Long Distance Tourer?

[Denis99]

I bought my Trek Super Commuter with this sort of riding in mind.

Have made a few changes to the bike since, but nothing too drastic.
I have bought an additional 500w battery, but if you are going to ride say 70 miles a day or so, then you will need two batteries.

Bought a brooks saddle, nice, but not essential.
The bike comes with a rack for panniers, but I also bought a Carradice Pendle saddlebag which accommodates the spare battery easily.

Leaves the panniers free for anything you want to carry, avoids the battery being on your back in a backpack.

Comes with built in lights, I bought the hub geared version with the Nuvinci hub, has been excellent in 750 miles of use, with minimal attention.

There is a slight saving on the list price to be made if you purchased the same bike with Shimano XT gears.

 

[Triple777]

A change of handle bars eg Jones and seat should give more comfortable tourer. There are 2.8" touring/ commuter tyres.
Extra battery overcomes any range issues.

Cheaper to work with what you have especially if you are only doing a few weeks at time.

Yes very true. But the problem for me is the Levo is very much designed for the mountains. It's low geared and the motor is designed for torque rather than speed or efficiency. But the Riese Muller/Rohloff dual battery option is painfully expensive.

 

[Warwick]

Whilst I agree with a lot Woosh says, I disagree about the Dutch riding position and front suspension fork. Bikes of that style tend to be heavy. A tourer needs to be robust, but nimble. It won't be a sleek racer, but it should have lots of braze-ons for racks, etc. Something like this would do a very good job. There is a 700c option too. Fit a good FWD kit and a large battery & you can eat up the miles in comfort. Pay a little extra to have it fitted to you by having the right length stem and saddle position and you'll ride like in an armchair over long distances.

 

[Triple777]

I bought my Trek Super Commuter with this sort of riding in mind.

Have made a few changes to the bike since, but nothing too drastic.
I have bought an additional 500w battery, but if you are going to ride say 70 miles a day or so, then you will need two batteries.

Bought a brooks saddle, nice, but not essential.
The bike comes with a rack for panniers, but I also bought a Carradice Pendle saddlebag which accommodates the spare battery easily.

Leaves the panniers free for anything you want to carry, avoids the battery being on your back in a backpack.

Comes with built in lights, I bought the hub geared version with the Nuvinci hub, has been excellent in 750 miles of use, with minimal attention.

There is a slight saving on the list price to be made if you purchased the same bike with Shimano XT gears.

Thanks that's good to know. What wattage are your batteries? I'm hoping for a comfortable 100 mile range , obviously depending on conditions.

 

[Triple777]

you said long distance - how many miles do you want to ride a day? 50-70 miles? that would be easy.
for me, a good tourer needs to be stable when loaded with lots of stuff in the panniers, comfortable Dutch style upright riding position, which usually mean adjustable quill stem and front suspension fork.
otherwise, hydraulic brakes, good suspension seat post, puncture proof tyres.

I am hoping for 100 miles. I can get about 50 miles in mixed conditions with my 460w Levo unladen. Do you think 100 miles on 1000w Rohloff Supercharger, laden is unrealistic?

 

[Woosh]

A tourer needs to be robust, but nimble

the OP wants to to be able to take the bike off the tarmac'ed roads. Nimble bikes, or narrow tyres, or front motor won't be very stable, especially fully loaded.
A crank drive would be my choice.

 

[Triple777]

Long distance? You need a lawn chair! Only done about 50 km maximum so far but without a motor of course.View attachment 23348
Then ultra long distance, say 250 km a day:

https://www.google.fr/search?q=velomobile&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwij_5Cz-pXZAhWlLsAKHagJAZoQ_AUICigB&biw=1303&bih=869

I rode one once, not really very practical

the OP wants to to be able to take the bike off the tarmac'ed roads. Nimble bikes, or narrow tyres, or front motor won't be very stable, especially fully loaded.
A crank drive would be my choice.

Yes wide tyres are a Must. I love my 3" . Great grip and ride but I might get a less knobbly road friendly tyre

 

[Woosh]

something like this £2,159 would be a good base, good price:

https://www.jejamescycles.com/ktm-macina-action-272-500w-e-bike.html

decent components, 100mm Rockshox recon silver, SLX 11-speed, Bosch 75NM motor, 500WH battery. Easy to fit out.

 

[Warwick]

the OP wants to to be able to take the bike off the tarmac'ed roads. Nimble bikes, or narrow tyres, or front motor won't be very stable, especially fully loaded.
A crank drive would be my choice.

Did you bother looking at the bike I linked to? I suspect not, as you would have seen that it has 26" tyres. So, plenty of choice for suitable tyres. Regarding your stability point: Weight of motor at the front; weight of battery in the bottle bosses position and weight of the panniers at the back (mainly) - although non-suspension front forks will give you bosses for front panniers. A very good spread of the total weight...

Nimble does not mean fragile. The Surly is anything but fragile, but it is a very well-balanced bike for touring.

 

[Woosh]

Did you bother looking at the bike I linked to?

yes, I did. Rigid fork, cantilever brakes, dropbars.. not what I would choose.
I would not consider a kit for the OP, a) there is no saving if you start by buying a new donor bike and b) the external wiring is always a weakness in kits.

 

[Triple777]

something like this £2,159 would be a good base, good price:

https://www.jejamescycles.com/ktm-macina-action-272-500w-e-bike.html

decent components, 100mm Rockshox recon silver, SLX 11-speed, Bosch 75NM motor, 500WH battery. Easy to fit out.

That seems good value!

 

[Triple777]

yes, I did. Rigid fork, cantilever brakes, dropbars.. not what I would choose.
I would not consider a kit for the OP, a) there is no saving if you start by buying a new donor bike and b) the external wiring is always a weakness in kits.

Personally I wouldn't go the DIY route despite its advantages. It's a bit like comparing a home brew PC with a Mac. There are lots of sublties in the design which don't show up in the specs. My Levo is a great example of that... awesome mountain bike.

 

[Denis99]

Triple777
Have a look at the link , spendy, but meets your criteria.
The Nuvinci hub does absorb some of the battery power compared to the conventional derailleur set up.

But for its intended use, I would prefer the hub gear.

It comes with a Bosch 500w battery, and another spare battery (500w) would give you plenty of range.

I have easily got 50 miles out of a full battery (with the Nuvinci) and live in a fairly hilly part of South Wales.

650b plus tyres, converted to tubeless are very comfortable.

https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/hybrid-bikes/electric-hybrid-bikes/super-commuter/super-commuter-9/p/1923630-2018/

 

[E-Wheels]

Been reading up myself but at the end of the day does it do what you want? For me it does.. no gears or chains to replace or adjust, factory fitted lights, mudguards and rear rack, 1000w batteries melded into the frame, light trail use and road, and now the electronic shifting that automatically engages a preselected low gear whenever you stop. Downside is the price but as Rohloff is now aligned with Bosch I am sure there will be more offerings popping up soon.

Does that price include the e14 electronic shifting
It appears to be the manual Rohloff

 

[anotherkiwi]

I rode one once, not really very practical

I was basing my suggestion on this:

Any suggestions for an ebike to take on a cycling trip to Europe. I would like to be able to take it off paved roads onto tracks. I'm looking for a balance between weight and range but needs to be fairly rugged and sturdy.

Which part of Europe? Next November I hope to ride mine up the EV1 to my visit my eldest son http://www.eurovelo.com/fr/eurovelos What kind of tracks? I ride gravel tracks.

As for practical they are not easy to get through man made obstacles.

 

[Gubbins]

Does that price include the e14 electronic shifting
It appears to be the manual Rohloff

Dont think so, but I know the price doesn't include the second battery so is a really pricey toy..

 

[Triple777]

Triple777
Have a look at the link , spendy, but meets your criteria.
The Nuvinci hub does absorb some of the battery power compared to the conventional derailleur set up.

But for its intended use, I would prefer the hub gear.

It comes with a Bosch 500w battery, and another spare battery (500w) would give you plenty of range.

I have easily got 50 miles out of a full battery (with the Nuvinci) and live in a fairly hilly part of South Wales.

650b plus tyres, converted to tubeless are very comfortable.

https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/hybrid-bikes/electric-hybrid-bikes/super-commuter/super-commuter-9/p/1923630-2018/

Thanks for the link and mileage info. Any thoughts on Nuvinci Vs Rohloff?

 

[Triple777]

Does that price include the e14 electronic shifting
It appears to be the manual Rohloff

I'm trying to find out where the E14 fits in. It looks like it is only offered on the non-high speed mountain bike. It is possibly not compatible with the HS 28mph ones. Im waiting for confirmation from the supplier

 

[Triple777]

I'm

I was basing my suggestion on this:



Which part of Europe? Next November I hope to ride mine up the EV1 to my visit my eldest son http://www.eurovelo.com/fr/eurovelos What kind of tracks? I ride gravel tracks.

As for practical they are not easy to get through man made obstacles.

Keen on doing Switzerland but haven't worked out the best way of getting there. If I thought I could get a comfortable 100 miles per day I might cycle across France.

 

[Warwick]

Something like this might also do the trick, although this supplier only has it in 56cm.

I have toured on an unpowered MTB when I was much younger & fitter. It was not a good tourer. The gearing was useful, but the geometry made for a cramped ride unsuited to longer distances; that despite me making efforts to make it a more comfortable ride.

I have toured (Frankfurt to Budapest) on a 'proper' tourer, similar to the Surly. It was so vastly better than the MTB. It had drop bars, rim brakes and no suspension, but it was made for the job - not adapted - and did it very well. I should add that the luggage choice is another factor. Get good bags; e.g. Ortlieb and consider front panniers to spread the load equally.