27 mile bike ride tomorrow, which bike should my daughter bring?

[Smaug]

I can't take my Level.2, as I don't think my cheap strap-on bike rack would handle the 65 lb. weight, even if I had a cross bar to install... So I'll take my trusty Trek Verve 3 hybrid acoustic on the rack.

My daughter (11) has two choices:

1. An older (acoustic) Trek mountain bike. This is "her bike"
2. The Lectric XP Lite

Lectric states that the electric-only range on this bike with a 180 lb. load is 15 miles. PAS1 = 40 miles, PAS2 = 31 miles, PAS3 = 22 miles. She's more like 110 lbs. I will tell her that if she doesn't do some serious pedaling, she will run out of juice and have to pedal that heavy little bike (44 lbs.) on her own. If she goes for it, it will be a fun challenge to budget the power.

Would you pick for her? What would you pick?

She's very mature for her age and risk-averse, so I think she would probably choose her acoustic bike for herself.

 

["A"]

Whichever she chooses, make sure she get off that seat every 15-20 minutes; even if just for few pedal strokes while standing on the pedals for 30 seconds.
Kids are resilient, but you want her to enjoy the ride all along the way and be able to be able to function after she gets off that bike seat.
Generally, leg muscles can recover much faster than saddle sore, especially if rider is not used to long hours in the saddle.
I think 11 y-o should be able to tough it out for 27 miles on a regular bicycle, just whether or not the saddle sore get to her before she completes the ride is the main concern.
Just remember to hydrate.

 

[Smaug]

Thanks!

She’s borrowing my wife’s biker shorts and will have a hydration bladder on her (sweaty) back, hehehe.

She won’t be as sweaty as me on my acoustic though!

I’ll remind her to stand up from time to time.

 

[GSM]

I can't take my Level.2, as I don't think my cheap strap-on bike rack would handle the 65 lb. weight, even if I had a cross bar to install... So I'll take my trusty Trek Verve 3 hybrid acoustic on the rack.

I am going on a group ride myself tomorrow for 30 some odd miles. I mention this because of my stubborn refusal to buy a decent platform e-bike rack until early last Spring. I used to stuff my e-bike in the back of my SUV, and now marvel at how much easier the rack is. My point? Invest in a decent platform rack. Your back, bike, and vehicle floor will thank you. Much less rigmarole too.

I gave a teen member of my family a Propella Mini with the same kind of range limitation. The good thing about that bike though is the mid 30s lb. weight, so she sometimes peddles sans power without a problem. I don't know how the somewhat heavier Lite compares in that regard though.

 

["A"]

Hydration bladder is nice for short distance, maximum effort rides or races.. but I wouldn't use it for casual riding, since they tend to tire the ride more quickly than having the bike carrying the water bottle weight.
For most type of cycling, I prefer to carry as little weight on my body as possible, leave the weight on the bike.
Besides, the bladder is not breathable, body can get hot while riding.
Hopefully, you guys are having a good ride and plenty more rides to come.

 

[Smaug]

Here’s the ride we did; it was the 27 mile one:

https://waterfordbikes.com/fv/factory-ride/

She took the XP Lite and managed to stay with the peloton. They dropped me in five minutes, as they were all on road bikes and I forgot to check the tires on my hybrid. I did the whole thing at 40 psi instead of 80. :-\

She said she was on PAS1 for most of the ride, but use PAS2 once in a while and throttle to help with hills sometimes. She said she only use about half of the battery. Most importantly, she had a great time and wants to do it again.

As for the platform rack, I need to get a trailer hitch on my car first and then I will certainly do that.

The XP light barely fit in the backseat of my car, which is a 2022 Subaru WRX. I wound up taking my acoustic bike on the strap on rack on the back, as the Aventon was too lopsided with its weight distribution. (Very heavy rear end)

 

["A"]

For the lopsided ebike, you can fit the carrier's arm through the seatstay space in attempt to even out the weight distribution on the carrier.
I used to do that when carrying my downhill MTB with trunk carrier with arms.

 

[Smaug]

For the lopsided ebike, you can fit the carrier's arm through the seatstay space in attempt to even out the weight distribution on the carrier.
I used to do that when carrying my downhill MTB with trunk carrier with arms.

I figured that out bringing my acoustic bike too.

Also, it occurred to me that if I’d left the heavy 48 V, 13 Ah back in the downtube and that would’ve helped to balance it too.

As you said though, the hooks are metal and will likely mess up the paint on the edge of my trunk lid. I guess I could line them with electric tape…

It’s probably best to go ahead and install the trailer hitch and hope that it doesn’t scrape on my steep driveway. I already pull in and out at am angle, so it should be OK.

 

["A"]

As you said though, the hooks are metal and will likely mess up the paint on the edge of my trunk lid. I guess I could line them with electric tape…

You need larger (surface area) hooks to spread the extra weight, concentrated (small hooks) will bend the sheet metal on the hood or trunk. Electrical tape could prevent the hooks from sliding during transport, but would not help in spreading the weight of contact area of the (small) hooks.

Hitch mount bike racks would be idea, but you'll be hauling extra weight (of the hitch & maybe bike rack) on your car all the time, maybe restrict access to your trunk, too.

 

[Smaug]

You need larger (surface area) hooks to spread the extra weight, concentrated (small hooks) will bend the sheet metal on the hood or trunk. Electrical tape could prevent the hooks from sliding during transport, but would not help in spreading the weight of contact area of the (small) hooks.

Hitch mount bike racks would be idea, but you'll be hauling extra weight (of the hitch & maybe bike rack) on your car all the time, maybe restrict access to your trunk, too.

What’s your suggestion then?

 

["A"]

Try different (larger) hooks for the trunk rack?

4" Heavy Duty Flat Hook w/ Aluminum Defender

4'' flat hook features a defender to protect webbing and prolong its working life. In stock and ready to ship. Shop online or call us today.

www.uscargocontrol.com

 

[Smaug]

I have a lot to think about, but I don't think I want to invest in any more hooks for this cheap old rack. I have some thinking to do:

1. Keep existing rack, balance single eBike better by installing battery and shifting the bike forward on the rack (cheapest option)
2. Keep existing rack, sign up for gravel rides and bring current acoustic bikes. (cheapest option, tied)
3. Upgrade the rack to a similar style with side straps, to keep it from twisting in case of imbalance and hitting a bump ($70, but could only still carry one eBike)
4. Install a 2" trailer hitch + rack ($400?)

 

[GSM]

I figured that out bringing my acoustic bike too.

Also, it occurred to me that if I’d left the heavy 48 V, 13 Ah back in the downtube and that would’ve helped to balance it too.

As you said though, the hooks are metal and will likely mess up the paint on the edge of my trunk lid. I guess I could line them with electric tape…

It’s probably best to go ahead and install the trailer hitch and hope that it doesn’t scrape on my steep driveway. I already pull in and out at am angle, so it should be OK.

I had the Subaru Ascent, but didn't need a big SUV any longer, so I traded it in for a 22 Subaru Legacy sedan. I then learned the hard way that there isn't enough ground clearance at all times for the hitch I added. (Nothing rattles my teeth more than iron scraping on pavement). I found a work around though. I added a hitch riser/extender. It's not perfect, but it does keep the platform rack out of harms way.