Electric bikes can be a great form of exercise and fun for RVers. Many of them fold up small, so they can fit in your RV’s storage or undercarriage, and those with tired knees and joints won’t have to pedal as much, or as hard.
Carrying a bike with you on your travels allows you to see the campground, or area, in a whole new light. Cover twice the amount of territory, explore new trails, and even meet new friends.
Nanci Dixon loves her Lectric eBike and highly recommends it for RVers.
I would love to have one but you have to consider that if you run out of juice you will be walking some of these bikes to the nearest electrical outlet. And in Acadia the propane buses will not tow your bike back to where you came from because the buses there are propane. With buses turning to propane its either walk or get a non e bike. But I am considering it because I would love to tour the carriage roads here in Acadia. So its a toss up for me right now.
I’ve bought motorcycles for less than some of these e-bikes are going for now days!
In 5 years or less, ebikes will be outselling pedal bikes. I would bet money on it.
We have 2 Lectric Step-Throughs. We love them. They fold and we can fit them in our Subaru Impreza, one in the trunk and one in the back seat.
The only downside is they are heavy at 64lbs. I wish they made one with an aluminum frame.
I seldom use the throttle, usually only to start out and maybe a steep hill to maintain speed.
People who diss ebikes should really try one. You’d be surprised at the amount of effort needed but minus the strain on knees that conventional bikes require. Got us both back on a bike which is a Good Thing.
I converted my Trek to electric assist with a kit. $700 and it’s fun! Don’t assume there is no exercise involved, I’m still pedaling, and as another reader said, my gears are set at the highest resistance. Don’t judge it before you try it.
Question should be: If you ride bikes would you buy an electric bike in the next year?
Most campgrounds we stay at have few bike riders and many, many golf carts racing around far exceeding the 5 mph speed limits. More than half that ride bikes ride electric assisted – like us. Most of those riders are of retirement age.
So, how many of those who rejected the idea of owning an electric bike drive around in golf carts?
The national park I am at now does rent regular and e bikes. I am considering trying one out before I buy. But right now I haven’t had time with the job and all. So I will dream until next year.
Gotta be the height (or close to it) of laziness.
Then you’ve never been a bike rider. It’s quite a statement you made – Rude and presumptuous. I have been a mountain biker all my life. It is a passion. When I was diagnosed with arthritis, it became hard to ride, for many reasons. When I got my Lectric, it was like the world had opened back up for me.
I ride in 7th gear always (if you have never ridden a geared bike, it’s more resistance at that gear, which is the highest on my Lectric) and only use pedal assist in lowest to ease the strain. I had to have adjustments made to the seat and handlebars as well but now I am back to enjoying my passion and can ride as far as I want and used to.
I hope no one judges you for things you choose to do. It’s a sad thing to see a human judging another the way you did. I hope you find peace in your own life.
Jewel, we tried the electric.. it seems when I pedaled once around the assist came on.. Setting was 6 I believe.. how can we set that so I can pedal more and only use assist when needed.. when I turned it off the bike seemed to heavy to pedal.
thanks
Wow! if you think it’s laziness then you have not done it. It draws people out to get into better shape if they canget a little help up the hills, etc.
Go try it and by that I mean actually put the bike to the test. I used to think the same until I did it. It was a heck of workout. If you haven’t or won’t then probably best to not talk about something you don’t know about.
Ron, we’re going to have to agree to disagree.
I have had a knee replacement, a hip replacement and back surgery and this septuagenarian has over 1500 miles on my Lectric XP.
In the past 24 hours I have taken a 3 mile on the beach in Pismo, CA and went on a 5 mile ride with my 12 year old grandson all of which if I had a pedal only bike I wouldn’t have experienced.
LOVE the freedom and adventures my eBike continues to take me on!
I don’t think it’s lazy at all unless you want it to be. You can tone down the assist level to get as much or little exercise as you like.
AND… it gets those with limited mobility out and about who wouldn’t otherwise. A win win win, Mr. Naysayer!!
No thanks. We have two Honda mopeds that work great. A quart of mix and run for 300 plus miles. I can’t justify spending that kind of money when I need the bucks for hauling down the road. Look folks it still cost money to charge, repairs are expensive and honestly think I’m not saving anything for climate change as still using fossil fuel to produce energy. And if I mixed a little rich I’m killing mosquitoes only kidding.
No electric bike for me. I have a coleman mini bike, that I built a sidecar for my wife . Rides great and good gas mileage.
I’ve been thinking about buying 1 but 1) the price is too high 2) Battery replacement price is too high. 3) The advertisers don’t give any info on battery life. At least the ones if looked at. Too many other reasons to list but those are the main ones I haven’t bought 1 yet.
I bought a foldable from Luna Cycle in California. I keep it in the back of my Jeep Sahara. Weighs only 29 lbs with the battery removed. The battery weighs 9 lbs and is easily removable. Has great range. Small wheels, so a little twitchy till you get used to it. Not much rake to the fork but it’s quick and powerful. Can use with a throttle or a pedal assist mode. Makes me feel like I used to feel riding my road bike years ago when I was in good shape. And yes, you can get a good workout with one, even with assist turned on. Love it.
I am more likely to get an electric scooter. Takes up less space and is lighter and travels just as far.
I have owned a battery powered bike for about 20 years. It works by driving on the front tire (by a kind of grinding wheel). I used it to commute to work until I retired. 9 years ago.
Is this a Velo Solex?
Not for $1000+.
I’ve bought all the bikes I’m going to. My knee is shot so peddling is a real pain and if it wasn’t I’d ride my like new regular road bike that has less than 10 miles on it in 6 years. Exercise is more important than sightseeing.
Hear this all the time, ” you should have one, I went 30 miles yesterday etc. They didn’t pedal though.
no freakin’ way. how can a self-propelled bike possibly be good exercise?
Class 1 are not self propelled, you still must pedal and you can select how hard you have to pedal. Still better exercise than walking.
class II, like my Lectric, is pedal powered with or without assist. I have used throttle mainly to get started from a stop or on a long steep uphill. Otherwise, I pedal in 7th gear with most resistance and lowest assist. Battery lasts about 25 – 30 miles.
A good pedal bike costs the same or more anyway. Not sure why everyone thinks it’s so much to spend on a very practical and fun pastime / transportation.
I am still watching the prices, and want to make sure it’s: a) fast, b) sturdy, 3) affordable
I love my foldable e bike. I’ve had it 3 yrs now and couldn’t imagine not having it. I still pedal and only use the power assist for hills because of my bad knees.
I purchased it on line and got it half price on clearance. It pays to shop around on line.
BTW..thanks Joe
Sixth question: “Do you own more than 1? If so, how many?” 4
My wife and I LOVE our 2 year old Lectric XP eBikes and collectively we have over 2000 trouble-free miles. They fold and easily fit in the back of our Toad and have allowed us to travel trails, beaches, backroads, etc. easily. https://lectricebikes.com/
We have that brand too. Love them!
I purchased the ebike while in Yellowstone and enjoyed it. Alas, sold it last year as I didn’t use it as much as I wished and also, even though it was a folding bike, took up too much room and as you know, when full time, you need all the room you can muster! May get another at some point, but not right now!
I have an electric recumbent trike as my balance is an issue on 2 wheel bikes. My husband has an Electrical Bike Company ebike and we have a blast on them. They are perfect for the bike trails around Tucson when we winter there. We’re seeing ebikes often at campgrounds.