Yep, we really did it. We finally bought a few electric bikes (E-bikes) to tour around with. Not only did we buy E-Bikes but they are fat tire E-Bikes, better yet!!
We had been seeing both fat tire bikes and E-Bikes for a number of years when we were out and about especially when camping or at the beach and would always ask each other if we should get some.
I was always hesitant for a number of reasons being I wanted (and needed) exercise and I felt E-Bikes were simply a scooter that LOOKED like you were pedaling. The fat tire bikes looked like they would be so, so difficult to pedal especially on the sand. AND they looked so heavy and clumsy that I just thought it would be way too difficult to ride.
We have been RVing since 2008 and on many trips we have taken our street bicycles along with us. This means that we have been riding our street bicycles on not only pavement or asphalt but also on dirt and sand. Yes, we rode them where most people would ride mountain bikes. Yes, I fell off a number of times especially when going over lots of rocks and/or when riding through a wash with deep sand. Duh…but we were having fun.
We used to own a tandem bicycle which we took on many rides through The Netherlands, France, and Spain. They offered us great speed, the ability to talk easily while we rode, and we could cover much farther distances than our regular bicycles. Plus it was just a pleasure to ride!
We also had our Dutch bikes from The Netherlands which are not only heavier bikes than most US bikes but you sit upright and only have a few gears. Holland doesn’t have many hills so gears aren’t a priority. They were great bikes and we certainly rode them all over Holland. Norm even rode his to and from work every day in Holland come rain or shine or sleet or snow or ice for 7 years!
Sadly, we sold the tandem bicycle a few years ago when we were downsizing and have also parted with our Dutch bikes. Sob, sob….
And last but not least, in around 2013 we purchased some folding bikes which were great for when we were traveling and could throw them in the RV or the back of the car. With being so short in length they were easy to go over the top of the bars when I made any sudden moves going downhill so I learned the hard way but they are still fun and convenient!
Seeing as we live next to a desert preserve that has lots of miles trails that are dirt, sand, or rocks it only made sense that maybe we start investigating getting some mountain bikes.
Somewhere along the line my husband said, “Hey let’s get some fat tire e-bikes”. What? I was hesitant, more than a little, but I was game to try. And try I did.
We ordered them online from DJ Bikes (Calgary based company) and they were shipped to us in a few days. The box said they came from Los Angeles. My husband put them together and off we went.
AND….they are done!
Soon we were spending every day riding them. We still pedal and pedal and only use the throttle when going through some deep sand or up a rocky or sandy hill.
It took me a few rides to get over the fact that with fat tires you were not going to come to a dead stop when you hit sand like you do when riding a thin tire street bicycle. I had to reset my brain to comprehend the fat tire concept. What a terrific bike!!
I am now addicted!!!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! I could not have been more wrong (and I admit it)!
Of course, my husband had to make some modifications/additions. Why not? The bikes seem to be good quality but we wanted a few extra things so he added a side mirror to each bike, a bike cargo rack on the back fender, and some braces on the front fender to provide more stability. He also installed handlebar extensions to raise the bars a few inches and bring them a bit closer to us. We are quite happy with the additions.
Will we be taking them with us on RV trips? Yes. Maybe not all of our trips. We bought a dual receiver hitch to put on the back of our RV so we can tow and have a bike rack at the same time. We also can put the bike rack on the back of the tow vehicle. Either way.
The downside of putting the bike rack on the back of the tow vehicle is then when you are traveling and want to drive the car around (touring, shopping, whatever) then you have the bikes on the back of the car.
At least we have the flexibility to put them on the bike rack on either vehicle.
As a note the bikes weight about 57 pounds each which is no problem for my husband to lift but I was worried I might have a problem lifting it. I certainly can’t lift it over my head but I can lift it up to reposition it (in the garage) or to get over low lying objects (see below).
The bike rack when on the back of the RV is much higher than on the back of the car and it does take both of us to lift them up to get it on the RV bike rack. We can do it, we are strong!!
I am sure we will still take the foldables along with us for some trips. It just depends where we are going!
In the meantime…..FAT TIRES RULE!!!
Leave a Reply