e Bike On Board?

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A little off topic, but when I was in Anacortes the Harbormaster's office loaned out bicycles. It made me wonder how many other places had loaner bikes in the harbor? For me it was a complete blessing and some of the bikes had racks and baskets for hauling your stuff... My boat is small enough having a bicycle on board would be problematic, and the salt exposure would make upkeep hard.

For keeping the up, especially in salt water.... hose them down with fresh water and occasionally spray all the metal parts with Boeshield.
 
Well, I bought the Gocycle G3. It weighs 36 lbs. There are no cords visible and no derailer. It's a 3 speed, 500 wat hub motor and goes up to 25 mph! I don't need the speed but will appreciate the light weight and that it was designed with boaters in mind. Very little exposed metal to rust. Only time and use will tell. One very cool thing is the automatic shifter. If you slow down it down shifts for you and when you go faster it upshifts for you. I turned that off because I wanted to stay in a lower gear but I will try it again. I also bought fenders and a backpack that fits on the handlebar. They claim that it can easily be removed and taken in to the store and that it will fit 75 lbs of groceries. Again - we shall see.

OK now for the damage! I'm more than a little embarrassed about what I spent on the stupid thing but here goes:

Gocycle G3 $4500
Carrying Case: $300
Fenders: $120
Bag: $200
Lock: $170

Total with tax: About $5800
#@!?#

Compared to some of the toys that I bought for the boat it's a screaming deal!

Cheers!
 

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THIS. I get hung up on the cost-per-use equation. The limited number of times we'd actually use the bikes versus their cost, and hassle to store/deploy them, keeps making me not want to get any. Especially not the e-bike style.

However, the wife keeps pushing the idea, so it's on my 'to do' list to visit a local e-bike shop to see what sort of electric-assisted ones are available.

Me, I don't mind walking or riding some marina rattle-trap bike.
Having a bicycle on board has been quite handy a number of times in the last year on the Great Loop for making essential trips to stores, especially hardware stores. Just yesterday, I biked to a Target store in St. Augustine to replace a failed coffemaker, an essential piece of equipment on board many boats. I had thought I would ride for pleasure more than I actually did but that was primarily because my wife no longer will ride a bike. So, as with many things "boat", cost per use is not always a useful statistic.
 
Greetings,
Re: Post #30. Mr. 22 brings up an interesting potential option. An e-scooter. Cost per mile/kilometer, space to store and weight have been mentioned several times.
 
ONE word...... BROMPTON. light, sturdy, and electric possibile

20 - 30 Lbs depending on the model
 
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Folding E-Bikes

My wife and both have folding e-bikes. Most of the islands in our area (Vancouver Island / Gulf Islands) are quite hilly and having the option for a battery boost is useful. For some reason all the marinas are built at sea level
and everything is uphill from there. :)

Our bikes are Biktrix and so far meet our needs. Electric Bikes
 
A little off topic, but when I was in Anacortes the Harbormaster's office loaned out bicycles. It made me wonder how many other places had loaner bikes in the harbor? For me it was a complete blessing and some of the bikes had racks and baskets for hauling your stuff... My boat is small enough having a bicycle on board would be problematic, and the salt exposure would make upkeep hard.

Sointula Marina on Malcolm Island (near Port McNeill on Vancouver Island) is one of our favourites (sorry, favorites) partly because there are comp bikes. They are pink and old-fashioned, but make it possible to get the half mile into the village with ease. Definitely a good reason to stay overnight there.
 

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I cannot see a strong reason to spend the money on an electric bike when there are so many rentals popping up. I do travel With a couple of a well worn bikes from a thrift store. If I'm in a situation where I need to go farther than I can reasonably pedal I will just use Uber or lyft.
 
Instead of a clumpsey bike, how about a larger, inexpensive 24V or 36V electric scooter? I use my E750 to run errands and cruise around and it's a blast... and low hassle... It's a bit heavy but folds into a very tight space.

My e-scooter cruises at around 10-12 MPH and has a realistic range of 15 miles. I removed the seat for standing(better visibility) and installed a cargo basket on the back that can easily carry 2 bags of groceries.

Cost you ask???? Many larger 24V e-scooters are still under $500 retail. I bought mine on Craigslist for $200 and added new batteries/controller for around $50 ("a true, frugal trawlerman").

I Know...!!! All those crazy people on those crazy little scooters currently running around urban areas can be a bit irritating but don't let them control your destiny... I just think of my larger E-scooter as a super-light-duty, micro-pickup truck that makes me constantly come up with 'errands' so I can hit the road with the wind blowing through in my thinning hair...!!!!
 
E bikes

We have two Addmotor folding e-bikes with fat tires for beach use. Absolutely love them. Going on two thousand miles and no issues. M500 model available on line for around $1500 delivered.
Whichever ebike you choose, get plenty of battery power. These go about four hours on a charge (which is about twice our sitting endurance ?)
 
I have a folding bike and NEVER used it.
Since then I have found Shipt which will deliver groceries to your boat. I use them all the time at home because the prices are the same and I save gasoline, wear on the car, two hours of my time.
PM me and I can tell you how to save $50 on the annual fee.
 
I have a folding E-bike from lunacycle. It s a Mosso 20 inch wheel folding frame with a 750 watt mid motor. It is a quality bike for which I paid $2100 for delivered to the Seattle area. It weighs 35lbs and folds into an easily manageable size. You can check it out at
Lunacycle.com. I have toured all over San Juan Island, Lopez and Orcas and am looking forward to the other US and Canadian islands. It has added a whole new demension to cruising—itt is great fun and allows you to actually see the areas you are visiting and allows you to shop away from the water front where things a usually cheaper. I am in my 70’s and the idea of pedaling the hills of Orcas Island is not my idea of a good time.
 
Seems like the bike thing is a matter of personal preference. I could strongly argue having a bike. Foldable, weight, and size depends on your space, and how convenient it is to load and unload.

What you spend makes not difference if it meet your needs and you're happy.

And, if it carries the groceries, all the better.

I'm happier than a pig in shxx with my tandem electric bike. All that I need, full size tires and rides like a dream... but not fast, but don't care. Hauls enough beer to last a few days and my Admiral goes with when she wants.
 
IMG_20190131_123416223.jpg
Yep to each his own, 15.00 for the bike at a yard sale 12 years ago. This is probably the second time I've used it.
PS. I don't do hills
 
My wife and I live on our boat around 8 months of the year and cruise the Med at the moment. We (in this case lazy me) decided on replacing our brilliant diBlasi folding bikes we had for >15 years for e-bikes when we cruised up to the north of Norway 3 years ago...and we could not find any flat land at all. We like to explore the places we go to and we love our Crossfold FE16. Pro's: throttle and walk functions (I mostly use it as a scooter), range in throttle mode 40km in assist mode around 70km, very sturdy (at a price of being 25kg). Most important for this forum maybe: they served us well up till now under heavy load and beating (quite often on gravel and worse paths on Greek islands etc.). Cons: they are steel, very well powder coated but still. Corrosion no problem yet, but can forsee that coming up somewhere in the future, We store them in the lazarette, I would never store them on deck in salt water.
If you do cruising like we do I can highly recommend e-bikes as they extend your range in remote/foreign places so much. I don't have a good picture of it, attached one gives some impression. Just google Crossfold FE16 and you'll get the picture. Cheers, André
 

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We chose two 2019 Rad Mini EBikes that fold. They arrive tomorrow. Looking forward to the easy trip to the market or parts store, through on a small back pack and go. Love it. Chose Rad Mini because of the stout customer service.

Hi Nocanvas,

Have you tried your new Rad Minis yet? How do you like them?

Cheers,
 
We chose two 2019 Rad Mini EBikes that fold. They arrive tomorrow. Looking forward to the easy trip to the market or parts store, through on a small back pack and go. Love it. Chose Rad Mini because of the stout customer service.

We love ours and use them to bop around all over town. We picked up a $10 plastic milk crate at Target and attached it to the rear rack with reusable zip ties. Works perfectly for carrying a small grocery run, takeout, beach stuff, snorkel gear, etc. Throw on a couple of backpacks and you're good to go for an all day adventure. Stow the bikes in the cockpit and pop the batteries off to take them inside for charging.

John
 
Bikes on board

Has anyone used an electric skooter? It looks they run between $300 to $500.
 
Due to wife's desires we purchased 2 Radmini's this fall. We really like them at home and will find out loading/unloading and storage on board this spring/summer. Thanks for the heads up about the lithium batteries!
 
A few months ago, we bought a couple of Rad Mini's. They're a bit on the heavy side but they fold easily, have great range and are very comfortable. They'll be going with us when we cruise this summer and when we cast off permanently.

I have a Rad Mini for sale.....<200 miles on it. Very high quality foldable. $1000......Won't ship though...
 
We bought a double aluminum frame bike that retailed for $700 for $110 at a yard sale. We took it on our last Bahamas cruise. It was a little bit of a pain in the ass, but really fun once we got it on land. We had to store it on the deck so it got a lot of salt spray on it.

Despite our best intentions, and gobs of WD-40, it was pretty much a rusted mess by the time we left Georgetown. I gave it to some lady outside Exuma Markets who said she wanted it.

But, for $110, we're not complaining.
 
We have two folding electric Genesis
bikes aboard our Monk 42 Spring Break trawler. We use then all the time and have enjoyed the ability to
explore places away from the marina.
These bikes are light weight and have a 15 mile range.
 
We love our Genesis folding bikes.
Light weight and less than $500.
 
..... Stow the bikes in the cockpit and pop the batteries off to take them inside for charging.

John

You can get a plug that covers your battery connection when the battery is removed so its not exposed to the weather. Corrosion there could be a real problem.

For all you Rad owners, there's a pretty active Facebook group for Rad owners that is a great resource.
 
Jupiter e-bike review

We bought a folding Jupiter e-bike. The amount of space it would occupy was our primary concern, and the Jupiter folds up smaller than any other e-bike we could find.


We also emailed a local dealer right after the boat show here, asked for boat show pricing and got $200 off list price!


Pros:
1. Folds very small
2. 24 lbs
3. Battery monitor is a phone app
4. 10-mile range
5. Charges very quickly - about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
6. If you are in a hurry, this thing flies! About 18 mph at top speed.
7. It's fun!



Cons:
1. The seat that it comes with is uncomfortable (but they offer a better seat as an option)
2. Hard Rubber (no air) Tires make for a rough ride depending on the street/sidewalk surface. On a smoother surface it's great.
3. Don't think it would be suitable for anyone taller than Dan as pictured below. Dan is 5'6". The handlebars do not adjust up.
4. The manual warns you to not keep it on the charger after it is fully charged. Now that we know how long it takes, we just set a timer.
5. We are trying to find some saddlebags to fit over the middle section - no luck so far. It would need additional framework to attach saddlebags to the rear.



Cheers,
Pea
 

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I have a Carbo Model X on order. Just notified that they expect to start shipping within 12 days.
 
Hi Chesnut,

The Luna folding e-bike is on my shortlist too. Mind revealing your height? And perhaps comment on it's ability to haul my 6'-3", 240 lbs. around Orcas? I like the weight of the bike, and the motor size, but can't tell from the literature if it'd actually fit me.

Also interested in the Sonders Fold-X, although it's a bit heavy at 50 lbs.

Regards,

Pete
 
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