We crossed the Tennessee River yesterday, and are nearly halfway home. I've now logged about 800 miles on the bike, and feel I'm getting to know it fairly well.
We followed designated cycle routes
with our van as we drove from Mena to Williamsburg, VA, and concluded
that this wasn't the best route home for us. That route is over 2,000
miles, which is about double the shortest distance. It's a scenic route
over rural roads and lanes, and would be pleasant riding for cyclists
not in a hurry. Cars can pass bikes, even trikes like the ELF, fairly
easily at low speeds. But it's not so good for a big van traveling at
cycling speeds, because vehicular traffic stacks up behind the van, and
there are few places to pass. In fact, some lanes are so narrow that
large vehicles have to look for a wide place to ease past. And the
traffic was heavier, and faster, than we expected. These roads are used
by locals who know the roads and drive faster than we might consider
safe.
The shortest route home would be mostly on
interstates where bikes aren't allowed. I wouldn't choose to ride on
them even if it were allowed.
But there are many other
roads, mostly state highways, which are wider and straighter than county
roads, and which go more nearly in our desired direction. By selecting
roads that avoid cities, and riding very early in the morning, we can
avoid the heaviest traffic.
There are also some
"parkways" where commercial trucks are prohibited, speed limits are low
(often 45 mph) and where motorists are warned to be aware of slow RV's
and cyclists. These are my favorite roads (also Ann's), and we have
incorporated several of them into our route home. I think the resulting
route home will be about 1600 miles.
The logistics for
coordinating a cyclist and SAG wagon (our van) are more complicated than
for either one traveling alone. Should the van plug along behind the
cycle, providing protection from overtaking vehicles? Should the van go
on ahead and wait at the next rendezvous point, making it easier for
vehicles to pass the bike? Or should the van give the bike a big head
start, and try to time its arrival at the next point to coincide with
the bike?
We've tried all 3 techniques. The biggest
problem with traveling separately is communication. We (especially Ann)
expected to use our cell phones to keep in touch. But our AT&T cell
coverage has been sporadic at best, and we both suffer separation
anxiety when our partner doesn't appear at the rendezvous when expected.
On
multi-lane roads Ann can poke along behind me, with her hazard lights
going, and traffic can switch lanes to pass us. On 2 lane roads,
especially with few passing opportunities, it's best if Ann and I
separate, and she drives at a more normal speed. Then we keep more
frequent rendezvous, to re-assure ourselves that we are both OK. And we
have "plan B" in case we miss each other.
One advantage
of traveling in company with our van is the ability to charge the ELF's
batteries as we go along. I usually start each day with both batteries
charged. At our first rendezvous I switch batteries and use the van's
inverter to start recharging the partly discharged battery as Ann drives
to the next rendezvous. It takes 4+ hours ro recharge a fully
discharged battery, but we usually change it long before that, so
recharging can begin sooner and take less time. If I'm using the booster
conservatively, Ann can just about recharge them as fast as I use them.
We try to overnight at places with electricity. If that isn't possible,
we use the inverter to top off the batteries for the next day.
It's
very difficult to predict the rate of battery usage. Each of the ELF's 2
batteries has a nominal capacity of 15 amp.hours. On typical roads
with about equal uphill and downhill, I use about one amp.hour to go 3
miles, if I pedal all the time and gear down when climbing hills, using
only enough booster power to maintain 7-10 mph, and pedals only (with a
light touch of booster as needed) to maintain 10-15 mph on level or
slight downhill stretches. This gives the ELF a range of about 40 miles
per battery. If I try to maintain an average speed of 15-20 mph by using
the booster more aggresively, the battery range may be cut in half. On
the other hand, on one long mostly downhill run of 38 miles, I used only
one anp.hour for the entire run, and the solar panel recharged the
battery before we started the next run. By the way, the ELF hit speeds
of up to 40 mph while coasting, which is a bit scary with the quick
steering and short wheelbase. At over 25 mph I can't keep up with the
pedals, even in high gear. The disc brakes on all 3 wheels work well.
The
ELF has had no mechanical problems so far. My only maintenance has been
oiling the 2 drive chains. A few rattles and squeaks have developed,
but I haven't been able to pin point their locations yet. The
speedometer/odometer quit working on the 2nd day of the trip, but that
was my fault. There are only 2 buttons on the meter, one for resetting
the trip milage, and one for setting up the functions. I pushed the
wrong button, and couldn't figure out how to undo my mistake. I used our
Garmin GPS to read speed until a day or two ago, when a helpful
computer "guru" fiddled with the cycle meter and got it to read speed
and distance again.
I'm really pleased with my ELF, and expect to use it to help keep myself fit for the foreseeable future.
Marvin
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