Ebike Issues Become a Problem

Wandervogel was founded by and for bicyclists. Since 2016 we’ve offered true point-to-point touring designed for ElliptiGo riders and experienced cyclists. The heart of this experience is “travel under your own steam.”

We’ve ridden electric bikes since 2011. We introduced e-bikes to San Clemente, rented and sold them through our store, installed e-bike kits and serviced e-bikes for years.

We know what e-bikes are. And we know one thing they aren’t: a bicycle.

For Americans e-bikes have strong appeal. They provide many of the advantages of bicycles without all that nasty exercise. But these bicycle-like advantages don’t make it a bicycle. Because a bicycle is limited by human power it is always slower, on average, than an Ebike. It carries less kinetic energy and is safer around pedestrians. And because one must pedal their bicycle, the rider gets more exercise per mile than an Ebiker.

The argument that “I ride my Ebike way more than I would ever ride a bicycle, therefore I am getting more exercise than a bike” ignores one glaring reality. The reason they ride it is because they don’t have to work as hard.

That is the #1 appeal of an Ebike. Period.

This difference is why Ebikes as a category are distinct from bicycles. It makes Ebikes an entirely separate mode of transportation.

What does this mean on a bike tour?

For Lynn and I it means an essential quality of bicycle touring is missing: the subtle element of Challenge. There are many ways to enjoy a tour in Europe: rental car, train, bus, etc. What makes bicycle touring special is your involvement with the geography and the weather. Not always ideal but always very real, the hills, sun, wind, and rain, the endorphins and adrenaline, the joy a climb just topped or a swooping descent are all brought to you by your own effort.

This challenge is a Feature. And the take-home Benefit is an inescapable organic understanding of the land you’ve ridden through. No other touring mode– including Ebikes– delivers this. Because an Ebike does exactly what it’s supposed to do: flatten hills, laugh at headwinds, reduce the time exposed to the elements, reduce tiredness at the end of the ride– it dissolve challenge with Turbo assist.

And after six years we know e-bikes bring other issues. They’re heavy. Too heavy for some guests to handle easily, getting on, off, up a curb, or even just standing at a light. Too heavy to get single-handedly into our van. They need nightly charging, a niggling detail that can’t be ignored. They’re complicated: rear flat tire repair is a pain, electric connections separate, batteries jam, chains wear and break. The iffy condition of rental e-bikes exacerbate these issues. And reliance on power leads to poor riding habits, bad gear selection, grabbing brakes, riding over road hazards, not to mention effortless chit-chatting on climbs while other guests are breathless. So they often don’t “play well with others” on the road.

Finally there’s this. With two exceptions in the last eight years, every injury on tour has been suffered by guests riding Ebikes. Thankfully, they’ve been minor. They could’ve been severe. The liability is scary. While a One-Ebike-per-Couple will not eliminate these issue, it will reduce them.

If we were in it for the money we’d promote Ebikes on Destination tours with out-and-back rides from just one or two hotels. But Wandervogel runs Point-to-Point tours that tell a geographic story about the areas we visit, and asks you ride “under your own steam” to every hotel. Totally retro. Un-hip. So last century.

So please. Ask yourself, “What am I scared of? Do I really hate exercise that much? Do I really need to be first to arrive at every hotel?” If it’s the exertion that bothers you please consider that at this posting there’re many weeks before our first tour, plenty of time to gain the very modest conditioning one needs for this worthwhile adventure. Literally months before Luberon et Vin en Provence in September.

Have a physical issue? We’re flexible. But otherwise for the reasons stated we’re discouraging e-bikes in 2024. Tell us what you think.