the 250W battery By only engaging the motor though on steep climbs, the estimated range went up to about 200 miles.
The one-person convoy had one spare battery (Bosch Powertube 625 Wh) on the tour. The e-bike (Riese & Muller Supercharger) has two batteries in the frame. With a total of 1,875 wh, it was possible to e-bike in one day (100 miles) from Delta in Utah to Baker in Nevada on Route 50, towing 416 lbs. This is the loneliest highway in the United States in hilly terrain. There is not much between these towns besides snakes, rabbits, coyotes, a highway, and awesome views. It was a highlight of the tour.
Very cool! I love seeing people from other parts of the world appreciate the beauty of the United States, and congratulations on becoming a citizen! What amazing accomplishments!
Thanks so much! I have traveled to over 80 countries, but the United States has more to offer than most. It was an incredible journey to e-bike across this incredible country. Thanks for your great comment.
The Dutch they sure love their chocolate😊... Great video good friend. You're a real trooper.
Great video good for you!!! Glad you enjoyed your ride!!
It looks like an awesome adventure! I would like to do the same thing!
Hi Crimson, this would be great. You can find all the details about the trail at www.ebiketour.org with gps files and planning tables. We are working on a guidebook and a documentary as well, but this will take a year to complete.
Did you campout on this trip and how did you manage charging your battery? Also what mode setting did you typically use eco, emtb,tout ,turbo, Thanks Great videos
Thanks for the great question. The one person convoy mostly stayed over at camping sites with electricity (KOA) when they were in the vicinity of the route. We also stayed at Bureau of Land, State and National Park campsites. Of the 128 days of the tour, we camped 33 days. Five nights were on camping sites without electricity.
The majority of miles were in eco mode and we biked without any motor assistance for short parts on 75+ mile days to conserve with excursions into Turbo mode on steep inclines or after coming to a complete step to get the bike and the trailer moving.
On shorter days, we would e-bike mostly in touring mode. For those new to the Bosch system, it has Eco, Touring, Sport and Turbo and each mode affects the range of the e-bike. So, the distance determines in what mode you can e-bike.
The e-bike has 2 625wh batteries in the frame and we carried 1 spare 625 wh battery. Normally we would have to use the spare battery on 65+ mile days.
Great video and tour. I did noticed you carried a lot of luggage with you. If you spend most of the time in hotels you could have maybe take less stuff with you, which would have increased the range considerably. I only take like 15 kilos with me, including camping gear. But to each his own. if you really need all that luggage, just take it.
Hi Jan, great observation. It was indeed a lot of equipment. I had a total of 416 lbs to tow including the weight of my body. Most of the weight, other than the bicycle and the three e-bike batteries (2 on the ebike, one spare), was in the filming equipment as I filmed for two documentaries along the route with a Netflix certified camera and a Skydio 2 drone with 5 batteries. The camping gear was not heavy as it is all ultra light weight. I needed three e-bike batteries as there was a 100 mile section in the desert of Nevada without any opportunity to charge the e-bike. There was another section near Ely in Nevada where I had a similar problem. Most days, I only used two e-bike batteries. I filmed sometimes 4 times in one day with the drone, so these extra batteries were also needed. So, it was a bit unique to combine a cross country e-bike tour with the filming assignments. Thanks for your great comment and interest in the project.
@@dr.gregoryf.maassen2637 hello. Thanks for the great replay. It makes more a sense now with all the filming and so. I myself are from gen Netherlands and want to do a similar tour. I have a question regarding staying in hotels. Were you allowed to take your bicycle in the hotel rooms and were they cool about it, or did they give you a hard time with it?
Hi Jan, I never had an issue bringing a bicycle into a hotel. I was always greeted nicely by staff, and they always accommodated (or tried to accommodate my request) to have a ground floor room. The challenge was sometimes to clean the bike before entering a hotel. I always ensured that is was clean enough not to upset anyone. As I biked through some rough unpaved terrain in bad weather, the bike and trailer were completely covered by mud. Rain does not really help clean the bicycle. I remember using potholes and drains to get water to handwash the e-bike to make it look somewhat representable. I also have taken the e-bike to the shower several times. Don't tell the hotel, but yes, I have taken showers with the bike to remove all the mud and gravel from the brakes :) @@janfictorie4584
Question: where did you find places to charge up?
(Hotels would be obvious, as are *some* parks - occasionally the bathrooms have live outlets.)
Hi Dennis, it was a combination of camping sites with electricity, Warmshower hosts, friends, and the motels/hotels. Only a few times did I have to charge the batteries during lunch breaks at a gas station or a restaurant as the temperature was so low or the headwind was so strong that the battery capacity was insufficient to reach the endpoint that day. It takes considerable planning to charge the e-bike, so I maintained a preplanned charging schedule. I always knew where I could charge the battery along the route across America.
@@e-bikeloversdc2835 thanks. Am planning to ride to Astoria (Oregon) hopefully later this year, and I’ll most likely need about three hours of charge time if I ride the whole 90+ miles in one day. I’m not in particularly good health, so staying in hotels at this juncture is more or less a requirement (so as to have reliable electricity), and my knees (have had surgery on both) won’t stand a *lot* of pedaling. I’ve pre-run the first third of the prospective route, so I know of electrical outlets so as to “top up” in that portion.
@@dennisyoung4631 Let us know how it goes. Congrats on taking up the challenge.
@@dennisyoung4631 I'm in Bend OR. Let me know if you want to meet on the coast for a trip.
@@justinbogart278 I won’t really know the exact date until a few weeks before I go. (Money, mostly; that, and I need to *make* some “new and improved” traveling clothing and bags, as well as a single-wheel trailer.)
At this stage, most likely will stay within 30 miles or so of Astoria once I get there.
I *HAVE* given some thought about going out the Bend way, however. Perhaps on the next trip or two?
awesome adventure .. congratulations on the citizenship i am almost 50 years old i have been thinking about this trip a lot ,,, any advice
Thanks so much. Here is a blogpost reflecting on the tour and lessons learned: ebikelovers.com/2023/03/04/charging-up-lessons-learned-from-my-4685-miles-ultra-long-distance-e-biking-tour-america/
Just added you on Facebook yesterday thank you Sir
I'm interested in managing my use for overnight camping. I have a 350 watt geared motor & have set the 15 amp controller to 7 amps. This limits me to 200 watts, but I find my usual is 100 to 160 watts. I'm pretty happy if only making 6-12 mph. I wonder how you managed power, & since is looks like speed is not your goal, is a bigger motor always better?
Hi Russell, this is a particularly good question, and we will write a blog post about e-bike motors at www.ebikelovers.com to get through the marketing hype. Less is better.
I towed 416 lbs. with the e-bike (me, the bike, the trailer, and the cargo) across America in all weather and terrain at an average of just under 12 mph. I never had a problem climbing steep inclines (sometimes 20% plus during detours), and I did it all with a Bosch 250 watts Gen 4 Performance mid-drive and a Rohloff E/14. The motor never overheated and never malfunctioned.
250 watts is the nominal power. It has a greater peak power, I have been told, but Bosch has not disclosed the numbers as far as I can tell. The peak power is also irrelevant to me, as the motor did an excellent job. Most rear hub motors are 750 watts or more (Stromer is an exception with some of its motors). Rear hub motors tend to be less efficient and need to consume more energy.
The less your motor consumes, the farther you can e-bike. So, for ultra-long-distance cycling, we always recommend a mid-drive motor, and 250 watts is plenty.
@@e-bikeloversdc2835 WoW. Thanks. That really makes me feel proud of myself. I just bought the only one I have ever sat on. The first thing is, look at everyone putting the big chainrings on, to go faster, when a duffer like me feels plenty of speed at 15 to 20 mph. I'm also not pounding away with the equipment on a mountain trail.
Your adventure is really worth publishing. Have a look at the Oregon Outback bike trail videos.
I have the same bike riese Muller Super Charger 2 with Rolhoff hub, I was wondering how the bike held up any issues?
The e-bike performed extremely well. We had no significant mechanical or electronic issues. We got a Bosch error infrequently when charging the batteries, but it didn't stop the e-bike from charging when we reconnected the charger. Propel in NY is looking into the error. So, despite the 606 Bosch error that popped up a few times, the e-bike and the Burley trailer performed beyond expectations.
Nice verry coll
Thank you! Cheers!
Awesome video and adventure! Congratulations with your citizenship! Do you happen to know your average watt hours per mile/km? I have a custom ebike I'm getting ready for touring and I'd love to compare numbers. Right now, without luggage/gear, I am doing 60-mile trips at about 5 wh/mile and averaging 12 mph.
Hi Tyler, this is an excellent but difficult question to answer. Depending on terrain etc, my legs generated some 120 w on average with peaks of up to some 140 w. This is with the Burley trailer and all equipment etc at an avg of 12 mph. Bosch doesn't show on E-bike Connect how much power the motor has contributed. So, I can only guess and must have around 160-180 w
@@e-bikeloversdc2835 thank you so much for attempting to answer, I guess I am just spoiled with my cycle analyst giving me so much telemetry. I think the value is simply calculated by taking a battery reading before and after a set distance traveled, then calculating out how many watt hours were used and diving by the distance. It's a combined human and electric value.
I got the similar figures on a 30lb Ribble Endurance ALe with the motor set to 40% assistance on a round trip, 60 mile estimated range for the 250W battery By only engaging the motor though on steep climbs, the estimated range went up to about 200 miles.
Surprised that you managed to find places to charge your battery throughout a 4000 mile journey.
Did you have spare batteries in your trailer?
The one-person convoy had one spare battery (Bosch Powertube 625 Wh) on the tour. The e-bike (Riese & Muller Supercharger) has two batteries in the frame. With a total of 1,875 wh, it was possible to e-bike in one day (100 miles) from Delta in Utah to Baker in Nevada on Route 50, towing 416 lbs. This is the loneliest highway in the United States in hilly terrain. There is not much between these towns besides snakes, rabbits, coyotes, a highway, and awesome views. It was a highlight of the tour.
Your saving the planet showing it can be done. Need billions of ebikes on the roads instead of ecars n gas polluting vehicles.
Actually I think ebikes are stupid along with e cars. We have resources to use.
Get rid of the music it's spoils everything and adds nothing.It's pointless and with the noise you can't be heard.
All those extrem cyclist have the same stressed look on their faces, I think they are insane