bikepacking dorset dirt dash

Can You Ebike a 100 Mile Bikepacking Route?

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Ebikes are great when it comes to allowing people to do things they don’t normally do. Look at all the 50+ people returning to mountain biking with the help of a little electricity and quite a bit of money. However, can an unfit 51 year old ebike around a two-day 100 mile bikepacking route? But why? As the organiser of the Kinesis Dorset Dirt Dash 50:50 bikepacking event I am obliged to pre ride the route for not just health and safety reasons, but also because it is a really bloody cool route. A weekend away with friends messing around...
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Author Profile Picture
Charlie Hobbs

Merch & Marketing Manager at Singletrack

Grumpy, happy, hairy, overweight and awesome. I started riding offroad in 1978, and never stopped. I was once Charlie The Bikemonger, I invented orienBEERing, the Clunker Classic, and the Dorset Gravel Dash. I own the Bum Butter brand and I'm a co-owner of Dirt Dash Events. I also work at Singletrack, I have the self-appointed job title of "Overlord of the leftovers" and look after the merch shop, and marketing. Other interests include skateboards, surfboards, motorbikes, and cooking (I invented the Beefer Reefer).

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Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)
  • Can You Ebike a 100 Mile Bikepacking Route?
  • oldfart
    Full Member

    Love the Lording it quote Charlie , having just ridden 22 miles on the Quantocks on my Onza Jackpot while my Orbea Rise is ( still) in the menders 😞 My mate was on his Whyte Electric chariot I can indeed confirm that’s exactly what it felt like ! What a sense of achievement though , at 67 I can still hack it with over 2,700 feet of climbing , no getting off and walking and an average of 6.3 mph 💪
    Who needs an E bike 🤔

    Posted 1 week ago
    Bruce
    Full Member

    I read this and thought who cares?
    Why spoil bike packing with a load of technology?
    I think sometimes simple is better.

    Posted 1 week ago
    charliedontsurf
    Full Member

    @bruce good point. I’ve bikepacked from home to single speed races in Belgium and Scotland. Bikepacked to races in Arizona too. Keeping it simple is a good move. Minimise mechanical risk. Enjoy the ride. Don’t over complicate things. I’m totally onboard with this ethos.

    However, in this case, after almost zero riding last year my options were no bikepacking or Ebikepacking. I will hopefully be 100 miles fit in a month or two.

    Not everyone is young and fit. E-bikes really are breaking down boundaries, extending peoples cycling life in terms of years and mileage… and also a massive growth area in the industry. I am not aware of anyone doing the Dorset Dirt Dash 100 route on an ebike… hey. let’s find out if it’s doable. Learn a few ebike techniques and strategies… share it with the Singletrackers.

    You are right simple is better. But ebiking is better than no biking.

    Posted 1 week ago
    longdog
    Free Member

    E-biking is definitely better than no biking.

    E-biking also means I can go places I couldn’t walk anymore.

    Posted 1 week ago
    zilog6128
    Full Member

    Of course e-bike packing is allowed. Why wouldn’t it be? OP didn’t do that though 🤔 Just went for a ride, stayed in a hotel & spent all night recharging his batteries, then went for another ride 😀 As long as it was fun though!

    Posted 1 week ago
    Bruce
    Full Member

    I didn’t mean to be disparaging or anything.
    I don’t know how it feels in your shoes. I would much rather see people having fun on a ebike than not at all.
    I am not young (69) and far from fit having had a heart attack a few years ago.
    I still hopefully have time to get an ebike later:)

    Posted 1 week ago
    longdog
    Free Member

    No worries Bruce, just felt I needed to say that.

    I actually have done some one night e-bikepacking since becoming electrically enhanced this year. I’m enjoying my hammock as tents and bivies are too much scrabbling about for me now. No hotels or charging was involved, just a 960wh battery and tourer mode.

    Posted 1 week ago
    hillsplease
    Full Member

    Done a bit of bike packing and touring. And often wished i’d had an e bike, but am too mean to buy one. Also – there’s not a lot of space generally so if you’re losing your tent for batteries it all sounds pretty finely judged. Or a lot of Voile straps are involved.

    Posted 1 week ago
    jam-bo
    Full Member

    I read this and thought who cares?
    Why spoil bike packing with a load of technology?
    I think sometimes simple is better.

    best go for a hike then. bikes are complicated. 😉

    Posted 1 week ago
    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Well it’s at least 8 years since I met 2 folk doing the Cairngorm loop on e bikes successfullyI’d imagine the tech’s only got better

    Posted 1 week ago
    Wally
    Full Member

    Good read because thinking of doing something similar on something similar. What packs did you use?

    Posted 1 week ago
    specialisthoprocker
    Full Member

    I’ve done several 70+ mile, 6000ft ascent bikepacking rides on my Orbea Rise with the piggyback battery. I’m always a bit nervous about running out and eek the power out so invariably I get home with over 30% left in the tank! It all depends on how fit you are, how hilly it is, and how much you rely on the power. Quite often I ride the first 15-20 miles without assist. I was considering doing the Dirt Dash on it next year (first time I did it was on a singlespeed ffs – thanks Long Covid!). The good thing about a lighter ebike like the Levo and Rise is that if you do run out it can still be ridden without too much pain for the last bit home. I just need to work out a way to hotwire a kettle and toastie maker to the battery and it would be the perfect bikepacking machine…

    Posted 1 week ago
    ampthill
    Full Member

    I currently don’t have an e-bike but at 57 I know they are in my future.

    For overnight trips like this a removable battery has benefits. I can see why the lighter bikes don’t have these from an engineering point of view.

    It’s probably too niche but a light bike with swappable baterries would be great. A multi charger would be handy too.

    Posted 1 week ago
    farmtrackofdoom
    Free Member

    I’ve done a few nights on my e-bike “bikepacking” – well riding from hotel to hotel.

    First time was from my home town Consett to Sill YHA on Hadrian’s Wall – about 80ish miles stayed in the YHA then back to Consett via Hexham and along the Tyne Valley before picking up the C2C back to Consett.

    More recently (a few weeks ago) did the Rebellion Way in Norfolk (Kings Lynn to Sheringham (YHA). Sheringham to Diss (Hotel). Diss back to Kings Lynn). About 75-77 miles per day.

    All great fun – charged the battery overnight each time and once in a fish and chip shop while I had lunch on the 1st day just to top the battery up – but to be honest it still had enough juice to get me to Sheringham. Seat postbag on the back with all the usual stuff. The bike has a range of about 105 miles (although it was 117 last year when I got the bike factoring in the 10% ish loss over a year for the battery).

    Posted 1 week ago
    gordimhor
    Full Member

    The loss of battery capacity is a major factor. Is it determined purely by age? Or is the number of recharges also important?

    Posted 1 week ago
    martymac
    Full Member

    I’ve done single nights on the ebike, around 35 miles total.
    My bike is a bit older, with a 400wh battery, but manages that distance on eco setting fairly easily.
    For me, using an ebike turns the trip into manageable, compared to being at the absolute limits of my physical endurance on a normal loaded bike.

    Posted 1 week ago
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