Electric bikes (e-bikes) are an excellent option to allow riders of mixed abilities to ride together, and open up more challenging cycling routes with the extra assistance. In recent years, e-bikes have gone from niche to mainstream, and is why we do not specifically list e-bike holidays. In response to the exponential growth in demand for e-bikes, we now offer an e-bike rental option for the vast majority of our cycling tour collection.
Topics included in this article:
- What types of e-bikes do you offer?
- Why is the e-bike rental more expensive?
- What assistance do your e-bikes offer the rider?
- What is it like riding an e-bike?
- Which of your tours offers e-bike rentals?
What types of e-bikes do you offer?
Across our cycling tour portfolio, many different types and brands of e-bikes are provided. The models are selected respective of the tour; principally considering the terrain, daily ride distance and overall tour grading. As we contract the rental services through local companies in the destination, each supplier will stock a different fleet of bikes, thus contributing to the wide range of e-bike brands and types offered.
In general, the models are chosen to appeal to a broad demographic of cyclists, offer a high degree of user-friendliness, and ensure they are an economical option. It is, therefore, important to be aware that not all e-bikes are created equally, and if you have your own e-bike, what you will use on a tour may differ from what you have at home. In many instances, the e-bike option will offer a step-through frame and are usually uni-sex models.
To view the type of e-bike available for rental on each tour, you can visit the tour profile page where details of the e-bikes are illustrated. These are sample models, and similar models are allocated if the displayed model is unavailable. The cost of the e-bike rental can be found on the booking page of the tour.
Some examples of the e-bikes we offer are shown below:
Why is the e-bike rental more expensive?
Whilst e-bikes have quickly risen in popularity, the costs of purchasing and maintaining e-bikes for our local bike suppliers still considerably exceed that of standard bikes. The extra investment for our suppliers to stock and refurbish e-bikes is, therefore, reflected in the higher rental cost. These investment considerations may limit the fleet size, and breadth of frame sizes, and typically a minimum height of 160cms is necessary for the smallest framed e-bike in their fleet.
What assistance do your e-bikes offer the rider?
Our electric bikes have all the features of a regular bicycle but also include a battery (usually on the back or attached to the lower bar of the frame), a motor, integration of the motor’s power into the drivetrain, and the facility to control that electrical power. It is important to note that electric bikes still must be pedalled, shifted, and steered like you would a standard bike, only with the added benefit of having a small motor to assist with pedalling. In almost all cases, there is no throttle, and the distinction between an e-bike, and a scooter or electric motorcycle must be recognised. We opt to use the term 'e-bike' for our electric bike rental option, as the term is most widely recognised; however, the electric bikes themselves are more closely associated with the characteristics of a Pedelec, as they require pedalling to activate the assistance.
The pedal assistance from the e-bike motor typically cuts out at 25km/h, which is presently a regulation widely enforced throughout European countries. The amount of assistance can range from no assistance at all to a great deal of assistance, and each e-bike normally offers a minimum of three pedal-assist levels (eco, normal and high). On the display, the data featured will typically be speed, distance covered, battery charge indicator, and power level indicator.
Generally speaking, most e-bikes do not charge when you pedal and will require charging their batteries in a power outlet. They will comfortably charge overnight, and you should make sure it is charged daily on a multi-day trip. Many bikes have removable battery packs, allowing you to take the pack into your room to charge at night. A common maximum battery range for most models is 70-100kms; however, the range of assistance will depend upon the degree of assistance selected, terrain, head-wind, elevation, battery type and age, and rider weight (inclusive of items in panniers).
What is it like riding an e-bike?
Naturally, an e-bike offers riders an effective boost when cycling uphill, and takes the strain out of cycling long distances. They are also great fun with the injection of power and acceleration for the rider.
Despite these advantages, riders must appreciate that stability, strength and balance are necessary to operate an e-bike. Due to the extra components and frame design, the extra weight of an e-bike is a consideration and can make the steering feel less responsive and unwieldy. Extra care in particular should be taken on uneven surfaces and downhill sections.
For those new to e-bikes, we strongly recommend that clients access an e-bike before their tour, and familiarise themselves with the typical controls and feel of an e-bike. We also recommend that travellers do not overestimate how much the e-bike will enhance their capabilities, and carefully consider the terrain, tour grading, and technicality of the itinerary. Our sales team is on hand, should you like to discuss the e-bike option for each tour.
Which of our tours offers e-bike rentals?
Most of our cycling tours will offer e-bike rental, in addition to standard bike rental. For easy reference to our entire collection of cycling tours with e-bike rental options, you can follow this link.
Some of these are easy, flat routes but, if want some inspiration for tougher trails, made so much more accessible by powering up, look no further than this blog.
To go straight to a summary of our most commonly asked questions, click here.
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