The Statistics after 22,660 kms of the E-Bike Cycle Tourists Ongoing E-Bike Adventure

Just days before the E-Bike Cycle Tourists set off on the next stage of our ongoing long distance e-bike adventure – which will see us pedal from Spain to Hungary – the time has come to look at the statistics of our ride so far.

And after 22,660 kilometres of pedalling for 13 months across 13 countries in the UK and mainland Europe don’t they make fascinating reading!

While clearly the figures don’t show the physical effort that has been required for us to continue to clock up the kilometres day after day, week after week and month after month, they do provide compelling reading for anyone planning their own self-contained long distance e-bike adventure.

Essentially the figures provide a blueprint of what can/could be expected on a long distance e-bike tour and should, we hope, answer many of the questions e-bike enthusiasts from throughout the world have been asking us.

It must also be said that we would not have been able to cycle so many kilometres at an average of 73km per day (on the days when we actually cycled) over such a long period of time without the assistance of reliable equipment.

As such we have been clearly delighted with how our Haibike xDuro Trekking RX e-bike and Tout Terrain trailer combinations have performed over all sorts of terrain and in all sorts of weather conditions from below freezing to 40-plus degrees.

While most moving parts such as brake pads, chains, cassettes, tyres, Bosch sprockets, brake rotors and rear wheels on our Haibikes have had to be replaced one or more times, the heart and soul of both e-bikes – their Bosch performance crank drive motors – have not missed a beat.

Likewise our Tout Terrain Mule trailers, the most faithful travel companions you could ever wish for, have been equally as reliable tagging along behind our Haibikes with up to 40kg of equipment on-board.

With the 22,660 kilometres we have cycled so far achieved on three e-bikes – 17,073 kms (and a new world e-bike long distance record) on our 2015 model Haibike xDuro Trekking RX e-bikes, 4493 kms on Chinese-made hub motor e-bikes supplied by Cyprus E-Bikes while we were in Cyprus and 1094 kms so far on 2016 model Haibike xDuro Trekking RX e-bikes in England where we are currently, it has been interesting to compare the performance of all three e-bikes.

While an in-depth comparison will be the subject of an upcoming blog, the bottom line is that we believe we have proven the suitability – or more precisely the reliability – of the Haibike Trekking range of e-bikes for cycle touring.

Suffice to say we have loved every day’s e-biking and can’t wait to continue the next leg of our amazing e-bike adventure when we fly to Portugal on June 8 to collect our Haibikes and Tout Terrain trailers – which have been in storage while we have been in self-imposed Schengen visa exile in Cyprus and England – for the journey through Spain, France, Germany and Austria to Hungary.

The Statistics Since Setting off on April 23, 2015

Haibike xDuro Trekking RX E-Bikes

Number of full bike services – 5 … 2 in London and 1 in Germany, Ireland and France

Parts replaced – 5 chains on each bike, 5 cassettes, 6 sets of brakes, 1 Sram hub, 2 rear wheels, 1 Bosch controller, 2 Bosch sprockets, 2 bike stands, 3 sets of pedals, 2 water bottle holders, 2 Schwalbe Marathon tyres, 25 tubes, 2 brake rotors, 1 rear brake system, 1 Brooks saddle, 2 Suntour seat suspension posts, 1 rear mud flap, 2 sets of gear cables, 1 helmet

Average cost per month of spare parts and servicing – $A316

e-Bike Flat Tyres –26 – (Haibikes and Chinese hub motor e-bikes combined)

Tout Terrain Trailers

Parts replaced – 3 mudguards, 8 tubes, 2 clamp bolts

Trailer Flat Tyres – 6

Other Statistics

Days of Actual Cycling – 311

Rest/Travel/Wet Weather Days – 92

Average kilometres per day = 73

Days of Cycling in the Rain – 9

Most Kilometres cycled in one day – 137.8 in the Utrecht region of central Holland

Longest day of cycling – 7.35 hours of actual cycling over 112.20kms cycling from east of Glasgow to Troon in Scotland

Best Battery Range on 2015 model Haibike xDuro Trekking with 400wh battery – 95.20 kilometres from Texel to Sotterum in Holland (with the aid of a tailwind that was nothing short of a gale)

Best Battery Range on 2016 model Haibike xDuro Trekking with 500wh battery – 114 kilometres in the South Downs National Park region in the south of England over undulating country.

Worst Battery Range – 39.95kms from Tenby to Lianelli in Wales (the hills were unrelenting)

Best Average Speed towing a trailer per day – 19.2km/h from Texel to Sotterum in Holland (yes, that same tailwind)

Worst Average Speed towing a trailer per day – 14.1km/h from Belford to Huxton in England (more unrelenting hills)

Fastest Speed with the Trailer Attached – 62.9km/h between Caherdaniel and Cahirsiveen in Ireland (definitely got the adrenalin pumping)

The Best Campsite – Kawan Village Camping Isle Verte on the banks of the Loire River in Montsoreau in France (every cycle tourist should make a point of staying there)

The Worst Campsite – don’t know the name but it was along the Rhine River at Otterstadt in Germany (what a disgrace – 12 Euros for no showers and a locked toilet block at night)

Hottest Day – 40-plus degrees while cycling along the Moselle River in Germany

Coldest days – In Bath and Newbury in England in April and October 2015 (on both occasions our tent was frozen solid in the morning)

The Best Cycle Track – sections of EuroVelo 15 in Germany near Mainz and the track around Lake Constance in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

The Worst Cycle Track – National Route 1 on the east coast of England (when you could actually find the track it could only be described as a disgrace)

Flat Tyres – 13 on the Haibike e-bikes, 13 on the Chinese hub motor e-bikes in Cyprus and 6 on the Tout Terrain trailers

Crashes

Gary (2). In Holland when a hot-headed driver at a roundabout deliberately drove into the trailer – the result was a sore back and a buckled trailer wheel. A slow speed crash in France when the front bike wheel went into unseen deep mud – no injuries.

Rachel (3). In England on day one when she hit the front brake at an intersection on a hill while still getting used to the bike – the result was sore shoulders. In France when she lost control on a bike path while turning – the result was a bruised knee. In England at Brighton after another cyclist passing at speed clipped her while she was dismounting – the result was a bruised knee and a cut ankle.

Budget – $A90 per day = 60 Euros or 47 pounds. Includes everything including e-bike repairs, camping fees, air fares, ferry fares, camping, AirBnB accommodation, food, emergency dental treatment and our mandatory caffe latte every day.

The number of supermarkets we have visited – lost count!

Camping Equipment

Equipment replaced – Vango Omega 350 tent (after 6 months of continuous use the tent started to leak. We replaced it with the same model of tent because we love the design), 1 Thermarest mattress, 2 tent poles, 1 Moonwalker camp cooker, 13 gas canisters.