I mentioned in my last post that my partner and I are thinking about some longer distance bike trips. We traveled with our road bikes to Prince Edward Island several years ago and had a wonderful time exploring the area, typically riding in the morning and enjoying a picnic lunch before heading back to our lodging to clean up and enjoy other activities around the area.
Our fitness levels are dissimilar, as is our desire to ride until our legs fall off, so we began exploring the option of an ebike for me. After a lot of online research we popped over to our local bike shop which had two models I was interested in trying. The shop team was great and helped me get familiar with the ebikes, riding them around the area until I felt more comfortable on them.
The bikes, however, are enormous. They felt very different to me than a road bike, which is what I’m used to riding. The bikes I test rode were both around 75 lbs and I felt every bit of that when manuevering them. They were both fun to ride and easy to get the hang of the motor, but I am struggling to imagine lugging them around while we stop for meals or hotel stays (no bike camping for me!)
All of the bikes I researched would be considered “Class 2 ebikes,” meaning they have a throttle and go up to 20 mph. Typically they weigh more than a Class 1 ebike by about 20-25 lbs and are capable of moving without the rider pedaling (as opposed to pedal-assisted, where the rider has to be moving the pedals for the motor to kick in and add additional support). There are also Class 3 ebikes which are similar to Class 2’s but can get up to 28 mph.
I’m not especially interested in the option to motor without pedaling, although I suppose it might be nice in some situations. I would be happier with a Class 1 that was lighter and easier to maneuver and travel with, but the rider payload limits on Class 1 ebikes fall short for larger riders. As someone in a larger body I need to think about not only my own weight, but how much weight I’ll be packing on a long distance, self-supported ride.
Having done minimal research into ebikes before now I had considered them a way to level the opportunities for riders who wanted/needed more support than a traditional bike. But the lower payload limits on Class 1 bikes seem to leave out folks in larger bodies and folks who may want to tow kids/dogs/gear. Wrangling and storing a 75+ lb bike is a challenge I hadn’t considered undertaking when I started exploring my options. Being limited into a model of bike I’m not especially interested in is frustrating and feels like another way the “fat tax” is being applied.
For now I’m going to keep trying more ebikes at various shops in the area. And if we can find the time before the fall leaves start to drop I may rent an ebike to use on some of our local trails to get more comfortable with ebikes in general, and then we’ll see where that leaves our long distance goals in the spring.
Amy Smith is a professor of Media & Communication and a communication consultant who lives north of Boston. Her research interests include gender communication and community building. Amy spends her movement time riding the basement bicycle to nowhere, walking her two dogs, and waiting for it to get warm enough for outdoor swimming in New England.
