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We bought ebikes for camping


Trainman

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We purchased these ebikes from RAD to add to our camping fun, plus ride them on the city trails where we live in Ft. Worth, Texas. Anyone else thinking about doing this, it sure adds being able to cover the entire camping ground and a ride to the store much more fun and not much peddling required. These Folding RAD models will go 20 miles without peddling and 30-50 miles with Peddle Assist turned on. Were 71 and 74 years old and they have increased our camping travels around the area to way more then we did in the past. 

trainman

Pics of the Rad Mini Step Thru's

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Those are very cool and I am sure you will enjoy them a lot. How do those street tires do in gravel or sand?

For those who might not know, any ebike that can be operated without “pedal assist” cannot be ridden on  bike-only paths in many states and communities. ... Well, legally at least. Enforcement is not very common. It is always best to research the law before going off the established roads and their bike lanes.

I still don’t have one but I keep looking and thinking. Prices are a big factor, I missed a huge bargain over Thanksgiving on one I would have loved to have.

John Davies

Spokane WA

2C2D6A57-F4AB-4CCF-A8B3-282F5E4A722F.png

Edited by John E Davies

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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27 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

 Prices are a big factor, I missed a huge bargain over Thanksgiving on one I would have loved to have.

John Davies

Spokane WA

That was a good deal JD. Although its a full blown suspension bike, it would be great for multi use. I'm still on the pedal power, but it would work for my wife and then the distance and elevation would not be an issue on our joint rides.

Cindy,  Russell and  "Harley dog" . Home is our little farm near Winchester TN

2018 Oliver Legacy Elite II - 2018 GMC 2500 Duramax 

"Die young - As late as possible"
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Ebikes come in all sizes and prices and it's true that many are priced way up there and many are the $1500 range. If you really look into what's out there and start to price these bikes you will find that the biggest number of sales are in the $1000 to $1800 dollar range, not the $5000 range. It's like most things, dealer Mom and Pop bicycle shops are going to carry top quality bikes and have expensive parts in them, but like other products the online bikes offered are proving to be very good quality and many are imported and sold by dealers that are giving top service and you can actually pic up the phone and talk to someone. I purchased ours from RAD a Seattle based company and with top quality sales and service, they have some 30 employee. You might just go to YouTube and watch some RAD POWER BIKE videos, I think you might just get a good idea why they are number one in sales and service.  https://www.radpowerbikes.com/pages/ebikes  We got two very nice ebikes with top ratings, there are other online sellers that may be the same, it's pretty easy to ask and find the answers for a model you might consider a purchase. I would say before you purchase any ebike you spend a month or two finding out about ebikes, you will draw your own conclusion from your findings. Here is a very informative fourm for ebikes, it's the EBR Forum,  https://electricbikereview.com/forum/

trainman

Edited by Trainman
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2019 RAM 1500, 5.7 Hemi, 4X4, Crew Cab, 5'7" bed, Towing Package, 3.92 Gears.

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3 hours ago, John E Davies said:

Those are very cool and I am sure you will enjoy them a lot. How do those street tires do in gravel or sand?

For those who might not know, any ebike that can be operated without “pedal assist” cannot be ridden on  bike-only paths in many states and communities. ... Well, legally at least. Enforcement is not very common. It is always best to research the law before going off the established roads and their bike lanes.

I still don’t have one but I keep looking and thinking. Prices are a big factor, I missed a huge bargain over Thanksgiving on one I would have loved to have.

John Davies

Spokane WA

2C2D6A57-F4AB-4CCF-A8B3-282F5E4A722F.png

John, We have found the tires on the Rad Mini Step Thru (smooth ones like motorcycle street tires) to work just fine on packed dirt, do remember here I come from riding motorcycles off road as well as street riding for over 50 years, so a ebike is not going to be too much of a bike to handle for me, but for the wife I do have to keep here informed as to what, where, and how if the dirt becomes too soft, etc. Since 90% of our riding is on pavement, the smooth tires are much quieter them the so called knobby style tires. Most Fat Tire ebikes are going to come with knobby tires so your choices of ebikes that come with smooth style tires will be very few to choose from. Here is a video of campers riding the Rad Mini's, it will show the two bikes offered by Rad that fold for traveling.  

 

trainman

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Trainman, do the folding bikes you bought fit in the ram bed folded, upright? We almost bought a set at a show a year ago, but they wete too tall too fit under the Undercover topper, upright, and too big to carry otherwise, with all our other necessary gear .

Sherry

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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This is huge:

“The Great Public Lands E-Bike Rush of 2019

In a controversial move, the secretary of the interior recently decreed that motorized bikes should be allowed anywhere that standard bikes are permitted. How this will work is still being sorted out, but the world of pedal-assist riding is about to really open up.”

https://www.outsideonline.com/2402117/public-lands-ebikes#close

It will be really important for any ebike rider to read up on exactly which the trails are open. And to not ride where they are off limits....

John Davies

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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3 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

Trainman, do the folding bikes you bought fit in the ram bed folded, upright? We almost bought a set at a show a year ago, but they wete too tall too fit under the Undercover topper, upright, and too big to carry otherwise, with all our other necessary gear .

Sherry

I’m also interested in the answer to that concern. I like the folding idea but they still appear bulky and awkward to lift into the truck bed,  65lbs may get old lifting. Just like putting in the generator.

Grant  2022 GMC Denali 2500 HD 2019  Elite 11😎

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12 hours ago, John E Davies said:

This is huge:

“The Great Public Lands E-Bike Rush of 2019

In a controversial move, the secretary of the interior recently decreed that motorized bikes should be allowed anywhere that standard bikes are permitted. How this will work is still being sorted out, but the world of pedal-assist riding is about to really open up.”

https://www.outsideonline.com/2402117/public-lands-ebikes#close

It will be really important for any ebike rider to read up on exactly which the trails are open. And to not ride where they are off limits....

John Davies

Spokane WA

Yes,  John this is very controversial. Pedal power bikes were already increasingly being targeted on most trails and backcountry paths mostly due to erosion issues, and for some just to be  punitive. With a 1 HP limit many would think that's not much, but if you consider the power to weight ratio, its comparative to  a smaller fossil engine mc. 

I'm not sure where I fall on the issue, as an avid back country hiker, and a MTB'er I enjoy both, but I also support trail maintenance and reasonable use control. Given the advancement of this tech, I can see a 35 lbs., high power output Ebike, with full suspension - soon hitting the market, albeit at a high $$. WOW, now that would be fun, and destructive to most of the trail I frequent. 

I understand the vast majority of Ebike will be used in the traditional manor - but I'm positive they will become as intrusive as these e scooters that have taken over the sidewalks of some cities. 

Perhaps the local authorities will figure it out, but I doubt it. 

In the meantime, one would look fine strapped to the rear carrier of the Ollie. 

RB

Cindy,  Russell and  "Harley dog" . Home is our little farm near Winchester TN

2018 Oliver Legacy Elite II - 2018 GMC 2500 Duramax 

"Die young - As late as possible"
ALAZARCACOFLIDMTNVNMOKORTNTXUTWAWYd56201

 

 

 

 

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To answer some of the questions that were asked, the Rad Mini's folded are 43"x22"x28" for the standard Mini and 42"x24"x29" for the Mini Step Thru, that should fit under most all camper tops I would think. The bikes weigh 68 lbs., I remove the batteries and that saves 8 lbs. less to lift. I find lifting to be easy, but do remember you have to lift it the height of the tailgate when open. There's plenty of room left in the pickup bed for our other camping needs that we carry in there. 

One person brought up the topic on riding off-road trails, etc., this has always been a problem with hikers and motorcycle/bicycle riders where ever you go, being a member of PAPA Public Access Preservation Association which is out of Colorado this is a never ending topic and many meeting have become very heated discussions on who can go where to ride. States will have to set areas for each, some will be dual and other setup for each. I will say here that at age 74 I'm not going to be riding these trails anymore, so you younger people will have to attend to this matter if feel strongly about riding areas.  

As John brought up, yes there is new regulations on riding on public lands and they do favor the bicycle and ebike riders. Also many cities have adopted much the same laws and rules, but each city has there own regulations and it is always best to find out what they are. I can tell you that cities are really working on bicycle lanes and trails, they seem they want to becoming bicycle friendly, this does mean that they are prompting both the pedal bicycle and the ebikes. In most cities you can not ride on city sidewalks, but I can tell you that if your out in the rural areas the police are no going to stop you, I hope they are doing other more important work. Remember riding a bicycle/ebike has a lot to do with commonsense and the police look at it pretty much the same way. 

For those of you who don't know, bicycles have to follow the same rules as other motor vehicles do, that is cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc. when riding on public streets, highways, etc., yes that includes giving hand signals, stopping at stop signs, and riding in your lane. 

Last, there are three classes of ebikes, probably would be good to know what they are, Class 1, is pedal assist only, that means no throttle on the bike, Class 2, can have both pedal assist and throttle, or just throttle, these Class 1 and 2 can only have a top speed of 20 MPH, and Class 3 ebikes can have pedal assist, throttles, and can go 28 MPH max speed, but Class 3 ebikes will require a driver license and insurance to ride on the street. Class 1 and 2 don't require a drivers license, or insurance, this makes these the most popular for the public to buy. Ebike sold here in the U.S. will have a sticker affixed to the frame and will have the Class marked on it and law officers are trained to look for that sticker. I will say here that in some U.S. cities only Class 1 bikes are allowed on city streets, New York City is one of them, doesn't make to much sense, but that's the law for now. Most sold ebikes here in the U.S. are Class 2 ebikes. 

I will answer any question that I can, remember I got most of my info from YouTube and a little from riding in the last three months. 

trainman

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2019 RAM 1500, 5.7 Hemi, 4X4, Crew Cab, 5'7" bed, Towing Package, 3.92 Gears.

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https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/segway-dirt-ebike-the-epic-off-road-ride--3?fbclid=IwAR26m6utk4i5A1dbrrSFL7TLSGPonLPWDGQ40SwpYL5Vuxp-SEfFoJe5mIA#/

When they add a few pedals to these - or vice versa - That's what I was referring to previously.  The go fasters out there will hot rod the Ebike world completely out of off road acceptance  -  sooner than later the Ebike crowd will be restricted much like the petrol powered crowd. Class 1,2,3 be darned, progress will not be denied. 20 years younger and I'd be right there - modifying and go fasting - seems that's a dying breed today. 

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Cindy,  Russell and  "Harley dog" . Home is our little farm near Winchester TN

2018 Oliver Legacy Elite II - 2018 GMC 2500 Duramax 

"Die young - As late as possible"
ALAZARCACOFLIDMTNVNMOKORTNTXUTWAWYd56201

 

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, BackofBeyond said:

That is very cool and I think the price is right. As a pure dirt play bike it will be a hoot. If idiots try to take them on regular bicycle only trails we will see a whole lot of destruction and bad feelings. 

If my body were younger and I had some acreage to ride on, I would put my deposit down.

Thanks for posting.

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited by John E Davies

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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