Hi everyone...I'm a 50 something year old trucker looking to get back in shape and have some adventure...I have carried a road bike and another time a mountain bike on my truck but the truck has gotten so small I really cant fit them on it any longer...I'm looking into getting a folding e-bike which I am hoping it can help get me into better shape by pedaling it sometimes...I also want to take it to the gym and use it to go on adventures....I'm hoping I can fold it up and put it on top of my fridge here in the picture but I'm not sure how it would be trying to lift it into the truck and on top of that fridge....I also am into all kinds of other bikes...Once I settle down I'll probably start building a collection of them again and maybe have a little bike shop too.
Hello from a Trucker
- Thread starter Bikoiko
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DieselTech
Well-known member
Welcome to the group. By chance do you have room behind your bunk on that truck to keep a ebike?
Hi thanks...Not behind the bunk but I may have room out on the catwalk....I might have to take some measurements and was thinking of buying/building a box to keep it in....The truck I am in is a midroof and it's jam packed with stuff.
DieselTech
Well-known member
Yeah I worked on trucks all my adult life, worked for Caterpillar for 15 years. Then went on my own. I've built 13 Peterbilt Gliders for friends & company's. Yeah you could build or have built a aluminum step box to put it in.
Then you would not need to pick it up soo high, or have it in your cab/bunk.
Ya I was thinking it might be a bit much trying to finagle it up there...I'd have to go in the driver's side which means dealing with the steering wheel too....I'm just not sure how difficult or awkward it would be as I have yet to handle an e-bike yet.
DieselTech
Well-known member
They make some pretty nice folding ebikes now. I think you would probably want full suspension & a bike capable of on & offroad riding.
ya I definitely want something for on and off roading...I've been checking out some of those various folding e-bikes with the 20x4 knobby tires.
DieselTech
Well-known member
Yeah I'm not sure what advice on the folding ebike side of things to give you. The 20x4 tires sure ride nice. Idk if most of these folding ebikes have a removable battery.
DieselTech
Well-known member
This looks like a fairly nice option for a folding ebike.
Thanks I was looking at that one until I saw a report of frames cracking...but something like that is what I'm looking for.
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thank youWelcome to the forums @Bikoiko
Smaug
Well-known member
Welcome!
I suggest a Lectric XP Lite, since you'll be lifting it. It's just over 40 lbs, whereas most of the folding eBikes are 60+ lbs. and are back-breakers. It's not just the weight, but they're not in a compact, easy-to-handle package. Yes, it's not as fast, but what good is a faster one if you throw your back out lifting it. 20 mph is plenty fast on a bicycle. If nothing else, get a short bungee cord to strap it closed, so it's not trying to open as you handle it.
You can get bags for them, then store it in the passenger footwell of your tractor for the short term. Long term, rig something behind the cab. (Dieseltech can probably help you more there than I can)
To get mine in the car, I have it in a big Rubbermaid tote. That keeps the chain grease off of things, keeps the pedals from catching on things and gives you two nice handles to use. It might be a bit long for the passenger footwell of a semi though. I slide mine into the back seat of my Subaru WRX.
You can find my review of the XP Lite here: https://ebikesforum.com/threads/lectric-xp-lite-review-thread.2712/
I can't really think of any other eBike that you pedal that would be reasonable on a semi truck.
Welcome to the forum!
I suggest a Lectric XP Lite, since you'll be lifting it. It's just over 40 lbs, whereas most of the folding eBikes are 60+ lbs. and are back-breakers. It's not just the weight, but they're not in a compact, easy-to-handle package. Yes, it's not as fast, but what good is a faster one if you throw your back out lifting it. 20 mph is plenty fast on a bicycle. If nothing else, get a short bungee cord to strap it closed, so it's not trying to open as you handle it.
You can get bags for them, then store it in the passenger footwell of your tractor for the short term. Long term, rig something behind the cab. (Dieseltech can probably help you more there than I can)
To get mine in the car, I have it in a big Rubbermaid tote. That keeps the chain grease off of things, keeps the pedals from catching on things and gives you two nice handles to use. It might be a bit long for the passenger footwell of a semi though. I slide mine into the back seat of my Subaru WRX.
You can find my review of the XP Lite here: https://ebikesforum.com/threads/lectric-xp-lite-review-thread.2712/
I can't really think of any other eBike that you pedal that would be reasonable on a semi truck.
Welcome to the forum!
Hi, thanks for the welcome...Just curious if you have heard anything about the welds on the Lectrics being subpar or anything ? I ran into a girl that had her 3.0 frame break....Yes that weight thing and lifting has me a little concerned as I kind of already have a bad back to begin with...I was really hoping to get a class 3 which would give me that ooompf to go longer distances and up more inclines as I will encounter a variety of terrains and will want to go exploring...I am really kind of leaning towards a class 3 and maybe building a box which I would mount to my catwalk to store it...I'm thinking I would be able to lift it and get it up there as there is more room to maneuver it.
DieselTech
Well-known member
What about fabricating a 12volt over hydraulic lift, with lock pins so it cant settle once raised . It could be done fairly reasonably & not take up hardly any truck frame real estate. It's a thought. Sure save on a mans back.
DieselTech
Well-known member
Use a small 12v over hrdrualic cylinder like this. Then fabricate frame work to hold the bike & cylinder. Push the bike up on the rack/framework & hit the toggle switch till in the raised position & install lock pins to keep it form settling/ lowering accidentally.
thanks for the idea but I have a company truck and we kind of change out trucks too often..Plus I am OTR too often and most of my tools are kind of all put away at the moment....I might have a bad back but I feel like I should still be able to lift an e-bike onto the catwalk ?? After throwing my back out so many times over the years I am very aware of how I move, twist, and lift things.
Smaug
Well-known member
The welds are beautiful on my XP Lite. Must’ve been done by a robot. If someone broke a weld on an XP 3.0, it was probably a one-off incident or a catastrophic event. Maybe she’s husky and hit a really big bump the wrong way.
Trust me, you really don’t want to be lifting a 65 pound each bike up onto the cat walk of a semi. However, since it seems like it’s going on the catwalk instead of in the cabin, maybe you don’t need to be considering a folding E bike anymore? You can get a non-folding one that is a lot lighter, how about an Aventon Solterra or Pace 350? The bigger wheels will roll better, and the low gears will help enough with the hills that you don’t need class three.
It may sound like I’m trying to talk you out of a class three bike. The reason is that I have a class three bike and I am almost always within the class two range. If I had gotten a class two bike instead, I would have a lot less weight and that class two power system would go a lot further than it would on a bike that’s 20 pounds heavier.
I think you’re fine too that once you get above 20 mph do you want to be in a forward lane. These upright folding E bikes and a lot of the cruiser E bikes do not have that forward lean that you want when you’re going over 20 mph.
If you’re using company trucks, it seems like all these lift schemes are going to be right out the window. Maybe just some kind of a simple clip-on pulley would be a big help.
JerryB
Well-known member
I have the Lectric XP 2.0,,,,,,,I ride mostly streets but some light off road......my bike has 750+ miles on it......the welds are like new......never heard that Lectric had problems.......I suspect it was a one off problem or rider error.
Appreciate your responses...Well if I went with a full-sized bike - 2 problems...It would be exposed to the elements on the catwalk (I don't want to deal with a cover), and then people would see it and it might get stolen.....I was actually thinking of a pulley system or maybe using a come-a-long to crank it up....And as I was typing this I just thought of something...Why can't I build a box for it out of wood and put a hook on top of the box ? Then I could put the bike in the box when it is on the ground, and then use the pulley system to get the box onto the catwalk where I could secure it down ? Hmmm....
