Here are the numbers from yesterday's ride.
Total trip distance - 35 miles
Total riding time - 3 hours and 15 minutes
Load - 120lbs, 8 boxes of CSA shares, plus a pannier with a bit of farm gear
The full load was carried for less than half the route, although that comprised the part of the route with the most elevation gain and a very serious headwind yesterday. I had to be conservative with the electric assist and save it for the worst of the wind and hills. By the time I dropped the final shares at Near East Yoga I was down to no bars on the battery monitor, although there was still a little left for the 8 mile ride home. For the first 27 miles I was working hard to keep to a schedule. The eight mile ride home I took it easy (relatively), although it was so much easier with a load of just two empty boxes.
By way of comparison, when I do the route with a car it takes about 1 hour 30 minutes, and I pay for about 30 minutes of parking at delivery spots. I also eat a lot less, man was I hungry when I got home last night.
Awesome job. How is your energy level the next day? I am interested in some day biking to and fro the farm I work on. It is about a 17 mile ride one way. Would like to figure out how to bring produce, starts, farm loads to and fro as well.
ReplyDeleteRather intimidating, but the savings on gas alone could make it worth the trouble...
Eliminating the truck entirely seems out of the question; can't imagine hauling the loads we sometimes take out there and back via bike (up to several tons).
Keep up the good work!
Energy the next day was fine. The electric assist helps a lot, but the batteries are fairly limited so hauling big loads wears them down quick. I didn't recharge for the entire 35 miles but in the future I'll take the opportunity to charge at the farm, during a short break at home, and maybe even at the studio before riding home, which basically breaks my ride up into 8-9mile chunks between charges.
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