Backroads is a typical company that offers organized bike tours. They charge about $700 per night for their tours and a typical day might have 15-mile, 25-mile, and 40-mile options. There is a van (“sag wagon”) to follow the tourists, fix flats, etc.
I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be cheaper and better to use electric bicycles for these trips. The strongest tourists can bring their own road bikes, suit up in Lycra, and pound out the full 40 miles including any intervening mountains. The rest of the group can enjoy the full ride but at whatever level of electric assist is desired/required. The tour company has to provide more expensive bikes, but at $700 per night that should not be significant and the cost would be offset by running a sag wagon along only one route rather than three. These tours usually include a lunch stop where batteries can be recharged. If there are epic hills to conquer the sag wagon can have extra batteries for hot-swapping.
biketours.com claims that there are e-bike tours out there, but they are listed as “self-guided” (i.e., you can rent an electric bike and do whatever you want). Red E Bike will take you around for three hours.
Thoughts on whether this is the right idea for a multi-day van-supported trip?
Related:
Not a bad idea. For the tour companies that I’ve looked into (for Europe or Japan bike trips) if you don’t bring your own bike you have to pay for a rental. They have the rental divided into basic / nice. The “nice” rental bikes are usually full carbon $4K or more bikes. So an e-bike should easily be cheaper than the “nice” option. The only issue I’d see is convincing casual bikers to drop $700 or more per night for a biking vacation. The people that I bike with that have done biking vacations, biking is their entire leisure activity. They bike every weekend and take local biking long weekends. So these people would never consider an e-bike of any sort for their vacation. Part of the appeal for these biking vacations is saying that you climbed “blah, blah, blah” famous pass from the Tour De France.
Tours with e-bikes already exist from Butterfield and Robinson:
SCOTT E-VENTURE ELECTRIC-ASSIST BIKE
Assistance Whenever it’s Needed
Our Scott E-Venture bikes are regular pedal bikes that provide electric assistance whenever you want it. With both the battery and the drive train in the center of the bike frame, this electric-assist bike is as stable as they come. With four different assist-level modes, state-of-the-art Bosch drive system, and an extremely comfortable ride, this bike offers it all. Learn everything you need to know about e-bikes in Butterfield & Robinson’s Know Before You Go Video. E-bikes are available on a first come, first served basis and there will be a modest upgrade fee for using them.
http://www.butterfield.com/about/equipment/
Another idea would be to strap a gasoline engine to the bicycle. This would eliminate the pesky range issues. For ultimate comfort, perhaps have add some axles and 2 more wheels and a more comfortable seat, or even multiple seats so you can bring your friends. You could even enclose the whole thing in a sort of protective cage in case you crash.
Seriously, if you don’t want to pedal even 15 miles on your bike tour, why are you doing a bike tour? Just get a car or motorcycle.
My cycling friends have been doing European bike tours for years, and wouldn’t even consider such a thing. They are fitness-oriented (although not to an extreme) and relish (!) these vacations as opportunities to eat and drink well without paying the penalty in terms of weight gain. (a cyclist’s day can easily consume 5000+ calories)
Also, they like the idea of travelling well and getting value for money. $700/d is a lot of money, so obviously they aren’t the market.
Why not, though? There are the canal cruise bike & ride cruises targeted at more sedentary folks like me. If I could afford one, I’d take it.
Backroads does do this: https://www.backroads.com/why/great_gear#ebike.
VBT is a highly rated bicycling (and also hiking/walking) tour company that recently began offer electric bike options. See:
ww.vbt.com/discover-vbt/biking-tours/comfort-road/
Although I have enjoyed test riding several different electric bikes at area bike shops, I have no inclination to use one on a biking tour (so far). There is a sense of pleasure in riding a regular bike through a variety of enviorns and VBT, as well as other bike touring companies offer van support if one wishes to avoid particular stretches of the days route(s).