How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the E-Bike

Last summer, I decided to see for myself what all the fuss is about. I was encouraged to try the E-bike—with the triple goal of allowing me to 1) ride more miles; 2) keep up with the group; and 3) have a boatload of fun doing it. And I’m happy to say, my first VBT E-bike adventure delivered—on all three counts!

E-bikes, maybe you’ve heard of them? These days, they’re all the rage—and whether you’re poking along a gentle bike path or huffing it up a steep hill, you’re likely to see someone riding a bike with that tell-tale battery pack on the downtube or rack. E-bikes are immensely popular on VBT vacations—and with our recently expanded international bicycle fleet, they’re available on almost all VBT trips. But (insider tip) they’re popular—so if you have your heart set on an E-bike, it’s smart to book your trip early before they get snapped up. Last summer, I decided to see for myself what all the fuss is about. I’m a lady of a certain age—and will be the first to admit I’m not the strongest cyclist. I love to ride, but I often find weeks sliding by without much time to pedal—on a good week, I might put in 20 miles. On a not so good week, well… the exercise bike at the gym just has to take up the slack. With the benefit of friends and colleagues who are avid cyclists themselves, I was encouraged to try the E-bike—with the triple goal of allowing me to 1) ride more miles; 2) keep up with the group; and 3) have a boatload of fun doing it. And I’m happy to say, my first VBT E-bike adventure delivered—on all three counts!

The Most Fun You Can Have on a Bike

As I quickly learned on my first E-bike adventure, the beauty of the E-bike is its versatility. Want a good workout? No problem! Get into a good, smooth cadence at around 70-80 revolutions per minute (RPM) and you’ll find yourself happily sweating out those hills. Looking for an easier spin? Absolutely! With four modes of pedal assistance, you can choose how much, or how little, effort you want to put into your ride:

• Eco mode—the lowest level of pedal assistance. Personally, I wanted a bit of a workout, and riding in eco mode felt a lot like riding my analog bike back home. Riding in eco mode has the added advantage of saving battery power—so I had plenty of juice to last all day.
• Tour mode—the second level of assistance. I often used tour mode on the hills—it gave me just enough extra oomph to maintain a good smooth cadence with enough breath control to carry on a conversation at the same time. Using tour mode, I was able to pace myself behind the stronger riders—thus avoiding the E-bike faux pas of passing analog cyclists on the hills. This strategy not only gave me the workout I wanted, but also helped maintain peace and camaraderie in our happy little peloton.
• Sport mode—the third level of assistance. This was useful for the many times I stopped to take photos of a spectacular mountain vista or sparkling waterfall—then had to turn on the steam to catch up to the other riders.
• Turbo mode—the highest level of pedal assistance. Personally, I only used this setting when I wanted to keep up with a couple of very strong cyclists who were cruising on the flats (you guys know who you are!) I was also happy to have it as a tool in my back pocket in case of any seriously steep hills—or late afternoons when I felt my energy start to ebb.

Switching between modes is easy, so you can add more pedal assistance with the click of a button—or reduce it when you’re coasting down a big hill. This ensures that you’re going to enjoy the entire ride and can even add extra miles when you want to—plus, it’s easy to keep up with your friends. Pedal assistance doesn't kick in unless you pedal—so if you stop pedaling, the bike will slow down and eventually stop. Plus, E-bikes are smart, and they know just how much assistance to give you in each mode—and they also have a built-in odometer so you can easily keep track of your mileage and speed. They even know the speed limit—which, in Europe, is 25 kilometers per hour for E-bikes. Once you hit the maximum allowable speed, the pedal assistance won't kick in again until you slow down. It's a wonderful safety feature!

Ready, Steady—Go!

The first thing I noticed about pedaling my E-bike was the steadiness of the ride. These bikes are sturdily-built—designed to carry thick battery packs to last throughout the day. These aren’t the slender, carbon-fiber road bikes that dance lightly along the road—and they’re also not as skittish. While a 20-pound road bike might shudder rolling over sand or gravel, my sturdy E-bike, with its wide tires and solid frame, hardly seemed to notice the odd bit of sand—and gravel roads were a pleasure to ride. In fact, the sturdiness of the E-bike was a great confidence builder for me—allowing more stability when taking a hand off the handlebars to adjust a mirror or reposition sunglasses. Plus, the upright seat position, flat handlebars, and comfortable saddle made it a joy to tackle those extra miles. Riders who feel unstable rolling on narrow road bike tires, or bracing themselves on drop handlebars, will love the comfort and stability of the E-bike. While bikers throughout the ages have sought to reduce the weight of their bikes to allow for faster speeds and easier pedaling, the pedal-assist function of the E-bike renders this largely unnecessary. That said, for the best experience, it’s never a good idea to turn off the pedal assistance—because without it, you’ll feel the extra weight of the battery pack and sturdy frame. Even in eco-mode, I found the additional bike weight was effectively cancelled out by the pedal assistance—with higher levels of pedal assistance available to lighten the load still more. VBT trip leaders are experts when it comes to cycling techniques—and they’ll fit your bike carefully to give you the best E-bike riding experience. For example, I wanted to be sure my seat height was adjusted to make it easy for me to plant a foot solidly on the ground while coasting to a stop—giving me optimal control of the bike. I found it easiest to anticipate the stop by gently applying the brakes well in advance—and with VBT’s hydraulic disc brakes, a little brake pressure was often all I needed. It was easy to gently disengage one foot from the pedal and prepare to plant it as the bike came to a gradual stop—keeping me stable and upright as the bike rolled to a standstill. As long as your E-bike has pedal assistance engaged, it will kick in as soon as you begin pedaling—so starting the bike is simple. On my E-Traverse bike, I found it easiest to lean the bike a little to one side and step my leg over the top tube rather than swinging a leg over the rear of the bike while it’s fully upright. Using this technique made it easier to control the bike—and kept my leg clear of the rear rack bag. With a leg on either side of the bike, it’s simply a matter of pressing down on the upper pedal—then a little kick off the ground and presto! Off to a great start.

The Little-Known Risk Nobody is Talking About

E-bikes are as safe as any other bike—but on my first VBT E-bike adventure, I did encounter one unexpected risk: E-bikes are way too much fun! With my new E-bike-inspired confidence, I’ve tackled longer rides with steeper hills—totally unintimidated by routes I would have shied away from before my first VBT E-bike adventure. This puts me somewhat at risk of making an investment in an E-bike of my own—thus putting that exercise bike at the gym very much at risk of gathering dust.