ebike ski bike for snow in BC

[Turd]

Anyone use e-fat for this? I do it on a non-ebike for packed seasonal roads to get to places that would be silly to ski to, but it's still a time suck. Figure a 70+ min, 6mph grind could become a 25 min warmup.
Partner would need to bungee no-e fat and contribute.

 

[Turd]

Prefer to keep the boots on, not bad with flats. Skis on bike is a hassle.

 

[ironhippy]

I've considered it with a regular fat bike, I don't think I'd bother with an efat bike, I'd just get a used snowmobile for around the same price and way more usefulness.

With a snowmobile I could also groom fatbike trails in the woods by my house!

 

[Nurse Ben]

If you're looking to access via a road, a shuttle from a vehicle is more practical. If the road is closed, then a shuttle bike makes sense as long as the road is passable.

Fat bikes won't access trails where the snow is not firmly packed and the gradient is fairly flat. In other words, don't expect the bike to replace skinning.

 

[Turd]

I have experience doing it under my own power. Typically start out mid to lower cassette with a 26T up front, often finishing the climb in the 42T. Guess the question is if a class one can cut the time in half or better with equal or less effort. For the most part, I just ascend closed summer roads that are packed from snowmobiles. This is often in the spring so many times you ride a few miles of dirt and snow patches fallowed by refreeze old compacted snowmobile tracks. Mid-winter is just on cold days with packed cold snow. Park the bike, go for a ski tour and then ride back down.
Guess I could understand the benefit if someone has tried both Fat and eFat on long packed snow climbs with some info on the gearing change obtainable with electric help.

 

[Linktung]

Assited fat is so much better then a nonassisted bike. The traction is so much better, the temperature control is so much easier. Snowmobiles are stupid unless you need to travel more then fifteen miles. Assisted fat you can ride to the trailhead, ride up the trail, get a good ski and then reverse it. Even if you ignore the cost and complication of a snowmobile, they still aren't fun and require extra clothes.

 

[panchosdad]

I'm intrigued by this idea. What bikes are you guys using?

 

[Turd]

Just a plane old pedal fat. Low psi and low gearing is about all you need. I don't have the regular 6-8 hours of unlimited freedom at this point in my life so was thinking e could help out.
Skinning up and packing diagonal to pack beforehand is also a simple time saver and you have a good left or right mount/dismount vs. a-frame bike hangups or a bunch of crap hanging off the bike. Haibike fatsix is reduced to $2499 (yamaha) or izip sumo is about the same price (bosch). I like to pedal so ruled out sacrifice of diy for my existing fat.

About to sell sole for the Haibike to save time. (Speed traveled and hopefully less tempiture regulation, layer stripping and swamping out.

Who knows, might just be a pipe dream but the e thing started as a commuter idea and a budget of $700, at worst I'll have that ability to comute on a silly over budget e-fat.

 

[Walt]

Remember that your battery is going to do really poorly at low temps, and that riding in snow (even packed) is an energy suck.

My e-bike gets probably 30% less range when the temps are below 25 or so (estimating, I haven't studied this scientifically). With a load of kids in the trailer, I often struggle to get 10 miles on flattish pavement. In the summer, 15 is no problem.

-W

 

[Turd]

Sounds a bit depressing. What battery/motor? Honking cargo bike?

would you call bike path up past Gorgoza flattish or Battery suck?

 

[Walt]

The path up to Summit Park from the tubing hill? I'd say that's a decent climb. Or do you mean something else?

A typical ride for us is to go from Jeremy to the Fieldhouse - about 8.5 miles round trip, pretty flat (maybe a total of 100 feet of elevation gain/loss each way?) and paved. That trip (honking cargo bike with 60 psi 2" slicks, 100 pounds of kid and trailer) kills the battery almost completely at mid/high assist levels (500w of assist) in the winter. If there's even a little bit of snow on the path, we bring the charger with us and recharge at the field house to make sure we get home.

In the summer the range extends out to Matt Knoop park/Silver Springs area which is another 4-5 miles of riding round trip. So the temps and rolling resistance make a HUGE difference.

I hesitate to guess what your range would be on some random Haibike fatbike. Obviously you don't have the extra weight to contend with, but you're 1) on snow/low pressure fat tires, 2) in even colder conditions a lot of the time, and 3) climbing big hills quite a bit (though I don't know what sort of approaches you're doing, just assuming it's uphill like most).

On the plus side, though, you can probably coast back down. You just need the battery to get you up there.

I'd say try it and see. Worst case scenario you have to buy another battery to carry.

 

[Turd]

The Random fat, probably Yamaha PW-System, 500W. Yamaha Lithium Ion, 400 Wh

From what I have read, it should be able to pull off a 25 mi round trip flatish road commute with medium assist on both ends. For all I know that info could just a bunch of sales people posting on forums.

The snow stuff, climb about 1600-2700 ft over 5-10 mi. not much need for the e on the down.

Walt, yes that climb. Was hoping you were calling that flat on an e to make your mileage look better.

 

[Linktung]

I can get 30 miles on snowmobile trail (17 AH) using about 60 percent of the battery. There are ways to make the battery handle the cold better by giving it layers of plastic bags. Conditions will vary and you should always have a backup battery if you are planning on a big ride. Slap on an aftermarket motor that you can reprogram on a cheap fatty, GTG.

 

[WoodlandHills]

You guys do realize that there is a whole site devoted to e-fatbikes in the snow? Battery life, tires, etc....? It used to be called electric fatbike.com, now it's electric bike blog or some variant. If you are an MTB purist, you won't like the place or the blogger, but if you have an open mind it can be helpful.