Upcoming Road Trip w/two eBikes: Specific Advice wanted

What should I do for the 2nd eBike

  • Buy another folding eBike

  • Save the money, and put a full size eBike bike in the back, piling luggage on/under it if needed

  • Put the full size eBike on your strap-on rear rack, removing it each time you need to open the back

  • Take your single speed folding acoustic bike and struggle/walk as needed. You're a strong cyclist!

  • Bring a (non-folding) acoustic bike for the rear strap-on rack, let the wife ride the XP Lite.

  • Other (refer to typed response)


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This is what I'd REALLY like to do, but the ONE is over two kiloBucks and money's tight right now...

Come to think of it, so is garage space, but I could put a folder in the back room of the garage, replacing the acoustic folder that's there now...
Have you checked out Upway? They are reputable. You could even trade in the Yamaha for one of their folders. They have a Velotric Fold1 with only 63 mi on it and an Electric Bike Co. Model F with 7 mi. They had some Cinch 2 's but they are all gone now. Anything they have that says 3mi. is a brand new over stock. Apparently they have a $150.00 off coupon floating around. You've got time to do some hunting.
 
On the pedals thing, I keep a pedal wrench in my car's tool bag, as well as a big hex key set so I can just remove the pedals on the bike - there is no need to go to folding pedals as any pedal is easily and quickly removable. I even do it when the bike is only going to be in the car for a short jaunt. Say I am dropping my car off at the shop cross-town and biking back home. The thing about pedals is they do NOT need to be put on really tight regardless of what the pedal specs say. Just snug them. Their design is such they cannot come loose in ordinary use. Thats why the non-drive pedal has reverse threads. Your pedaling motion, if it affects threading at all which it ordinarily does not - would tighten them.

I have solved the dragging problem with a hitch riser too.

If you want a budget hitch solution talk to your local U Haul depot, if there is one near you. They install a wide variety of hitches as an ordinary part of their business and they are really inexpensive. The hitch brand is U Haul but thats just a sticker. They use Curt hitches. I've had them do two of my cars over the years. But when they tried the third they ended up wasting a morning of my time trying and failing to install a hitch that the local truck shop had no issues with.

Also, if you can do a few more bucks (about 600) a Stealth hitch may be a different way to solve the same problem. I did one of those to get a hitch on my car so I could take one of my Bullitts home over a couple hundred miles. You unlock the lock, push a button and the entire hitch block comes right off. Buy only the bike rack version (no safety loops or wiring harness, but the same physical install as the full hitch) and the cost is about half of the full hitch kit.
 
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My set up on my Subaru. Notice the 6” riser. I use a Saris Door County rack now but have had several others that are less expensive
 
Regarding the hitches, there are a couple more problems: (besides the cost)
  1. My driveway is so steep that the hitch would drag before it even rises up. I would have to approach at an angle from the shallow side of the driveway.
  2. My car has a "kick sensor" in the middle under the bumper, so that if my hands are full of stuff, I can just kick my foot in front of an optical sensor, and if my fob is in range, it will motor the tailgate open. The hitch would need that removed or relocated. (Honda $ell$ a kit for this, of course)
  3. A decent rack for 160 lbs. worth of eBikes is also many hundreds of bucks
  4. The bikes would be out in the weather, getting shaken up more and needing to be locked
When I consider all these factors in, I decided I'd rather spend the money and effort on another eBike than on uglying-up my car to carry the big eBikes. Spending money on bikes is a lot more fun than accessorizing the mule.

Besides, although it's just an SUV, I kind of like the way my car looks and the hitch ruins the lines on the rear a bit.

Lastly, an eBike can be re-sold later to recoup some of the cost, whereas the hitch might actually detract from the value of my car when it's time to move it on.

Thanks for all your tips & tricks on the rack!
 
I've been thinking (OK, obsessing) on this, and came up with an angle that I think should work:

I ran some numbers on the vacation, not including food & such:
  • Driving our CR-V + buying a nice used ($700) Lectric 3.0: $2,560
  • Driving our CR-V + buying a nice NEW eBike (Lectric ONE, $2100): $4,000
  • Flying and renting a car + 2 eBikes: $3,200
Therefore, the NICE eBike purchase only costs $800 more than flying, and we have something to show for it afterwards. Can use on other local trips in the future. If that extra $800 causes anxiety, there are Lectric 3.0s for sale locally starting at $575. (needing work) or $900 for like-new.

The 3.0 for $575 has 2k miles, needs a brake lever and brake pads. Doesn't have the comfort seat or shock seatpost.
There's another whose seller is asking $900, but needs nothing and has only 70 miles on it.
 
Why even take a bike at all - it’s too much trouble, and it’s only four days. I would rent bikes for one day and do a day hike on another. The remaining two days would be shopping, visiting museums, sightseeing, etc … and not necessarily in this order.
 
Pretty flat terrain there in Ft Collins I road my sisters one speed cruiser bike all over that town back 35 years ago when she was a student and I was visiting her. I was stronger then but it had a low seat and a high gear like cruisers usually do. I would consider just bringing or renting regular bicycles if I were you.
 
Based on munirider's comment, I looked a bit more. (LINK) It sounds like the city proper is flat, and I remember it that way. But I also remember long hills coming into town from the south, where I rented a bike, and a huge hill coming from a park, which I think was SW of town and pretty hilly in the reservoir too...

Maybe The Thing to Do is bring the folding eBike and folding bike and if it's too hard, just drive that, because that means we'll be outside the downtown proper.

To Chuy's point, the downtown area is charming, but there isn't 4 days worth of things to do there, now that I think on it. Maybe a couple days Ft Collins and then take the mountainous drive to Aspen, which I've always wanted to see. Do you think all the roads would be open in late September or are they already knee-deep in snow by then?

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I talked with The Purchasing Department yesterday. She agreed to split the cost of an XP 3.0 with extended range battery or put that amount toward a One, my choice. (We have a house account, but keep our discretionary money separate, as she's a saver and I'm a spender and we each had bad experiences in past marriages re. that) She also said if we do that, she'd like me to sell the folding acoustic bike, which I haven't used but once. (reasonable)

I'm also keeping an eye on Facebook Marketplace, XP 3.0s come up pretty often. I might take a chance on a used one if I have a good feeling about the owner and the battery condition. The ones in good shape are mostly asking $700-800, but if the battery is shot from "keeping it topped off", that money would easily be lost replacing a battery that was left charged for months at a time. It's smart of Lectric to keep the prices low, so they aren't competing much with the used ones and most people trying to sell them don't seem aware that battery condition anxiety really detracts from the value.

I found one with 2k miles for $525, but it needs a brake lever and pads; I don't think I want to get into changing hydraulic brake systems.
 
I rode home for lunch today; decided to leave the Level.2 at home and go back to work on the Dahon Boardwalk S1. It was a LOT of work, riding this into the 17-25 mph wind!

Nice simple little bike, weighs only 28 lbs, in exchange for its simplicity:

IMG_7707.jpeg
 
Maybe a couple days Ft Collins and then take the mountainous drive to Aspen, which I've always wanted to see. Do you think all the roads would be open in late September or are they already knee-deep in snow by then?

Yeah you will be all good through September, it will be beautiful that time of year it'll be about the peak for fall colors.
 
I'm commuting on the Boardwalk single speed folder for the 2nd day, the flat northbound leg was into a 15-25 mph wind yesterday and 10-20 today. It's getting old, only having a gear for 15 mph. I needed one for about 8 mph. This isn't going to cut it.

The LBS had it for $180 and I guess I couldn't resist. I think it might've been nostalgia again, as I spent a lot of summers in my youth riding around on a bike just like this at my grandparents' house. I was about 100 lbs. lighter and there were a lot of trees (so not much wind) in that town. If I'm going to bring an acoustic folder, it's gotta have a lower gear. This one's going on the block.
 
Yeah you will be all good through September, it will be beautiful that time of year it'll be about the peak for fall colors.
Cari said no to the Aspen leg of the trip; she doesn't want to add more driving. (as we'll already be driving two days each way to get to FoCo and back)
 
I'm commuting on the Boardwalk single speed folder for the 2nd day, flat northbound version was into a 15-25 mph wind yesterday and 10-20 today. It's getting old, only having a gear for 15 mph. I needed one for about 8 mph. This isn't going to cut it.

The LBS had it for $180 and I guess I couldn't resist. I think it might've been nostalgia again, as I spent a lot of summers in my youth riding around on a bike just like this at my grandparents' house. I was about 100 lbs. lighter and there were a lot of trees (so not much wind) in that town. If I'm going to bring an acoustic folder, it's gotta have a lower gear. This one's going on the block.
Yeah it looks like neat little bike I guess you could put a lower gear on it but then it would limit your speed when you're on flat ground or if you have a tail wind. And it doesn't make much sense spending a bunch of money to make it into a multi speed bike, it would be cheaper to just buy a different folder.

We have a Moulton, not a folder but it pretty easily breaks into two parts. https://road.cc/content/news/70789-moulton-bicycle-celebrate-50th-anniversary Ours is an early eighties model, I love these little wheel bikes they are a lot of fun to ride.
 
You guys will be very disappointed in me, but I'm leaning toward this folding muggle bike:
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Thoughts on it:

+ Belt drive, won't grease up my clothes or other stuff in the car, even if I don't have it in a tote.
+ Internal geared hub won't be hanging out, waiting to get smashed
+ Includes rack & fenders
+ Good company, NYC-based. (I've dealt with them before after a sale and they're great)
- Telescoping seatpost adds another step in folding
- Internal gear hub has an additional efficiency cost, compared to derailleur. This is in ADDITION to the cost of having smaller wheels.

It's not as COOL as the Brompton, but maybe even more practical for my situation. I just LOVE belt drive...
My heart says "Brompton" but my brain says "Priority".
 
Perfect bike for a BBS02.
Not sure the Shimano Alfine 8 IGH would hold up to the extra torque...

But it costs the same as this: View attachment 18444 You are making it very hard to live through you vicariously.:shrug:
I had one of those; it got stolen in 2024 in CO Springs. (more on the ownership & theft here) Good bike, but heavy, like most multi-speed folding bikes. At 60 lbs, it's a bit lighter than the XP 3.0 and is a bit more compact when folded. I had to have the seat all the way up to get full leg extension, and my inseam is only 30". There was a time when I was thinking of simplifying my life and replacing my Level.2 with it, but the Level.2 just rolls so much more efficiently, between the bigger wheels narrower tires and more forward-leaned posture.

The Priority Folder is not light for a muggle bike, but at 30 lbs, it's a LOT lighter than these folding eBikes I've been considering.

I hesitate to admit this now, as it's really a 1st world problem, but I have enough eBikes now that keeping the batteries properly cared-for is getting to be a low level stressor!
 
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