A question I get asked often is ‘what range should I expect from my e-bike?’ I reply that there are lots of factors at play, with the first being the bike set up.  So in order to answer this question I start with the suggestion of limiting the e-bike choices so as to try and compare ‘apples with apples’.  I therefore start with limiting my e-bike option to e-road bikes which seem to be the most efficient of bikes using a motor to assist a rider.

 

E-road bikes available in Australia have a total weight between 10 and 14 kgs without range extenders added.  Those at the 10 kg end seem to have achieved the low weight by having smaller batteries that limit range to 60-80 kms, while those at the other end have ranges between 90 and 220kms depending on the technology utilised.

 

As mentioned previously I ride a 2020 Specialized Turbo Creo Expert SL. This bike completely disengages the motor at 25kph which means that the more the rider can ride above 25kph the greater the battery range.  A second factor is that the more the rider can rely on the Eco mode while riding below 25kph, the longer the battery will last.  

 

The following are the details of a 119.43km ride I did at the end of 2024.  I hope that others with e-road bikes can aim to duplicate or match the ride to see what range results they can achieve and post to this Facebook page of to my updated and improved blog, TourDeMature.com?

 

My ride was from Ainslie in Canberra through Hackett and North Watson and on to the Federal Highway out to the Olive Grove Cafe on the Highway a few km’s north of Collector and then back to Canberra riding along the Federal Highway and Northbourne Avenue till I turned left at Haig Park and rode back to Ainslie.  I had charged my battery to 100% prior to the ride and according to my Specialised App I arrived home having consumed 52% of the available power.  During my ride I had utilised the Eco mode for 67% of the power I consumed and Sports mode for 33%.

 

During the ride I climbed 790m and rode with an average speed of 24.4kph. My max speed was 54.2 kph and I rode for 4hr 54m.  My average cadence was 65 rpm with a max of 100 rpm.  My average trip speed would have been closer 28 kph but for town riding in urban Canberra where traffic lights, pedestrians etc, slowed me down considerably.

 

My followup ride added some interest comparison statistics.  I joined my riding group for our weekly ride and I accidentally left the bike in Sports mode for 89% of the 53.7 km ride.  As a result  I used 22% of the remaining power in the battery, had a low average speed of 18.5kph and climbed 365m.

 

So, notwithstanding I had left the bike in the wrong mode for much of the second trip I still achieved a significant ride of about 172 kms and 1,155m climbing from one fully charged battery.  Accordingly I regularly achieve in excess of 200kms around town from a single battery charge during which Eco use is better than 95% and a lot of the riding is on flattish roads with speeds in excess of 25kph.  Trips to mountainous regions like the East Coast of Tasmania does see me riding with more sports and even the occasional Turbo mode, but even then I still achieve ranges in excess of 110km.

 

Finally, a word of caution.  As bike companies boost the power outputs of their motors the downside is that they offer more power and this reduces the range.  In mid 2024 my partner and I rented Creos in Italy to ride a hilly section between San Miniato and San Gimignano.  The bike shop could only supply me with an original model Creo with a 1.0 motor, while my partner was provided with the almost new Creo with a 2.0 motor.  Otherwise they were the same bike.  The ride was substantially steeper on the way out to San Gimignano and my partner arrived at the half point worried that she would not have sufficient power to complete the ride.  Fortunately with the ride back being mostly downhill, she arrived back at the bike shop with 20% still available on her battery.  My battery still had over 40% power left notwithstanding I weigh 50% greater than my partner.  Discussions with e-bike mechanics on our arrival back home suggested that the culprit was the extra motor power which would have made the climbing so much more easier.

 

I hope that readers find this information useful and contribute their own experiences with their bikes.  If you would like to make a contribution or there are other topics relevant to this blog that you would like dealt with please use the Contact Me page to send me an email with the details. 

 

Steve