Bikepacking on an Electric Gravel Bike?

We wanted to see the bikepacking capabilities on Electric Gravel bikes. We got out hands on two Niner RLT E9 RDO's and set out for an overnight trip. The route was planned and the bikes were packed. We set out to do a trip that would potentially leave us pedaling back with no battery.
Here's a list of the gear we brought on the trip:
Blackburn Outpost Seat Pack & Dry Bag bit.ly/3cuPm3y
Blackburn Outpost Frame Bag bit.ly/3RiRASs
Ortlieb Seat Pack bit.ly/3Q2bpwl
Ortlieb Handlebar Pack bit.ly/3dXmLnQ
Jetboil Flashstove bit.ly/3ArhkVW
ENO Hammock bit.ly/3wHc1AN
Big Agnes Sleeping Pad bit.ly/3Q1HRim
North Face Sleeping Bag bit.ly/3ACEicG
Probar Bolt Chews bit.ly/3KzdDSF
Probar Meal Bar bit.ly/3CJWyUe
Untapped Maple Syrup bit.ly/3e9iAFN
Race Face Pedals bit.ly/3xnhcp4
Shimano Pedals bit.ly/3ABBr3S
Lezyne Multi Tool bit.ly/3AW12px
Lezyne Headlight bit.ly/3CJbKB6
CamelBak bit.ly/3wFDFOg
Endura Bib’s bit.ly/3CFgWG9
Chrome Shoes bit.ly/3R6l6uY
Shimano Shoes bit.ly/3CO7tfP
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Intro - 00:00
Gravel Riding - 00:14
Bike Specs/What We Carried - 03:03
Last Leg to Camp - 04:31
Camp Site - 06:56
Morning Ride Out - 09:26
Thoughts on the Bikes - 14:05
Bike & Trip Summary - 17:18

[@captaincoyote1792]

I’m retired Navy and retired federal land management law enforcement. Always active…as I approach my late 60s, I’ve drifted away from running for fitness, to long distance hiking and doing “sprints” to exhaustion….and gravitating back to bicycling. I built up a custom gravel bikepacking bike (a gorgeous Chumba ti)….to do trips to backcountry New England to access isolated fly fishing spots. But…I recently volunteered to take the lead in developing a long distance bikepacking route (450+ miles), with federal, state and local partner support. I was in a LBS recently in Connecticut….to garner local “bike business” support. And….I had my first in-person look at e-bikes…..and I fell in love with their look, and the idea. But…I questioned the “wisdom” of using an e-bike for long distance rides….particularly rides that take you into the backcountry- where recharging facilities don’t exist. Still, the idea….and maybe if I buy one for the wife she will let me buy one for me? I really enjoyed this video. It is encouraging me to seriously consider….another bike??!! Great video, brothers! Bravo-Zulu….on this adventure! My question? What happens if you have no charge? (I wonder, could I carry a foldable solar panel? (Im kind of kidding). Seriously #1: what would I have to carry to recharge at locations other than home? #2. How much more weight is an electric bike? And #3: I mistakenly assumed when hearing of e-bikes, that pedaling somehow recharged the batteries. (I guess not). I think I recall that it was Harry Truman that said “there is no free lunch”. There’s always a “cost” to any adventure. Pedal easy when charged….pedal twice as hard when charge is depleted. I plead “ignorance” when it comes to e-bikes. Thanks again, guys.

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Hey thanks, that's really neat to hear about the backcountry system you'll be helping to develop in New England! I'll try and shed some light on your questions. There are some interesting videos of people using solar to charge in the wild, unfortunately the solar tech is not quite efficient enough to consider that a solution mainly due to the size of panel necessary for this application. - eBikes use one charger, that would be what you would need to take with you in a bag, and a route that brings you near an outlet every 40-70 miles. - Weight varies bike to bike, on average eBIkes are around 40-80 pounds. - Recharging from pedaling would be great ha, unfortunately regenerative braking is about the only thing to offer any juice back, but only a handful of brands/bikes offer it. We find that riding distance on eBikes isn't about our battery range, but more about how we use the battery. Picking and choosing to ride with the bikes on or off depending on if its a downhill or a long straight away, do we use full power (boost) to get to the top of a climb or eco for just a pinch of help. Talk to your LBS about doing a demo. It'd be worth it to ride a few different styles to find the right one for you.

[@captaincoyote1792]

@@ElectricBikeJournal Outstanding response! Thanks so much….it was both informative--AND thoughtful. Here’s wishing you many smiles with many safe miles, brother!

[@paulcardsfan]

I have a bike with step thur and a battery that can go 100 miles on a charge . Made for bike touring I have done plenty of long bike tours with and without lectric . But really enjoy tour with a electric that has a huge battery .

[@DemiGod..]

The beauty of having a motor is hills can be super easy , or you can change up gears to make you do more work, or decrease asistance level.

[@danielthomas3343]

Seems like adding one of the gravel forks (rockshox rudy, fox 32 tc etc) would be ideal for this kind of usage - added comfort for unsealed surfaces and long rides. And maybe the extra weight is less of an issue with the e-assist...

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

That could be a nice addition for sure, could go pretty sure it travel. But at that point somewhat getting into hard tail e-mountain bike territory.

[@Outlaw-Dashing]

Thanks for the video. 👍 you showed me a lot of great information 💯 i ride a motorized bicycle but am interested in electric overnighter range . Would be interested in throttle only trips as well .

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Glad it was helpful! We don’t know of any gravel bikes with a throttle but would be interested in trying one out for a trip like this.

[@Outlaw-Dashing]

@@ElectricBikeJournal thanks for the reply. 💯

[@timsmead]

I have been looking for a good e grave bike and I have a RIP 9 Ninner mountin bike and love it. How much do they weigh and what knid of range does it have if you go in eco mode? Thanks

[@cooloutac]

Looks like fun. I can do 40 miles on my cheap fat bike but I'd be scared to go more than 10 - 15 mph on pas 1-2. Lol

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Haha it is very nice to be able to go 16mph on gravel and over 20mph on concrete on these bikes.

[@myronas]

How about the flat pedals? Was it ok for this ride?

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

They did great. Was nice to have normal shoes to walk around in and they were grippy enough for when the trail got loose. Not as efficient on the climbs but luckily had the motor assist to help.

[@myronas]

How was pedalling with battery off? They say that for mid drive systems that's not easy

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

It wasn’t bad if the road was flat or slightly declining. You def feel the weight in the uphills

[@myronas]

@@ElectricBikeJournal Are those crank-sets different? They look different during the summary section

[@steviejks]

What are your heights (for both of you) ? I can easily choose frame sizes on a mtb but I have no experience choosing on a gravel bike. I can't test these bikes so I would be ordering without sitting on one(looking to get one for me 183 cm and my wife 164 cm ). Thanks

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

One of us is 6 ft and is 5'8". Dusten (6ft) was riding the 56cm. If you aren't fully sure would be a solid idea to go get a quick fit with similar style bikes at a shop.

[@steviejks]

@@ElectricBikeJournal I ended up ordering size 50 for my wife and 56 for myself. Thanks for the input that really helped. I can always adjust the fit switching the stem length or adding a seat post with offset. The price was 2700 euros(brand new) so I pulled the trigger without being able to sit on them. Thank you for the content, just subscribed :)

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

@@steviejks stoked for you! Thats a deal for those bike, you two will have a lot of fun. Glad we could help!

[@myronas]

@@steviejks 2700? where from?

[@pawelodz8050]

Dream :)

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Was a very fun ride!

[@pawelodz8050]

@@ElectricBikeJournal i believe you. I have done 176km just two weeks ago- ebike on Bosch with 2x 500wh. All I need is just a time for a ride 😁

[@jgpainting8815]

How did you keep charged up?

[@ElectricBikeJournal]

Our out back route worked out perfectly within the range of a single charge. Any further we would adjusted the route to have access to power every 60-80 miles.

[@paulcardsfan]

Do not like clips I like flats without the spikes I take the spikes out of my peddles so they don't claw my legs up .