Hi, Richard here from eBike Sussex, we have many customers that travel with their eBikes. This article is to help you make the right decision if you are wanting to explore with an electric bike on board. So without further ado: Here are my top things to consider when purchasing an eBike for use with a Caravan, Campervan, Motorhome or Boat. I hope you like this article and please feel free to send me an email if you have any suggestions to improve it!
First things first write a quick list of headings of important things you require your ebike to do/be. These are just a guide, yours may be a little different depending on your needs:
Total ebike weight:
Battery Range?
Total storage area dimensions.
Does the ebike need to fold?
Does ebike need accessories? Luggage rack, lights, puncture proofing, tracker, mirror etc.
Is battery removable?
Can system be easily serviced/repaired abroad?
Are spare parts readily available when abroad?
Do you need hub gears or Derailleur?
Is motor power important?
Once you have your list you can consider each need in relation to the e-bikes you are looking at. SPOILER ALERT! Look for e-bikes that use the Bosch ebike system as in general they are the most reliable, easiest to get servicing and spares Internationally and have great product longevity. this is one of the many reasons we prefer the Bosch system over others available. That isn’t to say a Bosch eBike will tick all boxes, but in our customer’s experience it certainly helps to own a Bosch machine if (God forbid) a problem occurs whilst you are on your travels.
So lets break down our list a little and go into a bit more detail:
Total ebike weight: Will you be lifting the eBike regularly? Is that a problem for you? The weight you can lift safely is important, our ebikes range from 16kg up to 28kg, you can make them lighter by removing the battery before lifting, some of our eBike batteries are around 3kg alone. Also think about the total vehicle weight limits you have to adhere to. There are not only the weight limits for the overall vehicle (fully laden), but also separate storage boxes, garages and bike racks will have their own total and individual item weight limits. For example if you have a car rack on the back of your motor home it will have a certification sticker that will show the maximum combined ebike weights the rack can take and the maximum weight of any single ebike. For example 60kg total weight and 25kg max weight of any single ebike. Do your homework first! If you are worried about lifting an ebike onto a rear mounted rack for example you can buy hydraulic lifting racks or (as i prefer) the ones that use a winch system to raise up. This puts your ebikes out of harms way, makes them less likely to be stolen off the back of the vehicle when you are parked up and also means you don’t have to lift the ebikes at all. Speak with your local campervan/motorhome fitter to see what they have available, and if Thule do a suitable rack you really will love the build quality they have.
Battery Range? The battery ranges of our eBikes can be way beyond what you will ever need. The benefits of a larger battery capacity are more battery longevity, and less charging needed between uses which can help if you are charging off grid. We have some options for range extenders on our eBikes, for example a Bosch Raleigh Centros we just upgraded now has a 167 mile range on a single charge! Be careful what you wish for though as it isn’t a cheap exercise to fit a wired in extender to some eBikes.
Total storage area dimensions. Measure twice, buy once! The best thing to do is take a few measurements of the storage space options you may have. Also accessibility is essential if you are going to use the ebike regularly. Much better to have it readily available at a moments notice, no one wants to dismantle a bed to get to an ebike, likewise it can’t be the last thing in the back of a cupboard. Some of our customers opt to store their ebikes on the back of their leisure vehicle for ease of use. We also have some that store in the galley area and use rubber mats to protect the floor.
Does the ebike need to fold? Not all eBikes need to fold to fit into storage, you could remove the front and rear wheels, pedals and turn the handlebars to make it easier to stow. Don’t limit yourself to a folding eBike if you don’t have to. The smaller wheels make for a more precarious ride, and your safety and comfort should be your number one priority. It is not uncommon for customers to buy smaller e-bikes for storage convenience. Sometimes they use remotely adjustable seats (called a dropper post) to shrink the e-bikes storage footprint. You can also remove the front wheel easily and with speed. Don’t worry, we provide you with spacers to slide between the brake caliper whilst transporting with the wheel removed. We also give you a demonstration on removing the front wheel if you require it at the handover when you buy a new eBike from us.
Does ebike need accessories? Luggage rack, lights, puncture proofing, tracker, mirror, basket, pannier bags, tools incase you have to change a puncture, spare inner tubes etc. If you fail to prepare you are preparing to fail.
Is the battery removable? Wherever you choose to store your ebike it is always best to remove the battery and store it separately in an ambient environment. Avoid leaving the battery in direct sunlight (like on a parcel shelf) as you don’t want to overheat it on a sunny day. Likewise leaving the battery and battery cover on the ebike whilst transporting the ebike on a car rack is ill advised. You should also remove the handle bar screen if it is removable, so you don’t lose it on the motorway! There are neoprene covers that can be purchased to wrap around exposed terminals for transporting your ebike on a car rack, they are great for longer journeys when you have no control over the elements you may encounter.
Can system be easily serviced/repaired abroad? Also are spare parts readily available when abroad? This was previously covered in looking at buying a Bosch eBike system. If you know you are travelling through Europe for example you should consider looking up potential dealers for the system your ebike uses and maybe email them in advance to check if they will be able to help you if needed. Also on a side note take the spare key with you! Hide it in a safe place in your vehicle in case you lose your ebike or lock key whilst out and about.
Do you need hub gears or Derailleur? Hub gears have less surface area to rust and are commonly found on hybrid and shopping style eBikes. On the other hand derailleur systems can give a little more efficiency and therefore more battery range, and are often found on mountain bikes or Trekking bikes. Hub gears can be changed when you are stationary (great for hill starts and inner city traffic) derailleur systems nowadays can have super wide gear ranges for mountainous terrain, but you can only change gear whilst pedaling (gently!) and you can find the chain could come off a derailleur system much more frequently than a hub gear equivalent.
Is motor power important? Hills, mountains, your weekly shop on the back, and that fry up you just ate at the newly discovered cafe in town, it all adds up.
Storage – other ways to skin a cat
Some of our customers stow their eBikes under the bed area, and slide the ebike in and out on a sheet of cardboard (with the handlebars turned, pedals folded or removed and battery taken off beforehand.) Others opt for garages on the back of the motor home with bungee cords & wooden-plank-mounted wheel stands to hold their ebikes upright. We also have some customers that store their ebikes out of view in the galley area when travelling and will use a rubber mat or similar to protect the galley carpet. Every leisure vehicle and user is different, so sometimes you have to adapt what you have to fit. The best thing you can do is use a tape measure to get an idea of the dimensions you have to play with if you are storing in a garage area in your motorhome or camper van. Then visit our store with that info, and we can provide you with the e-bikes dimensions when you are in store looking at the particular e-bikes that suit your needs.
Charging your ebike on the go: Charging your ebike battery on an inverter used to be a problem if you switched your engine on mid charge or made a cuppa at the same time. Nowadays the inverters have Pure Sine Wave technology that runs through a motherboard first to protect your sensitive electrical devices like laptops, mobile phones and ebike batteries. If you buy your ebike from us you will have a premium battery too, most likely manufactured by Bosch or Yamaha. These batteries have their own clever battery management systems (BMS) built in to them with a mini motherboard. They can take software updates as time goes by if necessary, for example Bosch often send out battery optimisation updates which we load up at your ebike service interval where applicable. These make the battery cells last longer and fail less, it also protects against fires because the cells are being constantly monitored by the BMS. If you ever wondered why some e-bikes are better and more expensive than others, a huge chunk of expense goes into battery technology, this is especially true of Bosch e-bikes.
Security: Buy a tracker for your ebike. it will give you peace of mind if you need to lock your bike up in an area you’ve not been to before. If (God forbid) your ebike is stolen the police will be much more able to help if you have a phone app showing its whereabouts in real time. Some of our newer trackers come with an insurance subscription option too at a reasonable cost.
Locks, Locks and more Locks! Invest in some locks, and make sure they are at least Gold sold secure (insurance rated). Also if you get insurance for your ebike against theft please read the small print! See exactly what the insurance provider’s policy stipulations are for locking up the ebike.
Future proof your ebike: Will you park up your lovely motorhome half way up a mountain and decide to go and get some supplies from the tiny village in the distant valley? Did you buy an ebike that has a pannier rack fitted with ample shopping bag space? Do you have the ability to fix your mobile phone to the handlebars for directions? Or did you opt for an integral sat nav system for your ebike when you specced it in the store? Do you have a mirror fitted for road safety and lights incase you ride back late from the pub on that country road? Do you want to puncture proof your ebike as much as possible before or after you get your first puncture? These are some of the things we can help you decide when you visit our store looking for your next ebike for adventuring in your leisure vehicle.
It is also worth noting that we have full suspension mountain e-bikes that can be fitted with pannier racks. These e-bikes sometimes come with adjustable lock-out front and rear suspension for comfort and control. This makes the bike better to handle on the road because the suspension won’t bounce you around and can be soft and dampening on bumpier off road terrain. It’s like having two ebikes in one!
Always consider we don’t get taller with age, so it’s best to buy a slightly smaller ebike and raise the seat than to have to buy a new ebike as the years go by. Buy right buy once!
Thank you for reading my article, please feel free to email with anything you would like to add. We look forward to welcoming you at our store. We have ample free parking for caravans, motorhomes and camper vans. The coffee machine is on, so pop in for a cheeky espresso. 🙂
Kind regards Richard
eBike Sussex
You must be logged in to post a comment.