E-Bikes
Can anyone recommend an e-bike suitable for caravanning? My wife and I incur early 70's tour in our Bailey pegasus Belogna
twin axle and want to take e-bikes with us on our travels. we have looked at folding bikes with fat tyres but these weigh in at 27kg. We would be looking at carrying them in the caravan unless anyone can suggest a suitable bike rack that can be mounted on a Bailey caravan A- frame. We would be using the bikes on roads , forestry tracks and disused railway line type terrain.
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We are just in the process of changing ours but the order from America is being held up, along with everything else.
We also carry our ebikes in the caravan but we did have an increased payload to play with, 209 kgs.
We've opted for lighter weight ones from a company called Specialized. In all honesty I can't recommend them at the moment as I've never had the pleasure of using one before but we did extensive research before deciding to change the original ones we had. The Vado model weighs in at about 15.5. kgs, so 31kgs in total in the caravan.
We did originally have Raleigh Motus ebikes which weighed about 21.5 kgs in the 'van as the batteries were detachable and we carried those in the car.
Can't help with bike rack as I carry a tow ball mounted one in the boot, a Thule.
If you are after light weight ebikes then check out Ribble Cycles at Clitheroe, they make their own bikes and Orbea bikes.
I found the following website interesting.
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We bought a Specialized (which btw is highly regarded and well established bike manufacturer) ebike very recently and bought a Vado 3 step through for Mrs C. The 3 refers to the battery size (which is 460Wh).
It was in fact the only bike we could get to be delivered within a few days. Other bikes like Trek and Raleigh were either not in stock in the size we wanted or wouldn't be in till next February.
I've been using a Raleigh (now done over 3000 miles) so was interested to compare the two. The results is that there is not much in it. The Specialized has a slightly higher torque, at 90Nm but also better gear ratios for going up hill. The motor is different (Bosch v Brose) and the Brose is certainly quieter, but really not much in it. Both bikes are excellent for the varied road hills near here and we do exactly the same terrain that you plan to use (some are quite steep). The one area where the Vado scores is the phone app is much better and I can change the support and power settings for each pedal mode. I can also disable the motor from the app I think Bosch may do this as well now?
This doesn't really answer your question about bike racks or travelling but might help with choice of bikes following on from WN's post. However we have a Thule bike rack that goes on the tow bar that really really well up to 60Kg - again I know useless for towing but useful for travelling from home.
Post Edit: look at Evan cycles they appear to have ebikes in for a few day delivery in you have a branch in your area?
As I posted somewhere else I wish they would standardise on the plug to the battery for charging
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Corners, interested to hear about the Vado 3. Can you do me a favour and weigh the thing. I can't seem to find out any details relating to weight. Specialized don't seem to publish them.
We might have a problem getting our Vado 4 bikes in time for March next year so I might have to look at alternatives and like the look of the Vado's.
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I'll do that as soon as possible but I can't get into the garage as we're having new drive laid and it's all mud and broken concrete, but the Vado is certainly lighter than the Motus.
Btw the Vado 4 appear far more expensive that the 3 and only adds an extra 40Wh? I'm sure you knew that but just in case. On our last trip Mrs C got 39 miles with 40% battery left
Evans seem to have them in stock, or can get them in a few days if you have a branch near you? Also some good discounts on the 2021 year ranges?
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Vado 3 is a whisker under 25Kg I discovered. Your wallet will, however, be lighter to compensate.
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Specialized bikes are very good. Been around decades. Another brand worth checking out for reliability and quality is Cube, of German origin. You would need to try lots of bikes out, go for what is a nice comfortable ride, does what you want it to do, then consider how to transport it.
Cycling, of all kinds, is notorious for being one of those activities where new stuff comes out each year, often barely tweaked. So you can drop on some “last years model” bargains.👍
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Many thanks for the information, I will look at 'specialised'. We used to have holiday cottages on the west coast of Scotland and we hired out specialised mountain bikes, they were a good make. In the absence of a rack we will have to see how easy the bikes are to get into the caravan.
Once again many thanks for the replies to this thread.
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I've never noticed my cards getting lighter when I use them
But really I can't remember the last time I carried notes in my wallet?
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We regularly used to put two cycles into our caravan for travelling, however not ebikes, so weight could be a factor. We had them well packed and padded for travel, made sure both bikes and van interior were well protected. Bit of a pain if travelling with an overnight stop, but worth it to get bikes away.
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but I won't be there?
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you wrote: manoeuvre around any corners
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Warning ebikes can damage friendships:
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If one is towing a caravan, then any aerodynamics that the car might have had solo have gone, so just stick the bikes up on the car roof.
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This post may indicate the potential problems that I faced and Cutchy may too. I have a Specialised Levo Turbo and have looked into the issue of how t carry it when we go away with the van hitched up.
We would not consider putting it in the van and A frame lengths on British vans are too short to allow safe, damage free manoeuvres.
OK so that leaves in or on the car. With the battery removed I can, with a step, get the bike to roof level, Audi Q5, but there are few racks rated that will take the weight and my bike shop guys recommend the Thule Upride as the only one up to the job.
I am mindful that my lifting abilities will only diminish so I would however feel more confident if the bike was in the car, as one slip putting it on the roof, could be very costly and as I have roof box I can use that to compensate for lost luggage space…………….but the bike will not fit in the car without removing the bars and front wheel!
There is a rack option, the Maxxraxx, which allows you to tow and carry which may fit the bill and I have considered these but three separate medical issues have curtailed my riding so it’s been put on the back burner for now but wish you luck in your quest!
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If I was 6'2" and 20 years younger I might very well do that but I'm neither so can't.
A&J makes some valid points. We had a Maxxrack and did indeed use it when carrying solo but with a jockey wheel it still gets in the way and I'm not sure if they could cope with nearly 50kgs of ebikes. We don't have a great deal of problems putting them in the caravan apart from "corners" but he doesn't accompany us very often and if he did he'd have to go in the roof box.
It really depends on whether your payload can cope with the bikes being in the caravan.
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I carry two e-bikes on the roof rack, but with the batteries inside the Land Rover (which is probably the number one advantage). I get them up by climbing onto the roof-rack using a ladder afixed to the rear tailgate, and then hoist the bikes up with a short length of rope. It can be done solo but it is reassuring if my girl-friend guides the bike as it goes up, and hanging the picnic rug off the side of the rack avoids damage to the paintwork. Alternativly that 6' 2" youngester can be employed to lift the bike the first bit.
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"My, what big muscles you have" said Red Riding Hood
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