The Pedalshift Project 379: eBike Project – Shakedown Ride

On this episode, I take my new ebike on its first shakedown ride to test its capabilities, from battery life to chain tension to, well… does this thing work? It’s a 40 mile round trip from my cabin in West Virginia to a campsite outside of Hancock, MD on the C&O towpath complete with terrain, headwinds, hills and riverside overnight!


The Pedalshift Project 379: eBike Project - Shakedown Ride

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eBike Project – Shakedown Ride

 

Housekeeping

Lael Wilcox’s ride is weeks old now but shout out to listener and former guest Cyrus Fairivar for not only meeting with Lael, but getting an unnamed shout out on her pod! 

Live Show announcement! Friday December 6 at 9pm ET/6pm PT – topics TBA, and of course it’ll be the pod for the following week if you can’t make it live. Links and more at pedalshift.net/live.

Bike Setup & Preparation:

•Fully charged battery, loaded with two rear panniers, and adjustments for the first e-bike adventure.

•Changes from the last ride: added a stove for coffee and packed some food from Maria’s Taqueria.

Ride Experience:

•Initial observations on battery performance: The e-bike flattened the hills, averaging around 20-25 mph with minimal battery usage.

•Headwind and hill performance: Noted how the pedal assist (at level 4 and 5) made hills easier and allowed for faster cruising speeds.

Comfort Adjustments:

•Noted some tingling in the hands and plans to possibly add bar ends or horns for a better grip.

•A potential move to a more upright riding position, requiring cabling adjustments.

Battery Management:

•Discussed the range and recharge performance, observing that the battery was only down 25% after 20 miles of riding, even with heavy pedal assist.

•Insights on ideal battery storage and how the e-bike’s range matched expectations.

Camp Setup:

•Arrived at camp and shared thoughts on the bike’s potential for longer tours, with plenty of battery for return rides.

•Reflections on camping alone and observations on trail conditions and other cyclists.

The Ride Back:

•Further testing of the battery on uphill sections, confirming impressive performance with ample pedal assist.

•Final reflections on e-bike touring possibilities, noting a vastly improved return ride compared to previous acoustic bike tours.

Statistics

Miles biked: 40 miles
Average Speed on Flats: 23 mph
Battery confidence: 100%
Efficacy of using coffee stirrers as chopsticks: 3%
Flats: 0

As always we like to close out the show with a special shoutout to the Pedalshift Society! Because of support from listeners like you, Pedalshift is a weekly bicycle touring podcast with a global community, expanding into live shows and covering new tours like this summer’s upcoming bike tour! If you like what you hear, you can support the show for 5 bucks, 2 bucks or even a buck a month. And there’s one-shot and annual options if you’re not into the small monthly thing. Check it all out at pedalshift.net/society.

Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Harry Telgadas
Chris Barron
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Mr. T
Nathan Poulton
Stephen Dickerson
Vince LoGreco
Cody Floerchinger
Tom Benenati
Greg Braithwaite
Sandy Pizzio
Jeff Muster
Seth Pollack
Joseph Quinn
Drue Porter
Byron Paterson
Joachim Raber
Ray Jackson
Jeff Frey
Kenny Mikey
Lisa Hart
John Denkler
Steve Hankel
Miguel Quinones
Alejandro Avilés-Reyes
Keith Spangler
Greg Towner
Dan Gebhart, RIP
Jody Dzuranin
Lucas Barwick
Michael Baker
Brian Bechtol
Reinhart Bigl
Greg Middlemis
Connie Moore
William Gothmann
Brian Benton
Joan Churchill
Mike Bender
Rick Weinberg
Billy Crafton
Gary Matushak
Greg L’Etoile-Lopes
James Sloan
Jonathan Dillard
John Funk
Tom Bilcze
Ronald Piroli
Dave Roll
Brian Hafner
Misha LeBlanc
Ari Messinger
David Gratke
Todd Groesbeck
Wally Estrella
Sue Reinert
John Leko
Stephen Granata
Phillip Mueller
Robert Lackey
Dominic Carol
Jacqi McCulloch
John Hickman
Carl Presseault
David Neves
Patty Louise
Terry Fitzgerald
Peter Steinmetz
Timothy Fitzpatrick
Michael Liszewski
Hank O’Donnell
David Zanoni
David Weil
Matthew Sponseller
Chad Reno
Spartan Dale
Carolyn Ferguson
Peggy Littlefield
Lauren Allansmith
Eric Burns
Thomas Pearl
Darrin McKibben
Richard Stewart
Dave Fletcher
Jack Smith
Luke Parkinson
Ryan Patterson
Cyrus Farivar
John Gardiner
Sam Scruggs

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Jason has a new solo album available NOW. Go listen to COMMON TONGUES wherever cool music is available! 

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