About E-biking
Gregory is the founder of E-bike Lovers, an inclusive social group of e-bikers in Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland. Everyone is welcome.
If you are interested in exploring e-biking, check out the E-bike Lovers' website and its resources on this fascinating technology. E-biking may well be in your future. It is a great way to exercise physically and mentally.
About the Touring E-bike
The e-bike for the cross-country tour is a German 2021 Riese & Muller Supercharger 2. This is a heavy-duty touring bike designed for long-distance rides. You don't need this e-bike to enjoy a weekend e-bike ride or a short commute. There are many other e-bikes that are suitable.
The cross-country touring e-bike has two massive batteries of 625 watts each integrated into the frame, and a range of over 110 miles in "Eco" mode in relatively flat terrain. Gregory brings an additional Bosch 625 w battery pack on the tour as towing the trailer consumes extra battery.
The configuration of the Riese and Muller Supercharger e-bike used for the cross-country cycling route. Click on the image to enlarge.
The drivetrain is an electronic Rohloff E-14 gearbox with 14 gears! The carbon belt drive is by Gates. The Gen4 motor by Bosch is 250 watts (approximately half of what a Tour the France athlete can produce) and has four levels of assistance (Eco, Tour, Sport, and Turbo) and 85 nm torque in Turbo mode. This means that the e-bike has 64 levels of assistance: 4 motor levels x 14 gears - 64. This is very important as it allows Gregory to navigate very steep hills while carrying cargo on the bike and towing equipment with the Nomad trailer. In the very unlikely scenario that the electric system fails, Gregory can continue to cycle without motor assist.
The e-bike with a Burley trailer during a weight and balance test ride.
Gregory (195 lbs. and hopefully less after the tour) will be towing about 77 lbs. with the trailer and carry approximately 40 lbs. on the rear bike rack and 10 lbs. on the front rack, to ensure he stays within the weight limits of the e-bike and the trailer. The total weight of the one-person convoy is 416 lbs.
Most of the weight will be carried by the bicycle to avoid "bouncing" by the trailer. The Burley trailer will be used for larger items such as film and camping equipment.
You really do not need a highly-sophisticated endurance touring e-bike to enjoy e-biking. Any e-bike is a good e-bike as long it is reliable and safe. Check out the independent guidelines for buying an e-bike developed by E-bike Lovers.
dr. gregory f. maassen
Founder ebikelovers.com
The panniers are by Ortlieb. The waterproof orange cases are by Pelican (orange is the Dutch national color) and contain the Skydio 2 cinema drone and a Canon C70, Netflix certified, cinema camera. The handlebar basket is by Rixen Kaul with the Clickfix mounting system. The touring saddle is by Brooks. The water bag is by Camelbak. The handle bar is upgraded to an American-made Shirley Moloko touring bar with a pair of Ergon GA3 grips.
This e-bike does not have a throttle. Gregory will need to cycle the entire length of the route to propel the bike. It is a serious workout, mentally and physically. He will burn up to 4,000 calories on a demanding biking day to keep the e-bike going.
A year of endurance and strength training has prepared him for the tour.
To avoid injuries, the e-bike is equipped with a shock-absorbing suspension seat post and shock absorbing suspension stem by Kinekt from Bellingham, WA. The front suspension was upgraded with an American-made Fox 32 Step-Cast suspension fork to improve comfort and handling.
To avoid flats, the tires are upgraded with Schwalbe Pickup E-bike cargo tires and Tannus puncture resistant liners.
Gregory will be using KOA camping grounds along the route. See this article for a full list of camping gear selected for the e-bike tour across America.
The brands are not associated with the tour. The equipment is selected independently for safety, reliability, and quality.
