In a statement that's sure to stir a bit of conversation among America's cycling community, Friends of Big Bend Ranch State Park wrote "E-bikes may sound like a good idea
Remember, the last half of your battery is not the same as the first half. If you are relying on power, especially in remote locations, use it conservatively!
And don't rely on the "estimated range" that some devices give on the display, or the marketed range! E-scooter and e-bike manufacturers are notorious for overstating the range you get from their products, so an e-bike with "150km range" may only get you 65km in real-world scenarios.
With my e-scooter, I made sure to test the range in all kinds of conditions and riding styles, then plotted the data in a spreadsheet to come up with a reasonable estimate. Even though it has a rating of 65km range, I can reliably get 45km no matter how I ride, just because I did the math.
Funny enough, the "eco mode" on my e-scooter doesn't actually get you much more range, but it makes the ride feel terribly slow and sluggish.
@_haha_oh_wow_ ... i learned this the hard way when I decided to ride mine in 90F from work. The bike starting running hot and I could smell it... it was already running low anyway. I still wonder what that the owner of the home that I laid out on their lawn thinks of me to this day. I needed the shade tho lol
That panel is maybe good for 200W, laying flat like this at most 120W. Continuous driving on that thing might be 5-10km/h (5mph) while the sun's high up
If you have a hub motor you can ride without a chain, but if you are getting out into the wild you should have a spare chain/belt, repair kit, tubes, etc. along with everything you need to survive if you get stranded (water filter, emergency rations, clothing to stay warm, emergency shelter, etc.).
It's also worth mentioning that you can pedal a dead e-bike all the same, it just sucks going uphill because of the extra weight. I've ridden my EP2 Pro around (albeit slowly) with no power when I was bored and wanted to ride around but didn't want to waste battery because I had to get back quickly later on.
Definitely carry a spare chain/belt, repair kit, and tubes for flats. I like Flatout too, works pretty well for plugging flats. You can also run tubeless or tires with liners, tube liners, etc.
I run Tannus Armour in my ebike and Flatout in my bicycle.
Choose the type of bike for the activity I'm doing. If it's extremely long range and remote, I'll use a standard bike.
If I'm going on a long range ebike trip, I either start with a smaller battery and progress to a larger one for the return trip, or two, manually pedal out as far as I can and then use the battery for the return trip.
I really only use ebikes for city travel though. (Though we have done 45 mile trips on a whim because ebikes give you so much stamina)!
Battery budgeting is perhaps an intermediate skill in that you need to understand how your bike and battery works, but its a necessary skill. Low assist levels for longer is usually much more efficient than 0 assist followed by fuller assist.
My ebike is used exclusively for fast short trips where I need to carry stuff. Anything else I ride a bicycle because I know it'll never run out of power (unless it's really shitty out, then I cave and drive usually).